Page 90 of With Spite

The short drive to his place hadn’t warmed the air up enough in the cab to make it comfortable.

I shivered when I opened the door, but I wasn’t in the cold for long. He had the door open and he was ushering me inside in moments.

“It may not be snowing, but it feels like it should be,” I admitted as I ran my hands up and down the length of my arms.

“Montana fall for you,” he joked. “Are you sure you can handle it here?”

I lifted my chin. “I can handle it anywhere.”

Twenty-One

What’s your blood type? IDK, fucking boiling.

—Hux to Odin

Hux

I had the heat cranked up so high I knew that my heating bill was going to gut me this month.

But seeing her rush of relief was enough to make me not give a damn.

I had plenty of money.

Between a small trust fund that my great-grandfather had left me and a hell of a good paycheck every month from my job, I had more than enough to go around.

Plus, the work wasn’t ever going to lighten up.

I’d have to quit first, and that wasn’t happening any time soon.

“Did y’all decide to work tomorrow?” I asked as she shed the layers at the front door.

She hung each layer—my jacket, hers, then her sweatshirt—on the coat hook right beside the entryway.

Once she was clear of the coat hook, I followed suit, kicking my boots off last.

When I turned, she was squatted down on her haunches as she held her hand out to the cat.

“She’s hungry if you want to feed her,” I said. “Can’s in the cupboard beside the microwave.”

“I thought I saw you get it out of the fridge?” she asked.

“I usually give her half a can in the morning and half in the evening, but she’s been grouchy about not getting to go outside. Or maybe I just feel guilty. But I’m giving her the full can in the morning and in the evening.”

“Spoiled,” she said as she walked to the counter and leaned up to reach for the cabinet pull. “How’s the construction coming?”

“Slow,” I admitted. “But I have no clue. I wasn’t able to get up there today. I had a lot of catching up to do.”

She blushed. “I’m sorry for keeping you from your work.”

I moved in until she was bare inches from me, wrapping my arm around her upper leg, right where her ass met her thigh, and tugged her the rest of the way. Our entire bodies were touching from chest to knee, and there was no way that she could miss the erection that was filling up the front of my jeans.

“Did I say I wanted an apology?” I asked. “I don’t do things I don’t want to do, Bernice.”

She bit her lip. “Is that right?”

I nodded.

“Okay,” she whispered.