Perfect Neighbor (The Next Door Daddies Series Book 4)

by Lauren Wood

  Why did I find that the best news of all?

  * * *

  I settled myself down for the night and I figured that there was nothing else to see. I had already snooped on Bonnie far more than I was comfortable with, and just the fact that I was that interested in her, told me that I needed to back off a little bit. That was going to be easier said than done.

  Even more so, when a few minutes later she was at my door.

  “Hey, Bonnie. What's up?”

  “I really hate to ask this of you, but I have to.”

  “What is it?”

  I had no idea what she was about to ask me.

  “I just got called into work. There was some kind of major accident on the highway and there are a bunch of people coming into the ER. Is there any way you can go pick up my kids? I would never ask such a thing, if I didn't have anyone else to ask. My parents are out of the state, and Doug will never let me live it down if I don't come get them. He'll take me to court quicker than I can even say.”

  “How is Doug going to feel about some guy picking up his kids?”

  “I don't really care how he feels about it. There is nothing in the divorce decree about who picks them up, as long as someone is there. Just tell him you're a friend. Tell him you’re my lover. You can really tell him whatever you want to, just don't say it in front of the kids.”

  “Wow, you must really be desperate.”

  “I am. I just started this job, and I really need the hours.”

  “If you ever need anything...”

  She shut me out before I could even say anything else.

  “All I really need is somebody to go pick up my kids and stay with them for a couple of hours until I get home. I am just going to take over the overflow and get as many people pushed through before I come home. It shouldn't be more than a couple of hours.”

  I immediately said yes.

  “Of course, Bonnie. Anything I can do to help.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Yeah, what else would there be?”

  She kind of paused for a moment and then shrugged. “I don't know. I guess I thought that you would try to take advantage of the situation. You know, like most men do.”

  “I can if you want me to.”

  “Now you're just being naughty.”

  If she had any idea about what was going through my head right now, she would probably have said that a long time ago.

  “You could always reward me for helping you, but I would never ask something of you that you didn't want to freely give. A favor is just a favor, Bonnie. I have no problem doing it.”

  She smiled and kissed me for a moment, and I felt her body pressed up against mine. It was brief, and she was pulling back and moving away before I could really wrap my mind around what was happening at the moment, but then it was over, and she was gone. She gave me an address and her phone number, as well as Doug’s phone number.

  The next thing I know she's leaving and I'm stuck wondering what the hell I just agreed to. Now I was picking up her kids and meeting the ex-husband. We haven't even been together yet. This all seemed to be a bit much, but I was committed now.

  Somehow I knew that it was going to be worth it.

  12

  Bonnie

  “I'm sorry that I haven't come to see you yet, Bonnie.”

  “Don't worry about it. I'm sorry that I can't talk longer. Things are just crazy here right now.”

  “It may be crazy Bonnie, but you sound happy. What is going on that makes you sound this way?”

  I smiled to nobody, because I was sitting in my car about to go into the hospital. It was good to hear from Christina. She had just called me out of the blue, and I did wish that I had more time to talk to her. I would be able to explain what happened with Doug and then the divorce and then maybe this new man that came out of nowhere. My soon-to-be lover. Christina liked that, she ate that stuff up.

  “I think I met somebody.”

  “Met somebody? I'm still trying to get a full report on what happened and why you're not with Doug anymore. I didn't even know you guys were getting a divorce until it was over.”

  “It's just something that happened. There really wasn't anything that you could do about it, Christina. We were just living completely separate lives and it was best for us to just walk away from each other. I know that I am happier divorced than I ever was married. How messed up is that?”

  I got out of the car because I knew that I had to go in. There were already a few more buses in the ER intake. This was where I was supposed to be right now. I needed to prove to my bosses that I could handle stress and I could be given more hours. I also needed this for me. I needed to feel helpful again, if just for a little while.

  “It's not messed up at all, Bonnie. If you’re with the wrong person, it can be miserable.

  “Is that how you felt before?”

  “I don't know if I felt miserable, but I definitely felt like something just wasn't right.”

  “A guy from the past, it can be just what you need. Is it anybody that I know?”

  “No, I don't think I ever told you about Steven. Maybe I told you about the guy that I took his virginity?”

  “That one? On a wall at the party?”

  I was disgusted at her memory all of a sudden. Of course, she would remember something like that. I was sitting here trying to forget and she would remember.

  “Yeah, that one.”

  “That sounds like fun.”

  “I'm not really sure what it's going to turn into yet, but I think it's going to be something. Seriously though, Christina, I have to go. Can I call you later when I get out of here?”

  “Yeah, but where are the kids?”

  “Steven went to go pick them up from Doug’s. I'm sure that I'm going to hear about it later, but they had a few nurses that didn't show up and I'm just going to fill in the holes. You know, get that job security.”

  “You do that and yeah, call me later. I want to hear about this guy that you're already sending to meet Doug. Is it serious?”

  “I don't know. I think I want it to be.”

  That last comment hung in the air and in my mind after I hung up with Christina. What made me say that? Is that really how I felt? Was I wanting to get serious with anyone, and if I did, would it be Stephen?

  He wasn’t the man I was thinking of or even expecting, but maybe that was a good thing, because I hadn’t been able to figure this last one out.

  The ER was crammed with people and before long, Steven was out of my mind completely and I was trying to corral people in the order they needed to be received. Triage was a mess, but somehow after a few hours, the intake was slowing down and I was able to take my leave. It had been almost four hours and I rushed home, worried, but everything seemed fine when I pulled up.

  There was no immediate screaming when I went through the door and to me, that was a good thing. It meant that no one was killing each other, and everyone was getting along. Or, they were tied up.

  It wasn’t the latter. They were all sitting around the table, playing a board game. I hadn’t seen Jake look happy in a while, but it was obvious that they were having a good time. That was twice now that Steven had opened him up and I felt like I owed him a thank-you. He was helping in ways that he didn’t even know. Just his presence was helping, and even Christina noticed that I was feeling lighter and different. I knew that it was mainly Steven. It could be the move and the divorce, but it was the unexpected old flame popping up that made me revaluate everything.

  It’s sort of hard to be bummed out about the way life was going when some wonderful change like that could happen at any moment. An even bigger surprise was the ding that I heard coming from the oven in the kitchen.

  “You cooked?”

  Steven agreed, but didn’t really look up from the game. Risk was obviously pretty intense, and Jake was loving every minute of it, as well as Phillip.

  “Yeah, the kids were hungry. Would you mind grabbing it?
”

  The familiarity was strange, but it didn’t feel forced or wrong for that matter. Things felt different and it was hard to really think about what was going on with me and him. The kids made it hard to have that conversation and apparently, the game was far more important.

  I went to the kitchen and I expected some fries or something, but it was a lasagna. When did he have time to make that?

  I went back out and gave them some dinner. It was good and I was rather surprised that he was able to whip it up. It was homemade, something I didn’t even do that often. Maybe I was completely wrong about Steven. Where was the rich playboy that I read about in the tabloids and online? This didn’t seem to be the same guy playing a game with my kids and making homemade lasagna. Impressed. That’s all I could say.

  I don’t know if he was trying to get on my good side or not, but it was impossible to deny that’s exactly what he was doing. Not only was he making me question everything, but he was roping the kids in as well.

  The kids whined when I told them that they had to go to bed. They had school in the morning, and I could see that the reluctance was real. Jake said goodnight to Steven several times before he went up to bed.

  “Well, that was strange to see.”

  “What?”

  “My oldest getting along with anyone. You have a way with them, Steven. How did it go?”

  “Pretty good. Doug was not happy to see me.”

  “I bet not.”

  “I’m surprised that you didn’t get a call from him. He was expecting you and I was a disappointment.”

  I laughed for a minute because I could only imagine what Doug was thinking. He wasn’t going to be happy about any of it. I knew that for sure. He was so wrapped up in how everything else was going, the divorce, the move, that he was going to have to face facts. We weren’t getting back together and whether I moved on with Steven or someone else, or no one, he needed to move on.

  “I am sure that I will. The night is still young. I kind of wish that I would have been there to see it. I know that it probably makes me wrong, but I don’t care.”

  “Exes are complicated.”

  “Did you have any complicated ones?”

  “Not really. I had one woman that I dated for about a year, but it was never serious.”

  “Not to you.”

  “Right.” He agreed and shook his head, remembering something that I wasn’t going to be privy to. “Yeah, she thought it was more serious obviously and wasn’t happy when I wouldn’t go to the next level.”

  “Afraid of commitment?”

  “With the wrong woman, hell yes.”

  I don’t know why, but I really liked that answer. What did he think of me and him? Was I the right one? And if I was, did I want to be?

  13

  Steven

  I was to the point that being Bonnie’s friend wasn’t enough. I wanted more from the relationship, and I was bound and determined to get it. There was peace after the kids were in bed and it was just the two of us. It was time for things to move further down the line. I couldn't wait any longer.

  She asked me if I wanted to watch a movie and I agreed, but I wasn't focused at all on what was on the screen. I would much rather look at her and try to figure out what I needed to do to keep her. Now that I had Bonnie again, after wanting and thinking of her for so long, now my only interest was in keeping her.

  “You are pretty quiet tonight. What's on your mind?”

  I told her that she probably didn't want to know.

  “I bet I can guess.”

  “I think you could make the same guess for any man that came in contact with you, Bonnie. It really wouldn't be that hard. We probably all want the same thing.”

  “Do you think that that is the only reason somebody would like me?”

  “A guy, yeah. I'm not saying that all guys think of only one thing, but when it comes to you Bonnie, there is not much else that he would be thinking about.”

  She kind of grinned and told me that it was good to know.

  “What?”

  “That the only reason you're here now is because you want to get in my pants.”

  “Like I said before, I thought that was a given. It doesn't mean that I don't care about the rest. It's just hard to think about anything else.”

  “So, if I gave you something, do you think it would help you get your mind off of things? I mean I do owe you. You did a big favor for me and picked them up even though they were with my ex. That deserves a reward.”

  I shrugged and told her that it was no big deal. It really wasn’t, because I didn't care what her boyfriend or husband thought of me. He was just a man that I kind of felt sorry for. I felt sorry for anyone that lost a woman like Bonnie. I can't imagine how it would be, but I know that even though I never had her, I still wouldn’t ever want her gone.

  “I told you before, that I don't want you to think you're obligated to do anything.”

  “Maybe I just want to use it as an excuse for something that I already want to do?”

  “That sounds way too complicated. If you want to do something, you should just do it.”

  Bonnie was silent, like she was thinking about something, but then she just kind of started laughing.

  “What?”

  “I just have a lot on my mind that's all.”

  “Good things, I hope.”

  She agreed with a nod of her head, and I waited for her to say more but nothing was forthcoming. Bonnie was definitely not the same girl I remembered. There was a lot more layers to our relationship this time around and even though I wished for that more than anything when we were younger, right now it was really cramping my style. I should already be balls deep inside of her and able to breathe again.

  Just when I thought I was going to leave with blue nuts again she started to slide up next to me. We were sitting on the couch and she put her hand on my knee. It was a slight touch, but it was enough. It gave me the leeway to move closer to her and give her a kiss. I was hoping that the case would lead to more, like it had before.

  After a few minutes she asked me if I would be done with her once I got what I wanted. It showed me a small window into her insecurities, that I wouldn't have even known existed. How could a woman like Bonnie ever feel like she wasn't enough?

  “I don't think I can ever be done with you, Bonnie. You know that, right?”

  She shook her head, like she knew what I was talking about, but I could still see that there was something else in her mind. It wasn't the same as before. When we kissed there was a spark that settled between us and I didn't feel the same rush. Of course, the first time we did this, I had never touched another girl before. There was something about touching the same girl years later. She was my first and for a brief moment, I wondered if she would be my last.

  That was moving a bit too quickly, but I couldn't help myself. I knew that there was something between us and all I had to do was show her what I already knew.

  She straddled my lap before I could take control of the situation. The woman that had been shy not too long ago, was no longer the same. She had a need and desire that was exuding out of her and it was overwhelming my senses. I was so hard and so ready for her. All she had to do was rub against my body just a little bit and I was shaking inside.

  I'm not even really sure what she thought that I would get out of it, but then I realized that it wasn't me she was thinking about. My hardness gave her just enough pleasure when she rubbed herself against it, and she did this several times, until I felt her body tense. If I didn't know any better, I would think that she had come.

  Looking up at her and the lopsided smile on her face, told me everything I needed to know. She had already gotten off, and I found that amazing. She must have needed it badly. I didn't even have to do anything. All I had to do was sit there. Right now, I was ready to take a more hands-on approach to the whole situation.

  My lips moved to her neck and I bit down on this part connecting to her shoulder.
She made a moaning sound and her moaning told me it felt good.

  I really wanted her to be loud now, but I had to recall that we were not the only ones in the house. That meant that I was going to have to keep us both under wraps, so that we didn't wake anybody up. If we did, this would be the end of our friendship, and I wasn't ready to let that happen.

  Bonnie moaned and rode me a little bit faster. I could tell that she was very close to bringing herself to completion again, but I didn't want to let her. I wasn't ready to be done with her and if she kept on going the way she was going, she would be too sensitive to do much else. I had learned that in the years between us. Women could only take so much.

  “Why don't we take off some of these clothes? I guarantee it'll feel better than rubbing against me.”

  Her eyes lit up and she had this look on her face. It was clear that Bonnie was thinking right along the same lines as I was. Her clothes were hitting the floor in seconds and while I was supposed to be doing the same thing, I was lost in the soft lines and beautiful skin in front of me. My hand reached out to take one of the larger breasts into my hand. They felt bigger than before.

  “Are you going to take your clothes off, Steven? You’re the one that wants to be inside of me.”

  I stood up and she moved back several more inches before I pulled the shirt over my head and watched her eyes follow my hands down to my pants. Was that anticipation in her eyes?

  14

  Bonnie

  The last time we did this, we were both kind of drunk and a little sloppy. I liked to say that I didn't remember exactly what happened between me and Steven, but that wouldn't exactly be the truth. I knew quite a bit and that was mainly the reason why I couldn't get him out of my head all this time.