Page 98 of Guarded Deputy
“It’s really hot in here. Aren’t you hot?”
“I was until I saw you panicking.”
“Not like that.” I shake my head and stand. “It’s suddenly uncomfortably warm in the house.” God, is this a pre-menopause hot flash? I’m too young for that, but my mom gets this way. “You don’t feel hot?”
“It’s a little warm in here, but I thought it was just me and figured the AC was high.”
“No.” I move to the door. Why does this happen now? Right before we get to the good part.
I stand by the thermostat in the hall and point to it. “See? Seventy degrees.”
“It’s not seventy here. Maybe eighty,” Nate says.
“Why are you just telling me now?”
“I don’t know. I’m not going to tell you to lower your air. How are you just noticing?” His eyes round and brows rise a bit.
“I wasn’t moving so didn’t notice it. You got me all hot and bothered and my temperature rose.” I scratch my arm and then fan myself with my hand.
“I do have that effect on you.” He gives me a crooked smile.
“Not the time. I mean, totally the time if it weren’t that my AC likely broke.”
“I’ll take a look at it. Why don’t you turn on the tub with cold water and soak?”
“You don’t think I’m crazy?” I stare at him as if he has five heads with different expressions.
“Why would I think you’re crazy?”
“Because I stopped us right before sex, complaining about the temperature.”
Nate frowns and steps toward me, grabbing my hands. He ducks his head so we’re at eye-level.
“Lizzy, if you think I’m going to get pissed because you’re uncomfortable, then I’m going to be disappointing you a lot. Yes, I wanted to move onto the bedroom, but this isn’t a dealbreaker. I want to be withyouin any capacity not just for sex.”
“But—“
“Nope. No excuses. I don’t know what kind of men you’ve dated in the past, but I’m not going to get upset because you interrupted foreplay due to this.” The men from my past were not as understanding when it came to my quirks.
“Technically, we hadn’t started foreplay.” I shrug with a smile.
“Babe,” he groans. “I was so hard that my body felt like we had. You are my foreplay.” He wraps his arm around my waist and kisses me “Get in the tub, and I’ll meet you there after checking on the AC.”
“Tub sex?”
“Cold water. It is hot as fuck in here.”
“It really is. I need to get a fan if it’s broken. Someone won’t be able to come out here until tomorrow the earliest. I should call my landlord.”
“Do that while I take a look, then go into the bathroom.”
I smile and nod, heading to the living room where my phone is while Nate opens the closet door where my AC is and squats.
He continues to surprise me.
After telling my landlord that my air isn’t working properly and agreeing to send someone out here to take a look, I turn on the water in the tub to colder than usual. It will help remove this sticky feeling on my skin.
Once the tub is filled, I slide in and shiver at the welcomed coolness of the water. I don’t even bother putting soap since I just want to cool down. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath. My mind wanders to the man out in the hall looking at my air conditioning without a second thought.