Down on all fours, I fill the hole quickly. I can only imagine I look like a dog digging for a bone. How’s that for attractive? Not that I’m trying to impress this guy. He’s a city boy who will be gone soon enough, leaving this town and everything in it in his rearview mirror. I pat down the soil until it’s tight around the tree trunk. When I finish, I glance up at Alek, and catch his gaze moving from my ass to my face.
“You can let go now,” I say.
“It won’t fall?”
“It shouldn’t. It’s packed tight.”
He lets go and stands back, giving his head a slow shake. “How the hell do you do this job alone?”
“With great effort,” I say, and flex my biceps as I push to my feet. “And these.”
He gives my muscles a squeeze and his grin is sexy when he says, “Impressive.” I look over his body, but I’m the one who’s impressed. Whatever he does—or did—for a living, must have been labor intensive. He glances over his shoulder. “What time is Mrs. Henderson supposed to be back?”
“She went to the spa, so a couple hours.”
He arches a brow. “Want to jump into the pool?”
I give a fast shake of my head. “No, we can’t do that.”
“Why not?” He tugs off his gloves, and shoves them into his back pockets, giving zero fucks that their dirty.
“That’s trespassing.”
He grins. “You’re a rule follower.”
“Aren’t you?”
“Usually,” he says, “But you look like you could use a dip, and I sure as hell need to cool down.”
“Even if we were allowed,” I say, and walk back to my truck. I open the cooler in the back and pull out my water bottle. “We don’t have bathing suits.” I hand the bottle to Alek. “It’s the only one I have. You don’t have any cooties, do you?”
“Cooties?”
“You know, like germs.”
“I know what cooties are, Alyssa, and no, I don’t have them.” He eyes the bottle before taking it from me. “Not anymore, anyway. Not since the antibiotics.” His grin is playful, when he asks, “How about you?”
“No.” How could I? I haven’t been with a guy in forever.
He takes a long drink and hands it to me. I tip it and take a mouthful, a
nd it’s so oddly weird how intimate it feels to be drinking from the same bottle. The cool liquid coats my parched throat, but it instantly dries again when he tugs off his T-shirt to reveal hills and valleys that draw the eye down to the waist of his jeans—and a little further south, if I’m being totally honest with myself.
He turns from me, and I enjoy the view from behind equally as much, until I realize he’s headed to the pool.
Panic invades my stomach. “Alek, don’t.” I hurry toward him and capture his arm. “I can’t lose this job.”
His face softens as he glances at me. “Hey, don’t worry. I won’t do anything to jeopardize your business, Alyssa.”
When I realize my hand is still on his arm, I jerk it back. “Oh, okay.”
He steps up to the house, and cranks the faucet until water pours from the hose. His grin is mischievous, and teasing as he glances my way.
I back up. “Don’t you dare.”
He turns the hose on himself, and his eyes drift shut as he soaks his body. His moan fills the air and I stand there like an idiot, jealous of the water dripping down his athletic frame. Once he’s soaked, he takes a drink from the end and shakes out his wet hair.
He holds the hose up. “You sure?” he asks.