“There is a main up at the house, the one Matt is shutting off now. Another shutoff lives in the sprinkler box at the bottom of the drive. That big wooden box under the oak tree. There is another shutoff over by the swimming pool and guesthouse. Another one over here.” She pointed to the one they tested from the street. “And the final resort is the one where we connect to city water at the corner.”

Colin’s eyes grew big. “Why so many?”

“Because it’s a big freaking property and sadly, whoever put the main in originally didn’t know what the hell they were doing. We’ve had constant breaks throughout the years. Each time we dig we find pipes with lots of purple connections.”

“Purple?”

“As in primer. Whoever connected the pipes used the primer and not the glue. Unlike any normal house, the water main is buried so deep because it needed to go under the wash that we don’t even know there’s a problem until we get the water bill.”

“Damn, Parker, that sucks.”

“I know. With each break, my dad added another shutoff to isolate the break and work around it while he fixed it.” But no matter how you looked at it, there was some serious digging in her future.

Colin draped an arm over her shoulders. “You’re holding up remarkably well.”

“The alternative would be falling apart, and that doesn’t do anyone any good.”

“You’re something else,” he told her.

“That and five bucks will buy me a Starbucks.”

He laughed.

She leaned her head into his shoulder for a brief second.

Colin sighed. “Primer?”

Parker closed her eyes and shook her head. “Dipshit.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Colin’s mom met them at his front door.

Inside, the house smelled savory. Whatever his mother had cooked, he could hardly wait to dig in.

“Look at this motley crew,” she exclaimed.

Everyone took their shoes off at the door and left them on the front step.

“Hi, Mrs. Hudson.” Mallory hugged her first, Austin followed next.

“You all look exhausted.”

Colin waited until Parker and Erin filed inside before closing the door behind him.

“It’s been a long day.” Parker hugged Nora. “Thank you for cooking.”

“It’s the least I can do,” she told them. “You must be the roommate I’ve heard so much about.”

Erin smiled and shook her hand. “Tenant, actually. Erin,” she said.

“Tenant sounds so impersonal. I like roommate. Call me Nora.”

Parker gave Erin a half hug, agreeing with Nora.

“Where’s the shower?” Austin went straight to the point.

Once the rain had stopped, the crews had dug out around the crossing in the wash enough so they could drive a truck over to the other side. But without running water, there was no way for any of them to wash off the day’s grime.

Colin invited everyone to stay the night, but Parker nixed that. “The gate is wide open. We’ve been all over the news. I can’t leave the house for long until all this dies down.”

As much as Colin wanted to argue, he didn’t.

“I’ll show you where the one is down here,” Nora said.

Colin waved for the girls to follow him upstairs. He showed Mallory and Erin the guest room and dragged Parker into the master bedroom with him.

Her shirt came off the moment the door was closed. “I can’t wait to scrub this day off.”

“I’ll give you a two-minute head start and then I’m joining you,” he told her.

She gave him a half-cocked smile. “Your mother is downstairs.”

“I was talking about saving hot water, but if you wanted to linger for a while, I’m sure you can talk me into it.”

“You’re bad, Colin Hudson.”

“Terrible, I know.”

She turned her back to him and disappeared into his bathroom. He heard the toilet flush and the water turn on.

He stripped out of his clothes, waited until he heard her sigh under the warm stream of water before joining her.

Damn, she was beautiful. Water running down her hair and sticking to her eyelashes. “Room for me in here?”

Parker took a step to the side and smiled.

She’d brought her flower-scented shampoo with her and reached for it.

Colin took it from her hands and did the honors. “Turn around.” He poured a generous portion in the palm of his hand and rubbed it into her hair.

She moaned and reached for the tile wall to steady herself. “God, that feels good.”

The more pressure into the scalp, the more she moaned.

The more she moaned, the harder it was to tame his body to not get aroused.

“You’re hired.”

He would do this every day if she let him. “I have many talents I’ve yet to share with you.”

“Oh?”

His fingers traced her neck, letting the soap run down her back. With liquid soap helping his quest, he massaged the stiff muscles in her shoulders and back as he washed away the reminders of the day.

“Ohhh.”

His palms ran up her arms and down. Slid over her back to the curve of her hips. And because he was more than a little turned on, he reached around and made sure her breasts were squeaky clean.

Parker leaned back, her body flush with his. No hiding his erection.

“This was a bad idea.” Her words were breathy.

He flicked one nipple to attention. “Tell me to stop and I will.”

No, the opposite of stop came by her grabbing one of his hands and leading it to the space between her legs. So wet . . . she pushed against his hand as he moved his fingers inside of her.

Colin kissed the side of her neck. “More?” he questioned.

She nodded. “Faster. Please . . . make me . . .”

He found the nub of her clit and felt the cues her body sent him. He alternated pressure until he felt hers build, until she let her hand join his and moved faster. “I’ve got you,” he whispered in her ear.

She let go and buried her cry in his arm.

He held her while she caught her breath.

“Your turn,” she said, twisting around.

“You don’t have—”

Her fingertips surrounded his cock. Never mind. He didn’t have it in him to stop her.

She found the conditioner, the only reason he had it in the shower was for this very reason. But damn, it was better with her small hands taking charge. What he really wanted was to bury himself deep inside her, but he’d settle for this.

He thrust his hips into her hands, felt the swell of an orgasm rising to the surface.

With her body flush with his, her hands between them doing the work, he pushed her against the tile.

“Don’t hold back,” she told him.

There was no way he could.

Her fingers squeezed, her hands pumped . . . and he exploded in waves.

Colin held her against him, his orgasm evident on her belly.

They both started to laugh at the same time.

“We’re so bad.”

“Horrible.”

“God, I needed that,” Parker sighed.

“Me too.”

They washed off quickly and managed to get out of the shower before the water turned ice-cold.