Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

AXEL

W hen my dad called the other night, I almost caved and told him the truth. My heart was pounding in my ears, and there was roaring in my head. I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep up the ruse. What would his reaction be when he found out I was here the entire time?

He'd be hurt, and the rest of my siblings crushed. It was a selfish move to come home and choose to be by myself.

My family wanted nothing more than to spend the holidays with me, and I'd give them that. I just wasn't sure how much else I had to offer. I didn't want to work on the farm. I didn't want to interact with the customers. It was too much too soon.

But I wasn't sure I'd ever be ready. And at some point, I had to get a job to pay the bills. I had some money saved, but it wouldn't last forever.

This was a nice respite, but it would come to an end. Either when Luna went home for the holidays, or my family found out I was here.

I'd have to give them answers, and I wasn't sure if the ones I had would be satisfactory. Luna understood, but she was new to my life. She hadn't known me that long.

I'd been studying the newly stained floor, a little in awe that I'd done it. Seeing the cabin transform and knowing I was the one who'd done the work had given me the impetus to ask Luna if she wanted to continue doing renovations, maybe even flipping the houses we'd live in together. It was impulsive, but I'd been excited when I got the idea.

But she'd shut me down. She'd physically moved away from me, severing that connection. It was clear she didn't want this to continue beyond these few weeks.

I wasn't sure when I asked her where we'd live. But it didn't matter because she was clearly uninterested.

I couldn't blame her for wanting to start the business on her own. She'd been dependent on her family for years, and this was something she had to do. But it hurt. I'd put myself out there, and she'd said no.

It might have had nothing to do with me, but I couldn't stop the way I felt. With Luna, I felt more, things I wasn't used to experiencing. I felt happiness, contentment, longing, and desire.

She wanted to cut ties when she left Maryland, and I couldn't blame her. We'd set the parameters when this thing had started. Neither one of us was supposed to catch feelings.

The only thing was that I never felt this way. I usually kept myself nicely distanced from people I cared about when I knew I was leaving. This should have been the same as a deployment.

We had an end date. I knew better than to feel anything for her, but I couldn't help it. Luna affected me like no one else ever had.

That didn't mean it was too late to pull back and put some distance between us. I could come out of this unscathed.

And it helped that Luna didn't want a relationship or anything serious. It made it easier.

Today we were demoing the bathroom. I'd need to fit in painting and installing the ceramic tile in the kitchen.

The renovations were coming along nicely, and they were giving me a sense of accomplishment. There was a knock on the door.

I should tell Luna that she didn't have to knock. Who else would be out here? My family didn't know this cabin existed, and Luna's family didn't know where she was, other than somewhere in Maryland with a friend.

I opened it, and Luna stood on the porch. She was so gorgeous; my heart clenched. I'd miss her when she was gone. This place wouldn't be the same without her.

This was exactly why I didn't form attachments. I couldn't handle it when they were gone. There was a niggling idea that this was related to my mom dying, but I dismissed it.

“Are you ready to make the tile our bitch?” Luna asked, squeezing my arm as she slipped past me.

I grinned despite myself. “Yes?”

She clasped her hands together as she stood in my foyer. “I'm excited to get started.”

She wore leggings and a long black T-shirt. I'd told her to cover as much skin as possible so she didn't get hurt from the jagged tiles. And I'd bought her thick gloves.

“Oh. Your floors are so beautiful.” Luna moved around the space, and my gaze didn't drop from her ass. The leggings left nothing to the imagination, and I wanted nothing more than to spread her out on the new white fluffy rug she'd chosen for in front of the fireplace and feast on her pussy.

But I promised myself I'd create some distance. In the past, I was good at separating sex from emotion, but I wasn't so sure that worked with Luna. The more we were together, the more I felt.

I led the way to the bathroom where I'd already removed the mirror and the medicine cabinet. The water was off.

“We'll remove the vanity first.” I opened the doors to the cabinet to show her I'd placed a bucket under the pipes for any excess water. “I'm using an adjustable wrench to remove the nuts around the P-trap.” I gestured at the pipe I was referring to.

Luna squatted next to me. “I love when you talk tools to me.”

“I forget that you grew up in construction. You might know all of this already.”

“I know my way around tools, but this stuff, not so much. I was never involved in the tear downs or installations.”

“We're going to get your hands dirty today.” I handed her the wrench and moved so she could get into the cabinet easier. “You'll want to unscrew these nuts. Then dump any excess water in the P-trap into the bucket.”

“Got it,” Luna said as she easily followed my instructions.

“Next, we have to unscrew these nuts.” I showed her the ones I was talking about, and she got to work.

I stood, holding out a hand to help her up. “Now we can remove it. I might need a hand taking this out to the truck.”

“That's what I'm here for,” Luna said with a smile.

Why hadn't her brothers or her father ever indulged her need to learn this side of the business? She was so eager to learn and obviously capable. They'd at least taught her how to use tools.

“I'm checking for brackets behind the vanity top. This one doesn't have any, so we just need to cut through the caulk. Then we can lift it out.” I used my knife to do it.

Luna stood close, watching me intently. “Where did you learn this stuff?”

“One of my buddies bought a house, and I'd help him out from time to time.” Mainly because I needed something to fill my time, but now, I was happy I had the experience. Reading about it from a book or watching a video wasn't the same as doing it yourself.

Together we pulled the vanity top out and carried it to my truck. It was easier to remove the cabinet. Then we tossed that with the sink. Next we got to work on the toilet, which was more involved than the vanity.

I explained what I was doing as I went and always let her take lead on the removal. She wouldn't learn unless she got the hands-on experience too, and I might not always be with her to help. She needed to do this on her own.

I pointed out the inlet supply pipe under the tank. Then Luna unscrewed it from the tank and the supply line valve on the wall.

Then she removed the nuts and bolts attaching the base to the floor with an adjustable wrench. Those were stuck, so I had to use a socket wrench to ratchet them loose. This time, I let her use my knife to cut through the caulk. I lifted the toilet off the flange bolts.

I used a utility knife to scrape the wax from the drain flange in the floor. Then I unscrewed the flange, and removed it.

We carried everything to the truck.

Luna's face was flush, and sweat beaded on her skin.

It felt good to be physical and not just working out. We were making changes with our work, making things better. I could get addicted to this. “You ready for a break?”

Her nose scrunched. “I think I need a shower after that.”

I braced a hand on my hip and studied her. “There's really not a point when we have so much left to do. Are you sure you want to learn this stuff?”

Luna nodded and took off for my cabin. “I'm so happy to finally be doing something, and I'm so grateful you're taking the time to teach me.”

I stopped her with a hand on her wrist. “You don't have to thank me. You should already know this stuff. Your family should have included you.”

Her expression softened. “I want to. You didn't have to take the time to show me.”

“Of course I did.” I would do anything she asked of me. Not that she knew that. When I'd thrown out the idea of flipping houses, it was partly because I wanted to do it. I could see myself doing this for a living. I wouldn't have to deal with people. I could do physical work and earn money for it. I enjoyed seeing the changes I created. And I couldn't do it without some kind of design advice. We'd make the perfect pair.

“I'd hug you, but I feel gross.”

I chuckled as we walked toward the open door. “There's plenty of time for that later in the shower.”

“Promises, promises.”

I tried not to think about all the things I wanted to do to her, because I was supposed to be distancing myself, not getting close.

We grabbed a quick bite to eat, then moved onto the hardest job of all: removing the tile that lined the floor and the wall.

We prepped the room by duct-taping plastic sheeting over the vents, registers, and the door.

I handed Luna a hammer and chisel to chip away at the tile, starting at the edge of the shower. I worked on the top. Then I got out the reciprocating saw I rented from the local box store to cut through the exposed drywall.

By the time I was finished with the saw, it was dark outside, and Luna was sitting cross-legged in the doorway.

“Tomorrow we can use the pry bar to pull down the tile.”

“That'll be the fun part. I never thought it would be satisfying to tear things down.”

“It is fun.” It was better with her at my side. It would be a lonelier job without her. “Do you mind if I use your shower?”

“It's not like you can use yours.” Luna waved a hand at the destruction.

I threw an arm around her, and her hand naturally curled into the cotton material covering my chest. Her nose wrinkled. “You're sweaty.”

I pulled her tighter to me. “Hmm. You don't mind it when my dick?—”

She patted my chest. “Okay, okay. Enough of that. I need a shower before we get hot and heavy.”

I smirked at her as we walked into my bedroom. I let go of her, only to grab clean clothes. I had a feeling I wouldn't be coming home tonight. As much as I should put distance between us, I didn't have a working bathroom. It made practical sense to stay at her place. It had nothing to do with the fact that we hadn't spent a night apart since we were intimate for the first time.

At her place, she turned on the water and motioned for me to join her. “We might as well conserve water.”

“Is that what this is?” I asked her as her hands roamed my chest.

“Of course.” She pulled away only to grab the body wash, then moved the suds over my body.

I had a feeling she had something else in mind, but it was nice to have someone else take care of me in this way. No one had ever bathed me except for possibly my mother when I was too young to remember.

Was it possible to have something this good in your life? Could it be permanent? I couldn't get carried away with the idea of always and forever. That wouldn't work for us.

It was best not to get too attached. It didn't matter how many times I said it; it was impossible not to get carried away.

Especially as she moved over my body, her hands soft on my skin. When she lowered herself to her knees, I almost told her she didn't have to. But I was a selfish bastard. I wanted whatever she had to give me.

She gazed up at me with a naughty glint in her eyes as her hand gripped the base of my cock. My muscles were sore, but she was licking the crown of my dick, and I couldn't say no. Not when I wanted her this badly.

She sucked me into her mouth, and I braced my hands on the tiled wall behind her, thrusting slowly, testing what she was willing to do.

Her eyes widened as she sucked harder. Fuck, she was into this.

I thrust more forcefully, always conscious of where she was at. If her eyes teared up, or she looked panicked, I'd pull out. Her comfort was more important than my pleasure.

As much as I was enjoying the feeling of her mouth on my dick, I wanted more. I always wanted more.

I pulled her up, grabbing the soap to return the favor. I took my time, soaping her breasts, tweaking her nipples, then down her body to her pussy. My fingers slipped through her folds, and she arched into my hand.

My cock was still hard. But I ignored it because I wanted her to catch up to where I was. When she was riding my finger, her body flush, I stood.

I lifted her so that her back was pressed against the tiles, and I eased into her. Now that we weren't using condoms, I felt even closer to her. There was nothing between us. She knew I was hiding out from my family, and I knew she was overlooked by hers.

We sought solace in each other. It would only be for a short time, but I'd enjoy it while I could. I sucked her nipple into my mouth, my dick fully inside of her.

“You always feel so good,” she said.

I felt the same, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything. I'd show her with my mouth, and my cock. This woman was it for me. I'd never found anyone who brought this side of me out. I was positive I wouldn't find anyone else.

I thrust harder, hoping she'd felt what I did. We were inevitable. Our differences were just details. Surely we could figure this out.

If she was by my side, would it be easier to be with my family? Was I brave enough to find out?

She tugged on my hair, and I focused on making her feel good. When she cried out, I let go too. I don't think I'd ever felt anything better than coming at the same time.

I slowly lowered her to her feet and cleaned her.

Then I grabbed the shampoo and washed her hair, helping her rinse it. Then she handed me the conditioner. “Can you put it toward the ends of my hair?”

She trusted me to do this right. It wasn't a big deal, not like installing a toilet, but it felt huge.

When the conditioner was in her hair, she turned, curling her arms around my neck, and she pulled me down to kiss her. Her tits were pressed against my chest, and my dick was on board for round two, but I kept it slow and sweet.

This was about taking care of her, not taking what I needed. I pulled backed slightly so she could dip her head so her hair was in the stream of water.

I resisted cupping her breasts or tweaking her nipples that were begging for my touch.

This was about her, and we were becoming more than physical.

When she was done, she stepped out to wrap herself in a towel, and I quickly finished up.

Today was better than I thought it would be. We worked together as a team. I wished she could see the possibilities like I could.