The Boy Next Door: A Standalone Small Town Romance (Soulmates Series Book 3)

by Hazel Kelly

  “I trust you at least went to the door instead of climbing in through the window like you used to?” Helly asked.

  “Of course I used the door,” Laney said. “And why do you even know about the window thing?”

  Helly laughed. “Because I wasn’t born yesterday, honey, as you well know.”

  “I’m sorry,” Laney said. “I should’ve said good morning.”

  “Thank you,” Helly said. “Apology accepted. And I shouldn’t have teased you for your early morning booty call, but I felt it was within my rights.”

  I glanced over my shoulder and saw that Laney had her red face in her hands. Then I turned back to the kittens, picking them up and checking their eyes and ears.

  “How are they?” Helly asked.

  “They look healthy,” I said. “Except for this little grey one.”

  “What’s the problem?” Laney asked, crossing her arms.

  I looked over my shoulder. “She’s blind.”

  Chapter 25: Laney

  Amber looked straight out of a fifties sitcom as she approached my outdoor table at Mimi’s Café.

  “I hope you weren’t waiting long,” she said, pulling out her chair. “I thought I’d just drop the kids off and, well, you know how mothers are-”

  She flinched despite the fact that I smiled politely.

  “Anyway, how are things?” she asked. “I can’t even tell you how much I’ve been looking forward to this.”

  “Me too,” I said, pouring some ice water into her glass.

  “We should make this a regular thing.”

  “We should,” I said, leaning back in my chair.

  “That was your cue to tell me you’re staying in Glastonbury forever because you can’t bear the thought of missing one of my parties.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “To be fair, your Fourth of July party should’ve been in the pages of House and Garden Magazine.”

  She clasped her hands in front of her. “You are so sweet to say that.”

  “Any joy with the lawn?”

  She shook her head. “It still looks like a flag. Dave is furious. I thought the paint would wash away at the first rain, but it’s holding strong.”

  “Well, between you and me, staying has crossed my mind, but I don’t think Helly can take living with Neo much longer.”

  “Neo?”

  “The blind kitten we found behind the shed.”

  She furrowed her thinly manicured brows. “You called it Neo?”

  “Yeah, like in the Matrix.”

  “I know. Dave loves that movie,” she said. “But isn’t Neo supposed to be, like, The One who brings peace?”

  “Yup.”

  Her eyes grew wide. “That’s a lot of pressure to put on a kitten.”

  I smiled. “I know, and he’s totally not rising to the challenge. He is, however, the one who brings hilarity.”

  She raised her eyebrows.

  “I mean, I know I shouldn’t laugh at him because he’s disabled, but he’s genuinely good for at least one solid belly laugh a day.”

  Her smile dropped. “Please don’t tell my daughters that. A kitten is just about the only thing they haven’t realized they want yet.”

  “Sure.”

  “And I thought Helly loved cats?”

  I shrugged. “She likes cats outside.”

  Amber cocked her head. “And she can’t make an exception for a little blind cat?”

  “She has been,” I said. “But it’s not fair to ask her to do that much longer. Plus, she’s got so many crystals and jewel bellied trolls and wicker statues around that it’s hard on Neo. He has trouble navigating around all her crap.”

  “Ahh. I can see how that would be tough for him,” she said. “And as far as Helly, her reluctance to have cats inside contradicts the fact that I’ve always been positive she’s a witch.”

  I laughed. “I’m sure she was in one of her lives, but she’s not practicing now as far as I know.”

  Amber made a face like she was carefully processing the information.

  “Oh before I forget,” I said, reaching into my bag. “I brought you something for the girls.”

  “You didn’t have to do that,” she said. “It’s bad enough that Dave and I spoil them rotten.”

  “Pocahontas,” I said, holding up one wig. “And Mulan,” I said, lifting the other.

  Amber’s face lit up.

  “They’re second hand,” I said. “But I figured they wouldn’t mind.”

  “Of course they won’t,” she said, taking them from me. “If anything, they’ll start worshipping you so much they’ll need a Laney wig next.”

  “You don’t have to say they’re from me-”

  “What? Of course I do! They already think you’re a celebrity.”

  I furrowed my brows. “Excuse me?”

  “We’ve been going down to check out your mural at least twice a week. They’re so excited about what you’ve done so far.”

  “Really?”

  She nodded. “Well, not Suzie, cause she doesn’t get excited about anything besides ear infections these days, but-”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “It’s fine,” she said, raising her red nails towards the sky. “Or at least, I spend so much time thinking about it, I’d rather not talk about it now.”

  A teenage waiter brought some bread to the table, and we ordered two Waldorf salads and an order of fries to share.

  “You know what I really want to talk about?” she asked.

  I took a piece of soft French bread and tore it in half. “What?”

  “How things are going with Connor.”

  I felt the blood rush to my cheeks.

  “Ha! I knew it. You guys are so sprung.”

  I squinted. “Maybe not sprung.”

  “Yes, sprung. Totally. I’ve been telling Dave this would happen. You’ve been soulmates all along.”

  I lifted a hand between us. “Wait a second. You’ve been telling Dave what would happen?”

  “That you guys would pick up right where you left off.”

  I swallowed.

  “But he didn’t believe me,” she said. “He thinks you hurt Connor too bad for anything to happen.”

  I pursed my lips.

  She reached for her water. “But it’s all happened anyway, hasn’t it?”

  “Dave doesn’t approve, does he?”

  She swatted my concern from the air. “Dave’s just worried about his friend.”

  “And you?”

  She crunched an ice cube and set her glass down. “I think Connor can handle himself.”

  I nodded.

  “And I think you’re too smart to make the same mistake again.”

  “What mistake?” I asked.

  “The mistake of taking him for granted when he’s literally, like, the most eligible bachelor ever.”

  “Mmm.”

  She craned her neck forward. “You wouldn’t hurt him again, would you?”

  “I never meant to hurt him in the first place.”

  “That’s irrelevant,” she said. “What I’m trying to say is that, while it’s obvious you guys are good together, he’s ready for something serious, and if you can’t be that, you shouldn’t lead him on.”

  “I’m not leading him on. I’m just trying to figure out what I want.”

  “Sure.”

  I leaned back in the metal chair. “Besides, he told me he doesn’t regret how things ended with us.”

  “Please tell me you don’t believe that.”

  “Why shouldn’t I? He said it to my face.”

  She shook her head and poured some olive oil into a shallow dish. “Maybe he doesn’t regret that he proposed, but I’m sure he regrets that you said no.”

  I stuffed some bread in my mouth.

  “Not that you can really regret other people’s actions,” she said. “Because that could make a man crazy-”

  “You seem really sure about this.”

  She shrugge
d. “He and Dave have been best friends since there were firetrucks on their underwear.”

  “Right.”

  “Don’t make that face,” she said. “The past doesn’t matter now. You’re getting a second chance to realize how good you are together.”

  “And I’m taking it.”

  “I know you are,” she said. “And I just want you to know I approve. I mean, I know you can’t be in another person’s relationship, but you guys were sickly sweet at our party on the Fourth.”

  “It’s like no time has passed. It’s kind of crazy.”

  “Crazy good?” she asked.

  “I just don’t want to get ahead of myself.”

  She narrowed her bright green eyes on me. “What do you mean?”

  “Just between us-”

  She nodded.

  “I’m not convinced I deserve his forgiveness even if he’s already given it to me.”

  “He has,” she said. “And no offense, but I don’t think that’s what you should be worried about.”

  I furrowed my brow. “What should I be worried about?”

  “Figuring out how to forgive yourself.”

  Chapter 26: Connor

  The afternoon sun was rising higher in the sky, but the heavy heat was doing little to suppress my growing appetite.

  I grabbed the shirt that was hanging over my shoulder and mopped my brow.

  Fortunately, I was protected from the sun by the asphalt compactor’s roof, but Laney was working away on the mural without shelter, her hair so blonde in the sun it was nearly blinding.

  She was probably only a day or two from finishing, and while I knew she’d do a good job, I never could’ve imagined the colorful scene that would pour out of her. Wild animals decorated in psychedelic patterns were playing everything from hop scotch to double dutch, and I’d nearly flattened the basketball hoop twice getting lost in what she’d done.

  It was beautiful. Almost as beautiful as she was.

  And things were going well.

  Yes, I’d fallen for her again, but I don’t think that was the whole story.

  To be honest, I think I never really got up after the first time I fell, and it was like no time had passed.

  In the last few weeks, we’d picnicked by the lake, snuck vodka into the movie theatre, and revisited some of our favorite Choose Your Own Adventure Books. I’d shown her my office, fucked her in every bed in my house, and invited her to join me for countless walks with Sarge.

  It was the happiest I’d ever been.

  And she seemed happy, too, which made my chest swell with pride.

  Of course, we hadn’t had many serious talks, especially about our history. She’d tried to broach the subject, but I stopped her every time.

  I didn’t want to dissect the past. I wanted to live for the future, and I couldn’t help but feel that overanalyzing our relationship is what spoiled it for us the first time around.

  After all, when she wasn’t second guessing herself, she was light and free and confident. She acted on her intuition, and the words that came out of her mouth made sense.

  It was only when she started thinking about the decisions she’d cut herself off from and comparing herself to others that she got lost in a messy corner of her head.

  But with every day we spent together, I became more aware of the fact that we hadn’t committed to anything and that all our jovial fun could end in a second.

  And I wanted more from her. Needed more. Deserved more.

  Because the love I was prepared to give her was too immense to keep giving it without knowing whether or not she was planning on sticking around. And if she had a problem with that, I had to find out sooner rather than later.

  In other words, ignorance wasn’t bliss any more.

  I finished flattening the last row of asphalt, pulled the compactor off to the side, turned off the ignition, and hopped down to the ground.

  She was deep in concentration as I approached her.

  “Have I told you lately I think you’re a genius?” I asked.

  She smiled over her shoulder at me. “Not since this morning,” she said, her eyes traveling shamelessly up and down my bare chest. “That’s a good look for you.”

  “Thanks,” I said, sliding my hands around her waist. “I bet it would be a good look for you, too.”

  “Get off me sweaty,” she said, wriggling from my arms. “I showered this morning.”

  I smiled. “I remember.”

  She bumped her shoulder into mine. “You’re filthy, you know that? I don’t know how I get anything done with you around.”

  “Likewise,” I said, squatting down to close up her paints.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, her hands full with her palette and paint brush.

  “It’s time for a lunch break,” I said. “This sun is hotter than you think it is, and you got burned last week.”

  “But it turned to tan.”

  “I need to eat,” I said, fixing my eyes on her.

  “And I need five more minutes.”

  “Put the paintbrush down, Laney, or there’s going to be a Laney sized silhouette across that elephant’s face.”

  She slashed the paintbrush across my chest.

  My mouth fell open.

  “Okay, okay,” she said, squatting slow like a criminal setting down a gun.

  “You’re going to pay for that,” I said, scooping her up and fireman carrying her towards my truck, which was parked in the shady lot beside the park.

  “Can I pay you in sex?” she asked.

  “With interest,” I said, stepping off the sidewalk into the lot.

  She let out a little scream and slapped a drumroll on my ass.

  I pulled my keys from my pocket, opened the passenger door, and flipped her down onto the seat.

  “God it’s roasting in here,” she said.

  I climbed in over her. “If you think it’s hot now, you’re in for a shock.” I pressed my lips against hers and lowered my hips so she could feel how hard I was for her.

  She reached over her head, fumbled at the handle on the driver’s side door, and pushed it open.

  A gentle breeze blew through the front seat.

  “Aren’t you clever?” I said, kissing down her neck. “Almost as clever as you are beautiful.” I reached under her tank top and dragged the front of her bra up over her breasts, kneading them in my hands as I kissed the sweet sweat off them and grew thirsty for the rest of her.

  Then I unzipped her little shorts and pulled them down with her underwear.

  She dug her hands into my hair as I started circling her clit.

  When she let out a sigh, I rewarded her with two thick fingers, glancing up to see the flash in her eyes as I filled her.

  “Fuck,” she said. “This is already the best lunch break I’ve ever had.”

  I smiled and lowered my feet back down to the ground outside the truck so I could lick her warm snatch.

  She inhaled sharply as I sucked her sweet silk.

  “I want you inside me,” she said. “I want to be full of you.”

  I lapped at her faster and began undoing my jeans.

  Then I grabbed her legs, flipped her over, and dragged her ass towards me.

  She kicked her feet and stretched her toes towards the ground.

  But when I pressed the tip of my dick against her pink slit, she stopped trying to stand and grabbed the front seat, bracing herself as I sank balls deep into her gorgeous heat.

  Chapter 27: Laney

  He felt so big when he took me from behind, his strong fingers digging into my dangling thighs.

  I became wet with sweat as he fucked me, and as my breasts slid against the leather seat of his truck, all I could think about was holding on.

  God he was good.

  I didn’t understand how he could be such a gentleman one minute and such an animal the next. It made me want him so bad it was overwhelming.

  I could hear his balls slapping against me as my hair st
uck to my face and neck, and he was hitting me so deep I wouldn’t have asked him to stop for anything.

  Getting fucked by him was the best feeling in the world, and all the minutes in between just felt like unwanted intermissions before he would take me again.

  And he never asked. He was polite about everything else, but if he wanted to fuck me it was like nothing could stop him, like this mist of lust descended and made him lose his ability to speak.

  It was all in his body language then, especially his eyes. I could see the hunger for me in them moments before he took me. It was like he was already devouring me- like a predator- and there was nothing I could do to stop his mouth watering, nothing I could do to interrupt his hunt.

  It made me so high to be wanted like that.

  Connor pulled out of me and flipped me over again.

  I raised up onto my elbows and scooted back to bring my lifeless legs into the truck.

  His hair was a thick mess of blond and several beads of sweat dripped down his rippling chest.

  “How do you want me?” I asked, pushing away the wet wisps around my face.

  He climbed into the passenger seat and extended a hand.

  I pulled myself up and straddled him, wasting no time sliding down his thick cock.

  “Who’s the sweaty one now?” he asked, unhooking my bra and casting it to the side.

  I smiled and rocked against him, my blue eyes lost in his as he groped my breasts and stretched me open.

  I dragged a hand down the side of his face and kissed him, causing a bright energy to light me up inside.

  He stuck a hand in the sweaty hair at the base of my neck and popped his hips to urge me on, my breasts bouncing against his sticky chest as I focused on the molten heat in my core.

  “You feel amazing,” he said, his other hand cradling my ass as I rocked against him.

  And as I looked into his eyes, I realized we were fucking each other with every part of our bodies, and something happened in my heart. It felt good, like a little crack had opened up and let some light in.

  And I realized I still loved him- as much as I ever had- and that I would never stop.

  At that point the sweat was nearly dripping in my eyes so I closed them and leaned forward, crushing my chest against his torso as I grinded against the base of his shaft.