Tempting Her Neighbor (a Georgeville novella)

by Laura Jardine

  “Maybe he’s not interested.” Cassie studied her full wineglass but didn’t take a sip. “It happens.”

  “Not to Rachel,” Jenna said.

  “Just saying. It’s possible.”

  “Oh, he was definitely interested.” Rachel looked down at her low-cut tank top, similar to the one she’d worn on Tuesday, except this one was yellow. “He kept checking out my breasts. Yes, he was frowning at the same time, but I don’t think that was because he didn’t like what he saw.”

  If she thought he didn’t want her, she wouldn’t bother. The man was entitled to find her unattractive. But she knew that wasn’t the case, so was going to try again. Especially because he intrigued her all the more for being new and rude…and not jumping at her offer of sex.

  She got why men liked the thrill of the chase now. She wasn’t used to chasing—few single men needed encouragement to jump into bed. But Cole was different, and that piqued her curiosity. She wondered what she’d have to do to get him to change his mind.

  Theo walked into the room. “Hi, Rachel. Cassie.” He stood behind the couch and put his hand on Jenna’s shoulder. “You need some more wine?”

  Jenna placed her hand on top of Theo’s. “No, we’re good.”

  They were a cute couple. Theo was tall, with cropped red hair and a serious face. But he lit up around Jenna, like she did around him. Jenna was one of those striking brunettes who almost made Rachel want to dye her hair brown. Not that she would ever do that, but it was a fleeting thought she sometimes had around her longtime friend.

  Jenna and Theo had been together since the end of high school. He’d nervously asked her to prom, and they’d been together ever since. More than five years now. Rachel had no desire for a relationship like theirs for herself, but she had no doubt Jenna and Theo were very happy together.

  Theo kissed the top of Jenna’s head and walked away.

  “You haven’t asked me to be your bridesmaid,” Rachel said. “I have to admit, I’m a little disappointed.”

  “Oh.” Jenna put down her wineglass. “About that.”

  Crap. This sounded like it was going to get serious. Rachel had asked casually, though frankly, she was surprised Jenna hadn’t said anything.

  “I don’t think there’s going to be a wedding,” Jenna said.

  “What?” Just a minute ago, Rachel had been thinking that Jenna and Theo looked happy. She glanced at Cassie, who remained silent, but her eyebrows shot up and the smile slid off her face.

  This wasn’t right. This wasn’t right at all. Jenna had been her normal self lately, including when Theo was there. It made no sense.

  “Shit.” Jenna shook her head. “No, no. That’s not what I meant.”

  “So, you are getting married?” Cassie said.

  “Of course we are. I can’t believe you thought we were calling off the engagement.”

  “That’s the natural thing to assume,” Rachel said, “when you tell us there isn’t going to be a wedding.” Thank God that wasn’t the case, though.

  Jenna twisted the ring on her finger. “We’re getting married. But every time I think about planning a wedding, I freak out. All that ‘it’s your big day’ stuff? It gives me a panic attack. So much pressure to have everything perfect. And so much money.”

  “What are you going to do?” Rachel asked. “Go to Vegas?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. All we’ve decided is that we’re not having a wedding. Even a small one—I don’t want that.”

  “Theo’s cool with this?”

  “It was his idea. He suggested it when he saw how worked up I was getting over picking out a dress and a cake and a zillion other things.” Jenna smiled. “Just as long as we get married. That’s all he cares about.”

  “And your families?” Cassie asked.

  “We haven’t told them yet. Theo’s mom definitely won’t be happy. But it’s my day, dammit. If I don’t want a wedding, there is no fucking wedding.” Jenna picked up her glass and took a gulp of wine. “Are you two disappointed about not being bridesmaids? If we were doing the whole wedding thing, I would have asked.”

  “Disappointed about not dressing up in a hideous pink dress?” Rachel said. “No, I think I’m okay.”

  “Come on. I have good taste.”

  “I know.” Rachel patted her friend’s shoulder. “I still want to throw you a bachelorette party.”

  “Sure.” Jenna looked down at her wineglass. “Someday, you’ll get engaged, and you’ll see what I mean. This wedding business is completely crazy.”

  Rachel wasn’t sure she’d ever get married. Maybe wedding hoopla was something she’d never have to worry about.

  Usually that didn’t bother her, but now, inexplicably, she felt a sliver of sadness.

  …

  Friday evening, Cole went for a walk in “downtown” Georgeville. As in, he walked up the three blocks of Main Street that were lined with businesses. And empty storefronts—about a third of the units had a For Lease sign in the window.

  The town was more than a hundred years old, and a few of the red-brick buildings on the main strip dated from that time. The apartment above the bakery had been available when Cole was looking for a place to live, but he’d worried Main Street would be too loud. He chuckled at the thought now. The town was dead quiet.

  But it might be annoying to live above a bakery. There would be noise downstairs early in the morning, and since he worked from home, he wanted it quiet all day long. And the smell of freshly baked bread and muffins? That would be such a hardship. Plus it would have been harder moving into a second-floor apartment all by himself. Easier when there were no stairs to climb…and when there was a hot woman to help him.

  He glanced at the bakery as he walked by then continued to the far end of the main strip. His destination—the bar.

  When he got to Lawson’s Bar, he stopped and looked in the window. It was a slightly run-down place, but there were several people inside. He was glad it wasn’t too crowded. He just hoped it got enough business to survive. It would suck to live in a town where there was no bar and only one tiny liquor store.

  Cole walked in and ordered a beer. He considered sitting at the bar, but the young female bartender seemed like the talkative type, and he worried she’d try to strike up a conversation with him. So he sat at a table in the back, beside the dusty dartboard, and looked around as he sipped his beer.

  A few tables away sat a young couple who looked barely old enough to drink. They had their heads bent together, and the boy’s hand was on the girl’s thigh. He kissed her cheek, and Cole snapped his gaze away. He did not need to see any of that lovey-dovey crap. Intruding on other people’s private moments made him uncomfortable.

  Near the window was a group of young women. About Rachel’s age—but none of them were as pretty as she was.

  He swore under his breath. He’d known her only a few days, and already he was comparing every woman he saw to her. And finding they didn’t measure up.

  A large young man was buying a drink at the bar. After handing over some money, he turned around and scanned the room. He was probably meeting someone, but just in case, Cole put on an unfriendly expression.

  Unfortunately, the man wasn’t put off. He came over to Cole’s table.

  “I’m Rick.” He held out his hand. “You’re new here, right?”

  Great. Just what Cole wanted.

  He nodded but didn’t shake the offered hand. “Cole.”

  Now leave me alone.

  Unfortunately, Rick sat down. “You live in that big place on King Street? I saw a U-Haul truck there on the weekend. Would have offered to help, but I was heading to my mom’s house, and I was already late. That one apartment was empty for several months.”

  “Yeah,” Cole said. “That’s me.”

  “You meet Rachel Malone? She lives there, too. We were the same year in school.”

  “Yes, I met Rachel.”

  Rick chuckled.

  “What?” Cole aske
d, irritated.

  “Of course you don’t know.” Rick leaned forward and cupped a hand over his mouth, as though telling a secret.

  “She’s just after a good time. If you think she’s hot, might as well give it a try. She probably won’t turn you down.”

  Oh. That was probably not a big secret.

  Cole had been wrong about her. He’d assumed she wasn’t just after sex—but apparently that was all it was. He should be happy about that because it was exactly what he wanted…although there were other reasons not to act on it.

  But Rick’s words bothered him.

  For one, Cole didn’t feel special anymore. It didn’t sound like she had high standards—maybe she’d go after any man under the age of forty—and what she wanted with him was nothing different.

  Fuck that. What the hell was wrong with him, thinking he needed to feel special?

  The other thing that bothered him was the way Rick had said it with a bit of a sneer. But that was no surprise—it wasn’t like people usually admired women who slept around. Cole had always assumed they were lacking in the self-esteem department.

  Not that Rachel had come across that way. But then, he barely knew her.

  He didn’t want to continue this conversation. Hell, he didn’t want to continue any conversation, with Rick or anyone else. He’d chug his beer then make some excuse to get out of here.

  He needed to work on his ogre face so people wouldn’t be tempted to talk to him. He’d thought he had it down, but apparently not.

  Chapter Five

  A mere five minutes later, Cole was outside again, walking back down Main Street toward his apartment. The sun had set in the brief time he’d been in the bar, and a peaceful silence had descended on the town.

  He breathed in deeply. This was exactly what he wanted from life outside of the city.

  But when he turned onto King Street, someone called his name from behind. Even though he hadn’t heard that voice many times, he knew who it was.

  He turned around. When he saw Rachel, his heart thumped a little quicker.

  “Wait up,” she said.

  She was wearing jeans and a tight tank top again. She hurried toward him in her heels, and he was afraid she’d twist her ankle. But she managed just fine.

  “I saw you just as you turned the corner,” she said. “Might as well walk home together, right?”

  It was strange to see her after what Rick had said. He felt more awkward than he usually did with a woman—and for Cole, that was saying something. But since she’d asked, he might as well say yes. He didn’t want to be too much of a dick. And he wouldn’t mind looking at her for a few minutes, her golden hair tumbling over her shoulders. It seemed to gleam in the fading light.

  Yeah, he definitely wouldn’t mind.

  “Sure,” he grunted, shoving his hands into his pockets. He turned away from her to hide the unexpected smile that came to his lips.

  They started walking again toward their house. Strange to think of it as their house, but they did both rent apartments there.

  “I was at my friend’s,” Rachel said. “She’s engaged, and she just decided that a wedding is too much stress. They’re going to get married in Vegas or something like that.”

  “I wish everyone I knew ran off to Vegas.”

  “Because you want to be all alone here?” She smiled. “Stuck in the wilderness with no one to talk to? I bet that’s your dream.”

  He liked that she teased him—few people did.

  “That does sound nice,” he said. “But I meant that I wished everyone I knew got married in Vegas. I hate weddings.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me.”

  “Weddings are a particularly distasteful form of social interaction. And wedding speeches? Just kill me now.”

  “I agree, wedding speeches can be painful. But otherwise, I like weddings.”

  “Fortunately,” he said, “very few people invite me to their wedding.”

  “Small family?”

  “That, too.”

  He found himself analyzing everything Rachel said, trying to find some hint that she was the kind of woman who slept around. Some hint that she had self-esteem issues. He couldn’t find anything, though. She seemed…normal.

  Except that she was incredibly attractive. And she teased him.

  “I’m surprised you waited for me,” she said. “I thought you’d just keep walking.”

  “I try not to be rude.” When her brow lifted, he added, “Some of the time.”

  “If you don’t want to talk to me, I’ll be quiet. Or I could fall behind you so we’re not walking together.”

  “Better for you not to walk alone.” That was unusually thoughtful of him. “Since you make great lasagna, I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  “That’s so sweet.” She put a hand over her heart. “It’s a very safe town. The rare theft or vandalism, but that’s it. I feel comfortable walking alone at night. And considering we hardly know each other, I probably shouldn’t feel any safer with you.”

  He looked at her closely. She didn’t seem scared of him. Good. He didn’t want her to be.

  She rubbed her hands up and down her arms.

  “Cold?” he asked.

  “A little. But it’s only another block.”

  He had nothing to offer her anyway—he was only wearing a T-shirt. So all he’d be able to do was wrap his arm around her and that was…

  Truly frightening.

  Cole was not the sort of guy who put his arm around a woman or held her hand. He couldn’t believe the idea had even occurred to him.

  He pushed that thought aside. “Where do you work?”

  She’d asked him about his job the other day but hadn’t offered anything about herself. He wanted to have some idea of what she did. Add to the picture Rick had painted of her.

  “In Ridgewood,” she said. “At AJ’s Diner.”

  He could think of other questions to ask. Are you a cook? A waitress? How long have you been there? Do you like it? But he didn’t bother.

  When they reached the driveway to their house, she winked at him.

  “Come with me.” She wrapped one hand around his wrist and led him to her door.

  Excitement pumped through his veins. Before he could form a coherent thought, her lips met his. She pushed him against the door, one hand gripping his shoulder. Her mouth was warm and needy; she kissed him like she couldn’t get enough. Like he was a cold glass of water or lemonade on a hot day, exactly what she needed.

  Cole responded. Of course he did. He wrapped his arms around her and moved his lips against hers, wanting to swallow up her little sighs. Wanting to devour her. There was one form of human interaction he liked, and this was it.

  His brain emptied. All he could focus on was the sweet pressure of her body against his.

  He slid one hand down to her ass and pressed her closer. His dick rested between her thighs, and she rubbed herself against him as she nibbled her way down his throat.

  God, yes, that was good.

  If she were undressed right now, he knew he’d feel her moisture on his skin. Knew he’d slip easily inside her, and she would feel amazing.

  She worked her way back to his lips and ran her tongue along his lower lip before dipping it inside his mouth. When the tip of her tongue connected with his, it felt like a fucking tremor passed through his body. She kissed him hungrily, and every second of it ignited even more fire inside him, made his cock even more eager to be surrounded by her heat.

  He turned his hand so his palm was against her chest, fingers pointing to the ground. He pushed down the top of her shirt and slid his hand inside her bra. Her nipple hardened as he palmed it, and he growled. He shifted his hand to her back and fumbled with the clasp on her bra.

  Jesus, he wished he was better at this.

  “Let me do it.” She put her hands behind her back and undid the clasp.

  Well, that was embarrassing. He felt like a damn teenager, making out wit
h a girl for the first time.

  I’ve done this before, he wanted to tell her. But he was losing control of himself now, as she slipped one hand under his shirt and slid it up his stomach. His skin flamed wherever she touched him.

  “I like your name,” she said. “It’s not very common. Makes me think of Cole Porter.”

  In different circumstances, he might have rolled his eyes. “Anything Goes. Yeah, I write fucking musicals, too, in my spare time. Be careful or I might break into song and dance.”

  “In that case, I’m not going to be careful. I want to see that.”

  He laughed. It seemed strange to laugh when they were making out on her doorstep, hands under each other’s shirts, but it helped him relax. And although their brief exchange of words had cooled the aching need in his cock a little, it also made him want her even more.

  As her breath fluttered over his skin, he tensed, remembering what Rick had told him. He imagined her doing this with many other men, right in this very place. The thought of Rachel doing this because she had low self-esteem, because she wanted the attention… He didn’t want to be just another man who filled that void for her. He wanted her to fill it for herself.

  Damn. His mind was full of self-help bullshit. What the hell?

  “Really. No expectations. Just sex.” Her lips returned to his, and she nipped at his upper lip.

  “You want to come in?” She sounded sure of his reply.

  “I…” He stepped back. “I better not.”

  A flash of disappointment crossed her face before she tilted her head to the side and smiled. “If you change your mind, you know where to find me.” After he’d taken a few steps backward, she blew him a kiss then stepped inside.

  He raked a hand through his hair. Why the hell was he trying to do the right thing? Was this even the right thing?

  When he woke up at four in the morning, he was rock hard and he couldn’t get back to sleep, haunted by the brush of Rachel’s lips over his skin. He ran his thumb over the path she’d traced down his throat and sighed.

  If he hadn’t finished the lasagna for dinner, he’d have a piece right now.