Page 20 of Wild For You

“I’m sure you do. You just haven’t discovered it yet.” She turns to me and motions for me to follow her. “Let me show you the greenhouse. It’s very relaxing. You’re going to love it.”

***

It’slate afternoon when I return, my hands, and arms dirty from helping Margaret, my hair smelling of sun, flowers, and nature.

The sun’s still high in the clear sky, burning everything with its harsh, unrelenting rays, but there’s also a shift in the air. I can almost feel the oncoming rain and can hear the splattering sound against the windowpanes. It will make such a nice change from the relentless heat and the deadly silence of the house.

The house is as quiet as I left it, and there’s still no sign of Cash. My stomach rumbles, reminding me that I haven’t eaten, but I’ll tackle that issue after a shower.

Stepping into the bathroom, I close the door behind me and proceed to undress. I look like a mess. Dirt cakes my face. Brown stripes of sweat and dust from carrying heavy bags of soil streak my skin. I probably smell as bad as I look. But my hands and nails are the worst.

I jump into the shower to wash off the dirt, but as I turn on the faucet, I realize there’s no water. Frowning, I walk the small distance to the basin and try both the hot and cold water.

Nothing.

“What the hell?” I grab a fluffy white towel, ignoring the fact that it’s going to be a dark shade of gray soon. Wrapping the towel around my body, I walk back to the kitchen where the sink is.

Again, no water.

There are only two possible explanations. Either Cash has a plumbing problem or—

My blood begins to boil in my veins.

“Cash!” I yell. No reply. I head for his bedroom and bang on his door. “Cash! Open up.” I’m so angry I’m completely oblivious to the fact that I’m only wearing a towel that barely covers my modesty. “I know there’s nothing wrong with your plumbing, so switch on the damn water.”

I bang harder and then press my ear against the door to listen for any movement. When nothing stirs, I open the door and peer inside his bedroom.

He’s not here.

I let out a frustrated groan.

How am I supposed to clean up without any water? Sweat is clinging to every inch of my body, and I can feel an itch spreading all over me. I’m about to close the door when I spy the open door to his bathroom.

A bathroom that comes with a shower and what looks like a generously sized bathtub.

This is heaven.

“I shouldn’t,” I mumble, closing my eyes. It would be completely unprofessional. Then again, I wouldn’t be in this situation if he hadn’t turned off the water. “Crap.”

Before I can change my mind, I cross his bedroom in a few long strides.

The bathroom is bigger than mine with marble tiles and a huge bathtub. There’s even a monstrous walk-in shower that can accommodate at least two.

It all feels so wrong.

Guilt starts tugging at me because of the fact that I’m invading his privacy.

What if I’m wrong and Cash didn’t switch off the water. Maybe he has a plumbing problem and there’s a leakage somewhere.

I can’t blame him without concrete proof.

As I turn on the faucet, water starts pouring into the tub—warm and oh-so-inviting. It’s much warmer than mine, which, come to think of it, always borders on icy.

“Son of a bitch,” I whisper.

This is all the proof I need. Cash is doing this on purpose, maybe to get rid of me. My mind’s made up. I’m not leaving. If he’s trying to make my job harder than it already is, then I’m going to make him work harder than he’s worked in his entire life.

I’ll help him while turning into his worst nightmare. I’m going to be relentless…starting today.

As soon as I’ve cleaned up, I’m going to comb through every single spot in his house to find him.

But first…

Sighing with delight, I close the door to his bathroom and drop the towel to the floor.

Unprofessional or not, I sure as hell won’t be running around dirty while he’s laughing his ass off. First, I’ll use his bathroom, and then I’ll turn the tables.

I’ll be exactly what he doesn’t expect me to be. He won’t even see it coming.

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