Page 30 of Fall Apart

He looks back at me with a proud smile I haven’t seen before, letting his dimples peek out. “Yep. Lived here since the day I finished building it a few years ago.”

My eyes go wide. “You built this place?”

He grins back at me, the smile from earlier replaced by the cocky, smug one I’m much more familiar with. “What? You thought I was just some eye candy construction worker you could eyefuck at the bar and again at the penthouse door?”

I palm my face and shake my head. “Fair point.” I look over at the fireplace and windows and gesture around again. “But this? It’s beautiful. Did you work with a local designer?”

I look back at him and notice his cheeks are almost pink. “No. I designed it,” he says softly.

“Youdesigned and builtthis?” I say, pointing my finger towards the ceiling.

One side of his mouth pulls together and he shrugs while looking down at the ground.

“Yeah. My parents had the land and always meant to build their own place here. But after mom. My dad didn’t have the heart to build on the lot.” His voice trails off for a second before he clears his throat. “It took me a couple years working on it in my spare time, salvaging material from other jobs, and calling in favors with other construction guys I know. But I got it done eventually.”

This side of Clay is so different than the other ones I’m used to seeing. The softness is so jarring that if I hadn’t met him before, I’d think he’s a big teddy bear like his brother.

My thoughts are pulled away when a sound coming from the hallway catches my attention. I look up and I’m instantly terrified by the monster running at me.

“Jesus Christ. What is that?” I practically scream, leaping behind Clay and grabbing him.

I’m holding him so tightly that I can feel his chest rumble when he laughs. “That’s little orphan Ani,” he says, casually and mater-of-factly.

Clay kneels down, forcing me to let go of him. “That is a wolf, Clay.” My voice is breathy and my heart is still pounding.

“What? You don’t like dogs?” I watch as he ruffles the fur on the dog's head in both of his big hands.

I stay standing with Clay betweenAniand me. “I like dogs. He just caught me off guard. Sorry, it’s been a day and I’m just on edge.”

“Bed!” Clay’s voice is deep and cool. I watch as the dog turns, walks over to a dog bed on the floor in front of the fireplace and plops down on it with a huff before chewing on a toy. Ok, that was kind of hot. A man in command.

“Good boy,” he says calmly before standing and turning to face me. Something about his commanding presence stirs up a funny feeling in my stomach. “Yeah. Again, sorry it’s been a rough day. I still can’t believe I fucked up like that. But you don’t have to worry about Ani. He’s harmless and will do whatever you say.”

“He?” I look at the dog and back at Clay. “Isn’t Annie a girl’s name?”

He laughs and shakes his head. “He’s named after Anakin-”

“Skywalker,” I cut him off and smile back at him. “Let me guess. He’s a rescue?”

He looks at me with wide eyes and his mouth slowly morphs into a smile. “You are full of surprises. I would never guess that you’d get that reference.”

“Those movies are my dad's favorites. I can’t tell you how many times I watched all of them. I swear he wishes I loved them as much as he does.” I roll my eyes and scoff. “At least I have him to thank for understanding way too many pop cultural references now.”

“Yeah. Our dad loves them too. Tanner, Collin, and I were obsessed and always made Veronica and Grace watch them with us.” He looks toward the TV above the fireplace like he’s thinking about a distant memory. “Anyways, let’s get you to your room.”

He leads me down the hallway that Ani originally came running out of. I notice an open door on the right and stop for a second to look in the room. There are floor to ceiling bookshelves on two sides of the space, another leather and walnut chair in the corner, and a large sit-stand desk in the other corner, facing me.

Clay stops and turns, noticing that I’m not right behind him any more. “That’s my office. If you need a space to work, you’re welcome to use that desk.” I’m still only planning to just stay tonight and look for another place until the condo is fixed, but it’s still nice of him to offer.

“Thanks. You weren’t kidding - you read a lot.” I wave my hand at the books on both walls.

His brows furrow and he shrugs, looking back into the office. “I don’t have much of a social life. I prefer books over people.”

Now that I can relate to. A book boyfriend has never let me down. And books are always an escape from reality. Sometimes a much needed one. But still, there’s something oddly amusing about picturing this rugged, tattooed, works-with-his-hands man sitting in a chair by the fire, reading a book. Honestly it’s kind of hot.

“Hey.” Clay clicks his tongue, getting my attention back from my thoughts. He cocks his head back towards the shelves in the office. “You’re welcome to read any of them. If you’re here, my house is your house.”

He turns and walks down the hall, stopping at the second to last door on the right. “My room is at the end of the hall. Both our rooms have en-suites, so you’ll have a bathroom to yourself. It should be stocked, but if you need anything just ask.” He opens the door and extends an arm inside, gesturing for me to walk in. “But this is you.”

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