The Man Next Door

by Gina Wilkins

  Someone reached around her to take one of the suitcases. “I was starting to get worried about you.”

  She jumped almost a foot before she realized who it was. “Teague, you scared the stuffing out of me,” she scolded. “I didn’t see you there. Were you waiting for me?”

  There was enough artificial light for her to see that he was frowning. “You should always be aware of who’s around you, especially this late at night,” he scolded, ignoring her question. “I could have been just anyone lurking in the shadows.”

  “I know, and I’m usually more careful,” she said, resenting the lecture. “I’m just tired tonight.”

  “That’s exactly what a predator looks for. Someone who’s tired or distracted or otherwise vulnerable to an attack. I could have had you stuffed in a waiting car before you even knew I was in the parking lot.”

  “Okay, Teague, I got it. Now drop it, okay? I’ve spent several days being lectured about everything from my hair to my clothes to my work schedule, and I don’t need you piling on more.”

  “I’m just worried about your safety,” he muttered, following her into the elevator. “It is sort of my area of expertise, you know.”

  “Great. If I’m ever in the market for a bodyguard, I’ll give you a call. In the meantime, I’ll watch out for myself.”

  He sighed gustily. “I don’t want to fight with you tonight.”

  “I don’t want to fight, either,” she conceded. Only then did she notice that he was wearing the scarf she’d bought him around the collar of his black jacket. She wore the music-note charm on a gold chain beneath her warm green sweater.

  He held the elevator door so that she could exit first, dragging her suitcase behind her as he followed with the second. “Did you have a nice visit with your family in spite of the lectures?”

  “Yes, I did. The lectures are just part of my family’s dynamics. I don’t particularly like them, but I’m used to them. How about you? How did your holiday go?”

  “Caught a stupid fugitive,” Teague replied with a shrug, setting her bag on her living room floor. “He told us he didn’t think the FBI would be cold enough to arrest someone on Christmas day. My partner struck a pose and told him that ‘justice takes no holidays.’ Our perp couldn’t think of anything to say, so he just sulked after that. It was his mother that gave us the most trouble with the arrest. Took two guys to restrain her while several others of us hauled off her lowlife son.”

  She laughed. “Seriously? And your partner really said that?”

  “Yeah. You’d have to meet Ferguson to understand. And it’s not the first time I’ve encountered a mother who turned violent when protecting her kid, even if the kid happened to be a murderous drug dealer.”

  She turned serious. “Doesn’t sound like much of a holiday for you.”

  “Are you kidding? I had a great time.”

  She searched his face, and decided he was only half teasing. Teague really did love his job. Any woman who got seriously involved with him would have to have the patience of a saint to have her own plans and holidays forever tenuous because, as his partner had said, “justice takes no holidays.” Remembering that her mother had said something along those same lines, and had then implied that Dani wasn’t the type to handle such demands graciously, Dani turned abruptly away from him.

  “Wow, I’m tired,” she said. “It’s been a long day.”

  “I’ll let you get some rest, then.” He turned toward the door. “Good night, Dani. See you around, okay?”

  So very careful not to put any demands on her time. To keep things casual and tenuous. For her sake or his own? Too weary to analyze it tonight, she crossed her arms over her chest, hugging her forearms as if to ward off a chill, even though she hadn’t even taken off her coat yet. “See you around, Teague.”

  He hesitated a moment, as if he wanted to do or say something more, but then he merely nodded and moved toward the door.

  “Teague?”

  He was already halfway out in the hall when she impulsively said his name. “Yeah?” he asked, glancing back.

  “Were you really waiting for me to get home?”

  After a pause, he shrugged. “Just keeping an eye out. It being so late and all.”

  “It wasn’t necessary.”

  “I know. I’ll try not to make a habit of it. Good night.” Stepping out into the hall, he closed the door behind him.

  Growling deep in her throat, Dani stripped off her coat and threw it on the floor. This…whatever it was…between her and Teague was getting entirely too complicated, as she’d suspected it would from the start.

  She never should have made him that first cup of hot chocolate, puppy-dog eyes or not.

  Chapter Twelve

  Dani wanted to stay busy enough during the next few days that she didn’t have time to even think about Teague, but that wasn’t easy since classes hadn’t started back at the university yet and piano lessons weren’t scheduled until after the first of the year. So she put away her seasonal decorations, cleaned her apartment from ceiling to floor and found places for her Christmas gifts. She packed up some clothing she’d grown tired of, to donate to charity, and shopped for groceries to restock her empty pantry.

  Sadly enough, keeping her hands occupied did nothing to prevent Teague from creeping into her thoughts with disturbing regularity. She hated that she listened for him in the hallway, watched for his car when she went out to the parking lot, waited for his familiar tap on her door. She didn’t want to do this. Didn’t want to become too attached to him.

  She shuddered as she remembered the way she’d been during her wretched relationship, if it could be called that, with Kurt. He’d been married at the time, something that made her ashamed to remember now, despite his repeated assurances to her that he and his wife were separating and that his wife was moving on with her own life. She knew now that it had all been lies, that she had been nothing more than a semisecret mistress, but at the time she’d believed every lying word he’d told her because she had fancied herself in love with him.

  In no way did she think Teague and Kurt were alike, other than both being strong men with take-charge personalities. It was herself she worried about. With Kurt, she had become unexpectedly needy, compliant, self-sacrificing. She’d sat for hours by her phone waiting for him to call her, alienated friends and family, cried and stewed when he wasn’t with her. She’d almost completely given up her own dreams and ambitions during that time. Anything to please him. Until she had finally grown a backbone and broken up with him completely after the one and only time he had tried controlling her with violence.

  She had spent a lot of time analyzing why she’d been that compliant with Kurt. Trying to understand her behavior so she would never repeat it. She had finally decided she would never understand completely why she’d let herself get into that mess, but it probably had a lot to do with losing her father not long before she’d met Kurt, who had lavished her with attention and compliments and praise, much like her beloved dad had done. And then there was the fact that her mother had taken a dislike to Kurt at first sight, making Dani all the more determined to date him, to her chagrin now.

  She’d gone into her relationship with Kurt a spoiled, pampered, overly dependent and somewhat insecure girl. She had emerged wary, disillusioned and deeply discontented with who she had become. Only now was she building a life that she could truly take pride in, becoming more like the strong, independent, self-confident woman she wanted to be. Was it any wonder this thing with Teague scared her half-witless?

  All in all, it was a good thing he wasn’t looking for anything permanent. She should probably start being a little more careful, keeping a bit more distance between them, so she wouldn’t be hurt too badly when it ended. As it would end.

  It would be a lot easier to achieve that distance once school started again, she decided. Once her lessons were back in full swing. She was usually quite busy with her own pursuits and was quite capable of entertaining he
rself when she wasn’t busy, she assured herself, reaching for a book she’d been meaning to read for months.

  She was only a few pages into the novel when that all-too-familiar rap sounded on her door. She had jumped to her feet before she’d realized it, the book tossed carelessly aside. Exasperated with herself for reacting like one of Pavlov’s dogs to the sound of Teague’s knock, she took her time getting to the door, waiting until he’d knocked a second time to open it.

  “Oh,” she said, as if she hadn’t been completely aware of who’d summoned her. “Hi, Teague. What’s up?”

  His hair damp and his cheeks reddened from the cold, light mist that was falling outside, he shrugged inside his leather jacket, shifting the scarf she wasn’t sure he’d taken off since she’d given it to him. “Just got home from work. Listen, Dani, I’m sure it’s too late to ask you this, but do you already have plans for tomorrow night?”

  New Year’s Eve. She had been invited to a couple of parties, and had politely declined both invitations because neither had appealed to her. She’d decided she would rather stay home and watch old movies than go out with men she didn’t really want to see the new year in with.

  “Um, no. I was planning to just stay home this year. Why?”

  “There’s this party,” he said with a grimace. “I didn’t think I was going to be available to attend, but it looks like I’ll be free after all. I hate going to those things alone, but I thought if by some chance you could go with me…Not as a date, really,” he added hastily. “Just a companion. But if you prefer not to go out, I’d understand.”

  She remembered her resolution to put more distance between them. Her vow that his puppy-dog eyes would never get to her again. And yet, here he stood, all tough and unshaven and leather clad and puppy-dog-eyed, and darned if she didn’t hear herself blurting, “Okay. I guess I’ll go, if you want someone to keep you company. Not a date.”

  His face lightened. “That’s great. It’s not a formal thing. Just party clothes. And we don’t have to stay long if we aren’t having a good time. I just need to make an appearance to keep my friends placated.”

  “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather go on your own?” she couldn’t help asking. “I mean, there could be some interesting singles there.”

  He shook his head firmly. “I’m not looking for a New Year’s Eve fling this year. I’ve been working my tail off lately, and I just want to be sociable for a couple hours and then come home and crash, you know? That’s why I figured I’d ask you. You’d understand.”

  In other words she wouldn’t make too many demands on him, since they were only friends. Because that was exactly the way she wanted him to think of them, she couldn’t imagine why his words left her feeling a little deflated. “What time?”

  “I’ll pick you up at eight,” he said, motioning wryly toward his door across the hall. “Now I’ve got some calls to make, so I’ll let you get back to what you were doing. See you tomorrow, okay?”

  She closed her door and then sagged against it. Okay, she thought, trying to mentally regroup. So she was going to a New Year’s Eve party with Teague. That didn’t change any of the things she had thought earlier, or the vows she had made to herself. It just meant she had to decide what she was going to wear, she thought, moving toward her bedroom.

  She was ready ten minutes early the next evening, and even that was a sign she’d changed in the past year or so, Dani decided, studying her reflection in satisfaction. There had been a time when she was always late, primping and obsessing about her appearance until everyone else had almost despaired of her showing up at all.

  Even having streamlined her preparations, she thought she looked good tonight. She’d left her hair down, brushing it to a shiny, wavy curtain to her shoulders. Her makeup was a bit more dramatic than usual, a little extra glitter on the eyes and cheeks and lips in honor of the holiday.

  There had been a time when she would have felt the need to rush out and buy something new for a party, but she’d refused to do so this time, choosing instead an outfit she had worn several times before, though not for this crowd. The black-and-silver halter top fit as though it had been specially tailored for her, and loose-legged black evening pants made her legs look even longer than usual, especially combined with heeled black and silver sandals. Fastening a pair of cascading silver earrings to her lobes, she resisted an impulse to fuss a little more with her hair, and turned firmly away from the mirror.

  She carried a sparkling silver tote with her into the living room, along with a soft black wrap to keep her bare shoulders and back warm on the way to the party. It occurred to her only then that she didn’t even know where they were going or who was hosting the event. Teague had asked, and she’d accepted without any questions. As simple as that.

  Despite the plans she had made to spend New Year’s Eve alone, and despite her reservations about getting too involved with Teague, she still found herself looking forward to the evening. She had always loved parties, and especially New Year’s Eve parties. Loud music and cheery conversation, party favors and munchies, the traditional countdown to midnight—and the traditional kiss that followed, she added with a swallow. She hadn’t wanted to kiss in the new year with either of the other men who’d asked her this year, but she wouldn’t mind so much sharing a midnight embrace with Teague. It didn’t have to mean anything serious, but it would certainly be something to look forward to.

  Eight o’clock came and passed. Surprised that he was late, since it seemed out of character for him, she paced a little, hoping nothing was wrong. He knocked at a quarter after eight, and she made herself walk slowly to the door, not wanting him to think she’d been too anxious.

  She knew something was wrong at the first sight of him. He wore jeans and his FBI jacket over a gray pullover. Something about the way the jacket draped made her think he was armed beneath it. The grim look on his face told her what he was going to say.

  “You have to cancel,” she said before he had the chance.

  He nodded regretfully. “Something’s going down on the job and I’ve been called in. I’ve got to run.”

  “Then go,” she said, motioning toward the stairs. “And be careful, okay?”

  “I’m sorry, Dani. Damn, you look good. I’ll make this up to you, I promise.”

  She shook her head. “I was doing you the favor by going with you, remember? I’ll be fine. Now, go. Don’t let me keep you.”

  “Yeah, I’ve got to hurry. See you later.”

  “Bye, Teague.”

  He started to move away, then suddenly turned and reached out for her, snagging a hand at the back of her neck. His mouth was on hers, hard, before she had a chance to prepare herself.

  The kiss didn’t last much longer than a heartbeat, but she was still shaken by the intensity of it.

  “Happy New Year,” Teague murmured when he released her. And then he turned and hurried away without looking back at her. Which was just as well, she thought, afraid he would have seen just how strongly affected she had been by that brief, powerful kiss.

  “Happy New Year,” Rachel said when Dani answered the phone the next afternoon.

  “Thank you. You, too. And tell Mark I said the same to him. I’ve already talked to Mother and Grandma.”

  “So, did you celebrate last night? Go to any great parties?”

  Dani hesitated a moment before answering candidly, “Actually, I got all dressed up to go to a party and got stood up at the last moment. It wasn’t his fault…he was called to work, but it was sort of a let-down.”

  “Teague?”

  “Yes. We’d decided, sort of at the last minute, to go to a party—you know, just as friends—but after he had to bail, I just spent the evening watching old movies and pigging out on ice cream and the last of Mom’s Christmas cookies. It wasn’t too bad, actually.”

  “I guess you were really mad at Teague,” Rachel said carefully.

  “I told you, he couldn’t help it. He had to work.”


  “Wow. That’s interesting.”

  Dani lifted her eyebrows. “What’s interesting?”

  “Oh, you know. That you’re so calm about the whole thing. I know how you hate having your plans changed at the last minute.”

  “How I used to hate things like that,” Dani corrected impatiently. “I keep telling you I’ve grown up, but you still try to see me as the spoiled cheerleader from high school.”

  “No, I don’t,” Rachel argued firmly. “I know you’ve grown up a lot. We both have, I guess, since Dad died. I’m very proud of all you’ve accomplished this past year.”

  “Thanks, Ray-Ray,” Dani said, oddly touched by the compliment. “I’m proud of you, too, you know.”

  She had always looked up to her older sister. It was only recently that she’d realized exactly how much Rachel had done to hold the family together during that dark period after their father had died.

  “Here’s to a successful new year for both of us,” Rachel said softly.

  “I’ll drink to that,” Dani said, lifting her canned diet soda with a smile, even though her sister couldn’t see her.

  Teague was on his way out on a Saturday afternoon in late January when he saw Mrs. Parsons step off the elevator with two rather large bags of groceries. He hurried to help her, taking the bags so she could unlock her door.

  “Thank you, dear,” she said, smiling sweetly up at him. “Why don’t you come in and have a slice of pie, if you have time. It’s cherry. I made it yesterday.”

  He hesitated only a moment. “Well, I’ve got a meeting later this afternoon, but I guess I’ve got time for a slice of pie,” he said, giving in to temptation.

  Obviously pleased, she led him to the kitchen. She put away the groceries while he ate his pie and drank a glass of iced tea from the pitcher she always kept filled in her refrigerator. He didn’t have to worry about trying to talk with his mouth full; she chattered away the entire time, telling him all about her visit with her son. Though he’d already heard some of her stories, he listened attentively, knowing how much she enjoyed company.