Stolen Nights (The Stolen Series Book 1)

by Renee Harless

  “Well, what did you do when you found out?” she asks as she opens up her menu.

  “I marched them right up to customer service to pay for them. And you know what happened? They told me not to worry about it. Not to worry!” I emphasize. “My children stole and they told me not to worry about it. What kind of world are we living in that people are okay with children stealing unicorns?” I ask her, slamming my fist on the table, alarming the couple sitting at the table across from us, the older woman furrowing her brows in distaste toward me.

  “I think you’re being a little overdramatic. You did the right thing trying to pay for them. That’s all you can do. And I’m sure you’ve spoken to your sweet angels about the repercussions of stealing.”

  “Yes, of course. I told them that if they steal again they’ll end up in jail. And jail is far more boring than their grandmother’s house on a rainy day.”

  “That would put the fear in any child."

  I shrug as I rest my chin in the palm of my hand as my elbow props it up on the table.

  “So, what’s new with you?” I ask Sara. Even though we live closer to each other now, I still don’t see her as frequently as I would like. She’s one of the top lawyers in her office and she's up to make partner this year, so she has been working a lot more than normal.

  “Nothing much. I have a meeting with the President this week. Hopefully, it will be good news. I’m tired of busting my butt and getting nothing in return.”

  “What happens if you don’t get a promotion?”

  “I. . . I don’t know. I’ll probably start looking for another firm to work for. I’m getting tired of feeling underappreciated.”

  “You deserve something better.” I let the sentence hang in the air.

  And so do I.

  The kids perk up across from me and start waving madly in the newcomer's direction behind me. I turn my head to see what has garnered their attention and I wish that I hadn’t. Jackson is stalking past us behind the hostess with another man that looks eerily like him, only blond.

  “I swear I think he’s stalking me,” I mutter under my breath as I take a gulp of my beer, the coolness and hint of citrus a welcome relief.

  “Who?” Sara pivots in her seat. “Oh, the new neighbor. Who is that with him?”

  “Don’t know. Don’t care. This is the third time I’ve seen him today, and it is three times too many.”

  “Hmm. . .” Sara adds as the men walk past, Jackson taking the time to wave to my kids which would typically melt my heart, but it’s still frozen solid after Dan.

  “Hmm. . . what?”

  “I just think you protest an awful lot regarding your very sexy neighbor.”

  “You think he’s sexy?” I ask, my nose scrunching on my face as if I’ve smelled something terrible. And I have – my lie. Jackson is more than sexy. He’s gorgeous with his tanned skin, tattoos, and dark hair that seems to be in permanent disarray. But I can’t tell Sara that. Because even though he’s gorgeous and he makes my pulse race, he’s still a thorn in my side.

  “Uh, unless you need your eyes checked, every female in this establishment thinks he’s sexy. Just look,” she points out.

  My gaze travels around the room and I notice that every woman and a few men are checking out the duo as they’re led to a table in the corner. Even the young hostess lingers a little longer than normal as she places their menus in front of them. And of course, Jackson takes the seat directly in my line of sight, probably just to piss me off even more. Damn him and that smirk as he notices my attention is on him.

  “Ugh, I wish he would just leave me alone.” Slamming my menu closed I slouch against the back of the booth, but I swear I can feel his chuckle against my skin, even from this distance.

  “I wish you would take the opportunity as it presents itself.”

  “And what opportunity is that?”

  “Sex. He looks like the kind of man that knows what he’s doing in bed and you’re right next door. Just ask him if he wants tacos one night then take him to your personal buffet.”

  “Oh my gosh, what is wrong with you?” I murmur in alarm as I glance at my kids happily coloring their sheets as I stifle my laugh.

  “I probably need to get laid too,” she adds just as the waiter steps up to the table to take our order. “Hey handsome, are you up for the task?” she asks our adolescent server who promptly blushes and cowers into his little notebook.

  I give our order to the waiter who nods over and over again and then scurries away without a backward glance.

  “I think you scarred him for life.” I take a sip of beer and play a game of tic-tac-toe with Noah.

  “I think that guy may be your rival’s brother, I should ask him. He looks like he’d be good with his hands.”

  “What makes you say that?” I pause and look up from my game to see Jackson’s attention on a svelte blonde leaning against his table.

  “Because I think I’ve had them on me before,” Sara whispers as she stares at the back of Jackson’s guest’s head in full concentration.

  Chapter Four – Jackson

  The bar comes close to my chest before I push it upward above my body. My arms quiver as I complete my fifteenth rep of the chest press.

  “Man, what has you so fired up today?” Cooper asks as he helps me lift the bar and weights back onto the rack.

  The sweat pours down my face, back, and chest as I sit up on the bench. Cooper tosses me a towel and I wipe myself clean before reaching for my bottle of water. My gym is quiet this time of the morning. I try to get here around four or five in the morning on the weekends because the place fills up fast. And to be honest, since my new neighbor has moved in, I haven’t been getting much sleep. I don’t want to think that my dreams of her are the reason, but I’d just be fooling myself.

  “Nothing,” I reply.

  “It’s not nothing. You’ve been on edge since we got here this morning. And to be honest, you were on edge last night at dinner too. Especially when we saw your. ..new neighbor,” he adds, as if a light bulb has gone off above his head.

  “What are you saying?” I ask as I stand and wipe down the bench before my brother swaps the spot with me.

  He reaches up and takes the bar in his hand before bringing it down and then pushing it up into the air. With a grunt, he says, “What I’m saying is. . . that it’s interesting how you’ve become so worked up since your new neighbor moved in about a week ago.”

  “I think you’re imagining things. If anything has me worked up, it’s owning two businesses and not enough staff.”

  He looks up at me from the bench with a bullshit expression as he completes another set. “Well, then look at hiring some more people. I know both are doing well enough that you could hire a manager for each and you wouldn’t have to do all the paperwork that you despise so much.”

  “Yeah, I should probably start hiring some people.”

  “And I still think it’s your neighbor,” he growls as he pushes the bar back on the rack.

  “Believe what you want,” I add, smacking his shoulder and head back to my office to go through the payroll from last week.

  Half an hour later my head hurts from having to fix a few employees’ hours and wondering why my staff at the lawn service aren’t clocking in at all. I take pride in hiring people that have the best resumes, but I believe I may need to go in another direction. It seems this week I’ll be laying off an additional three people – two from the gym and one from the lawn service.

  Looking up from my computer, I’m surprised by the woman standing at the front desk across from my office. Elle is wearing a tight pair of gray athletic pants, no different than some of the others that come into my gym, but on her, they show off her toned thighs and behind. Just gazing at the curve of her ass has me wanting to take a bite of her juicy bottom.

  She wears nothing else but a sports bra that has different straps crossing this way and that way, almost as if they are creating a barrier around her body,
cocooning her skin from onlookers. But Elle is mistaken if she thinks she won’t draw attention to herself. Even outside of her attire, her long hair is pulled up onto the top of her head in a ponytail, the ends curled and resting between her shoulders, showcasing the beautiful lines of her slender neck.

  Elle must feel my stare on her because her head abruptly turns in my direction and she pins me with her surprised gaze. I tilt my head down and close my eyes as I try to calm myself before her approach, because even without seeing her, I can feel each step she takes, bringing her closer to me.

  The door to my office hesitantly opens and then is quickly followed by a soft closing, as if she’s being precautious about her entrance. She’s right to think I may throw her out. We haven’t had the best rapport thus far.

  “Hello, Jackson. I can’t say that I’m surprised to see you here.”

  I look at her directly and let my eyes roam over her body and watch in fascination as she tries to mask a shiver, not from the chill in the air but from the sensation of my gaze on her skin.

  Leaning back in my chair I cross my arms against my chest. “Well, you are in my gym, so forgive me if I am surprised to see you here.”

  Wonder flashes in her eyes and I’m secretly pleased that I have been able to make that look cross her face. I’ll mark that as an achievement for the day.

  “Oh. This is your gym?” she asks and I nod, watching as she sucks her lower lip into her mouth, biting the soft flesh with her teeth.

  “The question is. . .why are you in my gym on an early Sunday morning?”

  “My friend Sara offered to take my kids to church with her and her family so I could get back into my routine.”

  “That was nice of her, but you didn’t answer my question. Why my gym?”

  I try not to laugh as she stomps her foot lightly and huffs in place.

  “Obviously I didn’t know it was your place. Otherwise I wouldn’t have come here, and frankly I’m regretting my decision as we speak.”

  “Chill out, sweetheart. Unless you want to go to the gym thirty minutes away, we’re the closest one to your house.”

  “Do you get off on giving me a hard time?”

  I shrug my shoulders as I reply, “A little. Did Jeremy get you all set up?”

  “No, not yet.”

  “Have a seat and I’ll get it taken care of.”

  Ten minutes later and learning far more about Elle and her physicality than is probably necessary by her neighbor, we finish up her gym paperwork and she signs a year contract. My gym isn’t the cheapest or the most advanced, but I pride myself on our personal trainers and knowledge.

  “I heard through the grapevine that you offer a sunrise yoga class and that it’s very refreshing. Who’s the teacher and where can I sign up?”

  “Well, it’s offered every day, and the trainers take turns opening the class. It’s actually everyone’s favorite. A lot of our members do it after some strength training, so we run it around seven in the morning. And as far as the teacher for today, you’re looking at him.”

  “You do yoga?”She takes in my body from head to toe as I stand from my chair and move around my desk.

  “There are a lot of things about me you don’t know, sweetheart. Now, if you don’t want to be late to the class we better head over to the studio.”

  I start the class as normal for a Sunday because it’s been my routine for as long as the gym has been open, which is roughly five years. I have a bachelor’s degree in business management but I am also a certified personal trainer, something that helped pay the tuition while in college. The lawn care business came up just as a need arose in our area and my brother and our cousin Hunter do our best to manage it and our three employees.

  I lead the class into a few cat and cow positions and then we move into a few sunrise salutations followed by the warrior poses. After the first round, I walk around the room adjusting a few of the member’s poses so that they are feeling the full effect of the stretch. As I make my way over to Elle, I’m pleasantly surprised to see her transition from a perfect downward facing dog into a warrior one stance. Her body moves in one synchronized motion, no wobbling or readjusting needed. Which is unfortunate for me because I want to get my hands on her more than I’ve wanted anything for a long time.

  The class glides into another salutation and I move toward Elle without a second thought. Her body shifts into another downward facing dog and before I know it I’m standing behind her, my legs on either side of her body, and my hands firmly digging into her hips as I adjust her stance unnecessarily. At my touch, her body goes slightly limp and I hear a soft sigh escape from her lips.

  Of course, my momentary lapse in judgment doesn’t go unnoticed because none other than Chelsea, one of the gym bunnies, asks me to adjust her stance as well. I squeeze Elle’s hips as she moves back into warrior one and then help Chelsea as she pretends to struggle with the transition. I know she’s pretending because she attends this class without fail every Sunday.

  I head back to the front of the class and take them through a few more stretches before I conclude the session. A few of the attendees speak to me about the class and really just to catch up for the week. A few are husbands and wives or ex-military, which are my favorite kind of attendees. As I speak with one of my older veterans I consider reaching out to a local military group that specializes in finding jobs for their veterans. I make a mental note to contact them tomorrow.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as Elle performs a few more stretches and then begins rolling up one of our extra mats. As I am about to go over to her I feel a hand on my arm and I look over my shoulder to see Chelsea sidled up beside me.

  “Hey, Jackson,” she purrs, and I look at her just as she licks her plump lips.

  “Hey, Chelsea,” I reply, removing her hand from my arm and taking a step back. “Did you enjoy the class?”

  Boldly she steps toward me, brushing her breasts against my arm. “I like everything that you do. How about you come back with me to my place and we can practice a few more moves in my bed?”

  I ignore her question and instead watch in fascination as Elle rolls her eyes and steps out of the room.

  Trying to be a gentleman, I turn toward Chelsea and let her down easily. Normally I would join her back at her place for an afternoon workout, but ever since Elle moved in I can’t imagine warming anyone else’s bed. Which is a damn travesty for me and my bachelorhood.

  I watch as Chelsea retreats from the room with her head held high and approaches one of the other personal trainers, most likely to give the same offer. There is a reason she’s considered a gym bunny.

  Stepping out of the room, I search for Elle and find her in front of the mirrors with a set of dumbbells performing hammer curls. I walk over to her and she never loses her focus on the mirror, but I know she has recognized my approach because her movements become quicker, more staggered.

  “Hey, you know if you slow down the movement as you go down you’ll get better results.”

  “Thanks,” she huffs as she continues her reps.

  I continue to watch her, staring at her slender arms as the muscles bunch with each curl.

  Finally, she sets the dumbbells back in the rack and turns toward me with her arms across her chest.

  “Did you need something?”

  “I was just wondering if you enjoyed the class.”

  “I did. Thanks. Now isn’t there another woman you can go bug?”

  “Why? I’d much rather bug you,” I insist, causing her to roll her eyes, those beautiful brown irises shifting behind her lids.

  “That’s too bad, I’m leaving. Thanks for signing me up. Hopefully we won’t run into each other again,” she boasts as she grabs a spare towel and wipes her face before tossing it in the bin.

  I spend the day at the office paying bills and writing up the schedule for the gym for the week. I also take a few minutes to speak with my parents. Ever since Mom drove up on a half-naked Elle in her soaked ba
throbe, she’s been peppering me with questions about my new neighbor.

  Shutting down my computer, I think back to how she looked as she rushed over to my yard, having spotted her kids. At first, I hadn’t noticed her lack of dress. From my perch on the porch I was stunned by the look on her face, the utter horror at the thought that her children had been taken. I watched in fascination as her features softened at seeing them play with Bailey.

  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to control my assholishness. Maybe it was my attraction to her that fueled me, or simply the fact that I had spent the better part of the night at a bar with my cousin Hunter fending off women, but I was irritable and wanted her attention on me. There was only one way I knew how – enter asshole.

  We’d been in close proximity before, namely that night I needed her to move her car and she shoved the keys into my chest, but yesterday as I leaned into her I couldn’t help but reach forward and touch her damp skin. I had tilted forward to whisper in her ear and I inhaled her shampoo – a mix of vanilla and strawberries. I was drunk on the scent, and in my intoxication, I had reached out and stroked her soft skin beneath her robe, my vision clouded by her pale pink nipple poking through the damp silk.

  Just remembering that interaction yesterday has my cock swelling beneath my jeans. Luckily I’m saved from further embarrassment as the young guy manning the front desk asks if we’re ready to close up. Typically the gym only stays open until nine at night, but we stayed a little later to accommodate a few members finishing their circuits.

  “Ready to close up, boss?”

  I look up to my office door and nod, then I stand from my desk and turn off the light in my office. My gym and the night sky may be dark as I head to my car but my mind is washed in light. A light I only seem to have when I think of my pesky neighbor Elle.

  The drive home is long and boring. The volume on the radio is turned up louder than one should probably need, but when I turned the knob I was hopeful that I could drown out my thoughts – it has not been successful.