Page 27 of When It Rains He Pours

Who is this man?

And where the hell did he come from?

My heart pitter pattered, body igniting to his demand to help and keep me safe. The way he said it, it was as if he meant every word. He didn't waver as he spoke, he didn't sound insincere and full of shit.

Arching his brows, he jiggled his arms like the weight was becoming too much and he was about to topple over.

“Yeah, there's one in there,” I said, nodding my head towards a door on the wall to our right. Walking to the closet, I grabbed the second bin, and dragged it towards him so he could empty his arms. “I really appreciate this, thank you.”

“Don't thank me just yet, there's still a lot to do.” Liam's dirty blonde hair swept across his forehead as he leaned down, grabbing more of the carnage off the floor.

For over an hour the two of us cleaned up the trash and debris, dropping armful after armful of my life into the bin.

“There is so much I need to do to get back to where I was, I don't know how I'm going to fix it,” I said, cupping my waist and raking my fingers down my neck.

Liam had grabbed a broom from the closet and was sweeping the tiny bits into a pile in the center of the room. His arms bulged, rolling under the skin in waves. My body tingled with ghostly sensations of what it felt like when he touched me, when he held me, when he had his way with me.

Sweat was starting to trickle down over his temples, his shirt damp and dark across his chest as he stood up straight and rested his arm on the tip of the broom stick.

My heart skipped inside, hiccuping with irregular beats as his muscles flexed and twitched beneath the fabric.

Tilting his head into his shoulder, he eyed me with a sideways grin. The lust was probably written all over my face with rosy red cheeks and my gawking eyes. As much as I wanted to enjoy him right then, I had to keep my head in check.

Flicking my eyes away, I cleared my throat. “I never expected I'd be starting from the ground up again.”

It felt like everything I had worked for had burned. There were no actual flames, there was no ash or charred remains, but that man might as well have drenched the entire place with gasoline and lit a match.

“Don't let this get to you. We can get you better locks, some more supplies, and you can trap yourself in here for two weeks to build up your inventory. Shit, we can even get you a mini-fridge and a toaster oven so you don't even have to leave to eat.”

“That sounds like over kill if you ask me, but if you're trying to make me smile, it's working.” A slight grin teased my lips, my cheeks lifting in appreciation for everything this man had done for me—for a stranger, a woman he knew nothing about.

Good guys still exist.

“Maybe that's exactly what I was trying to do.” Dropping his gaze to the floor, he jerked his head. “You want to grab that dustpan and give me a hand? Or you can stand there and just look pretty, I don't mind that either.”

My lips spread higher, cheeks heating like I was holding hot coals in my mouth. “Sure, I can do that.”

Squatting down, I pushed the dustpan against the pile, trying to think of a way to show him how grateful I was for the help. The room was almost spotless, bare and clean just like the first day I walked in.

Aside from the walls, it looked brand new again. After a few coats of fresh paint, I'd be back to square one; a blank canvas.

Liam didn't have to do what he did, he could have looked in, decided to turn a blind eye, and keep going on his way. But he didn't, he stopped, he came to my rescue.

And I liked that.A lot.

My guardian angel. . .

Stretching his arms over his head, Liam rocked his shoulders side to side. “I don't know about you, but I'm getting hot as hell in here.” Slinking his fingers under the hem of his shirt, he rolled it up over his stomach as he tugged it off.

Holy fuck. . .

I was numb.

Trying not to stare, I flicked my eyes around. But his stomach looked like marble stepping stones, creating a solid path up to his chest. His arms were thick and hard, muscles rolling beneath the surface like boulders.

Somehow, it felt like I had missed all this greatness in the frenzy of lust the night before. There was no time to truly appreciate his body and strong physique while I was under his spell.

Wiping his forehead with his t-shirt, he draped it over his shoulder. “Let's finish this up, then there's something I want to show you.”

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