She turns and walks off and I slam the door.
"Who was it?" Callie asks.
I turn and see her behind me. "Katie. She threatened to interfere with my building permits if I don't sleep with her."
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah, but I'm not worried about it. She doesn't have that kind of power."
"She does. Her dad's on city council."
"That doesn't mean he can ban me from getting a permit. He's not in charge of the department that issues them."
"Don't you already have all your permits?"
"I have some, but not all. I was waiting until I knew exactly what I was going to do with the house. But now, I'm just going to go ahead and apply for whatever permits I think I'll need, just in case Katie tries to interfere."
"I swear, I don't know what her problem is. This is why I don't like small towns. Everyone's always in everyone else's business."
"This shit goes on in big cities too. There's always someone whose sole purpose in getting elected is to punish the people they don't like." I take Callie's hand and pull her toward me. "Let's forget all that and get back to what we were doing before the doorbell rang."
She looks down. "I don't think we should."
"Why? Just a few minutes ago you were all over me." I lift her face up and kiss her. "And I liked it." I kiss her again. "A lot."
She rests her hands on my chest. "I did too, but I didn't mean to do that. It just happened."
I smile. "You just happened to kiss me?"
"Something like that." She glances down.
I lift her face again, bringing her eyes back to mine. "There had to be a reason."
Her shoulders drop. "Okay, fine. It was all that talk about hammering nails in the wall."
"What?" My brows draw together in confusion.
She sighs. "Your instructions. You used words that...I don't know...got to me in a certain way."
"What did I say?"
She avoids my gaze, her cheeks turning pink. "Pound it in. Drive it in. Do it harder."
I laugh. "Shit, that's the funniest thing I've ever heard. You have a dirty, dirty mind, my friend."
"I normally don't, but for some reason, those words just got to me. Maybe because I haven't done it for so long."
"How long?"
She shoves me back. "I'm not telling you. That's private."
"It's been six months for me. I haven't done it since I ended things with Marissa." I have no problem admitting that. I'm pretty much an open book, with a few exceptions.
"Six months?" She cocks her head. "Really? That's a long time for a guy like you."
"A guy like me? What does that mean?"
"You're hot. Outgoing. Flirt constantly. Girls must come on to you all the time."
I smile. "Good to know you think I'm hot. As long as we're dishing out compliments, I think you have great eyes. They're deep and rich, and expressive. And I love your lips. They're incredibly soft. And your body? It's perfect. You might just be the hottest girl I've ever seen."
Her jaw drops slightly, then closes again.
I reach for her, my arms circling her waist and pulling her into me as I look her in the eye. "And I don't flirt with just any girl. Only the ones I really want."
I see her swallow, and hear her breaths quicken. "So the past six months...no one?"
"No one. I've had plenty of opportunities, but I chose not to take them. If I don't feel something for the girl beyond just a physical attraction, I don't do it."
"That's unusual."
"Not really. Not every guy is just looking for sex."
"Most are."
"Has that been your experience?"
She nods. "Unfortunately, yes."
"Is that why it's been so long? You can't find a guy who wants more than just sex?"
"No. That's not why." She closes her eyes and it's like the air around us turned darker, heavier. My mind starts thinking up reasons for that darkness and I feel anger rising up in me.
"Did something happen to you?" I ask. "Did a guy—"
"No," she says. "It's nothing like that. I just didn't have opportunities."
"Callie, you're gorgeous. I'm sure you had plenty of opportunities."
"Can we talk about something else? This is embarrassing."
"You don't have to be embarrassed around me, but yeah, we don't need to talk." I lower my mouth to hers. "We could just go back to doing this." I kiss her but she laughs.
"Nash, we need to stop. We can't do this every time we're around each other."
"Actually, we could." I kiss her again. "There's no rule saying we can't."
"You're my boss." She's smiling as she turns around in my arms in a lame attempt to get away. "It's not appropriate."
"Then you're fired," I say, holding onto her, her back against my chest. I kiss the side of her neck.
"Stop it." She laughs again. "I'm going back to work."
"You can't. I just fired you."
"Then I'm working for free, because I have to finish what I started."
"You didn't finish what you started in the kitchen," I whisper in her ear.
"See? Constant flirting. It never stops."