The Other Guy: A Textdoor Neighbor Romance

by Van Wyk, Jennifer

  He looks so annoyed with me which makes me happy. “I do.”

  “So much that you didn’t care about getting him back until now. Why?”

  I’m poking the bear and quite honestly, it’s kind of fun. He’s a sheep in wolf’s clothing, only he doesn’t even appear like a wolf. The man is harmless. Has weak hands. Hasn’t done a hard day’s work in his life. Thinks going to the gym a few times a week makes him all that. It doesn’t. I just didn’t realize it until I met a real man.

  “I just do.” He looks around and swallows down the last of his Manhattan, chasing it with water. I chuckle at how ridiculous he is. I can’t believe I wasted over a year of my life with him. I must have been out of my mind.

  “Admit it, Jeff. You saw the picture I posted and now you’re butt hurt that I’m with someone else.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “You liked the picture, you idiot! I know you saw it.”

  His eyes narrow to slits and he growls. “I don’t give a fuck who you’re fucking. Just give me my dog before I call the cops.”

  “And tell them what? That I lived with you for over a year and took care of our dog and I left you for being a serial cheater and took the dog with me because he looked like he’d sooner cut off his own tail than stay in the house with you?”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “I do. He would choose me a thousand times over you. Besides, your name might have been on the adoption lease but I’ve had him for over a month and in the state of Michigan, that means I have legal possession.” I have no idea if that’s true. I’m just talking out of my ass at this point, but figure it sounds legitimate enough that he won’t question it. Or at least I hope he won’t. I’m actually positive there’s no truth to it, but I should pat myself on my back for how confident I sounded.

  Because right now, I can see the words written across Jeff’s face.

  And the words read: How the hell does she know that? I didn’t realize she was so smart. I really messed up when I didn’t see how good I had it with Sierra. I’ll never find someone as amazing as her as long as I live.

  Okay, that might be pushing it but it’d be great if he did think that. It would be a good little ego boost for me.

  “Always knew you’d turn into a bitch. Didn’t think you’d turn into a thief, too.”

  “Turn into one? Honey, this is who I’ve always been,” I say, proudly owning my bitchy thief status he just laid on me. Whatever. He can think what he wants. I no longer care.

  We sit quietly for a few minutes before he clears his throat and changes the tone of his voice. “So you’re with someone now?”

  “I am.”

  “Isn’t that… soon?”

  “Not really.”

  “We just broke up, Sierra. He’s what, like your rebound or something?”

  “No. See, I learned a lot about myself since we broke up. And something I learned I didn’t like so much. I was always giving. I didn’t care at the time because what I got from it was a peaceful relationship that didn’t have any problems. But now I realize that was just boring.”

  He looks around uncomfortably.

  “Which I assume is why you went looking for more… excitement, right?”

  “I wasn’t looking…”

  “Cut the bullshit, Jeff. You screwed half the town behind my back! Be honest for once in your life.”

  “Fine. I strayed a couple times.”

  A couple? I’ll wait to call him out on that lie because I need more information first.

  “I got tested, Jeff.”

  “For what?”

  “What do you think?” I lower my voice. “STDs. All of them.” Which, thankfully, I’m clean. If I wasn’t, this little reunion wouldn’t have been so calm.

  “Why would you do that? Do I need to be tested?”

  How is this man a teacher? Is he really that dense? Is he blaming me? What a jerk.

  “Why do you think I was tested? Because you’ve been around town with every woman you met!” I hiss.

  “I just told you it was only a couple.”

  A couple? Puhlease. What an ass. “Would it matter? It only takes one time. One person. Besides, I know it was way more than a couple.”

  “I’m not an idiot, Sierra. I know that. But I used condoms. Every time. And every time with you, also.”

  “You think that’s completely foolproof? You fool?”

  I laugh at my little quip and drink out of my own water glass.

  “Did you just call me a fool?”

  “If the foolish shoe fits. Yes, I did.”

  He stands up abruptly, knocking his chair over. “I didn’t come here to be insulted. I came to find you, get Toby, and get back home.”

  “Well, you wasted your time.”

  “I found you, didn’t I?” Suddenly he’s growing agitated once again. He’s balling his fists at his sides and he takes a step toward me. “I was able to find you once. Don’t you think I’ll be able to do it again? Like when you’re out walking Toby without your little boyfriend or your old ass uncle.”

  “You been watching me?”

  “Like I care enough to watch you. I just know you. Lived together for a while, remember? And I know you like to take him on walks, play fetch at the park for a bit before going back home. Figure you’re living with your uncle because you’re too childish to be able to live on your own. Always having to mooch off others.”

  I stand, too, and now we’re nose to nose. “If you’ll remember, I paid my own way with my own money. Have proof of it, too, because I paid you with checks and have those records. So don’t even act all high and mighty about that.”

  He pokes a finger at my chest and growls, “Think what you want, darling, but you know as well as I do that you’ll be crawling back to me soon enough. So do us both a favor, stop throwing a fit, and get over this pilgrimage to find yourself so we can get the hell out of this shithole.”

  “Did you just poke me?” I ask angrily, grabbing his finger and pushing him away but he yanks me back to him, squeezing my biceps tightly and glaring at me as he shakes me a bit.

  “What are you going to do about it?”

  “She might not do anything, but I will.” I watch in awe as a woman with short blonde hair jerks Jeff around and promptly kicks him in the balls.

  “Holy shit!”

  Jeff says something as he curls onto the floor but I can’t make it out.

  As he’s writhing on the floor, Jack steps between us, pushing me gently behind him.

  “And I will, too.” With a finger pointed in Jeff’s direction, Jack leans close and says menacingly, “Touch her again and you’ll not only answer to Melody, you’ll have to answer to me. And I promise you’ll regret it if you don’t get the fuck out of here. Now.”

  “Who the fuck are you?” Jeff asks, groaning.

  “I’m the man who understands what he has and won’t let her go. I’m the man you couldn’t or wouldn’t be. Most importantly?” Jack bends down on one knee and grips Jeff by the shirt before he angrily spits out, “I’m the man who will rip your fucking throat out if you touch the woman I love again. Don’t even think about coming near her or contacting her again, you piece of shit.”

  “Holy shit,” I breathe out as Jack stands back up and pulls me into his arms.

  “You okay?”

  I nod. “I’m okay. Did you see that lady? She just took him out! I was about to do the same but she beat me to it.”

  He smiles. “That’s my student for self-defense classes. Melody. She walked into the bar just as I stood up to step in. I was letting you do your thing because it looked like you had it handled and it was good for you to do that. But when I saw him poke you, I was done. I took a step forward and she flew past me, pushed me out of the way, and said ‘allow me’ and… well, you see how that turned out.”

  “That was awesome.” I turn to where Melody is still standing over Jeff, reading him the riot act. When she seems finished an
d walks away, I introduce myself. “Hi, Melody, I’m Sierra. What you did? Thank you.”

  “Hi, Sierra. Sorry if I took your fun from ya, but I couldn’t stand there and watch Jeff do that to you. He’s a jerk with a capital J.”

  “You know him?”

  “Unfortunately.”

  She goes on to tell us how they met in a bar a few months ago and he gave her the wrong number, she texted some guy who apologized and told her that it’d been happening to a lot of people lately.

  I stand with my jaw dropped, Jack looking similar to me.

  He chuckles, shaking his head in disbelief. “Holy shit. Karma, man. What a bitch it is.”

  “Sorry?” Melody asks.

  We step over Jeff and I resist the urge to kick him in the gut for good measure. Kyle comes out of the back room. He looks at us and smiles, down to the floor and back to us. “What the heck happened?”

  “Oh, Uncle Kyle… you’d never guess.”

  “I’m still a little confused myself,” Melody admits.

  “We need to order more drinks for this story,” Jack says, leading us to the table as Kyle drags Jeff off the floor.

  “You tell me the story after I take the trash out.” Kyle takes Jeff by the arm and pushes him through the door.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  JACK

  “You ready for this?”

  She nods, a soft smile on her lips that fills me up. I can be having the worst day and her smile is all I need to see to turn it around.

  We’ve decided to ditch the condoms and for the first time, we’re going to feel each other completely bare. It’s a first for her. It’s a first for me. And for the both of us, it means a lot more than just having sex with someone with no barriers between our skin.

  There’re no barriers.

  Neither of us have trusted anyone to go without before so it’s a big deal that neither of us are taking lightly.

  Three words are on the tip of my tongue but I don’t want her thinking I’m saying them because I’m about to enter her and think she needs to hear them. I don’t want there to be any question to the truth of my love for her.

  “I’m ready,” she whispers, arching up to meet me.

  Where we’ve gone slow before, this time is different. It’s not just about taking our time. We’re feeling things together we’ve never felt before, and not just physically.

  I push myself slowly inside her, watching in amazement as her eyes glaze over before her eyelids flutter shut and her neck arches. I bend low, kissing her in the little divot and let my lips trail across her collarbone.

  “Jack,” she whispers.

  “Yeah,” I grunt and push in deeper.

  The pace is the best kind of torture.

  Making love.

  Not simply having sex or screwing or fucking.

  We’re expressing love through the way our bodies are joining as one and it’s almost overwhelming. The feel of her with nothing between us is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. I close my eyes and let it wash over me as I pump my hips, loving the way she molds against me.

  “Jack. Oh, holy…”

  “I know.”

  “It’s… too… good…” she stutters and I pump harder, no longer able to keep things moving slowly. I want too much. Need too much.

  “Give it to me,” I demand gruffly but I don’t even know what I’m asking for. I’m not ready for this to end but I can’t wait to feel her explode around me with nothing between us. It’s an ache that’s building from deep in my gut, needing everything from her all at once.

  “Has it ever been this good?” she asks, pleads that I respond the way she hopes.

  I don’t have to lie when I tell her, “Never. Never been like this.”

  “Not even when we first had sex?”

  “Not even then,” I confirm and she nods in agreement.

  “Same.” Her fingers are a feathery touch when they slide up my back, over my shoulders, cupping my neck and holding on tight.

  We stick together, breathing hard and moaning our pleasure. I lift one leg and place it on my shoulder, giving us a new angle that makes her moan and thrash her head back and forth. Gone is the thought of going slow when she slips a hand between us, pinching the tip of her breast.

  “Sierra,” I whisper. “Fuck. Holy fuck.”

  “Yeah.”

  She squeezes me and cries out when I press in deep, lick my thumb, and reach between us.

  “Yes! Yes!” she shouts and I feel her coming undone.

  “You there?”

  “I’m coming, Jack. I’m coming.”

  And I follow along with her, coming together with a roar and harder than I’ve ever came before. I pulse inside her and let her leg down. Her arms flop to the sides and knees fall open so I can rest fully against her.

  “Okay, that was amazing.” She giggles.

  “Completely. Give me a few minutes and I’ll be ready to go again.”

  That makes her giggle harder.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  I reluctantly pull out of her and go to the bathroom, returning quickly with a wet wash cloth. She takes it from me and we do the un-sexy business of cleaning up after un-fucking-believable sex.

  Sierra walks naked to the kitchen and gets two glasses of water while I let Toby out, though I did put on a pair of sleep pants so as not to give any neighbors a show. While he’s doing his business, I pop a bag of popcorn and pour it into a bowl. Once I’ve finished, I return to my bedroom to see her cuddled into her side of the bed. The thought that she has a side has me grinning as I remove my pants and climb in next to her. We drink our water. We munch on popcorn. We cuddle. We watch a little bit of TV.

  The day fades to black. All the drama with Jeff forgotten. He limped away, texting Sierra one last time and said he was over it and she could have “the stupid fucking dog” if it meant that much to her.

  She told him not to contact her ever again unless he wanted her to press charges against him for the bullshit he pulled at Kyle’s.

  He said to do her a favor and forget him.

  She said no problem and blocked his number.

  I questioned whether or not she should actually report him but she said he didn’t do anything besides poke her in the chest and that if he felt like being a dick, he could pin Melody with assault since it wasn’t self-defense for her to step in, or kick in, rather.

  She sighs with contentment and I smile, holding her closer.

  “I know. Me, too.”

  “I love you,” she says quietly, moving her head off my shoulder to look up at me.

  “I love you,” I say back, kissing her forehead.

  And then she settles in and falls asleep.

  I fall asleep quickly but wake only an hour later, hungry for more of her.

  She seems to be good with that if her enthusiasm is anything to go by.

  Much like before, we try to go slow but we’re too eager to manage it. In the end, fast is good.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  SIERRA - TWO MONTHS LATER

  “I’m freaking out, Mallory.”

  “They’re going to love you, you have nothing to worry about.”

  “Uh, yes I do. Do you realize how many of them there are?”

  She nods as she hangs up an outfit in our brand new brick and mortar. I invested the money Kyle had for me. The building next to Rebecca’s was up for sale and she came to Mallory and me about going in with her to purchase it, expanding on hers and offering ours. We have some costumes we offer regularly as well as taking in custom orders.

  A week from Monday is our grand opening and tonight Jack’s aunt and uncle, Barrett and Tess Cole, are having a big family gathering. Their daughter Harper, the same one who took my picture when I was at Balance, was just recently engaged to a man named Grayson and it’s time to celebrate.

  “Trust me, you’re a somewhat likable person. I think they’ll tolerate you,” she teases.

  I place a hand on my chest
and wipe a fake tear. “Those are the sweetest words anyone’s ever said to me.”

  “Stick around, there’s more where that came from.”

  “What should I wear?”

  “Well, back in high school when I helped friends plan their outfits…”

  “My gosh, you take a special smart ass pill this morning?”

  “No. I’m just this awesome.”

  “Great.”

  She walks over to stand next to me and takes the construction worker costumes out of my hand and hangs them up on the rack. “Sierra, relax. You know as well as I do that you’re worrying over nothing. There’s absolutely no way that Jack would allow you to meet his family if he didn’t think they would be cool with you. You love Jack. He loves you. You’ve met his parents and had double dates with his sister and brother-in-law. You’re smart, beautiful, and funny. And, remember, Kyle’s coming along so you have him if you start to freak out and need to take a break.”

  I blow out a breath. “Jack told me that the first time he met all of James’s family, it was at a wedding. He and his mom were kind of freaking out, too, because there are a lot of them and it was only the two of them.”

  “Just like you and Kyle. See? Jack understands and gets it. He wouldn’t put you in a position that would make you uncomfortable.” She winks and then says in a teasing voice while shaking her shoulder, “Unless you want him to, that is.”

  I playfully slap her with the back of my hand. “Oh my gosh, Mallory!”

  “What? I see the way you look at each other in public and I can only imagine how hot you two get when you’re alone.”

  I don’t deny it but don’t offer up details, either.

  “Gah, I’m so jealous. Not of you with him, but of constant wild and crazy sex. It’s gotten to be kinda boring with Austin.”

  “Mallory.”

  We go back to hanging costumes, she pulls them out of the tote, fluffs, and hands them to me and I put them on the hanger. “No. Boring is an awful description. That’s not it. It’s more just… regular. With trying for a baby and having a baby at home, sometimes it feels like we’re only doing it to do it. We’ve lost creativity.”