Fallen For You (Killer Next Door #1)

by Carlie Sexton

  Before he could say anything, a key slipped into the lock and the door opened. There was the restaurant manager and Neil was right behind him. Neil pushed forward and grabbed Mark by the collar, pulling him out of the bathroom and slamming him up against the wall.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing with my girl?” Neil snarled at Mark.

  “I was warning her about you. I told her how you bring a different woman here every week,” Mark growled back at him.

  “You have no right to do that. She’s not any other woman to me.”

  The manager checked on Kate. “Are you okay, miss?” he asked with great concern.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you. No harm has been done.”

  “I am so sorry about this. I can assure you this won’t happen again,” he said, looking toward Mark. “You’re fired!”

  Neil released Mark and went to Kate, putting his arms around her.

  “Please don’t fire him. This is a big misunderstanding. I don’t want him to lose his job because of me,” Kate said to the manager.

  “It’s not because of you. He deserves to be fired for terrorizing you in the bathroom like this,” Neil said firmly.

  She turned to Neil. “Neil, please. I can’t have Mark fired because of me. It’s too much. Please!”

  Neil stood there, staring at her with disbelief in his eyes.

  “Okay,” he relented. “It’s not necessary to fire him,” he told the manager.

  The hostess walked up and handed Neil a bag with their dinner wrapped up.

  “Dinner’s on us, Mr. Statton. With our apologies,” the manager said, his hand outstretched to shake Neil’s. Neil shook the man’s hand and then began leading Kate to the exit. He had the bag of food in one hand and the other on the small of her back. Mark stood back, watching her leave with Neil, a look of helplessness on his face.

  ***

  They walked into Neil’s condo. The drive over had been in silence. She knew Neil was pissed at the whole situation. He had communicated how much he wanted and needed her only to then find her with another man’s hands on her. She knew by the look on his face he was angry about her insistence that Mark keep his job, but she felt Mark was already hurt enough and didn’t need to lose his job on top of losing her. She realized a heated discussion was imminent.

  He put the food down and moved toward her like a predator. Her eyes widened as he approached.

  He scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder.

  “Neil, what are you doing?” she squealed.

  “I’m taking you to bed,” he said harshly, swatting her firm ass. Desire pooled deep down in her sex, all of her muscles tightening. She could feel her pulse throbbing down there. Anticipation coursed through her veins. She wanted him—badly. His jealousy over Mark was such a turn-on. He was so hot and sexy like this, and his carnal desire set her ablaze. He opened the door to his bedroom and threw her on the bed, taking her breath away as she looked up at him. Desire emanated from his face. He bent down, pulling her shoes off.

  “Lift your hips up,” he commanded. She did as she was told. He slid his hands up her thighs and hooked his fingers under her panties, slipping them off. After removing his shoes, socks, shirt, and pants, he stood before her in his boxers. The boxers fell to the floor. There he was, gloriously naked in front of her. He had a magnificent physique. He moved like a panther to his nightstand and took a condom out of the drawer. As he tore the package open, he told her to take her blouse and skirt off. She did as she was told, anticipation growing deep within her. He rolled the condom down over his hard ridge. She shivered with excitement. He crawled on the bed and spread her legs apart.

  “I’ll make love to you later, baby. Right now, I need to fuck you.” His words excited her more. This was so hot. He sunk himself into her wet core. “Oh, you’re so wet for me,” he said, thrusting in and out of her.

  “You make me that way,” she said, looking into his blazing eyes. The eyes that had stayed locked on hers the night before in this very spot. She was lost in the feeling of him, the smell of him, the way he looked. He took her middle finger and put it in his mouth, sucking on it, making it wet.

  “Touch yourself, baby,” he commanded, his eyes burning. Kate did as she was told. She began rubbing her finger over her clit. All of her nerve endings lit up like fireworks in the night sky. She moaned and he crushed his mouth on hers, kissing her almost violently. This was different than last night, more carnal and lustful. Neil seemed wild with desire. He was moving faster and faster. The feeling of him slamming into her was so powerful she was on the verge of collapse. All of these sensations became too much for her and she arched her head back. Neil swirled his tongue around her nipple and pulled on it with soft bites, making it erect. Then he moved to her other breast, repeating the swirling of his tongue over her nipple. She could feel herself quickening from the extreme pleasure and her whole body tensed as she screamed out his name. Her tightening around him as she came sent him over the edge. He too found his release as he cried out, “Oh, baby. I love being inside of you.”

  For a few moments, he lay on top of her, trailing kisses from one shoulder to the other. Then, he eased out of her and lay beside her. He glided his fingers down the side of her body and rested his hand on her stomach. Wow. That was intense, but it felt as though Neil was in a better place now. His hazel eyes looked calm again.

  “Okay, I’ve calmed down. Now we can talk about what happened tonight with that waiter,” he said.

  “Like I said at the restaurant, Mark is a classmate. I was stunned when he followed me into the bathroom to warn me about you.”

  “So, you haven’t gone out with him or anything?”

  “No. Nothing’s happened between us. He expressed interest in me on Thursday and walked me to my car after class. He tried to kiss me, but I turned my head and he kissed my cheek. I gave him my phone number, but he didn’t call. Every free moment I’ve had since I met you on Wednesday, I’ve spent with you.”

  Neil sighed. In a quiet voice, he asked, “Do you want to go out with him? You gave him your phone number, so you must have been interested in him. He’s not exactly hard on the eyes.”

  “When I gave him my number, I had met you the day before. I couldn’t have anticipated what would happen between us. I’m not interested in going out with him. But, now it’s my turn to ask a question. Why would Mark tell me you’re a womanizer? He said he never sees you with the same woman twice.”

  She looked at him with fear in her eyes, expecting the worst. This could be over as quickly as it started.

  “Okay, please tell me you’ll listen to everything I have to say, and promise you won’t run away from me tonight.”

  “Neil, I’m here naked in your bed. I’m not going anywhere. Not this time, anyway,” she qualified. “I need to hear what you have to say.”

  “Mark is right about me. I am with a different woman every week. I usually don’t see anyone more than once, twice tops. That is, until I met you. I’m unequivocally drawn to you like a moth to a flame. Somehow, I find myself needing you desperately. Meeting you has changed me, made me want more. Made me need more. I love that you’re not only beautiful, you’re sweet and strong. You challenge me and no one has done that for a long time.”

  “Have you ever had a real relationship with anyone before?”

  Neil sat up and leaned against the headboard. He was quiet for a moment, introspective. “Yes, I was married six years ago to my college sweetheart, Elizabeth. She was my world.” He took a deep breath. “It’s taken me a long time to get over her…I’ve never told that to anyone.”

  “What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?” Kate sat up to face Neil. She wanted to look into his eyes.

  “I took Elizabeth to Italy to propose to her after we passed the bar exam. She thought Italy was the most romantic place on earth. We went on a gondola ride in Venice and I proposed halfway through our ride while the gondolier sang to us in Italian. She said yes and I slipp
ed the ring on her finger. It was a perfect afternoon. We were so in love and happy. I couldn’t imagine a more romantic way to propose.”

  Kate took Neil’s hand. “That sounds incredibly romantic.”

  “It was, but a couple of days later she became sick. She kept coughing and coughing. It was out of control. Nothing we bought at the drugstore helped. She finally began coughing up blood and she found blood in her stool. That’s when I insisted on taking her to the doctor. The doctor told us to go home immediately. He didn’t diagnose her, but I knew it was bad. We flew home on the first flight we could get. As soon as we got back, I took her to the hospital. They ran some tests and told us she had lung cancer. They ran further tests and found it had spread to her liver. There was nothing they could do. They gave her two to three months tops,” he said, tears welling up in his eyes. Kate’s fingers were gently stroking his arm. She didn’t say anything, waiting patiently for him to go on.

  “Her diagnosis devastated everyone in our families. Her parents and my parents had been friends since we were children. We all considered each other family. Everyone expected us to get married and grow old together. I expected her to be my wife and the mother of my children. I knew there was nothing I could do to save her. We decided to get married anyway. I wanted to make her dreams come true even if it was only for a brief moment in time. I needed to make her my wife before she died.”

  Neil paused. “Our mothers worked frantically to put our wedding together. My mom hired the best wedding planner and they worked miracles in a very short time. Three weeks later, we were married. It was a small ceremony with family and close friends. Elizabeth was so happy that day—the day I could call her my wife. Six weeks later, she was gone. I buried my bride and nothing has been the same ever since.”

  Kate moved closer to Neil, laying her head on his chest and draping her arm and leg over his body. Understanding how he felt, she wanted desperately to make his hurt go away. “I’m so sorry,” she said, kissing his neck. “That must have been so agonizing for you.”

  Neil pulled her as close as he could, holding her tight. “I haven’t let anyone in since she died. I used sex to soothe myself, never considering the possibility of a relationship with anyone until you. When Mac texted your picture, I felt instantly drawn to you.”

  “Max texted you my picture?”

  “Yes, he covertly took it while you were waiting for me.”

  Kate’s hand rubbed up and down Neil’s arm. “Wow, he’s sneaky.”

  “He’s my best friend. He looks out for me and I’m so grateful that he does,” Neil said, kissing Kate’s head. “I really didn’t have intentions of anything more than a couple of dates. But when you refused on the phone to accept a date with me, it made me want you more. When I met you on Wednesday, I couldn’t believe how strongly I felt about you. You were a challenge, but I liked that. I had to work to get you to have a cup of coffee with me. Elizabeth was the same way. She always challenged me. It made me a better man. That’s when I knew we could work, that I wanted more from you than a few dates.”

  “Good to know.”

  Neil sat up to look into Kate’s eyes. “I can’t stand the thought of Mark putting his hands on you. I want you to be mine. When I saw him with his hands on you tonight, I saw red. I wanted to beat the shit out of him. I’m not happy you see him every day. He’s going to try to wear you down because he wants you as much as I do. I could see it written all over his face. Tell me he doesn’t have a chance with you.”

  Kate leaned up and kissed him on the lips. “No, he doesn’t have a chance with me. All the chances I have are for you. I want you. I haven’t been with anyone since David. Like you, I wouldn’t let anyone else in, but I steered clear of men altogether. I’ve been so afraid of getting hurt.”

  “What happened between you two? What did he do to hurt you so badly?” he asked, stroking her arm with his hand.

  “It’s not what he did; it’s what I did.” She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. “We’d been together for four years. He was the only boyfriend I’d ever had. He was sweet and kind and funny. My mom wanted me to date other people. She didn’t think David was right for me. Since I was living at home, she felt she had a say over my life. It became more and more uncomfortable to be with David. She tried to covertly have me meet other guys. We’d be grocery shopping and all of a sudden run into a client of hers. She’d wander away to leave me to talk to him. Then she’d talk the guy up, saying I was young and should go out with other people. She didn’t want me to make the same mistakes she’d made. But I couldn’t see her point. I was in love with David.” Kate took a deep breath, feeling emotionally spent.

  “It’s okay. Take your time,” he said, nuzzling her hair.

  She went on. “We started talking about getting a place together. David was old fashioned. He didn’t want to live together. He wanted us to be married. I agreed. I knew if we lived together my mom wouldn’t take our relationship seriously. And I was serious about my feelings for him. We decided to elope. He was on his way to pick me up, when he died in a car crash.”

  Tears began streaming down her face. Neil wiped them away.

  “Baby, it was an accident. You didn’t do anything wrong,” he said.

  “You’re wrong, Neil. I was impatient. He was running late and I wanted to know where he was. I texted him, asking him when he’d be picking me up. In the middle of his response, he stopped texting. He wasn’t paying attention to the road because he was answering me. I’m the reason he’s dead.”

  She buried her head in Neil’s chest. Her body shook as she sobbed.

  He held her closer. “Now I understand why you ran away and why you’re so guarded,” he murmured. “Your heart has been broken just like mine. We’re two-of-a-kind.”

  He lifted her face toward his and started kissing her tenderly. His kisses began to take her pain away and make everything in her life right. She felt protected by him. He moved on top of her and began kissing her neck, making his way to her breasts.

  “Let me make love to you, baby. Let me make everything go away.”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  ***

  Neil reheated their dinner in the microwave—they had worked up quite an appetite—and poured two glasses of wine. Kate sat on the barstool at the island, watching him. Everything was happening so fast, and she was trying to wrap her mind around it. Things with David had progressed at a snail’s pace. They’d been friends for a year before he even asked her out. He didn’t kiss her until they’d been dating for a month. They were exclusive for three and a half years before having sex. This was a stark contrast to her relationship with Neil, who was aggressive and passionate. He knew what he wanted and expected to get it. He made no apologies for it either.

  Neil placed her halibut in front of her. “It smells delicious,” she said, taking a sip of wine. He set his plate next to hers and sat on a barstool.

  “Well, The Marine Room has never disappointed.” Neil raised his glass. “Here’s to life’s unexpected surprises.” They clinked their glasses together, but Kate felt like her mind was a million miles away. “Penny for your thoughts, my beauty?”

  “I was thinking about how fast things have happened between us,” she murmured. “This is all so sudden. So unlike me. I’m feeling a little shaken. Like the earth has fallen away from beneath my feet.”

  Neil nodded. “I can understand that. I woke up Wednesday morning with the expectation it was going to be business as usual. When Mac texted me, my interest was piqued. I had no idea meeting you would turn my life upside down. But I like it. I feel more alive than I have in years.”

  “Me too,” she said, taking a bite of her fish. He picked up her hand and kissed it tenderly like he could sense what she was feeling.

  “I know you’re scared, Kate. So am I. There’s an intense chemistry between us neither of us could have predicted. We can slow down if you want to. I don’t want you to feel overwhelmed.”

  Kate br
eathed a sigh of relief. “Slowing down is good for me. We should take our time and get to know each other.” Even as she said this, she realized the electricity between them was going to make it difficult. He oozed sexual magnetism from every pore. Everything about him excited her.

  “So, how long have you and Mac been friends?”

  “We’ve known each other since grade school. We were instant best friends. He’s been there for me through everything.”

  She realized he was referring to Elizabeth. They had each lost someone they loved, creating a powerful bond between them. They knew how the other felt. Neil’s statement about Mac lingered in the air while they finished their meal. Words were unnecessary. He cleared their plates and put them in the sink.

  “He seemed like a really great guy when I met him,” she said finally.

  “Yeah, he’s the best. He knew the moment he started talking to you we’d hit it off. Good thing he has a girlfriend, or he’d have snagged you for himself. We’ve always liked the same type of woman.” He sat back down on the barstool.

  “Really, and what type is that?” she asked, grinning.

  “Beautiful, smart, sexy, classy,” he said, running the back of his index finger along her cheek.

  “You know how to make a girl melt, don’t you?” She placed a hand on his thigh.

  “I aim to please, my beauty.”

  He kissed her sweetly on the cheek.

  “Would you like dessert now, or do you want to wait a little while?” he asked.

  “Actually, it’s getting late and I have class tomorrow. I really should be getting home.”

  Neil pressed his lips together. Turning her barstool so her body was facing his, he stood between her legs and placed his hands on her hips. “I was hoping you’d stay the night and play hooky with me tomorrow. I have something special planned for us.” He nuzzled his nose against hers.

  “Neil, that sounds very inviting, but…” He kissed her. “You’re not playing fair,” she said, breaking away from his kiss.