Love Thy Neighbor

by Sophie Wintner

  They were still laughing about the whole incident while walking back to their respective apartments. As they turned the corner, Nikki came to an abrupt halt.

  “Oh, no.”

  Dallas stopped, too. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  Standing outside her doorway was Matthew. Her heart leaped into her throat. His hair was longer, and she was pretty sure he’d lost a bit of weight, too. He still looked great to her, and all she could think was that she was sweaty and dirty and gross from her run, followed by her elevator escape.

  “Matthew? What are you doing here?”

  “Gail said you stopped by my office earlier. I wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

  “How did you know where I’m living?”

  “I had to practically bribe Jenna into giving me your new address,” he said, keeping his eyes on Dallas the whole time he spoke. “So, ah, is everything okay?”

  “Oh—oh, yeah. Right.” Shit, how was she going to explain this one? “I, ah, I found one of your T-shirts when I was unpacking and wanted to return it to you. That’s all. I should have left it with Gail, but…”

  Matthew eyed her and then Dallas.

  “Oh, sorry. Matthew, this is Troy Dallas. Dallas, this is Matthew.”

  Dallas extended his hand, which dwarfed Matthew’s. She caught Dallas giving her a look that said, Him? This is the guy?

  Poor Matthew. Nikki had always thought he was tall, but Dallas towered over him. And Matthew was handsome in a boyish way that she loved, but c’mon, Dallas was raw sex. There was no comparison between the two. But at least Matthew was wearing a nice suit and her favorite tie, the lavender paisley one she’d picked out for him one day, just because. He did always dress nicely, and she liked to think she had something to do with that.

  The three of them paused awkwardly outside her apartment door.

  “I should probably get going,” Dallas said finally.

  “Remind me never to take the freight elevator again,” she said with a nervous laugh.

  “You got it. But hey, if I had to get stuck in the lift, I’m glad it was with you.” Dallas winked before turning to Matthew. “Good meeting you, mate.”

  Matthew grunted. “Yeah, man. See ya.” Matthew stared at Dallas’s door after he’d gone inside and closed it. “So that’s your neighbor?” he asked.

  “Oh, yeah.” Nikki pulled her key from her jogging shorts pocket. Should she invite him in? She so wanted to. “He’s a nice guy,” she said, just to have something to fill the silence.

  “Yeah,” Matthew said, sounding unconvinced.

  “Do you, ah, do you want to come in and see my new place?” She held her breath, waiting for his answer.

  “Sure.”

  She fiddled with the key, trying to fit it in the lock as her mind raced ahead. Has he finally come to his senses about us? “It’s really small,” she said. “But I’m getting used to it. It’s, you know, really small.” She was nervous. It was like this was their first date or something.

  Matthew stepped inside and unbuttoned his suit jacket, resting his hands on his hips as he surveyed the place. “It is a little on the small side, but it’s still nice.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Leave it to you to already have the place unpacked.”

  She smiled, though she wasn’t sure if he meant this as a compliment or as a dig about her being what he’d once called so anal.

  “So how long have you been hanging out with Texas over there?”

  “Dallas. His name’s Dallas.”

  “So how long have you been hanging out with Dallas?”

  “I just met him. We got stuck in the freight elevator together.”

  “So I gathered.”

  Nikki went over to the closet and pulled open the doors. “There’s lots of storage room in here. See?”

  “This guy lives right across the hall from you?” Matthew stood with his hands on his hips, staring in the direction of the door.

  “And the kitchen’s really nice. Don’t you think? Granite countertops. Stainless steel appliances.”

  “I’d be careful around him if I were you,” Matthew said.

  Nikki leaned over to open the drapes, even though she didn’t have much of a view. “What? Why?”

  “I saw the way he looked at you.”

  “Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” she said, loving the fact that Matthew was acting all proprietary toward her. In some way he must still think of her as his woman.

  “That guy’s a player,” he said. “He just wants in your pants.”

  “I highly doubt that. He’s a fashion photographer. He’s got gorgeous models coming in and out of his apartment all day.”

  “Well, I saw the way he looked at you, so be careful. That’s all. Just saying.”

  “Do you, ah, do you want a drink?”

  He looked at his watch. “Maybe a quick one, then I have to head out.”

  “Okay. No pressure.” Her hands were shaking as she took down the wineglasses. This was the first time the two of them had sat down and had a conversation since their split. Maybe this was the start of them reconnecting. God, she hoped so.

  Nikki stepped out of the kitchen with two glasses of Cabernet. Matthew was already on the couch and as she handed him his wine, she hesitated over where to sit before finally landing on the ottoman in front of him. She used to be so comfortable with this man, and now she was a bundle of nerves, and completely self-conscious.

  “How’s work?” she asked.

  “Crazy as usual.” He took a taste of wine. “So what were you doing in the freight elevator with that guy, anyway?”

  She was about to swallow a sip and his words nearly made her choke on it.

  “You okay?”

  She nodded, still coughing as she held up her hand to assure him. “Just went down the wrong pipe,” she squeaked out.

  “So, are you still planning on going to Ned and Lori’s wedding?” he asked.

  “Yeah. Of course.” Nikki recovered and sat up a little straighter, her heart pulsing, her eyes tearing. Ned and Lori were two of their closest friends. Their wedding was that Saturday night, and Nikki was hoping against hope that Matthew would ask her to go with him. “Why? Are you still going?” she asked hesitantly, holding her breath.

  “Yeah.” He nodded, took another sip of wine, and set his glass down. “So, um, I wanted to let you know that I’m going, too, and—”

  “Well, maybe we should go—”

  “And I want you to know that I’m bringing someone with me.”

  Nikki gasped. “What? Who?”

  “No one you know. It’s nothing, really.”

  “Who is she?” A cloud of confusion gathered around her. “When did you start seeing someone?”

  “I don’t know if I’m really seeing her,” he said. “It’s no big deal. She’s someone I work with.”

  Nikki grew clammy. Her gut churned with a bitter bile.

  “I wanted to let you know so you weren’t surprised. That’s all.”

  “Oh.” She swallowed past the lump in throat. “That’s all.”

  “Well,” he said, standing up, “I should really be going. I’ll see you Saturday night.”

  Chapter Five

  Dallas stood inside his loft with his back to the door, thinking about Nikki out in the hallway with the ex-fiancé. He couldn’t believe that was the guy who broke her heart. Dallas wanted to break the bloke’s head for hurting that sweet woman. Didn’t he know that women like that—women who were beautiful and sensitive and smart—were rare? Didn’t he get that not all women were as caring and honest as she was? Didn’t he understand how easy she was to talk to?

  Nikki even got Dallas to open up, and that never happened. He told her things he never talked about. With anyone. But Nikki wasn’t like the other girls who babbled on too much and got so needy that he’d head for the hills. She had so much going for her. He couldn’t see why she was so hung up on her ex. That wanker should have been grateful that someone
like Nikki Norris would give him the time of day.

  There was a moment in that elevator when he had her in his arms, when all he wanted was to take those long, sleek legs of hers and wrap them about his waist. He could have so easily lost himself in her soft skin, in her shiny hair. Her perfect breasts were practically in his face when he lifted her up. He could have leaned forward less than an inch and he would have been right there, where he wanted to be. He hadn’t meant to cop a feel when he lowered her back down, but man did that feel nice. His cock throbbed at the memory of it. Damn, if she got him hard when he was hoisting her out of a stuck lift, he could only imagine what she could do to him if she was actually trying to turn him on.

  The musky sweet smell of sweat coming off her body from her run was enough to drive him wild. When he lifted her, he could smell the scent of her sex, too, and it was intoxicating. He shook his head and locked his door. What the hell was it about that woman that was getting to him so?

  Just as well she had her boyfriend back. Bad idea to start up with his neighbor, anyway. If things didn’t work out—and he knew he didn’t have the best track record when it came to relationships—they’d both be facing a lot of uncomfortable comings and goings. Besides, clearly she still wasn’t over her ex-fiancé, and Dallas didn’t like being second best. It wasn’t a position he was accustomed to.

  But she was gorgeous. He loved the way her long dark hair swept over her shoulders. And her eyes, damn, they drank in everything around her. Hands down, the woman had the most kissable lips he’d ever seen. When they were sitting in the elevator, he couldn’t take his eyes off her mouth.

  He went to the fridge and reached for a beer, letting the cool burst of air wash over him. He was hot for that girl across the hall, no doubt about that. The first time he saw her he thought she was adorable. He recalled their meeting in the hallway, the mix-up with their parcels. But the next time, when she was all dressed up and wearing those high heels, he just—

  Fuck, man. Stop it. He swigged his beer. She’s got a boyfriend or a fiancé or whatever. She’s probably shagging him over there right now. He took another swig of beer. A longer one this time.

  The phone rang. He saw it was his brother calling from L.A. He knew what it was about—the same thing he’d been calling about for the past week. Dallas wasn’t interested in anything having to do with his mother. She walked out of his life years ago, and he in turn had buried his feelings for her long before they put her in the ground. He let the call roll into voicemail.

  He glanced around his loft. Everything was still set up from the shoot the day before. The white backdrop covered the far wall. Light stands were still up, diffusers lying about along with the reflectors and umbrellas they’d been using. Technically they should have been shooting straight through—especially if they wanted this project in the can by the end of July. But the client had questioned the wardrobe they originally wanted to shoot, and that put him and his crew and all the models on hold. It was frustrating, but it was the nature of the business. Hurry up and wait.

  He leaned against the counter, because with all that shit piled everywhere, he had no place to sit. It was his idea when he bought the place to have his home double as his photography studio, but on days like this he would have loved a private space designated for himself.

  He should really ask Nikki to decorate his place. She could probably use the work, and God knows he could use the help. Plus, it’d be fun having her around, and it would give him a chance to get to know her better, to spend more time with her, to… Shit, stop torturing yourself, man. She’s still into her ex.

  He cleared a spot at the foot of the couch, sat down, and drew a deep breath. He had to get a grip. He could still hire Nikki to fix up his place. It didn’t mean anything had to happen between them. And besides, even if she were free, it would never work. He knew himself too well, and Nikki Norris wasn’t the type of girl you had your fun with and then dropped.

  He picked up the latest issue of National Geographic and started to read an article about Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. He was about to call his buddy Conrad and tell him to check out the photography when the phone rang.

  “Hey, baby,” Tammy purred on the other end. “Whatcha up to?”

  “Doing a little reading. Thought I’d do some work, turn in early.”

  “Oh.” He could picture her perfect little mouth pouting. “I was thinking that since they canceled the shoot today, you could come by. We haven’t seen each other in so long.”

  “I saw you yesterday.”

  “Yeah, but we were working,” she said. Tammy was one of the models on his current job.

  Dallas dragged his hand through his hair and tried to stifle his sigh, but she heard it anyway.

  “What’s the matter, baby? You sound tired. Want me to come over and give you a massage? Help you relax?”

  “Thanks, Tam, but I’m gonna turn in early. Really. Been a long day.”

  “Seriously?” The purr left her voice. She sounded incredulous. “Are you mad at me or something?”

  Shit. “No, I’m not mad at you. Why would I be mad at you?”

  “Well, you don’t want to see me.”

  Bollocks. Here we go. Tammy’s going to get needy. Please do not get needy on me. “Tammy, I’m tired. I’ve got work to do. We’re friends—you know that.” He wished he’d never crossed that line with her. They’d been working late one night, had a few drinks after the shoot wrapped, she stuck around, and one thing led to another. It was a mistake. Every time he got involved with a woman, she wanted more than he could give. He’d try, but even his best was never good enough.

  “Can I see you tomorrow then?”

  “Yeah, at the shoot.”

  “What about after that?”

  He sat up and set his beer down hard. “Tammy, listen, I like you. I do. But we’re friends, and it needs to stay that way. We work together, and I don’t want to mess that up.”

  “Seriously?” There was that incredulous tone again, from a woman who no doubt wasn’t accustomed to being turned down.

  “It’s for the best. I can’t give you anything more than that.”

  “Then why the hell did you act like you wanted so much more?”

  Why? Because you were flaunting your tits in my face all day. “I didn’t mean to imply that I wanted anything more than a friendship.”

  “You have a real funny way of showing a girl you just want to be her friend.”

  “I didn’t mean to lead you on…”

  “Maybe you should have thought about that when you had your dick in my mouth.”

  “Tammy, I didn’t mean to—”

  Too late. She hung up, and Dallas reached for his beer and drained the rest in one gulp. I’m sorry, Tammy. I know you don’t believe me, but I really am.

  Chapter Six

  Early the next morning, Nikki felt like she’d been knocked down for the count. She still couldn’t get over that Matthew was bringing someone else to their friends’ wedding. She never could have done that to him. Never.

  She was on the verge of another round of tears when she heard a knock on her door. She should have checked the peephole first, because Mr. Sex God was standing on her threshold.

  “Oh, Dallas.”

  “Can I come in? Hope I’m not disturbing you. I wanted to ask you about something.”

  She looked down at her yoga pants and baggy T-shirt, tried to smooth the tangled mess sticking out of her ponytail. “No, I mean, yes. C’mon in.”

  He smiled as he stepped inside.

  Nikki couldn’t help but stare at him. His hair was still damp, probably fresh from a shower, and he had a thin layer of stubble on his face, as if he hadn’t gotten around to shaving yet. He smelled of soap and pure man. She breathed in as deeply as she could, wondering how anyone had the right to look that handsome so early in the morning.

  “Wow,” he said, looking around her place. “You’ve lived here for about a minute and look how you’ve set this pl
ace up. It looks great. Really brilliant. Love the color you painted that wall. See, now, I wouldn’t have thought to do that.”

  “Yeah, well.” Nikki shrugged. “That’s what I do.”

  “And that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. My place needs some serious help. I was wondering if you’d mind taking a look sometime.” He gestured across the way with a hitchhiker’s thumb. “It’s my studio but it’s also my home and, well”—he hung his head and gave his gorgeous hair a shake—“it’s—it’s really pretty scary over there.”

  Nikki laughed in spite of feeling so miserable about Matthew’s visit.

  “I’ve been wanting to do something with the space ever since I bought it. That was three years ago. I keep putting it off. But then I met you. I’m taking it as a sign. Will you tell me what it’ll take to turn the place into something like…” He looked around again. “Something like this.”

  Nikki wasn’t sure, but if she heard correctly, she’d been offered a job. Her heart pounded. This was exactly what she needed, at exactly the right time. “Do you want me to come look at it now?”

  “Can you? Do you have time?”

  Nikki’s face brightened up. “Absolutely. Let’s do it.”

  When Dallas opened the door to his place, Nikki’s jaw almost hit the floor. She found it hard to believe that this space was across the hall from hers. It had two long brick walls, another wall of windows, and a spiral staircase that led to a second level. The kitchen alone was the size of her entire apartment. There was a gorgeous woodburning fireplace and a massive marble hearth. Camera equipment, tripods, lights, and the tools of his trade were scattered everywhere.

  She spread her arms out and twirled. “How many square feet do you have here? Twenty-five hundred?”

  “Thirty-one,” he said. “Thirty-five if you count the deck.”

  “The deck?” She shot him a look of disbelief. “You have a deck?”

  “Off the master bedroom.”

  “How many bedrooms?”