She wanted to pull the insulting words back the second they fell from her lips. Since that was a physical impossibility, Raegan hurriedly tried to apologize.
“I’m sorry.” She gave her head a quick shake. “I didn’t mean to?—”
“It’s okay.” The man’s broad, bare shoulders shook with a deep chuckle. “My real name is John, but everyone calls me Rocky.”
Rocky, it is.
“It’s nice to meet you, Rocky.” Raegan slid her palm against his outstretched hand.
His long, thick fingers curled around her in a strong yet gentle grip, and she wasn’t the least bit prepared for the sudden jolt of electricity his touch had created. The slight hitch in her breath was unnerving as the tightening in her lower belly when the man’s light blue eyes met hers.
Pretty.
And now that she was standing right in front of him, Raegan found herself craning her neck backward and squinting against the sun so she could study the rest of his enticing features.
His golden hair was slightly mussed on top, the locks there a smidge longer than those on the sides and back. Something else Raegan noticed, now that she was close to him, was the slight hint of auburn sprinkled sparingly throughout.
That unexpected discovery nearly made her smile, though she had no earthly idea why.
Moving on, she quickly finished committing the rest to memory…
A strong, square jaw. A nose that had obviously been broken at least once before. A tiny scar slicing through the left side of the man’s luscious upper lip.
And while John “Rocky” Rockland wasn’t handsome in the traditional sense of the word, Raegan still found herself wildly attracted to him. Not that her underserved hormones mattered at the moment.
So maybe now would be a good time to let go of his hand. And then you could, you know…possibly say something about why you’re even here.
The plan. She had to get back to the plan.
“Sorry.” Raegan pulled her hand free with a small smile. Ignoring the unforeseen void the warmth of his touch had left,she finally got to the reason she was here. “And I’m sorry for interrupting your work up there, it’s just…” She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth to help with the wholeI’m just a helpless girlvibe. “I kind of have a problem with my kitchen sink, and I was hoping maybe you could take a look?”
“Sure.” Rocky didn’t hesitate to agree. “Let me grab my toolbox real quick?—”
“I have one,” Raegan blurted before rushing to add, “I’m not sure if it’ll have everything you need, though. It was a gift from my dad.”
That last part was a lie, but thankfully, one the other man seemed to buy.
“Well, then…how ’bout I go take a look and try to see what we’re dealing with. Then, if I need to, I can come back out and grab what I need.”
“Really?” She let her eyes grow wider than necessary. “Oh, man. That would be awesome! Thank yousomuch!”
Easy with the bubbly excitement, there, Rae. You want him to think you’re clueless about how to fix a clogged sink. Not that you’re a total moron.
But Rocky didn’t stare down at her as if he thought she was a moron. Instead, he rewarded her with another friendly smile.
“No problem.” He motioned across the yard to her house. “Lead the way.”
Feeling relieved that the first stage of her plan had gone off without a hitch, Raegan began the short trek across the grass and back over to her house. She didn’t get too cocky, though. Just because the guy was willing to take a look at her sink, that didn’t automatically mean he’d be willing to share personal information with a complete stranger.
But a flash of a smile here…a bat of her eyelashes there…and maybe, justmaybe, she’d find out all there was to know about the enticing wall of muscle living next door.
“Ignore the mess.” Raegan shot him a quick smirk over her shoulder as she opened her front door. “I just moved in a few days ago, and I’m still working my way through all the boxes.”
Truth be told, she’d had plenty of time to unpack, but she’d been using her free time on something of far greater importance.
“Trust me, I get it.” Rocky followed her over the threshold. “I’ve been needing to fix the shingles on that section of roof for a bit, but I had to go out of town for work for a while. Got back late last night, so this is the first chance I’ve had to mess with it.”
Rather than immediately ask about his job, Raegan led him past the small, open dining room on her right on her way to the kitchen. Stopping in front of the sink, she pointed to the source of the issue.