“It’s been longer than that.” I wasn’t even looking at her, my attention was still locked on the retreating ass of my frustrating neighbor.
Harrison had sat back down at the table with a man and a woman. While he wasn’t looking at me, I got the impression that he was very much aware of what I was doing. I didn’t know him well enough to have much of an impression of who he was as a person, but I wasn’t about to let anyone think that I was so easily swayed. It was going to take more than a misplaced act of kindness and an excellent pair of well-fitted pants to win me over.
Screw him.
I took Nikki by the hand and marched out into the middle of the dance floor. “Let’s rock it!”
5
I’d managed to go a week and a half before I was forced to deal with Harrison again. Now, if I was being completely honest with myself, I would have realized that I’d possibly overreacted to the entire situation of our last meeting. Yes, I’d been thrown off by seeing him at the club. Yes, I had been trying to get away from Marcus. Harrison hadn’t done much of anything that most rational humans would consider offensive.
Just because he’d stepped in when I’d been perfectly capable of saving myself, that didn’t make him a bad person. It simply made him a nosy, if well-meaning, person. And sure, I might have been a bit freaked and totally not certain how to tell the handsome and dance-happy Marcus that I really wasn’t ready for a one-on-one, but I needed practice at that aspect of getting out there as well. I had a whole new skill set that I had to pick up.
Not Harrison’s fault.
So when he came sauntering into the cafeteria of our condo building for the monthly association meeting, there was no logical reason why I should be anything less than civil to my new neighbor. And yet there I was, glaring at him as he moved effortlessly through the group. I believe it was called working the room.
The Styrofoam cup in my hand cracked, sending hot coffee sloshing across my skin. “Shit.”
My elderly upstairs neighbor, Mrs. Le Page, handed me a napkin. “Careful, dear. You can’t squeeze those cups that way.”
“Thanks.”
“Oh, is that the new tenant you were staring at? He’s on your floor, isn’t he? That means he’s one of those company men.” Mrs. Le Page made a cooing noise that was slightly disturbing coming from the eighty-four-year-old woman. “Cute too.”
“His name is Harrison.” The last thing I needed was for Mrs. Le Page to get any ideas about going into matchmaking mode. I was having enough trouble dealing with Nikki and didn’t need to add to that. “I doubt he’ll be around long. He said something about being here on a contract. He’s in sales.”
“Sales. That means he’s a smooth talker. Let’s test that, shall we.” Before I had a chance to take a breath, Mrs. Le Page sauntered over to Harrison.
“Damn.” The hot coffee was getting unbearable. Ignoring the tittering laughter of my meddling neighbor, I made my way over to the refreshment table to replace my cup and snag another cookie.
It was strange, being able to feel the vibrations of Harrison’s voice trip along my spine. I wasn’t blind to his good looks—Christ, anyone could appreciate his strong jaw and be tempted to touch his rich black hair to see how soft it was—but he wasn’t my type in the least. I’d never been attracted to alpha males. They tended to be too loud, too controlling, not inclined to curl up on the couch and watch a chick flick. He wasn’t the sort of man I’d bother to speak to, even in a social situation like this.
So why was I straining to hear what he was talking to Mrs. Le Page about, a woman old enough to be his grandmother? Maybe I’d become possessed? Alien abduction or something.
Another burst of giggles from Mrs. Le Page blended with the low throaty chuckle from Harrison. I shouldn’t be so tempted to turn and look, to see what they were laughing about, or what his expression might be. But I was. I really, really was.
“It’s time to get started. If everyone could grab a seat.” Pierce Wilton, the current president of our association, clapped his hands together and everyone shuffled to their usual spots. Pierce wasn’t my favorite person in the building, mostly because of how curt he’d been with me since Rob passed, but he was efficient at making sure our building stayed in great shape, so I ignored the rest.
People continued to chat, albeit with softer voices as everyone got comfortable. These meetings tended to go longer than they needed to be, but it wasn’t as though anyone could leave early without looking like a jerk in front of the rest of the tenants. Normally, Mr. and Mrs. Le Page would find their way to my row and would share the occasional eye roll with me as Pierce rambled on. It made the proceedings entertaining and gave us something to chat about over coffee afterward.
I really shouldn’t have been surprised when Harrison took the chair directly beside me instead. My body tensed as the scent of his freshly applied aftershave reached me. This time I had on a padded bra to cover up my suddenly erect nipples, though my shorts were riding up quite high, putting pressure on my clit. The last thing I wanted was for Harrison to think he could make me squirm.
Even if he could.
Stupid libido.
“Thank you everyone for coming tonight.” Pierce gave us one of his blink-and-you’ll-miss-it smiles. “I want to welcome our newest resident, Harrison Kemp.” Everyone gave polite applause. “I’ll be reviewing some of the basic rules tonight for Mr. Kemp’s benefit. Though I know we can all use the reminder. I won’t bring up the gym incident again, even though no one has confessed to the off-hours use.” He looked at us from over the top of his glasses. “Please pay attention, especially you, Mr. Kemp.”
Harrison groaned softly. “Shit.”
“Thanks, buddy,” I muttered, my eyes locked forward. The last thing I wanted was to draw Pierce’s wrath for not paying attention. “You can save me from this one if you want.”
Harrison sighed. “You didn’t seem a big fan of that last time.”
“I wasn’t.”
Pierce stopped talking and looked directly at us. “Alyssa, I don’t think Mr. Kemp will appreciate being fined for something because he wasn’t able to listen to the presentation.”
“Sorry.” And now my face was burning. “I’ll be quiet.”
“There will be time for you to chat at the barbecue.” He waited another moment before continuing.
I wanted to die. I’d never been someone to want the attention in a group. Even back when I was in school, I’d do whatever possible to avoid being called on in class. Ignoring Harrison, I scooted down in my seat and prayed Pierce wouldn’t pick on me again.
Harrison was either still annoyed at me from the bar, or he had a bit of a childish streak in him. At first, I thought he bumped his knee against mine by mistake. But the second time was clearly an attempt to get my attention. The third time he was being annoying. On his fourth bump I reached over and pinched his thigh, glaring at him.
The bastard smirked at me.
How did I ever find this man-child attractive? Or chivalrous?
This clearly meant war. Ignoring Pierce, I made sure my timing was perfect and swung my knee away the next time he tried to connect with mine. He frowned. I grinned. He reached over and squeezed the top of my knee.
There was no way he could know that my knees are incredibly ticklish, so he wouldn’t have expected my high-pitched squeal. Everyone turned to look at me and my stomach did a somersault. I wanted to die.
Harrison stomped his foot loudly on the floor. “There was a spider that startled her. I killed it.”
“Sorry. Again.”
“I hate spiders.” Mrs. Le Page spoke, sounding way more amused than the topic would have allowed. “Pierce, we’ve noticed a lot more in our condo than normal. Perhaps this is something that we will need to address.”
“I’ll put it on the maintenance list.” Whether or not he believed us, Pierce dutifully made a note in his book. “Are there any other issues to address?”
“No, let’s eat.” Mr. Le Pa
ge got up and held his hand out for his wife. “I’m starving and Bill is up there cooking burgers by himself.”
Pierce scanned the room, shaking his head. We must drive the poor man nuts. “If there isn’t any other business, then we’ll adjourn. Our welcome barbecue for Mr. Kemp is on the rooftop garden.”
I was able to hold my tongue long enough for the others to start talking before I turned to Harrison. “You’re an asshole.”
“No I’m not.” His smirk wasn’t very convincing. “I get bored easily.”
“Pierce will give you a pass this time, but he’s brutal when people aren’t paying attention. He used to be the principal at this high school before they converted it to condos. They called him The Warden.” I added air quotes, more out of habit than a necessity for emphasis.
“He wouldn’t have liked me. A jock with a sense of entitlement that pissed even my parents off.” Harrison stood, putting his groin dangerously close to my face. “Mind showing me the rooftop?”
“You can just follow the crowd.”
“What, you’re not coming up?” The bastard almost seemed disappointed. “I was accused of not knowing my neighbors. I was hoping for the opportunity to change that.”
Why did he have to be so frigging logical? I couldn’t accuse him of not knowing me and then walk away from a perfect opportunity to spend some time with him socially. Especially when I always went to the barbecues. My absence would be noticed and then comments would start. Followed by rumors. Shit, it would be worse than the time everyone thought I was pregnant.
Or when they all found out about Rob.
Ignoring his outstretched hand, I got to my feet. “Fine. But I’m still not sure that I like you. Come on.”
Harrison was like a large, obedient dog trailing along behind me as I led him up the stairs to the rooftop garden. The scent of burgers being grilled mixed with the scratchy sound of music coming from the old radio that no one would claim. Laughter and light conversation wrapped around us as we joined the others. Far more people were here than had attended the meeting. The lucky married couples would tag-team attending the meeting, so that they both wouldn’t have to suffer, and meet up at the barbecue after. Rob and I used to do that, though I’d preferred the rare times when we’d gone together. Those had been fun—like kidding around with Harrison had been.
I stopped moving so suddenly, Harrison walked directly past me. He stopped and looked back at me, frowning. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Sorry.”
He came into my personal space much like he had back at the bar. “How about I get you a drink? It looks like someone brought beer.”
“Sure.” I wasn’t a big drinker, but a bit of alcohol would do me some good given my current state. “Yeah, that sounds good.”
I watched as Harrison made his way over to the bar, stopping frequently to talk to the other residents. At first I thought he was flirting, making the ladies blush as he chatted. But the more I watched him, the more I realized that wasn’t what he was doing. Harrison was one of those guys who focused all of his attention on the person he was speaking to. Women or men, he would smile and nod as each person chatted with him. No wonder I was blushing like a preteen every time he looked my way. That level of intensity wasn’t something I was used to.
“I think our new tenant has caught your eye.”
Shit. “No, Mrs. Le Page. He’s handsome, but not really my type.”
The older woman linked her arm with mine and gave my hand a pat. It was the same hand Harrison had kissed. “There’s only one type a woman should have. A man who’ll treat them right. Just like your Rob did.”
My chest tightened at the mention of his name. With Harrison’s arrival in the building and my discovery of Rob’s cards, I’d been thinking less about the man I’d lost and more about trying to move on. I wasn’t certain that I liked that.
“A nice girl like you shouldn’t be alone. While he might not end up being the one for you, it can’t hurt to look.” She made that cooing sound again. “You have to admit, he’s very nice to look at.”
“Yeah, he’s not bad.” Harrison had snagged two plastic cups of beer and was starting to make his way back over toward us. “Mrs. Le Page?”
“Yes?”
“How do I move on?” I swallowed past the sudden lump in my throat. “I never thought I’d have to look for someone else when I got married. I was never unhappy with what we had. How do I even start to look for something, for someone else?”
She turned to me with a soft hand to my cheek, giving me a smile. “One foot in front of the other. That’s all any of us can do.” She stayed by my side until Harrison retuned. “Mr. Kemp, how do you like your new place?”
He handed me the beer, his fingers brushing against mine as I took the sweating cup from him. “It’s great for a rental. My company is putting me up while I work at this office for the next three months. I’m not unpacked, but I’ll get there.”
“Oh, that takes most of us awhile. I’m certain I still have boxes somewhere in our place. We’ve been here for ten years now.” She turned to me and I could tell from the smile on her face I wouldn’t like what was coming. “Alyssa here has been in the building for six years. I’m sure if you need any help getting situated she’d be more than happy to assist.”
And with that she walked away.
Harrison tried to hide a smile behind his cup as he took a sip of his beer. “Are we being set up?”
“I think we might be.” I shouldn’t have sighed, but I couldn’t stop myself.
“From your tone of voice, I gather that you’re not too pleased.” There was a sparkle in his brown eyes that told me he was enjoying the teasing.
“It’s not that.” I took a sip of beer, grimacing at the bitter taste. Blah, someone bought that hoppy stuff again. “She’s tried things like this a few times since Rob died. Nothing too pushy, but not anything I’d wanted.”
“That’s right, you don’t need saving. Even by little old ladies.”
I should have taken his comment for the light teasing it clearly was, but I couldn’t. I turned to fully face him. “What does that mean?”
If Harrison could sense the danger he was in, his expression didn’t show it. “You’re a woman who can take care of herself. Which is fantastic, though less fun for Mrs. Le Page.”
“I’m sure she’ll get over it.”
Harrison moved a bit closer, and for a moment he was the only thing I could focus on. The size of his chest and arms. The spice of his aftershave. The way his nearness made my pussy tingle in a way it hadn’t in years. I knew if I closed my eyes, it would be easy to imagine what his body would feel like pressed against mine, sweat-soaked. If I’d been thinking, I would have grabbed him back at the club and made him dance with me. How would it have felt to have had Harrison’s hands on my hips rather than Marcus’s?
“You really should be more careful when you’re out on your own though.” He smiled, but the light in his eyes dimmed. “I didn’t realize how rough that place got or else I’d never have brought my clients there. Thankfully, they’re more flexible than others.”
It’s amazing how quickly a man can turn a woman off without even trying. “Pardon me?”
I’m not sure if he realized that he’d entered the Danger Zone with me, because he’d kept right on trucking. “It’s important to do your research. I’m new to town. You’re just getting yourself out there. It’s easy to make mistakes.”
“Mistakes?” My grip tightened on my cup. At least this time it wasn’t coffee.
“If you don’t want to be rescued, that is. You’re a single woman, and I’d guess you don’t have a lot of experience. You need to do your homework first—”
I never gave him the chance to dig himself back out of his hole. Like a scene from a movie, I threw my beer in his face. The amber liquid coated his skin and spread out across his no-longer-white dress shirt. He blinked the beer away as his mouth fell open.
“How dare you?” I tossed
my cup to the floor, not caring that everyone on the rooftop was staring at us. “You don’t know the first thing about what I’m capable of doing or not doing. I’ve had to bury my husband when I was thirty-three. I’ve had to figure out how to legally declare someone dead. Have had to convince people that no, my husband isn’t avoiding your call. He really is gone.”
Harrison reached for me. “Alyssa, I’m sorry—”
“No. You don’t get to be sorry. You don’t get to have any opinion at all. I’m leaving.”
I marched past everyone, doing my best to ignore their pitying looks. This was the last thing I wanted or needed. It was hard enough putting myself out there, only to be subjected to the opinions of strangers who thought they knew what was best for me.
“Alyssa!” Harrison called for me.
I stopped before I reached the exit, but I didn’t turn around. “What?”
“For the record, I know you’re more than capable of looking after yourself. But there’s nothing wrong with asking for help.”
“Fuck you.”
Fighting the urge to cry, I marched back to my condo.
6
I’d been standing in front of Harrison’s front door for the better part of ten minutes, wondering how much of an ass he thought I was. God, I’d had my moments of being an idiot in the past, but this was the first time I’d embarrassed myself this badly. I had no choice but to apologize—he hadn’t deserved me losing my shit on him like that, and at the very least I owed him a new shirt.
It was also a waste of good beer. Even if it was too hoppy.
I huffed and shuffled from foot to foot. There was no way this was going to get any easier. I needed to smarten up, apologize, and move on to the next step. If that was with Harrison, then great. But the only way I was going to find out was to talk to him. In order for that to happen I had to act.
Fine. Let’s do this.
Holding my breath, I closed my eyes and knocked. My stomach churned and I couldn’t stop my fingers from flexing around the index card I’d brought with me. I had no doubt that I was the last person Harrison wanted to see. But I usually tried to be honest with myself, if no one else. I knew deep down that my anger had nothing to do with what Harrison had said, and everything to do with how he made me feel.
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