Chapter 2

I jumped.

"Elena! What happened?"

Her voice trembled with embarrassment from inside. "I think the hair dryer just started smoking..."

A short circuit.

Just as I was groaning over how to fix it in the middle of the night, Elena emerged, fully dressed.

In the pitch-black room, I used my phone's flashlight to inspect the bathroom.

Sure enough, the faulty dryer had blown the fuse.

Now, our romantic night had turned into an emergency repair mission.

Elena reached out, her fingers curling around mine. Her big eyes sparkled in the faint light.

"Jack, I actually know an electrician. He does late-night house calls."

Before I could answer, she pulled out her phone and dialed.

"Jack, he said he can be here in thirty minutes."

Just like that, what was supposed to be our intimate first night together turned into waiting around for an electrician.

With someone coming over, I couldn't walk around shirtless.

I pulled on my jacket and sat upright on the couch, waiting until past two in the morning.

I yawned endlessly, but the repair guy never showed up.

I walked into the bedroom to ask Elena what was going on, only to find her fast asleep.

She was curled under the blanket, breathing softly and steadily.

No matter how turned on I was, I wasn't a monster. I wasn't going to force myself on a sleeping woman.

Besides, exhaustion hit me like a truck. My eyelids felt heavy as lead.

Letting out a long, frustrated sigh, I grabbed a throw blanket and crashed on the couch.

I fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, the mouthwatering aroma of food woke me up.

"Jack, breakfast is ready. Come eat!"

I scrambled up from the couch. There she was, wearing an apron, moving around the small kitchen, with fresh pancakes and hot coffee laid out on the table.

After so many years alone, for the first time, this place felt like an actual home.

A wave of warmth rushed over me. I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her slim waist.

"Be my girlfriend."

Elena blushed, but to my shock, she shook her head.

Thinking she looked down on my lifestyle, I quickly blurted, "I can take care of you. You won't have to worry about money."

She looked back at me, tears welling in her eyes.

"No, Jack. I don't have a job. I'm not good enough for you. If I stay with you like this, I'm just a burden."

"You work so hard for your money, and you're not swimming in cash. I can't just freeload off you."

Elena said she needed to find work, preferably something that provided room and board. She added that she would always be grateful to me once she was back on her feet.

The more she talked, the more panicked I got.

If she moved out, how was I supposed to get her into my bed? That was like letting a bird fly right out of the cage.

I didn't want her gratitude, and I certainly didn't need her money. I wanted her.

Seeing how sensible and humble she was, completely different from the gold-diggers I had met before, the last trace of my suspicion vanished.

I pulled out my phone right away to show off.

Driving buses didn't pay a fortune, and I hadn't saved much.

However, my luck was finally turning around.

Just recently, I got official notice that the government was buying out my family's old rural property for a massive highway development project.

I had already checked the policy. The compensation payout was going to be several million dollars, scheduled to hit my account any day now.

"Once that payout clears, our lives will be completely set. I can easily support you, so don't rush off to find some crappy job."

Elena's eyes went wide with shock. She gasped, saying she must be the luckiest girl in the world to have run into me.

She threw her arms around my neck and planted a soft, warm kiss on my cheek.

Her lips were tender, sending a jolt of electricity straight to my gut. I almost knocked over my mug.

Her slender, delicate fingers darted out, catching the cup steadily.

She gazed up at me with absolute devotion, looking ready to give me anything I wanted.

Morning wood paired with a view like that was an impossible test.

I tossed breakfast aside, scooped her into my arms, kicked open the bedroom door, and tumbled onto the bed with her.

Elena wrapped her arms around my neck, her breath tickling my ear.

"Jack... please be gentle..."

Blood roared in my ears. I leaned down, completely ready to lose control.

Right before things escalated, my phone buzzed violently on the nightstand.

At a moment like this, even if the sky were falling, I wouldn't have cared.

Without looking, I reached out and hit decline.

A second later, it started ringing again.

The buzzing went on and on. Elena's face flushed crimson as she gently tapped my chest.

"What if it's an emergency?"

Growling under my breath, I glanced at the screen.

It was my coworker, Ray, practically screaming through the speaker.

"Jack, get over here right now! I'm in deep shit!"