Lovely Neighbor Read online

  “How are you doing?” The coffee is perfect and it’s another thing I’m going to miss. No one makes coffee like Jenna.

  “Same old same old.” She rubs her eyes and I can tell she’s exhausted. If she’s not at work she’s here with Lucas trying to be the best mom she can, and she would never admit she was worn out. “Let’s not talk about my boring life. Tell me more about Devin.”

  “I already told you everything,” I laugh and sip my coffee. “You could tell me about Reed,” I suggest, earning an eyeroll. She looks over at Lucas, who is watching his iPad with his headphones on while inhales his cereal.

  “There is nothing to tell about Reed,” she says and then won’t look at me.

  “Come on, with the way that man looks at you? There’s something there.”

  “He’s crazy hot, crazy rich, and crazy dangerous.”

  “Dangerous?” He’s always in all black and has a ton of tattoos, but I don’t think that makes him dangerous.

  “Yeah, to my sanity.” She grabs Lucas’ backpack then brings it over to the sofa. “This is my life.” She unzips the backpack and pulls out a folder. “I don’t have time for hookups and he’s my boss. I’m not risking my job.” She pulls some papers out before signing them and putting them back in the folder. I get what she’s saying, but she has to live a little.

  “But what if he’s looking for something serious?”

  She snorts. “He thinks I’m the cute and snarky coffee girl who lives a carefree life. He thinks he knows who I am, but he doesn't. If anything, he makes my life harder when he’s barking orders at me about how I close the shop. Somehow I don't lock things right, or says we should close earlier, or that I shouldn't work alone.” She stares at me. “I could go on.”

  “I get it.” I hold my hands up.

  I’m not going to point out that all those things are about her safety. It sounds to me like he cares about her and not necessarily the shop. But I can tell this is a touchy subject and I’m going to leave it be. Anyone who wants to be with Jenna has to know she comes as a package deal with Lucas. I bet Reed has no idea about Lucas and Jenna wants to keep it that way.

  “We are going to drop him off at school and then I can help until about noon. Kindergarten is only half a day here.”

  “Let me get dressed.” I go to the bathroom to change and keep it simple with yoga pants and a sweater. I don’t know how much I’ll have to help the movers, but I want to be comfortable. I pull my hair up into a ponytail as I come out and Lucas is standing there waiting on me.

  “Are you staying over again?” Lucas asks, looking hopeful.

  “I’m sorry, little man, I fly out tonight.” I barely got to see him. “Next time I’ll make sure I stay longer, I promise.” I give him a hug because I’m going to miss the hell out of them.

  We drop Lucas off first then go to my place. “You okay?” Jenna asks, looking over at me.

  “Yeah, I’m a little anxious.” A knot has formed in my stomach with the anticipation of seeing the apartment.

  “I get it. Someone was in your space and that shit would freak anyone out.”

  I nod in agreement. “I just want to get it over with and put it behind me.”

  Jenna pulls into the parking lot of my apartment building and I can see the moving truck is already here. I get out of the car as my phone chimes and I see a text from Devin telling me he misses me. I miss him too.

  I should have let him come with me, but I also felt like this is something I should handle myself. He has his own stuff to worry about and I don't need to drop my crap on his lap too.

  I meet the movers and talk to them about what I’ve got and about how long we have. I motion for them to follow me up to my floor as they grab their gear and Jenna is right beside me. I unlock the door with the new key the landlord sent me and I stand there shocked.

  “Wow.” Jenna looks around the room. “Whoever did this was angry, Erin.”

  I was thinking the same thing, but I don’t understand why. I didn't give anyone a reason to be angry with me. I keep to myself and it’s not like I have crazy ex-boyfriends. I rub my eyes, unsure of where I should begin

  “Let’s get the big stuff first.” Jenna points to the sofa.

  “On it,” one of the movers says as they get to work.

  “If it’s destroyed, just throw it out,” I tell them, reaching down and picking up a shattered picture frame. “Just make sure you pull the pictures out please,” I say as I take the one of Grams and me out of this one.

  “Let's do your room.” I follow Jenna into my bedroom.

  “I don’t even want any of this stuff. It feels tainted.” I stare at my bed, seeing the sheets are a mess and I know it wasn't from me. I make my bed every morning. There’s no point in destroying my place and not taking anything. None of this makes sense and I need to stop trying to understand why. It doesn't matter because I’m getting out of here.

  “You don’t have to keep any of it. You can put it all in storage or throw it out. You don’t have to decide today.”

  “You’re right. Let's get to work. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can get out of this apartment.”

  We work for the next few hours, packing up the few things I want to take back to Devin’s. There’s only a couple of things I’m not sure what to do with and I label them for Grams’ storage unit in her building.

  A little later my phone chimes again with another text from Devin.

  “Your whole face lights up when he texts. It’s adorable,” Jenna says, and I bite my lip, trying not to blush.

  I’m an excited schoolgirl and he's my first crush. Although this is a whole lot bigger than a crush because he’s going to be my first everything.

  “I’m in love with him,” I admit.

  “Trust me, I already know without you having to say it.”

  “Crap.” I see the time, realizing I’m late. “I have to go to the front office. I’m meeting the landlord.”

  “Go, I’ve got this.” She waves me off.

  “Thanks.”

  I jog over to the main building and knock on the closed door.

  “Come in,” Charles calls from the other side of the door. I push it open to see him sitting behind his desk smoking a cigar with his feet kicked up.

  “Hi Charles.” I step into his office, trying not to cough because of the smoke. He drops his feet down from his desk and puts out his cigar before motioning for me to sit down in the chair.

  “So the damage on your place.” He looks irritated.

  “The insurance is going to pay for it.”

  “Oh, well, that’s good.”

  “I sent them the pictures and everything else they asked for. They said they’d be in touch with you soon.”

  “Good.” He starts to pick his cigar back up, but I hold up my hand with more to say.

  “I need to see about my lease too. I’m moving out.”

  “You want to break it?” He knows I do because he brought it up once before.

  “I don’t feel safe here. Someone got into my place with a key.”

  The only other person who has a key is the landlord and I don’t think he did this. What’s the point of destroying your own property? I do think he might be responsible for someone having access to his keys, but I have no way of proving that.

  “I gave you a list of alarm companies.” He opens up a drawer, pulling out a bunch of pamphlets.

  “Whoever broke into my place had a key,” I remind him.

  “You should be more careful with your keys then.”

  Anger flares inside of me, but I get it under control. Getting mad isn’t going to get me anywhere.

  “I’ve had the same key since I moved in.”

  “Clearly not.” He shrugs dismissively.

  “I’m not going to fight with you about this. I want to break my lease.” I stand up from my chair because this isn’t a debate.

  “There’s a fee.”

  Of course there is. “How much?” />
  “Three months’ rent and you lose your deposit.”

  I gape at him. “I might as well keep the apartment until the lease is up.”

  “You can do whatever you want.” He’s got a smug look on his face like he knows he’s won.

  “But you could rent it to someone else right after I move out.” He would end up making double off my apartment.

  “I already have to find someone for the place across from yours. Who knows how long it will take me?”

  “Peter moved out?”

  “A few days ago. Something about a new job.”

  I could have sworn I saw him at Devin’s office. I told myself that was impossible, but maybe it wasn't. It’s a small world, but not that small.

  “Break the lease,” I say, because what else can I do? I’m not staying here, and even though it’s going to take the rest of my savings, it has to be done.

  “Don’t give me that sad look. I’m not running a charity here.” I didn't give him any look; I think that’s his own guilt.

  “Email me the details. I want a copy of the lease I signed and all paperwork you have on breaking the lease,” I say before getting up and opening the door.

  “Why do you need all that?”

  “I’m going to have my lawyer look it over.” I give him the biggest smile I can muster before I walk out and the door closes behind me. That felt good to say even though Devin might not find anything that can get me out of it.

  When I get back to my apartment, the movers are carrying out the last of the boxes. “Wow.” I look around the empty space that I’m not going to miss. I never got attached to it and it never felt like home. It’s crazy how quickly Devin’s has become that for me.

  “We knocked it out in no time.” Jenna looks proud of herself as she holds her hand up for a high-five.

  “You know what that means?” I smile over at her.

  “What?”

  “We get to pick up Little Man and spend the rest of the day together.”

  “I like this plan.” She locks her arm with mine as we leave the apartment for the final time.

  I’m going home tonight.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Devin

  I tried to make the time away from Erin as productive as possible, but it was no use. I was so distracted by thoughts of her I couldn’t concentrate. When she sent me an email with her lease attached and asked me to look it over, I took to the task like a dog on a hunt.

  She explained to me what happened with her landlord and said there probably wasn’t much I could do. I smiled to myself as I read it because tearing into contracts was my most favorite thing in the world besides her.

  I spent hours going line by line and constructing my document to return to her landlord. The entire contract was ridiculous and I’m glad I had my own team look into what happened. I called the detective after Erin left and asked for a report. He told me the local police didn’t have much, but he was running down a lead with her former neighbor. I asked him to keep an eye on her while she was there, just to make sure things went off without a hitch, and he told me he’d send me what he has in the next day or so.

  Erin and I will be on our way to Milan tomorrow for a few days. She’ll have one night back in my bed before I take her to see the world and I couldn’t be more excited. I know it will feel good to have all of this behind us before we go, so I work quickly on the lease and my final case notes for Italy.

  As soon as I finish the lease notes, I send everything directly to her landlord from my work email so he takes it seriously. He has no grounds to keep her locked in when her safety is at stake, nor is it legal for him to sublet her apartment without her consent.

  We spent very little time texting today because I knew she would be busy, but she did send me a few pictures of her playing in the park with her friend Jenna and her son. I was happy she was able to enjoy some of her trip back, because who knows when she’ll go that way again. If she wants to go back to her old place, I’ll make sure to take her, but I think we’ve both made the decision to give this a go here.

  It’s late when I get a text from Erin saying her flight is delayed and instead of texting back, I call.

  “Hey.” Her soft voice is a soothing balm that I didn’t know I needed.

  “Hey baby, are you okay?”

  “Yeah, just really ready to be home.” I hear the terminal noise behind her, and I curse myself for not going with her.

  “How much longer are they saying it’s going to be?” I look at the clock and think even if she left now she wouldn’t be home until the middle of the night.

  “We’re waiting for a new flight crew to get here from Nashville. They are on the way, but their plane was delayed because of bad weather.” She lets out a long sigh and I wish I could hug her. “As soon as they get here we can go. They said our plane is ready and we’re just waiting.”

  “I hope you won’t be too tired to travel when you get back. I can see about delaying our trip for a few more days.”

  “Are you kidding me? I’m using the trip to Italy as my reward for all of this.”

  I smile into the phone as I lie back on the couch where I ate her pussy yesterday before she left. “Is it annoying how much I miss you?”

  “Only a little,” she teases, and I hear her laugh.

  We end up talking for over an hour while she waits for the crew to show up. I stay on the phone with her until she’s safely on the plane and I tell her my driver will be waiting for her at the airport as soon as she lands.

  I would have gone with him, but I sent him while I was still at the office and I didn’t want to chance telling him to come get me while she was on the way. It’s a short flight, so instead I take a cab home and plan to meet her there.

  After a hot shower I get into bed and leave my phone on the nightstand. I don’t plan on falling asleep, but my eyes are heavy after getting only an hour or two of sleep last night and I can’t fight it.

  I wake up to the feel of someone in the room and I look up to see the shadow of Erin getting into bed. I smell her before I feel her, and it immediately calms me. That’s what I was missing last night and why I couldn’t find any peace.

  Without hesitation I pull her to me and realize she’s completely naked just like I am. “We’re not doing that again,” I say, my voice rough from sleep.

  “I didn’t sleep without you.” Her arms and legs wrap around me as I roll over on top of her.

  “Me either.” I kiss her like we’ve been separated for weeks instead of hours, but damn does it feel like it. She tastes like mint and chocolate and I groan as her legs widen under me. “Careful,” I warn, but she doesn’t stop as she wraps her legs around my waist.

  “This is all I could think about last night.” The slide of her warm, wet center over my cock is enough to make me grunt. “I don’t want to wait anymore, Devin.”

  I grab her hips and still her movements as I slide my cock over her clit. It’s swollen and needy as I stroke up and down, the ridge of my dick getting her wetter by the second.

  “You’re not on the pill, are you?” I kiss my way down her neck and to her tits. I suck on one and then the other as she shakes her head no. The tip of my cock slides over her opening and I have the hot urge to push into her bare. “Do you want me to stop?”

  Testing how tight and ready she is, I push into her just a little. It’s pitch black in the bedroom but I feel her everywhere. Her hands are all over my chest and then I feel her nails score down my back. Her hard nipples are rubbing against me and I can’t stop kissing her.

  “No,” she whines and wiggles on my cock to try and take more.

  “I won’t want to pull out,” I whisper, inching my way farther inside her. “When I’m all the way in, I won’t be able to.” Her fingers dig into my arms as she tries to scoot lower on me. “I can stop right now and just cum on your lips.” But my words fall empty as I push in a little more.

  The truth is I want to cum inside her. I want her pussy cr
eamy with my seed and I want to breed her. If she’s pregnant then I don’t have to worry about her ever getting too far from me. I’ll write up a contract so tight no lawyer in the world could get her out of it. I want her to be mine in every way, and this is one way to make damn sure of it.

  “You want to do it in me?” Her breath is hot on my neck as I thrust a little more.

  “Don’t make me pull out.” I grab the base of my cock as cum starts to leak from it. “God, I’m already so close.”

  “Maybe a little more then? It’s my first time.” Fuck, those words almost unman me.

  With one final push she’s all the way down on my cock and she hisses for a quick second. I fall onto her, my full weight holding her in place as I bury myself to the hilt.

  “Erin,” I groan, trying and failing to hold still. She’s so fucking hot and tight, I have to thrust just a little.

  Her nails pinch as I move, but it’s nothing compared to the sweet torture of her pussy. I reach between us and pet her pretty little cunt until I feel her relax. She’s so fucking wet and I’m so fucking hard that this won’t take but a second.

  I rock in and out of her three times and that’s all it takes for me to cum. I’m hard and thick as I push in deep and I can feel my cock straining against her grip. Her pussy squeezes me and then she goes into her own orgasm. It’s so fucking smooth as she slides on me, sticky and warm. I want to taste her just like this with my baby syrup and her cum mixed together. But there’s time for that later. Right now, I want to enjoy the feeling of her cunt broken in and made me for me.

  “I love you,” I whisper, holding her close. I didn’t plan on saying the words, but in this moment it’s what I feel and I won't deny her it. “I know it’s probably too soon—”

  She cuts me off by placing a finger over my lips. “I love you too, Devin.”

  No words could express what hearing that means to me, so instead I kiss her and show her with my body what it makes me feel. We’ve got the whole world ahead of us, but we’ll start with tonight.

  Chapter Twenty-Two