Untethered

11 | Riddle Wrapped in an Enigma

Did hummingbirds travel in flocks? Because the second Emma entered the workshop, it felt like the two from before had called a few friends and they were currently taking up space in her stomach, her chest, and her throat. For the moment, they seemed content to nest inside her like feathery little lumps, but there was no telling how long that would last.

The front half of the shop had high ceilings, and was bright and open, aided by the large windows high up the walls. Additionally, strategically placed lights hung from the rafters that made the wood throughout the space glow. Along the left wall hung wood samples stained in different shades. Below them, was a display floor, showcasing chairs, cabinets, and even a long dining room table. Toward the back of the show-floor, was a wall partitioning the huge building. A wide doorway, the size of a small garage door, was in the center. This is where Luke was leading her.

Emma felt a familiar humming begin to thrum throughout her body, but continued to follow him. Once through the wide doorway, her eyes widened at the size of the operation. This was not the little mom-and-pop shop his grandpa had run. It was industrial and designed to turn out a lot of work.

To her right, there were huge shelves that ran all the way to the back of the room in rows, crammed full of rough-sawn lumber. There were several workbenches and large machines for cutting, sanding, and planing lumber, as well as performing tasks that were beyond her knowledge of furniture-making. From each of the machines, metal ductwork ran up to the ceiling, like the tentacles of a large sea creature, and then to the back wall, before disappearing from sight.

When they entered the room, the noise was deafening. Scanning the space, she soon spotted Ryan with his back to them, running long planks of lumber through a planer. Her heart stuttered, and then it was like the feathery little bastards roosting inside of her suddenly came to life with the force of tiny planes with jet engines.

The definition of the fine muscles in his arms and hands as he guided the lumber through the machine made her mouth go dry. A worn-looking grey t-shirt was plastered to his back with sweat, clearly outlining the muscles in his back and shoulders. Her eyes drank in his form, and it occurred to her how warm and hard those muscles would feel under her palms.

She tried not to let her eyes wander any further south, but treasonous organs that they were, did just that. Drifting down his back, to where his shirt was tucked into his jeans, she hungrily took in the firm, taut rear-end he was filling them out with. The humming kicked up a notch, and she was thankful that it was so noisy in the room, because she was sure everyone would be able to hear it otherwise. Sucking in a shaky breath, she took a moment to get herself together before he noticed her standing there gawking at him like he was the first man she'd ever seen, even if it was kind of true. She had never been tempted to look at another man the way she was looking at him.

Too soon for her liking, the boards had run through the machine, and the shrill whirring ceased. The room suddenly went very quiet, and Emma was thankful that her heart wasn't beating as thunderously as she first thought. Luke had waited with her near the doorway until Ryan was through so he wouldn't surprise him, and as soon as the machine was off, he strode forward.

"Ry, you have a visitor!" He clapped his friend on the back and Ryan turned around, taking his safety goggles off.

"Hey Luke! I just finished these boards for the Pearson project, let the guys know when they get back from that install."

"Sure thing, bro," Luke replied. Then, beckoning to Emma he said, "You can come on in. He doesn't bite, ya know."

"That's what you think," she muttered under her breath.

As if remembering Luke had mentioned a visitor, Ryan turned around the rest of the way, finally catching sight of Emma still standing in the doorway. A huge grin split his face, and he started walking toward her. As soon as she saw that smile, his teeth so white and perfect against his tanned face, the humming in her body went into a full on thrumming, like the little beasties inside of her were frantically hammering to get out. She tried to speak, but nothing came out so she closed her mouth.