Loving My Neighbor Read online

  Loving My Neighbor

  Copyrighted © 2015

  C.M. Steele

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof

  may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

  without the express written permission of the publisher

  except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Chapter 1

  It’s Monday morning and the town streets are full of people taking their kids to school or heading to work. Even in a small town like Lake Oswego, morning traffic can be heavy. I’m in a hurry to get to the office before the snow accumulates, so I’m impatiently tapping on the steering wheel. The light changes and we start to move. I’m only five cars back, but before I can cross the intersection the light changes. In frustration, I clench my fists around the wheel and shake the shit out of it. Hoping no one sees my road rage, I look around. To my right, I spot a beautiful blonde woman crossing the street and entering a white Lincoln MKX. My eyes turn to her, following her movements.

  The snow is coming down heavily, but I can still take in her appearance. She’s bundled up in a white, puffy coat and a matching white hat that covers the top of her head, but it doesn’t hide her long blonde locks that fall all down her back and shoulders in waves. They look so silky. I’m itching to run my fingers through it while I pull her into my arms and kiss her. My dick takes notice of her as well, which it hasn’t done in more than six years for any woman. Hell, I don’t think I’ve been this hard from seeing a woman since I was thirteen.

  I stop in the middle of the intersection to try to get a better look at her. I move my eyes up and down her form taking in the sexy curves that her coat’s not hiding. What I want to do to her; I groan to myself and bite my lip, thinking about having those thick thighs wrapped around me while I fuck her. She closes the door of her SUV but doesn’t look my way. I want to cut her off and steal her away back to my house and fuck her all day, but someone starts beeping behind me, shaking me out of my thoughts of kidnapping and I drive away from the beauty.

  I get to my office on time, as usual, but I really don’t remember how I got here. My mind is lost back at River Road, where I saw my vision in white. I want to drive back over there, but what would be the point. She was getting ready to drive away when I spotted her. My visual of her plays in my head as I close my eyes and I’ll just have to relive my memory of her. She reminds me of a snow bunny in her all-white.

  The woman getting into her SUV wasn’t tall, probably only up to my chest. It makes me want to hold her close and take care of her. I can picture her with her head resting on my abs, curling against me after a good fucking. I’m so consumed by my snow bunny that I hardly acknowledge my assistant on my way to my office.

  I barely make it through my workday; probably fucked up a few deals and cost myself a couple million with my lack of concentration. My deal making and organizational skills are as shitty as they were when my uncle first brought me on. I better get my shit together or go searching for the lady in white. Either way, something’s gotta give before I drive my company into the gutter. With a grunt, I get the shit I need for my next meeting. I’m just about to walk out of my office and into my last meeting for the day when I get a call from my housekeeper.

  “What’s up, Ernie?” I ask with a smile. She hates when I call her that, but I love fucking with her. Truthfully, it’s the only fun I really have.

  “Nothing, Bert,” she says with a hiss. That’s her usual reply. She’s a forty-year-old wench who enjoys working for me no matter how much she bitches about it.

  “Then why are you calling me at work?” I ask impatiently because I have somewhere to be at the moment and all I can think about is my bunny. My thoughts of her are making me so hard my temper’s short. So I want to know why she’s calling. It’s not like her to call unless something’s wrong. Instantly, my mind goes to something breaking or leaking in the house. I’m not in the mood for anything going wrong at home today.

  Ever since I bought the place, I’ve had one issue after another; something I don’t really have time for. I make most of my repairs by myself because I don’t like strangers in my home. It’s one of the many quirks I have. I think it stems from all the strangers that constantly came in and out of our home when I was a kid.

  “Someone’s got a stick up their ass today. You know you really need to get a woman.” She has no idea. Mentally, I’m thinking about Bunny’s thighs and round ass, and my dick is so hard I’m leaking onto my boxers. I want one particular woman so badly it’s quickly destroying my well-built life.

  “Don’t I know it,” I grumble. Fuck, my cock is pressing against my zipper so painfully that I probably have the imprint of the zipper on my shaft.

  I hear her let out of huff, and then her shit-talking continues. “Yeah, but you act like a sixty-five-year-old geezer instead of a twenty-nine-year-old man. Anyways, the new neighbors moved in and Mr. Mason came over to make an introduction.”

  Damn, I forgot they sold the house that’s been empty since I moved in. One of the many things I hate is other people. Just like Ernestine says, I’m an old geezer. I bought the house because it was out of the way and no one lived within a mile. This newly purchased house is just outside that radius. Why they felt the need to say hi is a mystery to me. Haven’t they heard the rumors in town? I’m known as the recluse up in my creepy, old mansion. Many haven’t seen me or, at least, know me personally, so they all think I keep to myself because I’m hideous. I laugh because I can give any of those chumps in Hollywood a run for their money in the looks department. I’m tall, muscular, and my face is considered hot by every woman I’ve ever met.

  “So, did you send them packing?” I don’t want them to think coming to the house is an open invitation to visit or that I plan to return the gesture.

  “I just told him that you’re at work. That you get home at six and they are welcome to come to dinner tonight.”

  “What?!” I yell over the phone while she cracks up on the other end. She’s cackling like a hyena, and I’m not sure if it’s because she really did tell them that or if she’s yanking my chain. It better be the latter because I’ll slam the door on them if they show up.

  “Just fucking with you, you old bastard.” She continues to laugh on the other end, and I want to kick her ass. One of these days, I plan on firing her for real.

  “I guess you want to be out of a job,” I threaten. A threat she never takes seriously.

  “Whatever. You’re not going to fire me so get over it.” She’s right. I need someone to help with all the grocery shopping and cleaning. Not that she works every day for me. Ernestine only comes by twice a week to make sure I’ve got everything I need. I don’t mind doing it myself, but normally I work until ten at night, making it difficult to get to the store and do my laundry.

  “So, what happened then?” My patience is shrinking by the moment. Thoughts of people invading my personal space frustrate me.

  “He just wanted to stop by and let you know that they’ll be moving in throughout the next few days and that the gas and electric companies may be working in the area to get them set up.”

  “Okay. Well, thankfully, I’ll be at work. Now excuse me, but I’ve got a meeting in two minutes.” I’m glad they didn’t invite me to dinner. Unless I’m working on a deal, I don’t go to dinner with strangers. It could be that I’ve never had a real friend or someone I could count on until I met my uncle. I do have a poker night on a regular basis with some of the guys my uncle introduced me to when I moved into town, but even then, I don’t hang out with them more than once a week for our game night.

  I go into my meeting ready to leave before I even take my seat. I zone out several times before my lead researcher f
inishes his presentation.

  “Thanks, Wilcox. I’ll go over the information and get back to you on Friday,” I say before getting up, ending the meeting and walking into my office. I have no interest in small talk, but my staff knows that about me so no one gets offended anymore. They consider me an eccentric loner, but I don’t give a shit. I keep them well paid and I don’t work them to death, so no one has quit in years.

  I attempt work for the next few hours, trying hard not to think of the blonde in all white, but it seems impossible so I pack it up and head home. Damn, the legs on her, they had me ready to run my hands all over them. She wasn’t tall by any stretch of the imagination, but her legs were thick and sexy as hell in those tight white leggings. Jealously, I think about someone else admiring her legs. Does she have a boyfriend? I rush to my house angrily thinking of her with other men. I pass my new neighbors without even giving them a glance. I don’t want to chance that they see me looking; I want them to move away already.

  The moment I get home, I hit my personal gym. My need to forget her, and the way she makes me feel has me lifting more than my usual. After working my muscles to the bone, I climb up my stairs and take a cold shower, hoping to ease my thoughts of her. It doesn’t work and my dick revolts. I haven’t stroked my cock in over a month because I’ve been too busy or too damn tired, but I know I won’t get any sleep until I do.

  ~~~~

  The next two days are no better than the first. I drive through town hoping to see her, but she’s nowhere to be found. I’m at my wits end. I even call my friend Duke at MDM Secure to see if he can locate all female owners of a white MKX. He tells me that the list is going to take him awhile, so I’ll try to be patient, but it’s not likely that I can.

  I’m on my way home when I call Duke again. I know that I only called him this morning, but I need answers.

  “Call Duke,” I say to my car’s voice-activated system. “Hey, Duke. It’s me, Trent.”

  “What’s up, man? Did you find her on your own?”

  “Nope. I’m being a pain in the ass. Do you have a list?”

  “Hey, man, take it easy. I’m running a report, but it takes time, give it to me.” I’m sure he has more important shit to do than deal my nutty chase on some pussy, but I can’t shake her from my system.

  “I know, but the longer I wait, the more I feel like I’m going insane.” Jealousy consumes me all day just thinking about her being with someone else while I take forever to find her.

  “I don’t mean to shit on your parade, but what if this woman you’re searching for has a man and the SUV is in his name.” If he were standing in front of me, I’d deck his ass.

  “Duke, seriously, don’t be a dick. If she has someone, she won’t for long.”

  I hear him chuckle. But he doesn’t know what it’s like to let the woman you can’t stop thinking about— get away. “Okay, I’ll rush it through and get back to you as soon as I get a list for your area and fifty miles out.”

  “Thanks.” I breathe a sigh of relief and pull up to my house. Again, I drive home without even looking toward the neighbor’s place. I guess it’s because I’m so used to having no one there, or maybe I just couldn’t care less about them. Either way, I’m home and about to do another rigorous workout. I hope Duke finds that info for me soon or I’m going to look like a body builder.

  My workout was grueling, but it was what I needed. Turning on the shower, I give up on a cold one because I’ve learned it doesn’t work where my dick is concerned. The water’s nice and hot; it eases my muscles and relaxes my body. Just as I’m rinsing off, I feel the water turn fucking ice cold. “Fucking son of a bitch!” I shout and jump out of my state of the art shower freezing my balls off, wondering what the fuck just happened. The one thing I had remodeled right away, and not by myself, was my bathroom.

  Snatching a towel off the rack, I wrap it around me. Grabbing another one off the shelf, I dry my feet so I don’t bust my shit as I go traipsing through my house to figure out how my mansion managed to run out of hot water. Having been a carpenter before— though, I made my millions in stock— I know what to look for. In the basement, I examine the brand-new water heater and there is nothing wrong except there’s no damn pilot light.

  I walk my ass to the storage area of the basement and grab my tool box. I may have made my income in the white collar world, but I came from humble beginnings— and I never forget it. So any maintenance I can do on my own, I still do. Using a flint meant for the heater itself, I try but can’t seem to get it lit. “Fuck me.” It seems like the gas is out. There’s a fireplace in the living room, so I guess I’m going to be sleeping in there until I can figure out the fucking problem.

  I walk up the stairs and start to feel the chill creep in through the old mansion. I should’ve known that I wouldn’t get to all the renovations I needed to make before the weather worsened. Opening the grate, I set up the fire and thankfully, I don’t have any trouble getting it lit. Closing it back up, I’m shocked when I hear someone knocking at my door.

  “Who the fuck could be at my door right now?” I grumble to myself and look down. It’s probably the neighbor. Good, maybe me in my towel will scare him away. I hustle to the door, almost losing my covering in the process. Tightening it back around my hips, I open the door and grin from ear to ear. In front of me stands the sexiest little five-foot-nothing beauty with wide eyes and blonde curls— my snow bunny from the intersection. The woman I’ve been searching for.

  “How can I help you?” I ask even though I know how she can help me. If she looks down, she’ll know the instant effect she’s having on my cock and what she can do for me.

  “Um...I came to apologize, but the gas company is working on a pipe to our house,” she responds in a murmur, barely making eye contact, but she’s making sure not to look down.

  “Yeah, I just figured that out.” I don’t mean for it to sound so shitty, but I’m so hard and she’s here. “Come in for a minute while I get some clothes on.”

  My words trigger a reminder that I’m not dressed and she looks down and gets a clear look at my cock outline under my towel. Hurrying to look away from my beast, she moves her gaze back up at me and blushes with wide eyes.

  “Um…actually, I have to go.”

  Before I can stop her, she rushes back to her white MKX. Fuck me, my bunny is my new neighbor. Now I regret not looking at their place every time I passed it by. I would chase after her, but it’s a little more than a few weeks before Christmas and about three feet of snow fell two days ago. At least, I know where to find her. I’d go to bed early, but I’m too excited to sleep, like a kid anxious for Christmas morning. I’m almost jumping up and down with excitement, but before I head to the sofa, I need to call Ernie. I want all the details she can give me on the family living down the hill and who the fuck the man is that came here the other day.

  “Ernie, my dear,” I say charmingly into the phone.

  “This is John.” My eyes open wide. My Uncle John’s answering my housekeeper’s phone.

  “Well, well, well. So that’s how it is?” A big-ass grin and laugh coat my question.

  “Yes, it is Junior. You know damn well she hates when you call her that.” Secretly, I think she loves it.

  “How long has this been going on?” I ask. They met when I first moved in, but they were at each other’s throats.

  “None of your business, boy. Just know that you’re going to have to find another housekeeper or a maid.”

  “Congrats, Uncle. Just so you know I might not have a need for a maid, but a wife is a different story,” I remark, feeling overly cheerful.

  “Well, have at it, man!” He laughed happily on the other end.

  “I would if you’d pass the phone to Ernestine.”

  “If that’s what it takes then…fine.”

  He hands the phone over to Ernie who asks, “So what do you want, Bert?”

  “Who lives with my new neighbor?”

  “His wife and ki
ds.” Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. That bastard has what should be mine.

  “Thank you, Ernestine.” I hit the end button because I can’t believe that she’s married. Collapsing on the sofa, I lay there lost in thought. Jealousy and pain enter into my heart. “I can’t believe that this is happening,” I moan out to myself and the empty house. My feelings are a waste. I get up and grab a bottle of Vodka, pop it open and drink straight. Drinking isn’t something I do. I usually keep liquor around for poker night, but I just can’t deal with the news that she belongs to someone else. I don’t understand the emotions I am having for a stranger. I call my assistant and tell her that I won’t be in tomorrow morning and will be working from home. It’s a first for me, but I won’t be able to handle the massive hangover I intend to have and work all day with people when I feel like shit, especially my assistant.

  Chapter 2

  I lost a day, and I know it’s because I drank enough to kill a horse. It didn’t help get her out of my head, but I have to move on. I forgot to tell Duke to cancel the search, but I’ll get on that later in the office. I’m driving on the same stretch of road on the way to work, and unfortunately, I’m stuck in traffic that happens to be right before the intersection where I saw her for the first time. Every time I see a white SUV, I have to look. It’s never her, but even though I know it’s a lost cause I still look, and to my right, across the street is a white MKX. There she is. She’s carrying groceries in both hands. Suddenly, I’m glad that her SUV doesn’t come with a foot-activated liftgate.

  Just as I’m about to jump out of my truck, Bobby Cole goes to assist her. He’s the local deputy sheriff, but that’s all I really know about him because I don’t know shit about most of the townspeople.

  I snarl to myself, jealousy filling me up as he opens the hatch. It’s an emotion that has become the norm the last few days and I’m not happy or comfortable with it. She’s married, and I’ve got more feelings for her than I had for my parents or my uncle. It’s beyond nuts, so I’m going to ignore it. Lowering my window, I don’t stop staring at her. If anyone else is around and sees me, I probably look like a stalker, but fuck it, I can’t tear my eyes away.