Chapter One
Lindsey
This guy is hotter than a habanero tamale.
Thick and wavy, dark blond hair curled around his neck and ears, tumbling over his brow in an untidy mess. Sharp, angular features with a hawk's nose and sensual lips gave him the look of a raptor. His eyes fascinated me the most. Pale gold, like honey, with green flecks scattered throughout his irises. I'd never seen eyes quite so striking.
"I, er, didn't know this house was on the market," Brody said.
"It sort of was," I replied, glancing around the garage. "I'm renting with the first option to buy."
"Cool. That way you get to know your neighbors." His white teeth gleamed in a sweet and sly grin, an expression that sent my stomach to flopping in a happy and giggly fashion. "To know whether or not you want to stick around."
"Part of why I made the agreement," I replied, discreetly ogling him. "The owners are friends of my family. That's why they are letting me rent."
"Yeah?" His brows rose. "I never got past the waving stage with the folks who used to live here."
"They retired." I smiled. "To Florida, of course. Hot, sticky swamps filled with snakes and gators. You couldn't pay me to live there."
"Have a little fear of reptiles, do you?" he asked with that grin that sent my belly into overdrive. He could seriously do some damage if I let him.
"Not so much a fear as an active dislike," I said, matching that smile. "I don't need to step from my door to find a gator paying a visit."
"I stayed in Florida once." Brody chuckled. "Found a Burmese python in my hotel shower."
I shuddered. "Yeesh."
"Had to have weighed over fifty pounds," he went on. "I took it to the front desk. To say they freaked is an understatement."
"How could it get into your room?" I asked, astounded.
Brody shrugged. "Toilet maybe? Got into the sewer lines somehow, then slithered up."
I'd had enough man trouble to last a lifetime. I sure didn't need more of the same. My gut instincts told me this neighbor was a decent enough human. I struggled, caught between wanting more of his company and politely asking him to leave so I could unpack my house.
My mind formed the phrase, It was sure nice meeting you, Brody.
What came from my mouth was, "If you're not going anywhere, would you like a cup of coffee?"
He glanced at his watch. "Why not?"
"Don't mind the mess." Why did I ask him in? I don't know him from Adam. What if he's Ted Bundy Two?
"Were you headed someplace?" I asked, leading him into the kitchen and closing the garage door behind him.
"Nothing important," he replied, looking around. "I like your kitchen. I'm planning to remodel mine one of these days."
I motion for him to sit at the kitchen table, my nerves jacked up now that I'm inside, behind a closed door, with him. Yeah. I've got serious trust issues. Even with a guy who makes my tummy tumble.
"I like this house," I said, adding coffee to the pot and switching it on. "Not too big to clean, yet gives me some space."
"What do you do for a living?"
I lean my butt against the counter. "I'm a freelance writer," I said. "So I work from home."
"Now that's cool," he said with admiration. "I'm a construction foreman. I get to boss peons around."
I chuckled. "I've been a peon all my life."
"Yeah? There are peons then there are peons ." He laughed. "I bet you're one of the former."
I couldn't help it. I liked him. He had a way of making me feel comfortable around him, even on such a short acquaintance. My gut unknotted itself, though I told myself to not let my guard down. Trust issues again. I'd stowed guns around the house before I moved a single box in.
I poured coffee into two mugs and set one on the table. I sat opposite him, watching him without making it obvious I was doing so. Brody sipped from his cup appreciatively, his gaze open and honest. I'd learned to read body language the hard way, and his told me he felt relaxed and at ease.
"Where did you move from?" Brody asked.
"California."
"I hope you adapt to the winters here." Brody sipped his coffee. "They can be brutal."
"I'm not worried," I replied. "The front room has a fireplace, and when it snows I'm not going out."
He laughed. "Can't drive in the snow, eh?"
"Nope." I laughed, too. "I don't want to, either."
"Come winter, if you need to go someplace, I'll give you a lift."
"That's nice of you to offer."
"Folks should be looking out for each other," he said. "Not sweating the small stuff."
"Good point." I watched him over the rim of my mug. "You don't think I'm a psycho serial killer?"
Brody pursed his lips, tilted his head sideways, considering. "I've never met one. But if I did, I'd think the eyes would give some warning. Your eyes don't."
"How so?"
"Your eyes are cautious, guarded," he went on. "You're a bit tense. A girl who invited a stranger twice her size into her home."
I flushed, looked down at my coffee. "I had no idea I'm so easily read."
"I have a knack for reading people, that's all."
"And you're not a psycho serial killer?" I looked up.
"Nah." Brody met my gaze. "I like people too much to want to kill them, and I value my freedom too much to want to risk it being a criminal."
"That makes sense. While I don't like people, I have no reason to kill anyone. Nor have I the inclination."
"I reckon that means I'm safe in your house."
We both laughed at his comment. We drank our coffee in comfortable silence for a moment, just looking at each other. I liked looking at him, and suspected he liked looking at me. I'd never believed in love at first sight. Nor did I feel that our meeting was destined. Still, I did connect to Brody in a basic, instinctual way.
I wasn't sure I should be pleased or pissed.
I needed a man in my life the same way I needed a chapped ass.
"Do you have a pen and paper?" Brody asked.
"Yeah. Why?"
"If it's okay, I'd like you to have my number." He smiled. "If you need anything, just call."
He obviously noticed my hesitation. "Really," he went on. "If you need a heavy box moved, your toilet overflows, I'm your guy."
"Okay."
I walked to a drawer and made sure to keep my body between it and Brody. Opening it, I had to push aside the 9mm Glock in order to reach a pad of paper I'd tossed in there and a pencil. Taking them back, I set them on the table. "Thanks."
"Just call," he said, writing his number down. "This isn't a pick-up line. I want to help if you need it."
"You seem like a really nice guy."
He smiled and pushed the pad across the table to me. "I try to be. My mother did her best to raise me to be a gentleman."
"You sure came to my rescue earlier. I packed that box with books."
"I'm glad I stepped from my house when I did."
Brody finished his coffee and stood up. "Thanks. It's nice sitting here with you."
I also stood and reached out my hand to him, shaking it briskly. "It was a real pleasure meeting you, Brody."
"I'm a decent neighbor," he said with a grin. "No loud music, no barking dog, don't crank my stereo at three a.m."
"Same here. Though I may get a dog soon. I promise, I won't let it bark excessively."
I accompanied him to the kitchen door, then walked beside him through the garage to my car. Glancing past it to the green lawns, sprinklers running to keep them that way, I hoped I'd moved into a safe, friendly environment. Lord knows, I need all the peace I can get.
"I'll see you around, neighbor," Brody said with a wink. "Take care."
"You, too."
He crossed the patch of lawn that divided our properties to a reconditioned, late model Ford truck. Turning, he waved, then got inside. The pickup started with a roar. Black smoke puffed from its exhaust. He backed the truck from his driveway, waved again, then drove down the street to vanish.
The mid-summer day suddenly seemed empty without his presence.
***
Unpacking after a move was always a bitch in my opinion. I unboxed pictures and set them aside for later hanging, tossing each empty carton into the garage for later disposal. My hands and mind busy, I nearly forgot about Brody until I heard his oil burner pull into his driveway.
Nosy, I swiped my sweat-wet hair from my neck and entered the smaller bedroom and the window that faced his house. Parting the curtains, I watched as he seized grocery bags from the seat to carry into his home. The way he moved held me rapt. Muscles knotted and bunched under his shirt. His long legs and tight ass in his jeans caught my breath in my throat.
"Jeezuz, that man is fine," I muttered. "Too bad you're sworn off all the male gender."
If Brody knew I watched, he gave no sign. He never glanced once toward my house, much less the window I stood at. His groceries carried inside, he shut his door and didn't come back out. I sat on the narrow bed, thinking of him naked, erect, and wondered what he'd be like in the sack. Dominate and cruel? Tender and giving? Was he the type to take his own pleasure without giving back? My pussy tingled with persistent lust as I pictured Brody sharing my bed.
Or me sharing his.
"Knock it off," I snapped, standing. "He's your neighbor. Sure he's nice, hotter than a rocket launch, but hands off. You don't need the shit getting involved again would bring."
Forcing all erotic thoughts of Brody from my mind, I went into the large bathroom to put away medicinals, hair care products, soaps, shampoos, my toothbrush. I carried the empty boxes to the garage, then poured myself a cold iced tea. My parents' friends had left the house fully furnished, as they had moved into a furnished condo near the beach. Thus, I'd filled a U-Haul trailer, pulled it behind my car, and unloaded only my personal shit.
Which was still a lot of shit.
Sitting at the table, I drank my tea and cooled myself by flipping my shirt back and forth. The house was air conditioned but needed servicing before I used it. The Pattersons, my folks' friends, said they'd pay for it. I hadn't had the time to find a repair person yet, however. On the honey-do list for tomorrow.
In the front sitting room, I sat on the leather sofa and gazed out the big picture window. Behind the houses across the street, a decent view of the tall mountains rose. The sun began to set behind them, reminding me how late the hour had gotten. With a sigh, I stood to get my laptop. I needed to check for any client messages.
Sitting back down, I logged into my computer. As I'd warned my clients that I'd be out of touch for a time, I still had several messages, all needing to know when their projects would be completed. I answered them all, wondering why the words I'm moving, I'll be unavailable for a week hadn't sunk in.
"They're all me-me-me, I guess," I muttered, then opened my e-mail.
I read the usual Call me when you get settled, and I'm worried about you from my mom, a note from the Pattersons reminding me to have the furnace checked, send them the bill. I deleted a few spam e-mails, then puzzled over one addressed to me, but under a name I didn't recognize.
Half-afraid it was a virus, I clicked on it, anyway.
Cold sweat broke over my flesh.
I choked on my own breath.
My heart pounded hard enough to all but break my ribs.
I found you, Lindsey, you bitch. I'm out now, and I'm gonna kill you.