The Guy Next Door Amazon Final

by Angel, Claire

  “Thank you,” I told her as she pulled me tight against her.

  “You deserve this. All of this. You didn’t move here just to take care of Mom in addition to Sienna. You moved here for a fresh start.” She was speaking from her heart, and I felt tears in my eyes.

  “Stop this. What are you trying to do to me?” I choked out as she giggled in my ear.

  “I am going to spoil the hell out of your baby tonight, and you’re going to think about you for a change. Go on a date with that gorgeous man and let him take care of you.” She pulled away to smile at me. “We want to meet him for real, you know.”

  “I do. I think we’re headed there.” I admitted, and she tilted her head at me.

  “I know. I can see it in your face.” We stayed there for a bit longer before I went into the living room to say goodbye to Mom and Sienna. Mom looked better today, and I kissed her cheek gently.

  “Be good for them, Si,” I warned her with a long look as she gazed at me. Sienna hurried over to hug me, and I spun her around in a circle.

  I left the apartment alone and walked out to the city street, looking around at the crowd. I was here on my own, and I could walk every block if I wanted to, taking it all in. I knew that times like this were essential for a mother, but when Kyle left us, I thought it was over for me. Moving here was the best thing I could have done for myself and Sienna.

  I strolled down the street to a small, quaint coffee shop. I had my phone and my kindle in my purse and ordered a tea before finding a table in the corner. I found myself reading a new romance book slowly as I looked around the room and through the windows. It was odd just being able to sit like this, and while I adored my daughter more than anything in the world, I enjoyed just being me sometimes.

  I finished my tea and set my kindle down as I stretched. I reached for my phone beside it and opened my text app as I considered what to say.

  R: I have the rest of the day off. Want to have lunch?

  I sat back against the cushion and waited for Jacob to respond.

  J: Do you? Lachlan is taking the day off to spend it with his girl, so I’m free. How about lunch and the entire day and night together?

  R: Perfect.

  J: Where are you? I’ll meet you.

  I told him and stared out of the window as low voices carried over to me, and laughter filled the room. Something was playing over the speakers, but I didn’t recognize it, making me realize that Sienna controlled my life.

  Chapter 11

  Jacob

  I packed my bag and locked up the office in a rush since finding out that Rory was free. I couldn’t wait until tonight and the day was dragging as I anticipated our date. I saw Megan looking at me as I passed the small crowd gathered around a table, going right to the street. The building was close to the apartment, and The Bean and I walked quickly to the small shop as a smile took over my face.

  I walked inside and found Rory sitting in the corner with a smile on her face. I walked over and pulled her into my arms as she laughed at me. “All day?” I confirmed as she nodded against my chest. “That’s the best news I’ve had in a long time.”

  I didn’t have a lot of time to plan, but I did pull her outside. Bill was bringing the car, and I was going to take her to see the Statue of Liberty and for lunch over there. I suspected that she hadn’t seen much of her new home with everything going on and I guessed right. Rory was in awe of the landmark and took a few pictures as she spun around before hugging me as a thank you.

  I took her to a nearby bistro that offered an amazing view, and she ordered a glass of white wine and a sandwich as she took turns staring at me and the water through the window. She was like a little kid with everything, and it was beautiful.

  After lunch, Bill took us to one of my favorite blocks in midtown Manhattan. It offered high-end boutique stores and a couple of art galleries that I visited when I needed a break, and she gripped my hand as I pulled her inside. We wandered the marble floor and looked around at the sculptures and paintings like it was her first time.

  “You didn’t do stuff like this before?” I asked her, and she smiled weakly.

  “A little.” She replied before gazing at me. “I was married young, and we moved around. I had Sienna and was home a lot on my own with her before… Kyle. I was overwhelmed, looking back. I can’t believe that I fought the idea of this move for even a moment. It was the best thing I could have done for myself and Sienna.”

  “I will show you the world, Rory,” I promised her, pulling her into my arms before I lowered my mouth to hers. She kissed me back, her arms clinging to my neck as she deepened it. She was losing her inhibitions, and I moaned as her tongue slid against mine. I could take this all the way, but I pulled away and stared at her. “If we keep that up, I’m going to have to find a storage closet or something.”

  “Oh.” Rory blushed as she looked around and I pulled her into my chest. We left and slipped into the back of the car as I told Bill to take us to my apartment. I pulled her close and kissed her hair before our lips met again, making me fantasize about car sex.

  Jesus. She was making me lose my mind.

  We arrived at the apartment and thanked Bill before we headed into the building. I kissed her for the short ride in the elevator and then hauled her to my apartment, unlocking the door and kicking it closed. I pressed her against the door and kissed her hungrily as she wrapped her body around mine. There was no reason to be quiet tonight, and I sucked her tongue into my mouth as we both moaned. I pressed hard into her; my jeans pressed against her leggings as I dry fucked her. “Baby, I need you.” I groaned as she tugged at my hair.

  “Bed.” She demanded as I carried her across the apartment. We kissed the entire time, and I let her slide to the ground before ripping her shirt off. She was wearing a t-shirt and a thin lace bra underneath that I tore open. I dipped my mouth to her nipple, sucking it between my teeth as she cried out. I needed all of her, and my hands slipped under her pants to slide them down. When she was bare, she dropped to the bed and scooted back as I blindly stripped.

  I was hard to the point of being in pain when I crawled between her legs. I lowered my mouth to kiss her and made her come on my tongue before she asked me to stick my cock in her mouth. I stared at her as she propped a couple of pillows up, gesturing for me to come over. I straddled her torso, looking down at her red nipples before sliding myself into her warm, wet mouth.

  She made me come with her mouth and then I dug through my drawer for the new box of condoms. I put one on and drove myself into her hard, burying my cock all the way. Rory cried out as she jerked against me, her chest shaking with the movement. “Fuck me, Jacob.” She begged, and I started to move with her. The bed hit the wall, and we didn’t hold back this time. I knew my neighbors might be slightly annoyed, but I didn’t fucking care. I took her hard and fast until she was screaming my name and then pulled her over me so she could ride me.

  We dropped to the bed, panting heavily. I couldn’t get the sound of her begging me out of my head, and I stroked her tangled, messy hair. I could do this all day long. I would do this all day long.

  We made love a few more times before she declared she was hungry. We showered together, and she walked across the hall to get dressed in some jeans and a cami after we decided on something casual. I wore a pair of faded jeans and a button-up shirt. I took her hand and led her down to the street, and we walked to a Thai place a couple of blocks away. We drank tea and ate from the plates in the center of the table and laughed.

  We walked the street when we were done, and she told me about the small town in Oregon that they moved from. Kyle’s parents lived there, and she thought it would be nice to be close to them. It wasn’t. They were broken and hurt Sienna more with their endless grief. Rory told me that she didn’t want Sienna to remember that and told her good stories about her daddy. When Jane asked her to move back here to help, Rory jumped at the chance. She confessed that Kyle’s parent
s pulled away after his death and didn’t reach out to Sienna too often.

  I held her against me as we walked into an ice cream shop. We ordered, and I thought about the day she would meet my family. I knew I wanted that now. Sienna would have other kids to play with, and we’d have so much help with her. They would both love it. “She has so much love in her life. She won’t go without that.”

  We sat at a table and ate before returning to the apartment. We headed back to the bedroom and turned on the TV, stripping down before we pressed together. We kissed and watched the movie that was playing, still talking and laughing. We did more than that. It was the best night of my life.

  I held her in the dark and thought about everything I wanted to do with her. I wanted to tell her everything I was feeling. She was sleepy and dozing off as I stroked her shoulder, and her voice was so sweet as she thanked me for everything today. I fell asleep with her, and we woke up later to feel each other again. She was addicting and intoxicated me as I kissed her, tasting her lips and body.

  In the morning, I skipped my run. I stayed in bed and got a workout with Rory instead, fixing us breakfast when we finally dragged myself out of my room. I got a call from my brother after we were done, inviting me to a Sunday barbeque and I gazed at Rory. “I’ll be there.” I ended the call and walked over to her, kissing her gently. “Come to a thing with me tomorrow,” I told her as Rory reached for her coffee.

  “What thing?” She asked as I sipped my cup.

  “Barbeque with friends. It’ll be fun, and Sienna will have a blast.” Her eyes widened, and she set the cup down hard on the counter.

  “I can’t bring her into this yet, Jacob.” Her voice was harsh, and I frowned at her.

  “I am just asking for the two of you to come over to dinner with me. It’s at my brother’s place, and everyone will be there. You can see how my friends are.” I explained as she leaned against the counter.

  “What if they don’t like me? What if Sienna loves them?” She asked slowly as I watched her. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

  “Think about it. It’s not until tomorrow, but I’d love for you to come along.” I kissed her cheek and went to clean up our plates, giving her a moment. I glanced at her a few times, and she was staring thoughtfully at the window until her phone rang in her purse. She walked over to the couch and picked it out of the front pocket, looking at the screen.

  “Hi, Jane. How is everything?” She asked as she sank in the cushions. She listened and nodded, focused on her sister. “Wait. What? Tonight?” I looked over at her, and she ran a hand through her hair. “Okay. Drop her off tomorrow.” She had a conversation with Sienna before ending the call and staring at me. “Jane wants to take her to the movies tonight. We might meet for breakfast in the morning.”

  “Will you stay with me?” I asked her, dropping beside her as I stared into her face.

  “Yes.” At least she seemed to answer without thought. I told her I was going to take her to a nice restaurant tonight and to dress up. She went across to her apartment and showered and got ready as I did the same thing in my place. I slipped a jacket over my white shirt and tie and smoothed my hands down my black slacks, finding myself nervous.

  I walked across the street to her door, knocking softly. I held some flowers behind my back that I left the building to buy for her. When she opened the door in a clingy green dress, I almost forgot the bouquet. “You look amazing.”

  “So do you.” Her eyes met mine, and I shakily handed her the flowers. “Oh. Thanks.” We walked in, and she got them into a vase after digging around. When she grabbed her purse and slipped her feet into heels, I took her keys to lock the door. We were quiet as we walked to the street. I led her to my car and opened her door for her, smiling as she moved against me to slide into the seat. I drove across town to the newest seafood place and gave my name in the crowded room. I was known enough to get a few things in the city, and I worked it to eat here.

  We were seated in the back with a great view of the city. We ordered wine and sipped it as we watched the movement in the restaurant. I didn’t come out on dates too much, and this one was great. I looked at her as she sipped her wine and smiled. “I could get used to this.”

  “Get used to what?” She asked as I licked my lips

  “Dating and being in a relationship.” I threw it out there, and she widened her eyes. “I want that with you.”

  “I like this a lot myself. I am still scared, but I think I want to go with you tomorrow. I want to meet everyone and give Sienna some friends. I want to give her a life here.” I grinned at her words.

  “Seriously?” I asked, and she nodded. “Thank you, Rory. Thank you so much.”

  We lingered over dinner and found ourselves in my bed again. She was resting on my chest, and I was stroking her skin sleepily as I closed my eyes. “I like this.”

  “Me, too.” She replied as she shifted slightly.

  “I think we should start making this a thing. I want to tell Sienna and have everyone know.” She stiffened. “I want to take you home to meet my family and want to meet your family.”

  “Let’s see how tomorrow goes,” she said as I smiled. She was here, and that was a great start.

  We woke up the following morning and Rory got the call about breakfast. She glanced at me as she ended the call and licked her lips. “Want to take a shower and come to breakfast with us?”

  I did. While we didn’t hang all over each other, we sat with Sienna between us. Jane was there, and even Rory’s mom was able to make it. She was a beautiful woman, and Rory looked a lot like her. Lilith looked weak, but she ate a substantial amount of food and took me in carefully. Sienna chatted the entire time, and nobody else needed to talk at all, but looks were shared.

  We finished breakfast and took Sienna to the apartment together. Rory told her about the BBQ later, and Sienna clapped when she heard other kids would be there. I saw the look on her face as Rory looked at me, smiling weakly.

  We drove together that afternoon. Sienna insisted on wearing a sundress, and new sandals and Rory picked some denim capris and a pink tank top. It was warm today, and we were all going to take advantage of that. When we pulled into the driveway, I looked around at the usual cars and smiled as I reached for Rory’s hand.

  This was going to be fun.

  Chapter 12

  Rory

  I was nervous as I felt Jacob brush his hand against mine. Jumping, I stared at him, and he glanced between us. Sienna asked if we could go in and I assured her that it was time, slipping out to help her out of the seat I recognized from Bill’s car.

  The little girl ran forward to the front door as we both watched her. Priscilla opened the door and smiled as she said something to Sienna before glancing at us. I felt Jacob press his hand to my back and walked forward, shaking the pretty girl’s hand. I found out that she was Jacob’s informal sister-in-law and went in to meet everyone else.

  I met his brother and Priscilla’s sister Delila. Her husband was Michael, and they had twins with another baby dangerously close to being born. Sienna was older than the kids, but she joined them out back immediately, running around the grass. I always thought she’d be a great big sister, but the idea never crossed my mind.

  I looked at Jacob for a moment as Everett handed him a beer. Did he want kids? He seemed to love Sienna, but that was different than having an infant.

  Dinner was big, and I helped set the food up on the kitchen counter. There were plates set up for a buffet style meal, and we were going to eat outside since it was nice out. I laughed as Delila got two for the twins and asked Sienna what she wanted.

  The kids sat at a little table with the adults nearby. I chatted further with everyone and realized how much I liked them. I felt welcome here, and it worried me that everything could come crashing down. I knew that Jacob picked up on it, and when a pretty girl walked in, he frowned as she caught his eyes. “Hey, Kendra. How are you?” He asked i
n a low voice and ice washed through my veins.

  “I’m great. It’s good to see you again.” She replied as she checked the twin’s plates.

  “Kendra, this is Rory and her daughter Sienna,” Delila said, and I waved to the girl as Sienna greeted her enthusiastically. “She’s the goddess of a nanny that’s going to save my life.”

  A nanny that seems to have an intimate knowledge of Jacob. I told myself that he was allowed to have a past and that not everyone was a nun like me. Why did I feel so jealous? I had a kid, and a dead husband, and Jacob seemed fine with it.

  I tried to ignore my feelings as Jacob kept glancing at me. He must sense that something was going on, but I chatted with the girls and tried to ignore him. The kids were great together, and I got a chance to relax the best I could. I managed to avoid him until the evening was over, and we were driving back to the house. Sienna was sleeping in the back, and I felt Jacob take my hand.

  “You okay?” He asked as I stared forward.

  “Yeah. Just tired.” I replied. It wasn’t a lie but also wasn’t the whole truth.

  “Try again.” Jacob shot back, and I closed my eyes. He was right about relationships being complicated. “Was it Kendra that bothered you or something else?” I stared at him as he looked at me at the light.

  “Way to get right to the point.” I murmured before looking back at my sleeping daughter. “Did you sleep with her?”

  “When I first moved here, I did. It was a quick thing and probably more convenient than anything else.” I blinked. “She obviously didn’t take my ending it well and knew exactly what the fuck she was doing tonight. It was just how she wanted it.”

  “I don’t even know why I’m jealous. You have so much more to resent about me.” I covered my mouth after I spoke and closed my eyes.

  “I don’t resent a thing about you. You have a beautiful daughter from a relationship that ended tragically. Do I worry that I might not be half the man he was? Sure. I also know that I am with you now and that I love you.” He hit the steering wheel, and I jumped.