My Heart Lingers (A Hearts of Misty Mesa Story): BWWM Interracial Romance by Brandi Boddie

hard. The house has improved since I last saw it.”
    “Glad you notice a difference.” She wiped the back of her hand across the faint sheen of perspiration on her forehead. “I’ve been scrubbing the walls this afternoon. I discovered a child made crayon marks in the closet of the master bedroom and the tenants didn’t report it. Can you believe it?”
    “They were likely scared they’d have to pay to get it cleaned.”
    “I should locate their new address and send them a bill for my labor.” When Kyra frowned, her lips made just a bit of a pout. Cole found the expression tempting enough to try to taste, but he came here to make a few household repairs, not see how irresistible his former girlfriend’s expressions could look. He already knew about them, anyway.
    Cole laughed at her previous comment. “That sounds like a lawyer talking. How bad are the crayon marks?”
    “Not too bad. I don’t think I’ll need to paint over the walls.” She folded her arms and shifted stance. In doing so, she caused her tank top to ride an inch or two over the waistband of her shorts, revealing a sliver of her brown abdomen as it curved and widened into her hip area. He didn’t even need to get started on the expanse of shapely legs extending from those short shorts.
    Cole was grateful for the AC being on inside the house. “I’ll get started on the sink. I shouldn’t take too long.”
    “Okay, I’ll get back to what I was doing.” Kyra removed her cell phone from the pocket of her shorts. Her almond-shaped eyes widened. “It’s almost six. I still need to finish cleaning before I get ready.”
    “Ready for what?”
    “Dinner at Rico’s with Mike. I told him I’d meet him tonight at seven.”
    Cole forgot about the little rendezvous Mike talked Kyra into attending. His mood soured and curdled like a bucket of milk left in a barn for three days. “I guess I came at a bad time.”
    “No, you’re perfectly fine. I’m the one who has to get it in gear.” Kyra jogged out of the living room. Seconds later, he heard the door to a room open and shut.
    He sighed. Might as well get to work.
    Cole went to the kitchen sink and took a look at the pipes underneath. He discovered an additional source of leakage. The job was going to take a little longer than he anticipated, but it was a pretty simple repair. He set his toolbox on the linoleum floor, rolled up his sleeves, and went to work.
    Busy disconnecting and reconnecting the pipes, he lost track of time. Once he had the last pipe attached again, he heard a pair of high heels clicking on the kitchen floor. “How’s it coming?” Kyra’s voice was a little muffled to his ears since half his body was under the sink.
    “It should be good as new.” Cole came out from underneath the sink with his flashlight and wrench. He stopped instantly at the sight of Kyra dressed in a formfitting dress of dark nude. The color was one shade lighter than her skin tone, fooling the eye into thinking the dress was actually a part of her body rather than an article of clothing to be taken on or off. No , he told himself. He certainly didn’t need to be thinking about how clothing could be put on or removed at a time like this. “You look…amazing.”
    She looked down at herself as though she were surprised by his compliment. “Thank you. I didn’t really know what I should wear tonight. It’s just a little get-together, but the pictures on the restaurant’s website indicate it has a somewhat dressy vibe.”
    Cole got up from the floor and washed his hands in the sink. “You look like you’re going out on a hot date.” He dried his hands on a paper towel.
    “No, definitely not.” She gave a tiny laugh, pushing a strand of hair that came loose from her updo behind her ear. “I’m only catching up with an old friend. You want something to drink? I’m thirsty.” She turned to open the fridge. Cole got a glimpse of the long metal zipper of her dress. It snaked down her back in