Lily POV
I sat on the balcony, my tea growing cold in my hands as I watched Nathan work in the yard below. He'd come back from the garden about twenty minutes ago carrying an armload of fresh timber, announcing that he wanted to build a chicken coop for one of his hens that had just hatched a clutch of adorable fuzzy chicks that morning.
Now he was shirtless, his muscled back glistening with sweat in the afternoon sun as he measured and cut the wood with practiced efficiency. Every movement made his muscles ripple beneath his skin – the flex of his shoulders as he lifted the axe, the play of his back muscles as he brought it down, the way his biceps bulged with each powerful stroke.
I took a sip of my now-lukewarm tea and tried not to stare. But it was impossible not to appreciate the v
