Songbird

Seventeen: Lennie

The only part of being in Georgia I was over was this god damned heat. Sure, Tennessee got hot, but Georgia heat? It was a different level of hell. Even inside, I felt like I was melting. Of course, the fact that I had spent the last three days painting probably wasn't helping, but I really wanted to make this little house my own. Which was evident by my choice of sunflower yellow for the kitchen.

"That is... yellow..." Colt stated, a bit out of breath as he came in from working on the deck. His hat was backwards, and his t-shirt had been removed and stuffed into his back pocket. He was absolutely glistening with sweat, and let me tell you, I kind of wanted to lick it off of him.

"You makin' fun of my color choice, buddy?" I asked, pointing my paint roller at him threateningly as I could.

"No, ma'am. It's... something else." He fought a smirk as he headed for the fridge. He pulled out a bottle of water and chugged the whole thing down in seconds. "It's hotter n hell out there today."

"Yes, yes it is..."

I didn't realize how hard I was staring until I heard him laugh. "You alright there, sunshine?"

"What? Sorry." I shook my head. "I'm fine."

"Damn, girl. I ain't a piece of meat. Keep it together."

"Wrong."

"Excuse me?" he asked, leaning back on the counter and crossing one ankle over the other.

"You're wrong."

"What do you mean 'I'm wrong'?" he questioned with a grin, folding his muscled arms over his chest.

"I mean you are wrong," I repeated. "You are very clearly a piece of meat. You look like you just walked out of some HGTV porno..."

Colt just beamed back at me. "And... judging by the look on your face, that... does it for you?"

"Baby, you've got no idea..."

"Why don't you come show me?" he grinned, jerking his head to the side.

"Sir, we are supposed to be working," I objected, though I slowly began moving toward him. "How are we gonna get this place done if you keep comin' in here all sweaty and sexy and tempting?"

"I got a couple jobs you could get done," he stated, his voice a deep rumble in his chest.

"Oh yeah?" I asked, feigning some sort of innocence I definitely didn't have. "You think I'm qualified for em?"

"Baby, you are the only one that is." I laughed as I felt his hands grab my hips and before I could object, he spun us around and lifted me to sit on the counter.

"You seem like you'll be... a very authoritative boss...." I hung one arm over his shoulder and ran the index finger of the other over the tattoos on his chest, circling the little songbird in the middle.

His laugh was more of a growl. "I can be, but I got a feeling you're a real hard worker," he stated as he dipped his mouth toward mine.

"Yeah?"

"Mhmm," he nodded before his lips captured mine. He tasted like spearmint gum and the beer I saw him sneak earlier as his tongue dipped passionately into my mouth.

After a while I pulled back, a bit hesitantly. "Did you quit smoking?"

He chuckled. "Tryin. Today's been a good day. Only one this morning."

"Mmm. I like it. Better than making out with an ashtray."

"Anything for my girl," he stated before diving back in and pressing himself into me, so my legs were spread wide around his hips. His lips stayed on mine as one hand braced on the cabinet just behind my head and the other dipped to the drawstring of my shorts.