Page 59 of Hot for the Jerk

Especially after last night.

Did I want to see her again?More than I cared to admit.

Did she feel the same way?I had no fucking clue.

Probably not though.

All I really cared about was that she got home to her son for Christmas.She didn’t kill me in my sleep, and I kind of got my answer about why she ghosted me so many years ago.The rest was just a happy little bonus.

A happy little bonus … kind of like that second orgasm I managed to pull out of her last night.

I sighed and grabbed my second slice of pizza.Fuck, I was in a heap of trouble.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Raina

ItwasChristmasEveday, but already the sky darkened, and while the wind died down some over the last couple of days, the rain did not.We were experiencing what the meteorologists called an “atmospheric river.”

It took us no time at all to get back into a routine—Marco, my cousins, and me.

This was technically our off-season, but there was always something to do on the property.We had wine box subscriptions to fill, orders to ship out, and regular maintenance on the property.

Naomi was our resident “handywoman” taking care of things that needed fixing.She couldn’t always do everything, but she was our go-to person before we called for an off-site professional.

At the moment, she was on her back with half her body under my kitchen sink because when I went to take out the garbage this morning, there was a giant puddle of water where I normally kept my cleaning supplies.Marco was busy upstairs playing video games with Damon, and Naomi’s son, Austin.

“I don’t think it’s the pipe,” my cousin said, scooting forward on her butt until her body was all the way out.She almost always wore overalls of some color and variation.Today she wore dark-green corduroy ones and a long-sleeve red top underneath.“I think it’s the detachable nozzle up here.”She stood up and reached for the sprayer from the faucet, turned it on, and flicked it to the shower mode instead of direct.Water dribbled down the extendable flexible hose, then we both crouched down and, sure enough, droplets slowly formed a new puddle under the sink.

“So what do I do?”I asked her.

“You’ll need a whole new faucet system, I think.I’m sure the hardware store has some.Otherwise, we’ll have to wait and order it.”

“What do I do in the meantime?I need my kitchen sink.”Even though I wasn’t preparing our big Christmas dinner—that task was always taken on by Gabrielle—I still needed my sink.

“You can still use it,” she said, shutting off the water after she stood back up.“Just put something underneath to catch the water.A towel, or a small bucket.And keep an eye on things.Don’t let it get too full or too wet.This is always a shit time of year for repairs and stuff.Crappy weather, extended closures.”Her face conveyed that she understood my frustration.

I closed the cabinet under the sink after placing a small stainless steel bowl to catch the drips.I wasn’t going to bother putting all the cleaning supplies back.

“So,” she said, wiping her hands on her pants, “haven’t had a chance to chat with you since you got back.How was your time on Wayman?”

I rolled my eyes and made my way into my living room.“You haven’t had a chance to chat withme, but I’m sure you bent Danica’s ear until she asked you to leave.”

Naomi’s green eyes glittered.She also didn’t deny it.We sat down on opposite ends of my sofa, tucking our legs under us.“I just find it really … ironic?Maybe that’s the word?That of all the people in the world for you to get stranded with and have to share a room with, it would be that snack of a man, and your enemy of enemies, Jagger McEvoy.”

I hadn’t told anybody that we also shared a bed, because the questions would be endless.

“It was fine,” I said with a dismissive headshake.“He’s not nearly as unbearable as I believed him to be in the past.He proved to be very … useful.He chopped wood for the fire when the power went out.”

Naomi rolled her lips inward, trying to stop herself from smiling.“Very ‘useful,’ hmm?”

Rolling my eyes, I basically told her to fuck off with my headshake.“Anyway, thank you for helping watch Marco in my absence.I love that we all have each other’s backs.”

“Of course.We love him and we love you.We’re fam—”

She was interrupted by a sudden knock at my door.

Besides bedroom doors, we never knocked on anybody’s front door on the property, at least not family members.Seasonal grape-picking staff was a little different.I gave my cousin a curious look as I got up from my cross-legged position on the couch and went to the door.All she did was shrug.

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