E

VERNIGHT PUBLISHING ®

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Copyright© 2020 Sam Crescent

ISBN: 978-0-3695-0170-7

Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

Editor: Audrey Bobak

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and
places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual
events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or
dead, is entirely coincidental.

VIRGIN NEXT DOOR

Sam Crescent

Copyright © 2020

Chapter One

“And that’s why we moved here and I know

my daddy is very excited. He can’t buy me a pony
yet but maybe one day. He did promise he’d buy
me a pony and I would really like one. I spend all
year being good but I know a pony has to come
with like special care so I get it, I do. Do you think
I should have a pony?” Katie asked.

Ann Adams glanced over at her neighbor’s

daughter. Katie Bruce had been coming to her
house for random visits ever since she moved in a
couple of months ago.

“Do you think you’re ready for a pony?”

Ann asked.

She didn’t know her neighbor’s plight, or his

situation. Only the few run-on conversations she
had with his daughter. Ann adored the young girl.
Katie was a sweet kid, only five, and they’d moved
here from the city. No sign of a mom. In fact, Katie
never even spoke about her mother. There was
nothing.

As Katie swam the length of the pool, Ann

kept an eye on her.

The young girl had appeared in her bathing

suit, and Ann knew without even asking that she’d
been watching her from the bedroom window. Their
houses were close together. The day she moved in,
so had her neighbor, Eli Bruce.

Tall, sexy, but not handsome in a classic

way. From what she saw, he had a stern expression.
Thick arms though. The kind that would make a
woman feel safe, protected, warm. Damn it, she
didn’t want to spend her time thinking about those
arms, but they were already on her mind.

Every single time she saw him, he stood,

arms folded, glare in place, wearing a tight shirt and
jeans.

He did look mouthwatering. In an older,

more mature kind of way. She didn’t have a clue
how old he was, and the truth was, she didn’t care.
Age was just a number.

“But ponies are cute,” Katie said.
Ann laughed. “I know, but you forget you

have to care for them, don’t you? Clean up after
them, muck their stalls out, feed them, make sure
they’re happy.”

“I could do it.”
“Well, how about a dog? I bet a dog would

work.”

“I don’t want a dog.”
She chuckled. “I love dogs. When I can,

I’m going to adopt one.”

“You are?”
“Yes.”
“Can I come and pet it? What if it’s vicious

and wants to bite me?”

She adored this kid. “No, it won’t bite you,

I promise.” She didn’t believe dogs had it in them
to bite anyone.

“I don’t want a biter.”
“You won’t get a biter.” Again, another

promise.

The sound of a man clearing his throat drew

her attention toward the fence, which was tall, but
seeing as he was over six feet, he looked over it
easily.

“Daddy,”

Katie

said,

squealing

in

excitement. “I can swim, Daddy, look, look.”

“I can see that, sweetie. I tried to knock on

the door,” Eli said, looking at her.

“Oh, yeah, one second. I didn’t hear you.

Katie, out of the pool until I return,” Ann said.

Without arguing, Katie paddled to the edge

of the pool with her and ran to where their drinks
were waiting.

After grabbing a towel, Ann ran it down her

body, drying her legs before going for her hair as
she walked out to the front door.

Mr. Sexy was already there, arms folded.

“You didn’t have to take her,” he said.

She stepped back to let him inside. “I don’t

mind.”

“She’s got to learn she’s not always

welcome.”

“I get that, but I honestly don’t mind. She’s

a cute kid.”

“Who really needs to learn boundaries.”
Ann pressed her lips together. This

conversation wasn’t a new one. “I don’t like …
sending her away. She’s a lovely kid, Eli.”

He turned his gaze on her. “Yes, and when

you decide to live it up with parties and boyfriends,
believe me, she’s going to feel the sting.”

She glared at him. “I’m not going to do

that.”

“Please, you’re young. What, straight out of

college?”

“And you think every single woman who is

out of college should be living it up? Screwing
around?” It was on the tip of her tongue to say
fucking, but she didn’t. The last thing she wanted
was for Katie to hear.

“Yes, you should. Every person who

doesn’t have responsibilities should have fun.”

“I don’t mind Katie coming around.”
“I’m the one who is going to deal with the

cleanup when you get a life.”

“Hey, Daddy, did you know Ann is going to

get a doggy? I can’t wait for her to get a doggy. It’s
not going to be one that bites though. She promised.
I love going swimming. Come on, Daddy. She’s
going to be grilling later. We love to grill.”

“Darlin’, I think it’s time we left Ann

alone.”

“But she said it was no trouble. I asked,

didn’t I, Ann?” Katie gave her those cute eyes.

“I don’t mind. I’m grilling later and I’ve got

more than I can eat.” She was going to use the food
she was grilling for a couple of days, but it was no
big deal. She’d always shopped on a budget, and
living in this beautiful house, she was more than
happy to ration everything in her life.

She had a mortgage in a beautiful

neighborhood, a pool, and a steady job. No
complaints from her. All she needed to do was
economize. Again, no big deal. She loved being
thrifty.

Stepping around Eli, she headed back out to

the pool. There was no way they would be able to
continue their conversation with Katie close by to
hear it.

There was no boyfriend or party life for her.

During college, she’d learned her lesson. Working
on a scholarship, she had nearly been kicked out
for her failing grades. Yep, one too many parties,
bad scores, and she nearly threw her entire life
away. No more. Waking up one day with a tattoo
across the base of her back and a killer headache,
she’d decided no more.

Parties were fun and great but for her, they

didn’t make friends.

Katie ran after her, chasing her and taking

her hand.

At first, she was going to pull her hand

away but that kind of rejection could hurt for a
child. She was so freaking torn, wanting to do the
right thing.

Biting her lip, she looked toward Eli, who

shrugged.

Taking that as a yes, she walked out with

Katie, and they were back in the pool. One of the
rules she’d made with Katie was under no
circumstances was she to swim alone. Whenever
she was in her yard alone, no pool. So far, the kid
had done as she’d asked.

Eli entered her backyard and took a seat in

one of the chairs.

Summer was ending and she knew she’d

have to pack everything away in her little garden
shed until spring. She loved the winter though, and
had no problem with the storms or snow about to
descend on them.

“Daddy, look, look, I’m a butterfly.” Katie

floated on her back and moved her arms up and
down.

He chuckled, the sound deep and throaty.

She loved it but tried not to think of how sexy it
really was.

She floated up on her back, keeping Katie

close to her. They held hands for a short time.

When her stomach started to growl, she

knew it was time to get out of the water.

“Hungry?” she asked, smiling at Katie.

“Starved.”
“Unless your dad wants to join you in the

pool, go wash up, and I will get some food ready.”
She turned to Eli and if she wasn’t mistaken, he’d
been watching her.

“She’s been in the pool long enough. She

knows the rules. Go on, Katie. Go and get cleaned
up. Your food will go cold otherwise.”

Without arguing, Katie joined her as they

walked out of the pool.

After drying her body and hair again on the

towel, she walked over to the grill and fired it up.
All this time, she was aware of his gaze on her. She
had to be mistaken because no guy had ever paid
careful attention to her.

When she stared at his reflection in the

door, his gaze was on her, on her ass, and she
nearly stumbled.

Eli, her sexy neighbor, was checking out her

ass.

She hadn’t pulled on her shorts, so he saw

every inch of her. She wasn’t slender. Her body
was full, curvy, and many considered her
overweight. Was she mistaking his look for disgust?
No way.

There was heat in his eyes.
Did he want her?
Was he angry at her?
She didn’t really care because her arousal

had already gone up a notch. There was no way for
her to cover up now, not without him knowing what
she knew.

Damn it, no wonder she was still a freaking

virgin after all this time. She had no idea what to do
with a man’s attention.

She’d be doomed to live her life alone.

****

Eli knew he shouldn’t be looking at his

neighbor’s curvy ass, but it was right there in front
of him. There was simply no way not to look.

Ann Adams had become the bane of his

existence. His daughter seemed adamant in her
search for friendship as she was always around her
house.

He didn’t move to this small, quiet little

town for nothing. Katie needed structure, security,
and he knew the big city would suck up most of his
time.

Being the owner of a large software

company, he’d turned into a workaholic while
many nannies had helped to raise Katie. He’d
didn’t think there was anything wrong with a nanny
taking care of a kid, but when said nanny wanted to
fuck the father, or move on with her life, he dealt
with the cleanup.

Katie was an emotional child. She got

attached too easily, and when people left, she
always took it hard.

Her feelings for Ann were growing. He saw

it.

Ann was a beautiful young woman. Single.

Her whole life ahead of her. His little girl didn’t
need to get attached to this woman. He’d kept his
distance for a reason.

She came back carrying two baking dishes

with marinated food.

He watched her back, wondering if her skin

was as silky as he imagined. His cock betrayed him,
more curious than he wanted to be.

From the first moment he looked at Ann,

he’d wanted her. With all that long, red hair
designed to be spread out across his bed, or around
his fist as he fucked her hard.

Yep, he’d had many a lonely night with his

hand for company, thinking of Ann instead. She
was too young for him though. Twenty-three, he
believed she was. He was forty.

He knew the world and Ann was too young

to know anything.

She looked over her shoulder at him. “I’ve

got a beer in the fridge if you want one. Go and
help yourself.”

He got to his feet, needing to do something

to rid his mind of all the dirty things he wanted to
do to her, and that ass.

College was about exploring, and he

couldn’t help but wonder what kind of things she

was already used to.

“Do you want one?”
“Nah, I don’t drink. Katie mentioned what

brand you like and I picked some up for you. I’ll
have a soda.”

He entered her house. It was a nice house, a

good size, but he also knew she was clearly
struggling for money. She had one sofa, which had
been delivered by a thrift store. College was the
best and worst experience. Years of amazing
challenges, only to be met with a nice fat bill at the
end of it.

He sighed.
His software company had taken off a

couple of years after he graduated college. He’d
paid off all of his debts and hadn’t looked back.

Opening the fridge, he saw it wasn’t

stocked. No doubt, she was budgeting.

He made a note to pick up some groceries.

Katie was an eater, and he didn’t want Ann going
without because she fed his girl.

Beer and soda in hand, he walked back into

the yard. Snapping the can open, he stepped up
close to Ann.

She was warm but he didn’t touch, even as

he wanted to. She’d pulled her hair down over one
shoulder, exposing the other.

“Here you go.”
“Thanks.”

Katie came bundling out with a pair of

shorts over her swimsuit. Her hair brushed and in a
ponytail. He often wondered where her desire for a
pony had come in.

Stepping away from Ann, he took a seat,

watching his little girl as she walked up to Ann.

This was dangerous.
Katie kept on talking and he couldn’t hear

everything as a plane flew overhead. It was funny,
though, as Ann started to laugh.

She finished grilling the steaks, put them on

a plate, and walked back to the table. “I’ve already
made the salad. I’ll be back.”

She left and he watched her walk.
“Do you like her, Daddy?” Katie asked.

“She’s really cool.”

“I know.” He avoided the question about

liking Ann. His little girl didn’t need to know how
Ann appeared in his thoughts, regularly. All dirty.

She came back to the table and sat down

opposite him and Katie. “Help yourself. I hope you
like everything.”

Before he got a chance to, she was already

cutting up Katie’s steak for her. He served them all
some potato salad, followed by some crunchy
coleslaw. The food was delicious. Katie often
talked about Ann’s cooking but he’d never really
gotten a taste.

“I’m going to school soon,” Katie said with

a pout.

“I know, I remember you saying. Next

week, right? Start of September?”

“I don’t want to go.”
“How come?” she asked.
He watched her. Ann seemed genuinely

curious about his little girl. She smiled at her, and
damn it, he was charmed as well.

Fuck.
This was dangerous. Back in the city, he had

a whole flock of women he could call up who knew
the score, and who he fucked on a regular basis.
This was supposed to be a fresh start for the both of
them.

“I don’t know. I don’t want to go. People

will laugh at me.”

“They will not,” Ann said. “You’ve got to

give people a chance.”

“Did you hate going to school?” Katie

asked.

“I was afraid but it was awesome. Honestly,

I had so much fun. You’ll find a best friend, maybe
two or three. It’ll be fun. Birthday parties as well.
Learning is always fun. I love to learn.”

His little girl smiled. “You think so?”
“I know so. You’re a lovely girl, Katie. I

would have totally been best friends with you, like
we are now. If I could, I’d go to school with you.
I’m a little old though now.” Ann turned to him, a

smile on her lips. “If your dad is okay with it,
afterward you can come and tell me all about it. I
can make muffins for us to eat. Ice cream,
milkshakes, muffins.”

“Yes, Daddy, can I? Can I?”
“I don’t see why not. So long as you give

school a chance.” He hadn’t wanted to send her to
boarding school. His life had changed one day, as
he’d sat in a restaurant for a business meeting.
Katie was with one of her nannies, and as he sat
there, he’d looked across the restaurant to see a
father and daughter eating dinner. Only, the little
girl had been staring at her dad, looking close to
tears while her father was on the phone. All
throughout dinner, he’d sat on the phone. Each free
moment, he’d been drawn to the couple and not
once did the dad stop on his cell phone.

It reminded him of himself and Katie. Even

when he went home and they ate dinner at the
table, Katie would talk but he’d only half listen.
Seeing what he was doing in plain sight, he knew he
had to make a change.

This was the change he made.
He still ran his company but he’d employed

a manager to do the main running of the place,
while he oversaw everything else, from his
computer at home.

It was taking some adjustment, but he was

determined to make it work.

“Then it’s a date,” Ann said.
He watched and listened as Ann made

arrangements with Katie. They were really getting
along. After their meal, Katie ran into the living
room, curling up on the sofa while Ann did the
dishes.

“You don’t have to do that,” she said as he

started to dry.

“You cooked. You should put your feet up,

and relax. Dinner was lovely.”

“Thank you.” She washed a couple more

plates. “I want to apologize. I don’t mean to
overstep any kind of boundary. I’m sure your wife
—”

“I’m not married.”
“Oh, well, Katie’s mother—”
“Is dead. We never married. In truth, we

couldn’t stand each other. It was a one-night stand
out of anger that turned into a pregnancy. Katie’s
mother died in childbirth.”

“I’m so sorry.”
Katie’s mother wasn’t a nice woman. They

often ended up fucking after a long, drawn-out
battle, and he’d hated himself afterward.

He’d never wanted her to die, but she asked

for him to take care of their little girl, no matter
what. She even got a contract for him to sign, not
that he needed any kind of legal requirement to
take care of his flesh and blood.

“Ann, I’m not a man who will be forced to

do things he doesn’t want to do. You hanging out
with my daughter is fine, but heed this warning,
when you move on, there will be no chance of you
coming back. My daughter is my first, only, and
main priority, and that is how it will stay.”

Chapter Two

Ann hated her job and as she collapsed onto

her sofa at nine o’clock on a Friday night, all she
wanted to do was curl up, cry, and go to sleep.
She’d taken a couple of classes in law during her
time in college. She didn’t want to be a lawyer or
even an accountant. Her real passion was in
writing, as it should be.

Only, writing didn’t pay the bills. Nor did

her love of dogs either. Her two biggest passions
were not money-making in any way.

Only amazing, stunning authors paid their

bills. So rather than study literature and art, she
took accounting, business, and law.

Yay.
Now, she worked for a bunch of lawyers she

couldn’t stand, and worse, they treated her like a
tea lady and slave.

Kicking off her heels, she rubbed her feet.
It was too late for Katie to come around and

visit. It had been a week now of her getting used to
kindergarten. The first day had been stressful.
She’d watched the clock the entire time, leaving
her job at five and starting muffins. Katie arrived
within minutes of her pre-heating the oven. Her
first day had been amazing, which was really

something. She was so happy for her.

The second day even more so.
She wondered how Katie got on today but it

was way too late.

Her stomach grumbled and she got to her

feet, heading to the fridge to make herself
something to eat, only to find some moldy cheese
waiting for her. Closing the door, she pouted. She
had to go shopping.

Dragging her feet to the front door, she slid

into some pumps, not caring how she wasn’t
wearing socks. She’d have to walk as her car was
on fumes. She needed gas, and well, that was for
emergencies. She really needed her paycheck right
now.

Opening the door, she came to a stop as Eli

was about to knock.

“Hi,” she said, shocked to see him at her

door.

He held a brown paper bag. “So, I know my

daughter. She eats a lot and well, I’ve been
meaning to pick you up some groceries, and I figure
I’d bring them around.”

“You bought me groceries?” she asked.
“My kid is probably eating you out of house

and home, why not?”

She was close to tears. “I was just about to

go grocery shopping. How is Katie? Where is
Katie?”

“She’s at her grandmother’s for the

weekend. After the long week at school, my
parents decided they wanted to hear all about it and
give me the weekend to prepare for the next.”

“Come in. Come in.”
“You’re back late.”
“Rough day at the office.” Her body wasn’t

going to betray her with how much she liked that
this guy was in her home. Not going to happen. She
would have some restraint. They were alone for the
first time since they’d moved in.

Totally alone.
No little five-year-old girl.
After closing the door, she followed him

into the kitchen, tossing out the moldy cheese, and
began to unpack the groceries he bought.

As she did, her stomach rumbled.
“How about I make you something to eat?”

he asked.

“I’d like that. Would you mind if I, er,

freshen up?”

“No, go ahead.”
He couldn’t be an ax murderer, could he?

No guy with a young kid could kill anyone. She
tried not to think of all the possible serial killers
through time who had a family and a murdering
hobby on the side.

Once she’d removed her clothes, she took a

quick shower, changing into a pair of jeans and a

large shirt. She dried her hair, running a brush
through it, and didn’t even bother with makeup.

She stepped into the kitchen just as Eli

served up.

“I’m pretty good at stir-fries. I hope you’re

okay with that?”

“I don’t mind. I don’t have to cook so I

don’t care.” She took the offered bowl from him,
breathing in the scents. Her mouth watered, and she
didn’t even bother with chopsticks, opting for a
fork. “Come on, let’s relax.” She noticed he’d
already opened a bottle of beer, and a soda for her.

They sat down on her sofa, and she didn’t

put the television on, more focused on food.

“Do you work late most nights?” he asked.
“Nah, this is one of those days. They’ve got

a case and they need all the help they can get.” She
wrinkled her nose.

“Are you a budding lawyer?”
“Hell, no. I don’t like law. It’s way too

complicated and full of … no, I’m not a lawyer.”

He laughed. “I don’t like lawyers either.”
“Have you dealt with plenty of them?”
“More than I ever want to do. I’ve got a

whole team of them.”

“Oh, right. Katie mentioned how you own

some kind of computer company,” she said.

“Software, but it’s close. It’s in computers.

What is it you do?”

“Right now, I get coffee, research old cases

in books, and pretty much do whatever I’m told to
do so I can keep my job.” She shrugged. “I like this
town. It’s why I moved here. After I left college, I
did get an apprentice as an accountant.”

“It’s not what you want to do?” he asked.
“I don’t know what I want to do.” She did

but she wasn’t about to tell him what she did late at
night when she couldn’t sleep. Her stories were her
hobby. They were also private. “I’ll figure it out.
For the most part, working as a legal assistant isn’t
so bad. The hours can suck, and the bosses can be
assholes. I guess it’s like that at most places.”

“It’s a lot different from college, isn’t it?”
“Oh, yeah. I don’t even think they teach

you in college how to deal with douchebags.” She
shrugged. “I guess I will have to learn as I go.”

“Most college boys are. Just treat them like

that and it’ll all be good. Most men are.”

She chuckled. “This is really good food. I

had no idea you can cook.”

“Katie hasn’t been bragging about my skills.

How do you think I feed her?”

“I don’t know, takeout?”
He wrinkled his nose. “I don’t do takeout.

Hate the stuff.”

“Stir-fry is takeout food.”
“No, it’s home cooking, what I love.”
This was the first real conversation they’d

had. Staring into his brown eyes, she nibbled on her
lip, wondering if he would ever look at her the way
she caught him doing in her door’s reflection a few
weeks ago. She really needed to stop thinking about
that. It wasn’t healthy. This guy was her neighbor
and there was no way she would give in to the
rumors she’d heard floating around. No one had
come out and said it but after a little research, she
had come to see their two houses were … cursed?

No, she didn’t think they were cursed. So

the people who had each lived in this house and his
had in some miraculous way found each other and
were now totally in love. Sure, she believed that.

The houses didn’t control what a person felt

or who they felt it for. There was just no way it
could happen.

She finished her food and licked her lips,

sated, full, and happy. Resting her hands on her
stomach, she glanced at Eli to find him watching
her. She smiled. “What’s up?”

“I was just wondering…”
“What?”
“What made you decide to come live here?

This town. I know my reasons for it, what are
yours?”

“Have you seen this neighborhood and this

house?” she asked. “There’s no way I would have
ever been able to get a mortgage and I do make
okay money as a legal assistant.” It was one of the

reasons she’d moved to the town. She’d applied for
her current position. Sure, she didn’t have a lot of
money for anything else but she put all of her
money into paying for this place every single
month. “Believe me, starving aside, I’m doing okay.
Also, this isn’t a bad neighborhood.”

“You’ve got that right. It is a pretty decent

one, isn’t it? It’s why I moved here with Katie,” he
said.

She giggled. “It sure is. I don’t know. The

house isn’t haunted, and it’s structurally sound.”

“You have heard of the rumor though,

right?” Eli asked.

As she turned her gaze back to his, her heart

raced. “I’ve heard about it, if we’ve heard the same
thing?” she asked.

“The woman that lived in my house before.

I’m useless with names, I can’t remember, but she
told me the woman of my dreams may be living
right next door.”

“The love rumor, that’s the one I was

talking about. Yep, totally, love.” She rested her
head on her hand, watching him. “What do you
think of it?”

“I don’t know what to think of it. I’m a

grown-ass man. I don’t believe in fairy tales.” He
rubbed his eyes. “I better go. I’ve got a lot of work
to do this weekend.”

****

Eli kept glancing over at the door as his

mom came out, carrying all the food she’d been
making for the day. He’d decided to open his house
up to the street. To invite some of Katie’s friends
over along with a few parents. The couple of times
he’d been around to Ann’s place, she hadn’t been
there. He’d shoved a card into her mailbox inviting
her to his party.

He had the grill fired up. Burgers and

sausages were already sizzling away. His mom took
care of all the extra salads and trimmings. He
grabbed dessert from the bakery in town.

A couple of the single moms were already

circling him like hungry vultures.

“What makes you keep looking at the door,

son?” his mom asked.

“It’s nothing.”
“Is this the neighbor Katie keeps talking

about?”

“I see Katie can’t seem to keep her

thoughts to herself,” he said, glancing over at his
daughter who was dancing like a crazy person.

“I don’t know, I’m interested to know what

this woman with the pool is like. If she can wow a
child, she’s a good woman, Eli. You should know
that.”

He didn’t know the first thing about women

and kids. Sure, his own mother had been amazing,
so had his dad. They were both supportive and

when he told them he wouldn’t be marrying the
mother of his child, they didn’t push.

Eli had never been the kind of guy to do

things he didn’t want to do. He also rarely did
anything stupid. Of course, his track record hadn’t
been great when it came to Katie’s conception.

“Ann!” Katie squealed excitedly and ran

across the garden.

He turned to see Ann standing there, her red

hair down in ringlets, wearing a plain white
sundress. She’d pushed her sunglasses up into her
hair and she nearly fell as Katie barreled into her.

“I missed you too, pumpkin.” Ann laughed.
Damn it, she was beautiful.
“So I see there is more to this neighbor than

I originally thought,” his mother said.

“Mom, don’t.”
“You’ve got drool. You forget who your

father is. Believe me, I know when a man is …
interested in a woman.”

“Mom, please, not now.”
His mother chuckled and he handed her the

tongs to keep turning the food on the grill as he
walked up to Ann, who was still hugging his
daughter. “You made it.”

“Yeah, your note got stuck under the mat. I

was about to go out when I saw it this morning.”

“We’re not keeping you from anything

important, are we?” he asked.

“No, no, nothing at all.” She waved her

hand in front of her. “Nothing I can’t deal with next
week.”

“Come on, Ann, let’s dance.”
Just like that, Katie dragged Ann into the

circle of kids. He quickly noticed some of the
moms giving her the stink eye, clearly assessing her
and finding her wanting.

“So that’s Ann,” his mother said.
“Don’t start.”
“I’m not starting. She’s young.”
“Don’t.”
“And I don’t even think she’s your type.

The red hair and she looks like she is more down to
earth.”

“Mom, seriously, stop it. You don’t know

what the hell you’re talking about, so just drop it.”

“Consider it dropped. Although…”
He turned to look at his mother, not in the

least bit interested in what she had to say.

She held her hands up. “Fine, fine, I’ll go

and be nice.”

His mother was already heading in Ann’s

direction before he could stop her. Katie made the
introductions, and he watched as Ann smiled,
shook her hand. They were talking. He didn’t know
if this was a good thing or not. Talking equaled bad,
didn’t it?

As he returned to the grill, one of the moms

came up to talk to him.

“Hi, I’m Jade, Louisa’s mom.” She held out

her hand. Deep-brown hair, no wedding ring, and a
smile with a promise on her lips.

“Eli,” he said, shaking her hand.
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched

Ann and his mother. They were still talking and
Ann still smiled. What could they possibly have to
say to one another? He didn’t get women, not at all.

Of course, Jade wanted to keep on talking.

He nodded, smiled, and when she suggested a
playdate, he looked toward his daughter who still
stood with Katie.

“Which one is your daughter?” he asked. In

truth, he was only mildly curious. Katie hadn’t
mentioned any Louisa in the past couple of weeks,
and he wasn’t about to set up a playdate for his
little girl with someone she didn’t even like.

Jade pointed to a girl sitting in a crowd of

girls and he didn’t recall Katie ever being near her.

“I’ll have to talk to Katie to arrange it.”
“Please do, I would love for the opportunity

to get to know you better.” She placed a hand on
his arm. Her nails were painted red, sharp.

He nodded and returned to his grilling.

There was a time he would have taken the woman
up on her offer. There were always willing women
and he could have his pick of the lot of them.
However, since becoming a dad and moving from

the city, his sex life had dived down to nothing.

Well, being a father hadn’t stopped him, not

back in his old life when he had nannies to care for
Katie. He had taken what he wanted with whatever
willing female had been there. Now though, it
wasn’t going to happen.

Nope.
Glancing over at Ann, he couldn’t help but

admire the curve of her ass. She had her back to
him, and the dress seemed to be taunting him as it
melded to those gracious hips.

With the food done, he started to serve up.

Kids ran to him with plates and buns. Each of them
took his offering before heading over to the table
for some more food.

Ann was the last person to arrive. He put

some food on her plate and she said thank you.

For the rest of the party, he didn’t see her.

Katie kept her all to herself, and it was wrong of
him to be jealous of his daughter, but he was.

He spoke to a couple of other dads who

were interested in setting up man date of playing
cards or watching football. He wasn’t interested in
either and promised to look at his schedule. Some
of the single moms offered to bring him a pie.

He wasn’t interested in pie, but again, he

kept his tongue. There were times he missed his old
self, who was quite happy to tell people to fuck off.

He saw them all out and that left him with

only Katie, his mom, and Ann.

“Well, I guess we’d better get going,” his

mother said.

“Have you been left with the cleanup?”

Ann asked.

He had every intention of calling a cleanup

crew but he nodded.

“That sucks. If you want, I can stay behind,

help out? I’ve helped in my fair share of party
cleanup.”

“I’d love that. Only if you’re free.”
“Yep, I am, free. Nothing to worry about on

that score. Totally free.”

He grabbed Katie’s stuff and saw his mom

out. Before she left, she threw herself into Ann’s
arms and told her they would be hanging out soon.

“Yes, we will. We’re going to be making lots

of muffins soon. I’ll grab the chocolate chips.”

Katie giggled and then they were gone.
Alone.
“This was a great party,” she said. “The

food was great.”

“You didn’t get to meet many people. My

mom and Katie kept you occupied.”

“I’m good, thanks. I don’t think I exactly fit

into the crowd.”

“What crowd?” he asked as they made their

way outside.

Now with everyone gone, and the cleanup

on him, he saw how messy it was. He left out trash
bins, so why did they throw their empty beer
bottles on the lawn?

“I don’t have a kid. This was very much a

parent party. Not that there’s anything wrong with
that. Far, far, from it. I don’t have a kid so it makes
me an outsider.” She shrugged. “I don’t mind.
Katie’s awesome and she’s really smart. I had an
amazing conversation with her.”

“I don’t know if you’re mocking me right

now or being genuine.”

“I’m actually being genuine. I like her.

She’s a great kid.”

“I didn’t keep you from anything today, did

I?” he asked. “I’ve been trying to catch you for a
couple of days now.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. It was just a job

interview.”

“I thought you already have a job,” he said.
“I do.” She didn’t say anything more and as

he looked at her, he saw there was a lot more going
on with Ann than he realized.

Chapter Three

Ann didn’t want to think about her current

predicament or what it all meant. She certainly
didn’t wish to tell Eli about her dwindling finance
situation or that she may even have to sell her
house.

“I don’t mean to pry, but what’s going on?”
She laughed. “Oh, you don’t want to pry

but that is the first thing you’re going to do.”

“You’re clearly unhappy.”
“Nah, I’m fine, you know. Nothing to worry

about. Totally fine.”

“Talk to me,” he said.
She straightened up and dropped a bottle

into the trash bin she’d been carrying. “My hours
have been reduced. There was a chance of a
reduction. I was only hoping it wouldn’t come to
that.” They’d cut her hours in half.

Half the hours.
Half the income.
She’d budgeted on a full-time income.
Right now, she wasn’t behind on her

mortgage, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t going to
happen. She had next to no savings. She needed
another job or three to stay afloat.

“You were going to job interviews?”

“One interview at the bank in town, but it’s

fine. It was a last-minute thing and to be honest, I
phoned them for the last couple of days, and they
really weren’t interested.”

She didn’t even want to phone them now to

see if she can make alternative arrangements with
them for another interview.

The diner wasn’t hiring either. It would

seem jobs were scarcer than they were when she
moved in.

“How bad are things?” Eli asked.
“Not bad yet, but I can work this out.

Believe me. I know how to work my way around a
strict budget.” Only her budget could usually pay
for everything, and she just had to decide on
noodles for dinner, or more noodles.

No freaking out, though. She wasn’t going

to admit defeat or say she had screwed up until she
had to put her house back on the market.

“Is there anything I can do to help you?”
She held her hand up and shook her head.

“No, nothing. I got this handled.”

She wasn’t used to people willing to help

her. Whatever problems she faced, she would do it
alone.

They cleaned up the mess in his backyard,

and she offered to help clean his home.

He handed her a mop while he took care of

cleaning the floors and carpets.

Within a couple of hours, it was late, and

they both sat on his sofa, drinking a beer. She didn’t
usually like beer but today she was going to make
an exception because she really needed one.

Tipping the bottle back against her lips, she

took a long pull, closing her eyes afterward.

“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I will be. I’m sure you know what

it’s like for your life not to go to plan. First, there’s
college, and you’re supposed to have so much fun.”

“You didn’t have fun?” he asked.
“I did. In the beginning, but it started to

affect my studies so the parties came to a complete
stop with me. I didn’t even get to the part of
enjoying crazy sex.” She burst out laughing. “I’m
probably one of the few women to leave college
still a virgin.” She emitted a large laugh, even
though she didn’t find it funny. Then reality
dawned on her. “Oh, boy. That was an overshare.”

“You’re still a virgin?”
“I better go.”
“You don’t have to, Ann.”
She turned to look at him. His dark eyes,

their intensity trapped her into place, keeping her
from running, moving, doing anything.

He had her, all of her.
“Yeah, I’m a virgin. I better go.” She got up,

finding one of the trash bins to put the empty beer
bottle in. She went to the door and he was close by.

So close.

This was wrong.
She went to open the door but he slammed

his palm against it, stopping her from leaving.

“Do you want to remain a virgin?” he

asked.

She closed her eyes, counted to five, and

turned to look at him. He captivated her like no
man or boy ever had.

“No.” She licked her lips. “I’m not

propositioning you.”

“I know. I’m propositioning you,” he said.
This couldn’t be happening, but he stepped

closer. The small distance they had ceased to exist.
He pressed his body against hers, and she had to tilt
her head back to look at him. He was taller, bigger,
and heat flooded her body. The touch of his body
sent hers even higher.

“What do you want?” she asked.
“How about you start by telling me what it

is you want from me?”

“I don’t … know. I’ve never done this

before.”

“Well, Ann, I can tell you that I want to

fuck you. I want to pop your cherry and show you
how good it can be between a man and woman. I’m
good. I’ll have you screaming my name and aching
for my dick.”

“Wow,” she said.

“What I don’t want is you thinking this

could be any more than that. I’ll fuck you and
you’ll fuck me. Katie will never know. I don’t want
any other woman, just you in my bed, at my beck
and call.”

“No other commitments?”
“If that’s a problem, we’ll stop talking,

pretend this never happened, and go about our
lives.”

“And if I want it to happen? If I don’t have

a problem with this being some fun?” she asked.

“Then next Friday. Katie’s back at my

parents’. I’ll have the house alone, and you’ll come
to me. I will expect you completely naked and wet.
I’ll make it good for you. I won’t hurt you.”

He stepped back and opened the door for

her.

She didn’t stop as she walked next door to

her house. Eli walked with her.

He stepped into her house and suddenly,

even with the door open, he had her pressed up
against the nearest wall. His hands grabbed her,
holding her in place as he ravished her mouth in a
searing kiss.

Her nipples hardened, and her pussy went

slick. She didn’t want him to stop, but within the
next second, he was gone, leaving her standing
there, amazed, a little shaken as he closed the door
behind him, going back to his own home.

What the hell just happened?
She flicked the locks into place and checked

the doors and windows before going to her room.

There on her unmade bed were all her

notes, calculations, and life going down the toilet
staring back up at her. She wouldn’t admit defeat
yet. There was still time.

Bringing her fingers to her lips, she touched

them, feeling how swollen they were from his kiss.

He was a damn good kisser, and she didn’t

have a doubt he knew it too.

He could kiss better than anyone.
She didn’t say she hadn’t been kissed, but in

her experience, it had been sloppy and horrible.
Nothing like what she just experienced.

Shaking the thoughts from her head, she

took a quick shower then climbed into bed and
went over the sums plaguing her life.

She hated this. This wasn’t how she

imagined the first few months of her life here was
going to be. Checking her bank account, she saw
how little she had. There was enough in there for
one month’s mortgage, and then she would struggle
unless she got another job.

After grabbing her laptop, she began to look

for any upcoming jobs or places she still hadn’t
checked. The library post had been filled already,
as had the receptionist job at the dentist. The
thought of working at the dentist didn’t exactly fill

her with joy, though.

The accounting firm wasn’t hiring at the

moment, but she made a note to send them a copy
of her résumé. She was good at what she did and
was a hard worker.

She’d gotten jobs through college by just

sending in a résumé.

With a new plan for the next few days, she

closed down her laptop, lay down, and stared
across the room.

She was lonely.
Her lips still tingled.
Eli.
Her next-door neighbor.
Was it corny to accept his offer or just plain

stupid? She didn’t know and the truth was, could
she keep it as no commitments? If her life became
really fucked up, she had no doubt she’d be able to
keep her shit to herself.

After all, if she didn’t pay her mortgage, she

was as good as gone.

She thought about the curse of the houses.

If what people said was true, did it mean Eli was
her true love?

No. She scoffed at the idea.
It wouldn’t be possible and there was no

way two houses at the bottom of a street could
bring two people together. It just wouldn’t happen.

Not ever.

****

It had been a long time since he’d wanted to

see his daughter go.

Eli smiled at his parents as they drove Katie

away.

One week had been too damn long.
He should have taken her the night she

offered herself up to him. Those plump lips, her tits,
her ass. All of Ann was a temptation he wasn’t
going to deny himself. His cock was already
starting to thicken.

Entering his home, he closed and locked the

door, wondering if she would come through the
front door or the back. In the kitchen, he put the
kettle on.

Alcohol was out of the question. He’d never

taken a virgin, but being a gentle and tender lover
wasn’t exactly rocket science.

It had been too long since he last had sex,

and all week, when he was alone in his shower, he
would think of Ann while touching his dick,
imagining her tight heat. The feel of her wrapped
around him.

The only thing he could wish for was going

into her bareback. He’d never been inside a woman
without a condom on, but he wasn’t going to take a
chance. Even Katie’s mother had been a split
condom, not because he wanted to feel her.

Whatever Ann was doing to his head, it

would end tonight.

There was a knock at the door.
Finally.
He went back to his front door, checking to

make sure it was her. It was.

Opening the door, he looked at her, smiling.
Her cheeks were red, and her hair was

pinned up. It looked like she’d just taken a shower
and she now wore a plain yellow dress. The thin
straps showed him she hadn’t taken the time to put
on a bra.

No complaints from him.
Banding an arm around her waist, he pulled

her inside. “About fucking time,” he said, taking
possession of her mouth.

She melted against him and he ran his hands

over her body, going from her back, down to her
ass, cupping the globes, and back up to her face.
“Do you need food? A drink?” he asked.

“No, I don’t want to wait.”
“Good.” He was tired of waiting.
Taking her hand, he led the way up to his

bedroom, closing his daughter’s room on the way
past.

“I’m going to let you take charge here, Ann.

You tell me what it is you want me to do to you,”
he said.

“I don’t … I … please, don’t make me, I’m

nervous.”

“Do you want me to take charge?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll tell me if it’s too much? If I’m

hurting you?”

“I’m a big girl. I can take it.”
“You want this?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Good.” He stepped up close to her.

“Because I want this so badly as well.” He walked
to her back and captured the zipper. Slowly, he
eased the dress down her body. The expanse of her
creamy back let him know as he got to the base that
she wasn’t wearing panties or even a thong.

She was stunning, and he couldn’t resist

touching her as he cupped her ass. “Do you have
any idea how much this pleases me?” he asked.

She moaned, pressing back against him.
“You’re fucking exquisite.” He kissed her

shoulder.

He was nowhere near done with her. He

wanted to fuck her so badly, but first, he’d make
her so wet.

After sliding his hand up her body, he held

her tit, running his thumb across her beaded nipple.
So tight, puckered. He pinched the bud and moved
to her other nipple, working it between his fingers,
tightening his hold on her.

They were so big and he loved how they felt

against his palm. Still, he’d be sucking on them later

as he knew she’d taste just as good.

Once he’d caressed down her stomach, he

held her pussy within his hand. She gasped as he
slid a finger between her slit.

She opened her thighs wider and he had no

problem taking full advantage of the way she felt
against him.

Fuck, she was beautiful, even more so than

he imagined. So wet. He didn’t press inside her. He
also wasn’t going to get her off standing up.

Eli guided her to the bed.
“Wait, I want to see you naked as well,” she

said. “If I’m naked it’s only right you should be as
well.”

He nodded. Stepping back from the bed, he

removed his shirt, followed by his boxer briefs, and
then he stood before her in all his naked glory. His
cock was already hard with pre-cum leaking out of
the tip.

He wanted her and there was no denying his

need. It was so fucking strong and he didn’t give a
fuck how nervous she looked. By the time he’d
taken her tonight, she wouldn’t be afraid.

Wrapping his fingers around his dick, he

pumped it a couple of times. Letting himself go, he
went to his drawer and pulled out the box of
condoms he’d purchased for tonight. He took one,
placing it within her palm.

“Don’t let this go.”

He nudged her up the bed, spreading open

her thighs so he could get a nice look at her pretty
cunt.

So juicy.
So ripe.
So pretty.
She had a sweet-looking pussy. The fine

hairs around her lips neatly trimmed.

Spreading the lips of her cunt, he slid his

tongue between them, grazing her clit before
moving down to her entrance, but he didn’t
penetrate her, just touched her, wanting to let her
get used to the feel of him.

He went back to her clit, sucking her into

his mouth before using his teeth to create an edge
of pain, then soothing it out with his tongue.

Back and forth, he worked her body, feeling

her getting close to orgasm. As she catapulted over
the edge, he watched her, replacing his tongue with
his fingers. The sounds she made echoed around
the room, and he couldn’t get enough of them.
They were so fucking sexy and he’d gladly listen to
her all fucking day.

She was something, all right.
Taking the condom from her hand, he tore

into it, throwing the empty wrapper to the floor.
With his condom in place, he went between her
thighs, stroking up and down and bumping her clit
before pausing at her entrance. She was still

experiencing some aftershocks.

He could go slow, let her get accustomed,

but all his life, he’d never taken the easy route. In
one hard thrust, he pushed through her virgin wall,
going balls deep inside her.

She cried out, her body going tense as he

worked his cock inside her. He closed his eyes,
holding still as she panted against his ear.

The pain was clear and he hated it. He

didn’t want to cause her any kind of pain, but it
was impossible not to. Most women felt pain the
first time.

Kissing her neck, he wrapped his arms

around her.

He was never affectionate with the other

women he fucked. Ann was already different. Even
though they had a vague agreement in place for no
commitments, it didn’t mean for a second she knew
what it truly entailed.

Kissing her, he tried to calm his dick, which

pulsed from the tightness of her heat.

“Ouch,” she said. “I knew it was going to

… I didn’t expect … that.”

“I’ve got you.”
“You don’t have to stay still. I’m not

expecting you to, you know, stop.”

He lifted up and he saw tears in her eyes.

“I’m going to wait for you.”

“Why?”

“This is your first time and it’s what you

deserve. I can’t guarantee it’s going to be the best
moment but I can tell you, you won’t forget tonight
—but not for any wrong reason.”

“Have you done this a lot?”
“Take a virgin? No.”
“Oh.”
“Shocked?”
“A little. I guess I figured you were

experienced.”

“I’m not saying I’m not, Ann. What I’m

saying is I’ve never had a virgin. I know how to
make a woman feel good, and I’ll have you coming
on my cock in no time. For now, just relax. Let
your body adjust to mine.”

“I can feel how hard you are,” she said.

“Does it hurt?”

“No, not in the way you think. It’s

incredible, really. I like it.”

“Oh.”
Her cheeks turned an even darker shade of

red. “You know, seeing you blush won’t ever get
old.”

She chuckled. “I don’t know why I’m

embarrassed. It could have something to do with
the fact we’re talking while you’re inside me, and
well, I doubt you had many women who wanted a
full-blown conversation midway through sex.”

“How about we agree not to talk about any

of my previous partners? I’m not comparing you. I
will never compare you, and it’s only us here, right
now, at this moment. Do you think you can do
that?”

She smiled. “I’d love to.”
“Good, because there’s nothing else I’m

interested in than to know you’re ready for me to
fuck you.”

Chapter Four

She was a virgin no more.
Ann looked at her reflection in the mirror,

trying to see if there was any sign of what just
happened.

She wasn’t a virgin.
Not even a little bit.
Eli had taken care of the condom and she’d

excused herself to use the bathroom. He’d only let
her go after he’d taken care of her virgin blood. He
was also dealing with the sheets.

He had a caring nature about him. She

wondered if he even realized it.

Shaking the thoughts from her mind, she

tried not to think. It was impossible not to, though.

Pushing some of her hair off her face, she

looked at herself. There was nothing different.
Sure, her lips were swollen, and she had kiss marks
on her neck and her breasts. Between her thighs
was tender, but she couldn’t see any other change.
No miraculous moment that declared her as a
woman.

“Are you going to keep looking in the

mirror all night?” Eli asked.

She turned to find him leaning up against

the doorframe, still naked. His cock was flaccid,

and he didn’t try to hide himself. Not that there was
any reason to hide. He was … well-endowed. She’d
had him inside her.

“No, sorry.”
“What are you looking for?” he asked,

coming to step up behind her.

“Nothing.”
He chuckled. “Let me guess, you want to

know if you can tell you’ve been well and truly
fucked?”

“I … I don’t know. Maybe.”
“Well, I can see it. Your body is a dead

giveaway, but it’s your eyes. They’re bigger, more
aware. You know what you can have, and it turns
you on. Am I wrong?”

“You’re not wrong.”
He smiled.
She gasped as she watched his hands come

up, holding her tits. She leaned back against him
and his cock began to stir at her back.

“Now, you’re going to be sore, Ann. Do you

want me to show you more, or would you like to
wait?”

“I don’t want you to stop.”
“Good.” He held her as he stepped back

from the mirror. “Touch your pussy for me.”

“What?”
“You heard me. Touch your pussy. I want to

watch you.”

She looked at him in their reflection.
His hands on her breasts. His gaze on her.
She slid her hand between her thighs and

this time, he groaned. “You tasted so good. Do you
know I’m going to spend a lot of time thinking
about your pussy on my face?”

“Eli,” she said.
“Do you want me to stop talking dirty to

you?”

“No.” She liked it, a lot more than she

thought was possible.

“Good, because I wasn’t going to stop. I

like to say it like it is, Ann. Your body was made for
a cock. My cock. Now shove a finger inside
yourself. Let’s see how wet you are.”

She did as he asked, expecting to feel pain,

but it didn’t hurt. There was a slight soreness but
nothing too horrible.

She added a second finger without his

instruction. His lips went to her neck, biting down
over her pulse, sucking on her. He massaged her
breasts, teasing her nipples and pinching them.

The pleasure went straight to her clit, and

she melted against him, wanting more, no, needing
it.

“Now play with your clit. Come on, Ann, I

want to watch you come.”

“I want you,” she said.
“You don’t get to order me around, baby.

I’m the boss. You will do as I say.”

She whimpered but she didn’t stop. Stroking

her clit, she watched him as he kept kissing and
nibbling at her neck.

He’d already brought her to one orgasm.

She didn’t think it was possible to even have a
second, but she should never doubt him because
watching him, she came, and did so hard.

She whimpered, not wanting him to stop.
He held her up as she let go into the orgasm.
When the pleasure began to ebb away, he

moved her so she gripped the edge of the sink.

“Don’t move.”
He disappeared into the bedroom only to

return seconds later. She looked over her shoulder
to see he’d put a condom on.

Eli stood behind her, running his hands

down her back, going to her ass. He grabbed her
ass, tilting her body at the angle he wanted.

“That’s perfect.” He spread the cheeks of

her ass, and his cock slowly slid inside her.

She watched him in the mirror as he pushed,

inch by glorious inch within her. When he was
seated to the hilt, his grip went back to her hips,
running up her body to cup her tits then down
again.

He was in no rush, and she didn’t ask him to

stop.

From this angle, he felt bigger, deeper than

he had before.

Licking her dry lips, she watched him.
“Your pussy is so fucking tight. One of

these days, I’m going to have to take you without a
condom. We’ll get you on the pill.”

“I’m already on it,” she said.
His head jerked toward her.
“I have bad cramps. The pill helps a little.”

It didn’t always and she still suffered with the
cramps, only she stopped complaining about it.

“Fuck, I’m clean,” he said. “I’ll get you a

full workup.”

“I’m clean.”
“Soon then, I’ll take you without a condom

and you’ll get to feel all of me.” He pulled out and
slammed back in.

It wasn’t painful, far from it. The pleasure

was on the next level. She closed her eyes as he did
it again.

She loved the feel of his hands on her hips,

holding her in place as he took her.

Opening her eyes again, she didn’t want to

miss a moment of it.

He sped up, thrusting deeper, harder, and it

consumed her, set her on fire, made her want more,
ache for more, hungry for his cock and desperate
with need. This wasn’t like anything she’d ever felt
before in her life. Staring at him now, she watched
him, completely enraptured as he held her tightly

and continued to fuck her.

Touching herself, she stroked her clit, and

he groaned.

“Yeah, come all over my cock, baby. Let

me feel how much you want my dick. Fuck yeah.”

She closed her eyes as a wave of pleasure

rushed over her. She hadn’t come yet but was
close, so very close.

Biting her lip, she tried to hold off, but with

his thrusts, the depth, it was like it set her off, and
when she came, she screamed his name.

“That’s it, baby. Know who is fucking you,”

he said. Over and over, he pounded inside her and
this time, when he came, she held still, feeling
every single pulse, wondering in the back of her
mind what it would be like without a condom.

There was going to be no way she’d ever

survive without one. He already consumed her.
She’d opened her eyes to watch him let go.

Resting her head on her crossed arms, she

panted. Took a deep breath in, and a long one out.

He kissed the base of her back, pulling out

of her. “I think that’s more than enough for you for
one night. Come on, it’s time I feed you.” He pulled
her into his arms, and in truth, with him surrounding
her, it was the best place she wanted to be.

Tilting her head back, she didn’t even need

to ask him for a kiss, he simply placed his lips
against hers and kissed her.

She once again closed her eyes, basking in

the touch of his mouth.

“Come on, I’m going to feed you.”
He took her hand and even on shaking legs,

she was shocked by how easy it was for her to
follow him.

Don’t go getting any ideas. This isn’t a

relationship. Enjoy it inside, don’t let him see.

When they were downstairs, he pulled on

one of his shirts and handed her another. She had
been too busy scolding herself to see him pick them
up on the way downstairs.

“You always think of everything.”
“It’s the businessman in me. I have to make

sure I’m one step ahead of the game.”

“Is that what you are?” she asked. “Always

one step ahead?”

“Yep.” He winked at her. “Now, how about

I cook us up some pasta?”

Her stomach rumbled and he laughed.

“Pasta it is.” There was no way his smirk could be
sexy, but it was.

“I bet it’s hard on these nights, right?” she

said. “You know, without Katie.”

“It can be. I love my daughter a great deal

but having some me time is much needed. Have
you ever thought about having kids?” he asked.

She giggled. “Don’t worry.” She saw his

horrified look. “I won’t see that as a curious

question into dating. I’ve got my feet firmly on the
ground and that’s the way it’s going to stay.”

****

Eli didn’t know what it was about her. The

truth was he’d never been curious about what a
woman wanted or didn’t. This was indeed a first for
him as well, and he wasn’t sure if he liked it.

Women weren’t in his future.
A bed partner was.
Now, all his decisions had to include his

little girl. If he was completely honest, being around
Ann wasn’t really a good idea.

She was the neighbor and well, he had

responsibilities that extended beyond fucking the
woman who lived next door.

If she got pissed off, this could hurt his little

girl. Rather than dwelling on his fuckup though, he
pushed all his worries to the back of his mind. He
didn’t need them. Far from it. Ann didn’t seem like
the kind of woman to come up against him and hurt
him or his child if she didn’t get what she wanted.

He got to work making Alfredo sauce for

the pasta, taking out all the necessary ingredients
he needed.

Every now and then, he glanced over at

Ann, watching her as she stared at him.

“How are you feeling?”
“Oh, you mean about my, er, you know…”
“Pussy?”

“I don’t know how you can do that,” she

said.

“Do what?”
“Be like a dad one minute and this dirty-

talking man the next.”

He winked at her. “It takes a hell of a lot of

practice but it can also be really fun. I like to
surprise you.” He chuckled as her cheeks started to
heat.

“I don’t think I can ever get used to it.”
“Well, I won’t talk to you like that around

Katie, if you’re worried, unless I whisper. I have no
interest in my daughter dating, or you know,
becoming a teenager.”

She laughed. “What do you think you’d do

if she was the kind of teenager to talk back, and
sneak out at night, or even smoke?”

“Ah, you see, I’ve got ways to deal with

that.”

“You do?”
“Hell, yeah, first you take away their

funding. Credit card pleasures will cease. That will
be one of the first punishments.”

“Wow, she has her own credit card?”
“Not yet, but when the time is right, I want

her to taste independence. I’ll be there all the time,
so it won’t be real, but she can learn money, and
how to deal with it. That kind of thing. Then of
course taking away all of her privileges.”

“I’ve got to ask, were you a good kid or

something?”

“Me, hell, no. I was a nightmare. There was

nothing good about me.” He winked at her.
“Looking back, I sometimes wonder how my
parents didn’t kill me. I was a horrible kid. I would
go out late. I didn’t have a cell phone back then, so
no way of getting in touch with me. Dad would
come cruising around the streets looking for me.”

“And who would have thought it, the rebel

kid turned into such an astute businessman.”

“Not me, that’s for sure. I don’t know. I

guess some kids have this rebellious stage.” He
shrugged. “I’ve got no doubt Katie’s going to give
me a run for my money, and she’s a female. I’m
going to have to get a shotgun ready for the men
who are going to want to date her. I’ve already
started to take shooting lessons.”

“But you don’t have a gun yet?”
“No gun. I figured being able to shoot

accurately would be best.” He finished their pasta
and served it up on two plates. There was a lot of it,
but he figured she needed some sustenance.

“I think that is the most ideal.” She

followed him into the sitting room. He waited for
her to sit before handing her a bowl.

She took it, saying thank you. “This is

really, really good.”

He watched her take another bite, close her

eyes, and then another before opening them. “You
haven’t poisoned it, have you?” she asked.

He shook his head. “No, not even close.”
She smirked. “Sorry, I figure I should ask,

just in case.”

“Don’t worry. I haven’t done anything

stupid like that. I know what I’m going to be
wanting again and again.” He squeezed her thigh
and he heard her gasp.

“It’s going to take some getting used to.”
“Yes, and I want to lay some ground rules,”

he said. “No matter what, Katie will always come
first.”

“Of course. I have no doubt. She’s more

important. I mean, most important.” She nodded.

“Now, my parents do take Katie regularly,

so I’m thinking on the weekends she’s away, you
can stay here or I can come to you. We can work it
out. Then when she’s around, I want us to be
careful. I know she’s grown attached to you.”

“Really?”
“Yes, and I don’t want to upset her,

especially as this is just a bit of fun.”

“I understand.”
“I would appreciate it if you don’t push her

away though. If you’re still happy to be her friend.”

“There’s really no reason for you to ask.

Believe me, I adore her, and I would be more than
happy to be her friend. She’s wonderful to be

around.”

He glanced at her, staring into her face, her

eyes, wondering if there was a hint of a lie. He
didn’t see anything. Just the truth.

This woman, she really was something else,

and he couldn’t put his finger on it. Damn it, he
didn’t believe in the fucking curse. He knew the
previous owner, a woman, had fallen for her
neighbor, but it couldn’t have been real as there
were two men. Unless … he didn’t have a fucking
clue because he didn’t give a fuck about other
people.

He didn’t waste his life in knowing other

people’s business. None of it was his problem. The
only ones he cared about were his own.

Houses bringing couples together was pure

bullshit.

Then why are you fucking your neighbor?
There was no reason to listen to the voice

inside his head. He made his own rules, not some
fucking houses.

“She really is something, my little girl. You

know, I didn’t know how to be a dad. I know my
dad was there for me, and he gave me a pretty good
start, even with everything I put him through. Still,
between work, and being an asshole, in the early
years, I organized nannies. Katie was raised by a lot
of them. I tried for a couple of weeks. Diapers,
feeding, and I struggled. My parents were away at

the time, and instead of admitting defeat to them
and watch my business crumble, I got a nanny.”

“Nannies are cool. You know you shouldn’t

be so hard on yourself, Eli. Raising babies is hard,
at least I’m guessing so.” She shrugged. “Don’t
worry about it.”

“I don’t know. I don’t even know why I’m

telling you this. There are times when we’re out I’ll
see a new family. A new baby. Like a couple of
months ago, we went to the beach. There was this
family a couple of feet away from us. Even over
the chatter and noise of everyone, I could hear
them encouraging their young kid as he took his
first steps.” Eli smiled. “I never saw Katie’s first
steps. I never heard her first word, or even heard
her first giggle. I came home one day to the nanny
tickling her, and it was the most beautiful sound in
the world.”

“I bet it was. You shouldn’t feel guilty.”
“You’re just trying to make me not feel so

bad.”

She rolled her eyes. “No, not at all. You

shouldn’t feel guilty because look at what you’ve
given Katie. You missed all of those firsts, but there
will be other kids if you ever have a full
relationship. Besides that, you get to be here for
more firsts, and you’re going to be ready for it.
Katie hasn’t turned out so bad, and it’s not like
you’ve turned your back on her, or anything.

You’re still here.” She took his hand, their food
already finished. “If it helps, I know she loves you
more than anything else in the world. You mean
everything to her, and you always will.”

He locked their fingers together. “You think

so?”

He wasn’t used to feeling vulnerable or

weak. Not that he felt it now.

“I know so. You’re all she talks about. As

well as dogs and ponies.”

“Weren’t you supposed to be getting a

dog?” he asked.

She pulled her hand away from him. “Yeah,

I was going to but something came up and I can’t
do it now.” She shrugged. “Can I use the
bathroom?”

“Are you allergic?”
“No, I just, I have to be ready and secure.

I’ll get a dog when I am. No worries.” She took his
bowl from him and he watched her go, knowing
there was more to it than he realized.

Chapter Five

Ann hadn’t been wrong. Missing the bank

interview had been a big mistake as they didn’t call
her back, nor did they want to arrange a new time.
They had told her in no uncertain terms they
weren’t the kind of people to be made fools of.
When you had an appointment for a job interview,
you kept it.

The accounting firm loved her résumé and

was keeping it on file, but again, nothing there.
There were also no openings coming up either. She
was, for all intents and purposes, on her own.

Still no placements at the diner either.
Glancing through the paper, she checked

each job, wanting to find something. She didn’t
have long. A part of her had wanted to ask Eli if he
had any openings, but there was no way she would
ever ask him that now.

She imagined he was used to people taking

advantage of him. She refused to be one of them.

Rubbing above her eye, she groaned. This

wasn’t good.

There was a position at the DIY store and

she circled it. This was one place she could work.
She worked odd jobs growing up.

She wasn’t the kind of woman to do a job

by halves. Drinking her coffee, she checked for
another one. A cleaner at a hairdresser. Again, none
of these places would put her degree to good use
but they were hard-working, good-paying jobs. She
needed all the help she could get. After also finding
dog walker openings, and even an opening at a pet
grooming place, she grabbed her bag and headed
out of the house.

There was no car next door, and this

weekend Katie was staying with her father.

They had been able to see each other a

couple of times throughout the week since he’d
taken her virginity.

Tucking her hair behind her ear, she waved

at a couple of passing neighbors. She saw one or
two whispering as they looked her way, but she
refused to care. There was nothing wrong with
having a healthy sexual relationship.

Eli didn’t do anything by halves, and

whenever he was around her and they were in
private, he would kiss, touch, or say dirty things
about what he wanted to do to her, and she loved
every single second of it.

Just thinking about it now made her hot and

ready.

Damn it. The man was a machine but in all

the right parts.

No, she wasn’t going to go to potential job

interviews thinking about sex or Eli. Right now, she

had to focus on just earning a living, enough to pay
for her mortgage and feed herself. That was all she
needed.

For now, she was forgoing handing in a

résumé and instead planned an attack approach. In
person, showing them just how good she was. It
was a risk, but one she was willing to take.

The first stop on her map of finding work,

dog walking.

She went to the house where an elderly lady

was waiting. It turned out she was fifteen minutes
too late. She scrubbed the job off her list but the
lady was kind enough to give her another address
for another lady not too far from where they were.

Writing it down, she saw it would be best to

come back to the lady as she had to head into town
now.

The DIY shop was closed for lunch. If she

wanted to make it to the other places, she was
going to have to hurry.

The next stop was the groomer’s. Entering

the scents of dog and cat, she smiled as she caught
sight of a poodle, a Labrador, and a couple of cats.

Going up to the counter, she waited for the

manager to come out. The woman was in her mid-
forties with blonde hair and a sweet smile.

“I’m afraid I can’t hire, sweetie. I already

have a full-time groomer. You’re a couple of days
late. If you want, if there is another opening, I’ll

keep your details on file, and we can give you a
call.”

There was no way she was going to refuse

work, and so she quickly wrote them down, hoping
like hell this woman found her some work.

It was like some fate or something was

against her making this work.

Next stop, hairdresser’s.
She sat down with the manager, and waited,

and waited.

Checking the time, she saw it was already

lunchtime and winced. By the time the manager
came back, she clucked her tongue and said she
didn’t have the right image. Not only was she
looking for a cleaner to fit the image of her work,
but also a part-time cutter as well.

Yep, she hadn’t taken any courses in beauty

and so that job was also a bust.

She rushed to the DIY store and it was still

open, but it appeared the manager was taking his
lunch break at the diner.

Damn it.
Luck was not on her side today, and she

wasn’t in the best of moods. He’d not been long
gone.

After going to the diner, she ordered herself

a burger and fries, and then spotted the man she
needed to talk to.

Desperation called and rather than take a

chance, she sat down at his table. There was no
sign of anyone else sitting here.

“Mr. Graves,” she said.
“Do I know you?”
“Not officially. I’m Ann Adams. It’s a

pleasure.” She held her hand out and he took it.

“Okay, darlin’, I don’t recognize you. You

don’t look like a lawyer, so I want to know what a
pretty little lady like you is doing crowding my
lunch.”

She put the paper down. “I really need a

job.”

“Are you an ex-addict?”
“What? No.”
“You seem kind of desperate. I didn’t know

if you were in interrupting my lunchtime for
something important.”

“I know and this is really rude of me, but

I’m hoping what you will see from me is
dedication.”

“You work at the law office though, right.”
“I do, yes.”
“So how do I know this isn’t some kind of

hoax?”

The guy she met at the counter had warned

her Mr. Graves was a little eccentric. He liked to
ask whatever questions he wanted and he didn’t
understand the first thing about privacy. Right now,
she was seeing what the man meant.

“Er, I don’t do hoaxes or anything. I’m not

really sure how to answer that one.”

“Well, I want to know if someone is trying

to bug my business. Have you got an entire crew
listening in on our conversation? Because me, I
don’t give nothing away.”

“Sir, Mr. Graves, I’m in a desperate

situation. My hours at the law office have been
reduced. I need to make a living, and so I wanted to
talk to you in person and to show you I will work
really, really hard. I promise you. I’m a good
worker. I won’t complain. I can work holidays as
well.” It wasn’t like she had a family waiting for
her back home. Sure, there was Eli and Katie but
she doubted they would invite her over for
Christmas. She was a stranger.

Mr. Graves sat back.
“This is certainly new for me. I’ve never

had a pretty girl come to my lunch, interrupt it, and
all for begging for a job.”

“Please, I know this is really inappropriate,

rude, and I shouldn’t have come. I am sorry.”

“You don’t need to leave,” he said, holding

out his hand as she went to grab her tray to leave.

“I don’t?”
“No, I actually like the company. I don’t

come here to be alone. If I wanted to be alone, I’d
take a bag of lunch to go. I like it here. There are
people and where people are, no one can hurt you.

If someone is listening in then you don’t have to
worry about them catching everything. There is
always someone out there listening. Speaking of, I
don’t do no cell phones either. You come to my
shop, your cell phone stays out.”

“Oh, right, of course. Yes. I can do that.”
She couldn’t exactly afford to keep her cell

running at the moment so it was dead and in her
drawer back home.

She wasn’t going to waste money on service

or charging it when she was saving every cent. The
same for her car. She was thinking of driving it and
selling it as well. She’d get some money for it. It
wasn’t completely banged up yet, but again, she
wanted to hold off, hoping luck was on her side.

“No devices, and you’re going to have to

wear proper clothing. None of that girly stuff. I
don’t want you screaming to me every time you
scuff a shin or something.”

“I’ve got good clothes.” She was currently

wearing a sundress, this one in a pale blue. “Does
this mean I’ve got the job?”

“This means you can try the job. I don’t

have time for any crap in my place. Hard work, and
the customer comes first and is always right, apart
from when they’re not right, got it?”

“I totally get it. Completely, totally, I

promise you, sir, you won’t regret it.”

“Don’t call me sir. The name’s Mr. Graves.

Don’t you change it to nothin’ either. I’ve got no
time for pranks or stuff.”

She nodded, already on cloud nine.

****

“What’s the matter, Daddy?” Katie asked.
Eli turned his attention back to his little girl.

“Nothing, sweetie.”

“Is it because Ann is talking to that man and

she hasn’t come over to say hi?”

He should have known his daughter would

have spotted something like that. “You know, you
see way too much for your age.”

She giggled. “I don’t mind.”
He couldn’t help but look again.
Okay, in his ground rules, they had all been

focused on Katie and how they would deal with a
relationship between the two of them while his
daughter was present, but he hadn’t broached the
subject of exclusivity, or had he?

He shouldn’t be jealous of her talking to Mr.

Graves. Eli didn’t know the man’s first name as
everyone referred to him as Grave, Graves, or Mr.
Graves. He’d never been in the DIY store.

Was that why she was talking to him?

Having lunch? Did she need some repairs on her
house?

The last time he’d been in her house, it

looked fine.

Unless there was something wrong with it

and she didn’t want him to know. Picking up a fry,
he couldn’t help but look toward her table, and
again, he didn’t like this.

Katie laughed. “You keep staring.”
“I’m sorry, sweetie.”
He was determined not to let Ann get to

him. Whatever she did on her own time was her
own business and he wasn’t going to invade them.
They weren’t in a relationship. They were fuck
buddies, if they were even called buddies.

He’d been out of the loop for so long, he

didn’t even know if a term was even required for
casual sex.

Ann and Mr. Graves left the diner and

neither of them looked his way. He watched as they
left and headed in the direction of the store.

He and Katie finished their meal and

walked all the way home.

Ann’s car was in the driveway and as they

were about to enter, she came out with a small bag,
placing it in the trash.

“Ann, how are you?” Katie asked, rushing

up to her side. “Did you get the puppy? Or dog?
What about a cat?”

“Wow, you’re excited, aren’t you? No dog,

puppy, or cat, I’m afraid.”

“We saw you at the diner,” Katie said. “You

were talking to the weird man.”

“Oh,” she said. “You were at the diner? I

didn’t see you.” Her gaze landed on him.

“Can I swim?”
“Only if your daddy is okay with it.” Ann

turned to him.

“Yes.”
Katie was already removing her clothing,

having put on a swimsuit beneath her clothes. He
laughed. “I didn’t see that one coming. Honestly, I
didn’t assume she would want to come and swim.”

“It’s fine. More than fine.” Ann laughed. Eli

followed her back into her house. She stopped at
the kitchen and he noticed Katie was poised at the
edge of the pool.

“Does she always do that?”
“She’s waiting until I’m out in the yard. I

don’t want her in the water unless an adult is
present.” She grabbed a drink out of the fridge and
three glasses, and they headed outside.

He took a seat beside her and looked

around the yard. He’d also checked out her house,
but again, he didn’t see anything that stood out and
screamed for repair.

The moment they sat down, Katie dived

into the pool, screaming.

“She does love the water.”
“So, erm, do you have anything that needs

repairing?” he asked.

Katie was far enough away and too busy

making her own noise and splashing around to hear.

“What do you mean?”
“Your date with Mr. Graves,” he said. “If

you need any repairs, I know my way around some
stuff. I’m not trained, but I can do the odd job.”

“Oh, right, no, of course not. A date. Why

did you think I was on a date with Mr. Graves?”

“You were at the diner.”
Ann cringed. “Erm, it’s not what you think.

Believe me. I’ve been hunting for new jobs. This
shouldn’t come as a surprise to you. I did tell you. I
was caught up at another interview. They kept me
behind too long only to tell me I didn’t fit their
image or what they were looking for.” She
shrugged. “I was running late and rather than send
a résumé, seeing as I didn’t have any previous or
prior working experience in a store, I wanted him to
see I was active and wanted the job.”

“Did you get the job?”
“I’ve been hired but it’s all subject to how

tomorrow goes.”

“I thought you worked at the law firm.”
“I do and I still do, but don’t you remember

I told you they were reducing my hours? I need an
extra job.” She shrugged. “So now I have to work
and prove to Mr. Graves I know my way around his
shop. Thankfully, I’ve worked in a DIY store
before, but I mean, very basic. Probably a third of
the size of his. Have you seen that place? It’s
huge.” She sighed and slumped down. “It has been

a long day, and it’s only three o’clock. I’m
exhausted.”

“Is that what you’ve been doing all

morning?”

“Yep. All morning, that was me, begging for

work. I know, you probably think I have no shame.
I do, believe me, but I don’t want to lose this
place.” She groaned and moved. “Drink?”

“Ann, how bad is it?” he asked.
“It’s nothing I can’t handle. I can work

hard. I know how. I’ve got everything managed.”
She poured them both a drink. “I think I’m going to
take a dip in the pool. Will you keep an eye on her
until I return?”

“My daughter, remember?”
“Yeah, right, sorry.”
He watched her go, returning his gaze to

Katie, who was floating on her back.

Ann didn’t sound like she had a hold on it.
She came back, wearing a swimsuit. He

watched her ass, but she didn’t linger for too long
at his side before climbing into the pool.

For a couple of minutes, he watched her.

Katie began to splash her and he loved seeing the
two of them together. He shouldn’t be encouraging
their relationship. One day, Ann was going to move
on.

“I’m going to use the bathroom,” he said.
Neither girl stopped him.

After going upstairs to the bathroom, he

took a quick leak, washed his hands, and splashed
his face. As he left, he paused outside of her room.
The door was ajar and he saw her bed, unmade.
What caught his attention were the books
surrounding a laptop.

Stepping inside, he leaned over and knew

instantly these were Ann’s finances.

Titling the book toward him, he saw her

notes on the figure. This was the money she
currently had, alongside were her bills, mortgage,
and essentials.

She had even calculated food expenses as

well. She’d put the money she made from the law
firm and circled around that was another figure
with DIY next to it.

Ann wasn’t doing okay. She would need a

second job to be able to stay afloat.

Tapping his finger at the side of his leg, he

wondered what he could do. He didn’t have to
worry about money. The house next door, he’d
purchased it outright. He hadn’t used a mortgage in
a long time.

This was … why didn’t she come to him for

help? He could have given her the money.

Stepping out of the bedroom, he called his

friend at the bank. The one whose name he saw on
her list. There was something he could do, and he
was going to make sure her mortgage was no longer

an issue.

In one swift transaction, he paid for her

house. Now, she wouldn’t need to go hunting for
another job. She would be free to be at his beck and
call, whenever he wanted her.

With that plan laid out, he didn’t overthink

his reasoning for paying her mortgage. He went
back to his girls and watched them in the pool.

This with Ann wasn’t going to go anywhere.

They were having a little bit of fun, that was all. It
didn’t mean anything.

She was just some fun to pass the time, and

while ever he believed that, he was going to stick to
it.

Chapter Six

“A hammer.”
Ann pointed out the hammer.
“A wrench.”
She held it up.
“Tape.”
This had been her life for the past couple of

hours. She wondered if Mr. Graves even realized
they were going over the same old ground. He
would ask, and she would point. They were going
around in circles.

“I think we’ve got it,” he said.
“We do?”
“Yes. You haven’t lost your temper, which

is good. Some customers are so fucking annoying.
They want the same thing, three times, then when
you bring them to the register, they moan about
why they’ve gotten three of the same thing.
Undecided and rude is what it is,” Mr. Graves said.
“You can start today. Put all of these back on the
appropriate shelves.”

She gathered up her little test subjects,

finally feeling like luck was on her side. Something
had to be.

Going to bed each night with her finances

mocking her was more than she could take.

She couldn’t stand it, in all honesty. Living

like this, day to day, scared of what other bad news
could fall her, she didn’t know how much she was
going to be able to take.

One more day. It was what she kept telling

herself. All she had to focus on was one more day.
If she could get through it, then she would be fine.
Each day would get better, easier.

She had to believe it or hope to believe in

something.

With all the objects back in their places, she

walked around the store, getting accustomed to it.

Yes, she could do this.
It was simple so long as she learned

everything.

Returning to the register, she found Mr.

Graves waiting. He held an apron out to her, along
with a name badge.

“You’re going to need these. I don’t like my

customers giving me descriptions of employees who
have pissed them off.”

“Oh, okay. I don’t intend to piss anyone

off.”

“Good, I’ll let you go if you do. I’ve got

way too much going on to even think about dealing
with trouble. I don’t like trouble. Way too much
trouble in the world.”

She watched as he left the register.
Standing behind the counter, she took a

deep breath. At lunchtime, she had an appointment
with the bank. She was hoping to drop down her
mortgage monthly payments and extend it out.

This was the last thing she wanted to do but

she didn’t have much choice. If she didn’t, she was
going to fail to make payment. Starving herself
wasn’t an option either.

Customers came and went all morning,

which surprised her. Most of them didn’t need any
help with what they were looking for.

Every now and then, Mr. Graves came out

to check, complaining there were bugs in the air, or
rats beneath them.

The customers didn’t seem to mind and kept

him in small talk. Sometimes, he even came out
with a bat.

Again, no fear was shown.
At lunchtime, one of Mr. Graves’s sons

came to tend the register while he went out to
lunch, and she grabbed her bag, choosing the
opportunity to get to her appointment at the bank.
This one she had no choice to keep, even if Eli
called her.

This was all business and it had to come

before pleasure.

She only hoped the bank didn’t keep her

waiting. The last thing she needed was for it to run
on and risk losing her new job.

When no one was looking, she took a bite

of her sandwich she’d stowed away in her bag.

“Miss Adams,” a man dressed in a very

expensive suit said.

“Hello.” She quickly swallowed her

mouthful of sandwich, hurting her throat as she did
so. Great, this was supposed to show her being
responsible and he caught her eating in a no-eating
zone.

“I’m Roger David.” He held his hand out

and she took it, shaking it. “Follow me.”

He walked toward his office, closing the

door behind him. “What can I help you with
today?”

Opening up her bag, she pulled out her

paperwork. “I was hoping to have a reduction and
an extension for my monthly mortgage.”

He took the paperwork, typed on his

computer, and chuckled. “I’m sorry, Miss Adams,
but you no longer have a mortgage.”

“What? No, that can’t be right. I have one. I

know I’m supposed to pay. I don’t understand.”

“Your mortgage was paid in full yesterday.”
“That’s not possible,” she said.
“It is.” He turned his computer around for

her to see. “Look, paid in full.” He clicked on his
mouse and she saw her mortgage was paid in full.

“I didn’t do this. Can you tell me who did

this?” she asked.

Don’t panic.

It’s fine.
Everything will be fine.
It’s just a tiny mistake. Nothing to worry

about.

“Eli Bruce.”
“What?”
“The payment was made by an Eli Bruce.”
She sat back, unable to believe it. “You’re

sure?”

“I am very sure. You have no reason to

worry about your mortgage. All details will be
mailed to you. I’m sure they will be with you within
the next seven to ten days.”

She nodded and got to her feet. She shook

his hand and walked back to the store, a little …
shocked.

This wasn’t what she wanted.
Don’t be ungrateful.
Was it ungrateful, though? She’d not asked

for him to pay her mortgage. She could pay.

Mr. Graves didn’t seem to notice any

change within her when she returned. He was
talking about his fries and the cheese he had over
them. He believed there were bugs in the cheese.

She tuned him out, finished working for the

day, and walked home.

Letting herself inside her home, she

wrapped her arms around herself. Was this really
her home? She hadn’t bought it.

After a couple of minutes of standing in the

hallway, a knock sounded at her door.

She knew who it was without even looking.
Opening the door, she looked at Eli.
“Hey, beautiful. Katie’s at a friend’s house,

and I figured you and I could enjoy a date night.”

“I’m not a whore,” she said.
Stepping away from the door, she walked

into the kitchen. She didn’t own any hard liquor but
at that moment, she wanted a drink, a stiff one.

Instead, she opened the fridge and took out

a beer. It wasn’t going to help her mood.

“Are you going to tell me what that is all

about?” he asked.

“Are you going to tell me why you paid for

my house?” She took a long drink of her beer.

“You know?”
“How did you even know how to pay for

my house? Why would you do that? Is that what
you need to clear your conscience or something?
You took my virginity so now you’re paying for the
privilege so you don’t feel bad?” She wanted to
shut up. She sounded mean, and this wasn’t her.

“You think I paid to fuck you?”
“Didn’t you? Is that what paying for my

place is doing?” she asked, glaring at him. This was
all a little too much. She shook her head. “I didn’t
ask you to do that.”

“No, you’re just going to struggle to make

ends meet. I saw your calculations, Ann. I should
have consulted you before paying for it, but you
were going to lose everything. Working different
jobs to make ends meet. You think I don’t know
what that’s like? My parents did that until I made
enough money to pay for their house.”

“I’m not your parents. I’m not even your

girlfriend. I’m a girl you fuck when your daughter is
away. Damn it. I don’t want to argue with you. I
hate this.” She wasn’t the kind of woman to make
conflict but she felt really weird about him paying
for her house.

“Ann, I did it so you didn’t have to leave.

You’re a good woman. A hard-working one. I can
see that.”

“We’ve only slept together a couple of

times.”

He stepped up close to her, taking the bottle

from her hand. His hand cupped the back of her
head and he pulled her close. “I didn’t pay for the
house because I got to feel how nice your cunt was
wrapped around my dick. I did it to be nice. You
need a break and sometimes, all a person needs is a
helping hand.”

“That’s a big helping hand.”
“I’m a nice guy.”
“No, you’re not. It even says so. You’re a

tough guy, and you don’t take fools lightly.”

“True. I don’t have any room for assholes.

The money is yours. I’m not paying to fuck you.”
His other hand went to her ass, squeezing the flesh.
“I’m doing that for free.”

She gasped as he pushed his hand down the

front of her jeans, cupping her pussy. She closed
her eyes, shocked by the sudden hit of lust.

“You can stay angry at me. I’ve got no

problem with that.”

****

Ann grabbed his shirt and pulled it apart.

Buttons flew everywhere. Eli tilted her head back,
slamming his lips against hers, pushing her up the
counter, and trapping her with his body. He lifted
her up and she gasped as he stepped between her
spread legs.

His cock was already hard as rock.
His friend had called ahead to let him know

Ann knew what he’d done. In all honesty, he hadn’t
expected her to react the way she did. He truly
believed she would’ve been happy. All the stress
was gone from her life, but it just went to prove he
didn’t know what the fuck he was talking about.

Not once.
This woman didn’t act how he’d expected.
He broke the kiss long enough to tear the

jeans from her body. He wanted her pussy wrapped
around his cock.

The fabric of her panties gave way as he

pulled them from her body. There was no way she

was going to be able to salvage them. They were
dead now.

With her panties gone, he pressed two

fingers inside her to find her already wet. Spreading
her legs, he stared at her cunt. His mouth watered
and he slid his tongue inside her, feeling her
tightening around him. Fuck, yeah, that was what
he was talking about.

She had the tightest cunt he’d ever tasted,

and he wanted more of her. He used his thumb to
tease her clit, watching as she arched up. “Get your
tits out. Let me see all of you.”

She shoved her shirt off, unlatched her bra,

and those beauties spilled out of the cups.
Perfection. So fucking pretty, and his cock ached to
be inside her.

He changed position so he could suck her

clit into his mouth at the same time as fucking her
with his fingers.

In and out, he pumped in deep, watching

her come apart beneath his touch. She was so
perfect, so beautiful. He wanted to take her.

“Eli, I’m close.”
After letting her go, he opened his pants,

released his dick, and then he was inside her.
Feeling her tight walls surround him. He closed his
eyes, grunted, and pulled out of her only to slide in
even deeper.

He wasn’t wearing a condom. They were

due at the doctor’s the next day or so but he
couldn’t stop. Without a doubt, he knew he was
clean, and so was she. Ann wrapped her arms and
legs around him as he took her head.

Lifting her in his arms, he carried her to the

sofa, making her straddle him.

Holding her in place, he began to rock her

up and down his length, and he went deeper,
harder. He watched her tits bounce and when he
could, he sucked on them, feeling an answering pull
in his balls.

He shoved her down on his length and

stroked her clit, and only when she came all over
him did he find his release. This time, he didn’t
bother to pull out. Spilling each pulse of his orgasm
into her cunt, he let go, holding her as he did.

It was one of the longest, most intense

orgasms of his life.

They were both panting, and Ann was the

first to move, leaning back a little so he could look
into her face.

“Wow,” she said. “Was that angry sex?”
“I don’t know, were you angry?”
“I think so.”
“Then I guess it was. I wasn’t angry. I just

wanted to show you who you belong to.”

“That was very caveman of you.”
“I know what I want, Ann.” He shoved her

hair out of her face and pulled her back down to

kiss her lips. She moaned his name, and he loved it.
Running his hands down her back, cupping her
hips, squeezing her ass, there wasn’t a part of her
he didn’t want. She was everything, she consumed
him.

It means nothing.
She’s just a fuck.
“Are you going to stay angry at me?” he

asked.

“Are you going to take away your money?”
“No. Your house is going to remain paid

for.”

“I don’t know if I feel comfortable with

that,” she said. “I can’t pay you back.”

“I didn’t ask for you to pay me back.”
“Why would you do something like that?

You don’t know me.”

“I’m a nice guy.”
“Eli, I’m being serious.”
“So am I. I like you. What’s there to think

about?” He didn’t want to think about it himself.
Paying for her house, making a life with her. None
of this was part of his plan. It wasn’t even a little
part of his plan.

Finding a woman wasn’t even mixed in with

what he wanted to do. Katie needed stability. So
what if his parents liked Ann? From the way Katie
talked about her, he doubted anyone could ever
hate this woman. She was smart, beautiful, and a

fine fuck as well.

Any man would be lucky to have her.
There was the spike.
The shock rushed through him, taking him

by surprise. He didn’t want any other man to know
how good this woman was. They all had their
chances with her and fucking failed. They didn’t
get to have a second shot.

Something

primal,

possessive,

and

consuming flooded over him. No woman had ever
made him feel this way. Something struck him, hard
and powerful.

Ann wasn’t just any woman. She belonged

to him. No other man was ever going to get a taste
of perfection. Stroking her cheek, he thought about
the houses.

No!
It was all bullshit.
There was no way houses brought people

together. He could have any woman he wanted. It
just so happened he wanted to give Ann a whole lot
of firsts and he was only just getting started.

It didn’t mean anything.
For once, he was going to be selfish with

her.

She shook her head and wriggled off his lap.

Eli wanted to fight her but instead, let her go,
seeing she was agitated. He didn’t want to upset her
any further. He didn’t fucking get it, though. Why

would she be pissed at him for paying for this
house? He saw how much she enjoyed the place,
and other women, he’d bought flowers, jewels, and
many other expensive trinkets. Okay, not in as
much value as a house, but he did something nice.

“This is a house.”
“I know. I have one next door.”
“Dammit, I really can’t talk to you when

you’re like this.”

“Then how about we stop fighting, you

come to bed, and we make up. We’ve got all
evening.”

He went to grab her hand but she evaded

him. She turned on her heel, walking away. He
listened as she stomped upstairs and he sat back.

Their arrangement didn’t include him sitting

here, listening to her being pissed, but even still, he
couldn’t exactly let her go away. Blowing out a
breath, he got to his feet and slowly followed her.
This was totally pointless, and he didn’t understand
why the fuck he was following her in the first place.

He found her standing in the bathroom,

staring at her reflection.

“Look, I’m not going to take the money

back. You deserve to have happiness, Ann. I don’t
get why you don’t see this as a gift, but it is.”

“Your company, would you have been so

damn smug about it now if someone had helped
you to build it?”

“Ann, no one helped me.”
“Exactly. So you can take all the credit for

making it work. Look around you, Eli. What can I
do?” she asked. “You know nothing about me. I
came from nothing. I was nothing, and now I can’t
even look myself in the mirror and say, yep, I
totally won this one.” She shook her head. “I’m
sorry. I don’t mean to sound like a bitch.”

“You’re doing a really good job.”
“That’s not funny.”
“I thought I was doing a good thing. I saw

all your calculations and starving wasn’t an
option.” He stepped into the bedroom, going right
behind her. Putting his hands on her hips, he slid
them across her stomach, pulling her back against
him. “You see, I love the way you feel against me.
How you move. I love your body, and starving it
won’t make me happy.”

“You did all of this for yourself?” she asked.
“Not all of it. I did it for Katie. You were

going to have to move away, and I can’t have that.
Not even for my own sanity. You see, you’re stuck
with me.”

She chuckled. “I don’t know if I can stay

mad at you for long.”

He slid his hand down between her thighs,

touching her pussy. “Then don’t. There’s no reason
to be pissed at me. I did a good thing.” And it
wasn’t like he was ever going to say sorry to her

either.

He did what he had to in order to keep her

around because the truth was he didn’t want to risk
some other fucker taking her from him.

Chapter Seven

Ann hated to admit it, but without the worry

of not paying her mortgage, life got pretty easy for
her. For the next couple of weeks, she enjoyed the
freedom of paying her bills, spending money on
food, hanging out with Katie, baking, and of course
when they could, being with Eli.

He was … a mystery.
Walking down the street, she remembered

the other woman who had been inquiring about a
dog walker. She never got around to approaching
her, but seeing as she was free for the day, she
wanted to check to see if she needed any
assistance.

She’d found the note left at the back of her

washing machine, which she pulled out to clean
behind, and this was where she had remembered
her because of the address.

Holding the piece of paper, she hummed to

herself as she walked up the small incline, going to
the door.

Lifting her hand, she knocked, waited, and

a few minutes later, a woman with crisp white hair
opened the door and smiled.

“Hi, I heard you were looking for a dog

walker.” Just then, as if called forth, six little dogs

came bundling toward her.

She wasn’t afraid. With Eli paying for her

house, she had been thinking more and more about
getting the dog she’d mentioned to Katie. Of course
this was all subject to her being able to keep both of
her jobs. At the moment, her work at the DIY store
was more fun than being a legal assistant.

Getting down to her knees, she stroked

them, made a fuss.

“Well, well, well, I think you should come

in, honey. It would seem my dogs have found a
match. You’re the fifth dog walker I’ve had come
to my door, and all the others have just gone poof
as if they’re afraid when they all come out,
barreling toward them. I know it’s not easy keeping
a lot of dogs, but they’re really good.”

“And they’re so sweet.” She followed the

woman inside. “My name’s Ann,” she said.

“Ah, Elizabeth, good to meet you.”
She gave the woman’s hand a shake, noting

how firm her grip was.

“Would you like a cup of tea?” Elizabeth

asked.

“Love one. I want to be honest with you.

I’m not a trained dog walker. If there is even such a
thing. I work as a legal assistant and at the DIY
store.”

The woman laughed. “You do get around a

bit.”

“I don’t mind, and I’m not looking to be

getting paid or anything. I can walk in the mornings
and the evenings.” This woman didn’t live too far
from her house, so it wasn’t going to be hard to
walk. Some of the weekends when Katie was home,
it would give her something to do as she wasn’t
always happy with being on her own. She could
deal, but loneliness was a real heartache.

“I don’t mind paying you, dear.”
Ann took a seat at the table and waited for

her to finish brewing her tea. It looked like she
already had a teapot waiting, and she watched as
the woman made them both a small cup. It was
beautiful porcelain she served from. She walked
toward her, putting a cup down with a saucer.

“This is beautiful,” she said.
“Ah, it was a wedding gift. My William

unfortunately passed a couple of years ago, but I
like to still have the memories of our time together.
Love is so precious. It’s not to be wasted. Do you
have a suitor?” Elizabeth asked.

“Me? No, I don’t have a suitor. Well, there

is one guy but it’s not marriage or anything. Just se
—I mean, friendship.”

Elizabeth chuckled. “You do know I’m not

too old to know what sex is. Me and my William
had it plenty of times. Not until we were married,
of course. Times have changed. Six kids down the
line. They are all off now, doing what they need to,

but they always come back to check on me.
They’re good kids. They want me to leave this
house but I can’t do it. This place has all my
memories. All parts of me. If I left here, I’d be
leaving my honey behind and that I cannot do.”

Ann envied the woman’s love. Her

relationship. Even in the briefest of moments
talking about it, she saw the true love the woman
felt. It was real, pure, and damn it, she hated
envying anyone.

“So, enough about me. Do you live far? Will

you be able to walk them regularly?”

Getting down to business, she told her

where she lived and before she could even agree to
mornings and afternoons, the woman sighed.

“Oh, I see, your friendship then, the sex

one, is with the man next door.”

Her cheeks grew hot.
“Another telltale sign, the hot blush. He is

hot, isn’t he?”

“You’ve seen him?”
“Are you kidding me? Whenever I hear of a

new couple moving into those two houses, my
curiosity gets the better of me. I need to know who
and I like to have a little guess on just how long it
will take them to get together. You and this new guy
are taking a lot longer than I guessed. You see, I
saw the way he looked at you when you moved in.
You both moved in on the same day. That’s what I

think the key is.”

“Key?”
“To the houses working.”
“Oh, you think the houses have that curse?”
“Finding true love isn’t a curse. It’s a gift.

Those houses are damn gifts, I tell you. I’ve seen
them in action. So many beautiful couples. I mean,
they will always have a couple of months or even
years when they stick to the two houses as if
moving away will tear them apart, but it doesn’t
happen. Nope, those houses are everything. I’ve
seen them in action, and they really are something.”

“Wow,” she said.
“You don’t believe it?”
“It’s kind of hard to believe houses can

bring people together.”

“Don’t worry, I don’t doubt for an instant

other couples didn’t feel that way.”

“Well, whatever lucky streak they had, it

will end with me and Eli. We’re not in a
relationship.”

“No, but again, you didn’t see the way he

looked at you. I watched him and I know that look.
It’s the kind a man gives to a woman he can’t
imagine his life without. I bet this man couldn’t
imagine being without you.”

She laughed. “Oh, I bet he could at times.”

But thinking about moving day, it didn’t exactly
ring any bells on catching him look at her.

“You don’t believe, but trust me. If you two

are already doing the sex, it won’t be long now.”

“I don’t know if that worries me.”
“Love isn’t something to dread, honey. It’s

something to embrace. To love.” Elizabeth put a
hand to her heart. “And believe me, when you find
it, you’re not going to want to let it go.”

Drawing the subject back to the topic at

hand, which was the dogs, she wanted to stay
focused on what could, in fact, happen, rather than
dwelling on what might or might not be.

She didn’t want to think of a future with Eli.

The sex was amazing, and she loved snuggling up
against him, but everything else wasn’t worth
dreaming about. She had come a long way to know
dreams, and taking the time to even allowing
herself to believe was just setting her up to feel pain
and misery.

After tea, she walked out with Elizabeth

and all six dogs. She held the leads for all of them
while Elizabeth strolled with her.

“If you don’t mind, I would like to come

with you. It will help to keep my ticker strong.”

“If that’s what you would like.”
“It is. I like a good brisk walk. In all truth, I

don’t need a dog walker, I just need some company.
I hope you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind at all,” she said. She would be

glad of the company, and she happened to really

like Elizabeth. She wasn’t good at making friends at
the best of times, apart from Katie.

They went into the park, where she was

able to take all six dogs off the lead and watch
them sprint across the grass, lapping up the summer
sun. They all looked happy, content, and free.

“This is the life. William and I, we loved to

take long strolls.”

“Did you and William live in the two

houses?”

“No, we didn’t, but our parents did many

years ago. We actually found ourselves hating each
other in school. He would pull my hair and I’d kick
him between the legs. Then of course, one day, it all
changed. We started to enjoy each other’s
company.”

“Did your parents get together?”
“No. So I guess the houses did bring us

together, it just wasn’t looking to split up two happy
marriages to do it. We married at eighteen and left
home. Our parents moved out the next year.”
Elizabeth laughed. “We never realized the houses
worked on us too.”

****

“We can invite Ann,” Katie said.
Eli paused and looked down at his little girl.

Louisa’s mom had invited them out to lunch, or
Katie out, and he was joining her. He didn’t want to
be anywhere near Louisa’s mom. He couldn’t even

remember her name.

“She’s not here, remember?” He’d already

gone to her house, asking for her to save him, but
no answer. He’d called her as well, only for the call
to go straight to voicemail.

He was pissed, but she had her own life to

live, and it didn’t include him.

“I’m sorry, sweetie.”
“Why did you have to agree to go to

lunch?” Katie pouted. “I don’t like Louisa. She
says I’m weird because I don’t have a mommy.”

“Fuck, shit. I wasn’t supposed to say either

of those words. I’m a bad dad.” He pulled his
daughter in close. “Do you want me to cancel?”

Katie nodded and then groaned. “Her car is

outside.”

“Okay, do you want me to be rude?”
“But Louisa might tell all of my friends how

mean you are and no one will invite me to a party.”
Katie’s eyes filled with tears.

Crying females were not his strong suit.

They were a mystery to him, and whenever the
waterworks came on, he left or found any number
of reasons to get the hell out of there. But right
now, this crying girl was his daughter.

Cupping her face, he groaned. “Please,

don’t cry. You know I don’t do well when you cry.
How about we make a deal? We’re good with deals,
right?”

“I’m listening,” Katie said, sniffling.
“We go to dinner, and we don’t leave each

other alone. Louisa’s mother scares me. Like on a
big scale. She’s terrifying.”

“So I’ll be doing you a favor?”
“A big one. I huge one.”
“And you won’t organize a playdate like

this one again?”

“I promise. I swear, I will never leave you

stranded like this again,” he said.

Katie pursed her lips, seeming to think it

over. “Deal.”

“Good.”
She took his hand and they left the house.

He locked the door, wishing he could have had
some emergency that meant he didn’t have to go on
any playdate. Next time, he was going to run all
playdates through Ann. She would know what to
do.

“I know we said we’d meet at the diner, but

I figured it was on my way, so why not pick you
up?”

“Certainly,” he said.
After opening the passenger door for Katie,

he helped her inside, buckling her into place and
kissing her on the head.

Louisa was on her phone typing away

frantically.

“Leave them on their cell phones. They’ll

be fine,” Louisa’s mom said.

“I don’t let Katie have a cell phone.” Right

this second, he was really pleased. “Do I, kiddo?”

“Nope.” Katie smiled at him. “He doesn’t

think they’re necessary.”

“You’re lame,” Louisa said.
“Or, she will have a great deal of talking

skills.”

“I was hoping we could talk,” Louisa’s

mom said.

He knew what she wanted.
“Katie, sweetie, spell unfortunately.” He

smiled at the woman beside him and mouthed,
“Sorry.”

Katie, his loving daughter, played along, and

before long, Louisa, joined in, and they both were
spelling out words.

This was something his parents did with

him, and well, his mother was the one who had
removed the phone he’d gotten for Katie. His
mother who said they were the devil and all kids
needed to learn basic skills before being drawn to a
device.

He never argued with his mother, and that

cell phone was probably still in the confiscation box
she liked to keep in the kitchen cupboard.

How times have changed.
They drove into town, and Louisa’s mom

was clearly not happy.

When she parked—and she was an awful

driver—he climbed out and helped Katie down,
who was chuckling.

They entered the diner, and of course it was

busy. It was the dinnertime rush. There was a booth
available, as Louisa’s mom had booked a table in
advance. A nice little trick as he didn’t know one
could do that. He made a note to do the same for
him, Katie, and Ann.

He waited as Katie and Louisa shuffled into

the booth, then of course the mother, who refused
to go in before his daughter, and he joined the table.

Louisa and Katie immediately grabbed the

menus. His little spelling game seemed to have
broken the ice between the two girls. Grabbing a
menu, he slid it open.

Louisa’s mom put her painted nails on his

arm. “You know, all Louisa talks about is Katie. I
knew I had to bring them together.”

“I’m sure you did.”
He wasn’t going to point out how much she

was lying. There was simply no reason to.

“Actually, I think she likes you as well. I

know it’s a little forward,” she said. “She has been
looking for a father figure ever since her dad left us
last year. His secretary. He was that kind of man.
The kind to keep his wife at home slaving over him,
and fiddle with his younger bit on the side.”

This wasn’t the topic he wanted to get at.

“That must suck.”

“Oh, it does, believe me. I am a woman

scorned. I don’t get men. How they can just use us
until we’re all worn out, and then move onto the
newer model?” She sighed.

He rolled his eyes. “You’re fine. The man

was a fool.”

He was playing his part well and Katie kept

glancing up at him. He was a big man and knew
how to keep his shit together.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to remain

calm, which wasn’t working, because he didn’t
want Louisa’s mom touching him.

The waitress came to their table, and he was

happy for the distraction.

In the city, he would have taken this woman

up on her offer, used her, and discarded her. But he
wasn’t playing by those rules anymore. Nope, they
were all different now. His little girl was near him,
and this woman was the mother of her friend. This
move was all about Katie, and he wasn’t going to
spoil it.

With their food ordered, he sat back and

watched as Katie began to color with the crayons
the waitress had left along with a card. Seeing her
like this, he felt at peace, like everything he was
doing had a purpose. His little girl was everything
to him.

So sweet.

So beautiful.
“So, I was thinking that you could come by

my house next Saturday,” Louisa’s mom said. Her
hand went to his thigh. The kids wouldn’t be able to
see. It was high up on his thigh, very close to his
dick, which for him, only had one owner.

What the fuck?
He thought about Ann.
His dick belonged to Ann.
When the fuck had this happened?
Why did he even care so much?
“I’m busy next weekend.” Katie was going

to his parents’ house and he was going to be balls
deep inside of Ann, his very sexy, next-door
neighbor.

He put his hand on top of Louisa’s mom’s

with the intention of moving it, only he felt a pull
across the room.

He turned to see Ann was there. Her gaze

was on him and in a split second before she looked
away, he saw the pain and hurt in her eyes.

Fuck.
She was alone, at a table near the counter.
He heard her name called. She grabbed her

dinner, and without another look at him, she was
gone.

There was no time to chase her either. Their

dinner arrived and Katie was oblivious to his panic.
Ann had seen him with this woman and her overly

grabby hand. He was pissed off. He tried to focus
on dinner, listening to Katie and Louisa chatter. He
moved to the edge of the booth, and when Katie
asked if she could sleep over at Louisa’s, he didn’t
argue. He promised to get her the next day.

Louisa’s mom wanted him to come back for

a drink but he declined, instead, walking back to his
home with the task of trying to figure out how to
tell the woman in his life that what she saw wasn’t
the real truth.

Never had he justified his actions, but now,

he did feel he was going to need a miracle.

Chapter Eight

It was foolish to hope for anything. She

knew that now as clear as anything.

Ann couldn’t believe what a fool she had

been and he was even on a date with another
woman. Sure, Katie and another girl had been
there, but he’d looked way too cozy with that other
woman, and well, it was up to him what he did.

After running fingers through her hair, she

put her food down on the counter and instead, took
a nice long shower.

She tilted her head up to the spray of the

water, closing her eyes as she washed the day’s dirt
from her body. She was due to walk Elizabeth’s
dogs tomorrow morning.

Whatever tales these houses had to tell,

they clearly didn’t work on her, not that she
minded. She didn’t need a man.

With her hair thoroughly washed and her

body clean, she turned the shower off and wrapped
her hair up in a towel before pulling on a bathrobe
to cover her body.

She wondered if that other woman had to

cover anything up that was perfect on her. Ugh, she
hated this. Being jealous of other women was not
productive. It sucked and she wasn’t the kind of

woman to be pissed at something like this, and yet,
it seemed, she was hurt by what she saw.

It means nothing.
Once she’d padded downstairs, she grabbed

her dinner off the counter, which was now cold, but
she didn’t mind eating cold burgers. There was no
reason for her to cook today.

Sitting on the sofa, she shoved her burger

into her mouth and took a large bite, feeling her
stomach twist at the thought of Eli preferring the
sophisticated woman to her. She wondered if that
woman needed help to pay her mortgage, or if her
bills and finances were all in order. She probably
didn’t need two jobs either.

Taking another bite, she refused to allow

herself to fall for him, or think about him with
another woman.

He had his own life, he could live it his own

way.

She’d be able to work through all of her

troubles. It would probably be good for Katie to
have a mother as well.

Another bite and a knock at the door

interrupted her thoughts.

With burger in hand, she walked across to

her door, only to glare. Eli was on the other side.
She stood there.

“Ann, I know you’re in there.”
She didn’t say anything.

“I can feel you. Come on. I know you’re

pissed at me, but you can’t be pissed at something
you don’t know. You don’t know the full story.”

Unlocking her door, she opened it. “I really

need to know the full story about why that woman
was pretty much touching your dick in the diner?”

“She didn’t get anywhere near my dick.”
“Yeah, right. Did you just throw her off you,

is that it? Is that what you want me to believe?” she
asked.

He stepped into her house, closing the door,

and she stormed away, going back to her seat on
the sofa. He wasn’t getting sex tonight.

Taking another bite of her burger, she hated

that it was the last one, but she had cold fries.
Shoving one of them in her mouth, she realized
they didn’t taste as good cold. Still, she was going
to eat and ignore this man.

Don’t you think you’re acting a wee bit

childish?

No, she didn’t. She felt she was acting how

she felt, hurt. Sophisticated woman, childish
outburst.

Eli took the bag from her hand and threw it

in the trash.

“Hey, I was eating those.”
“They’re cold and you look like you’re

going to throw up. Don’t lie to me and pretend
otherwise. Now, are we going to have a civilized

conversation here, or do you want to keep arguing
with me?”

She frowned. “Where’s Katie?”
“She’s at a sleepover.”
“Oh, at little miss perfect’s. I’m surprised

you’re not there.”

“I did get an invite but I knew I needed to

come and deal with you.”

“You don’t have to deal with me. I’ve got a

lot of things I could be doing. You know, dating,
and going out with lots of strange men.” Oh, shut
up, please. She didn’t know why she kept talking.

Part of her had hoped her talk with

Elizabeth had been right.

No. She couldn’t fall for Eli. They weren’t a

couple. They weren’t even together. Not really.
They enjoyed each other. He was her first, but
when this ran its course, it would be over.
Completely over.

Elie grabbed her face and suddenly, she was

pressed back against the sofa, his large body over
hers and she had no choice but to spread her legs as
he thrust against her. His lips took possession of
hers.

All thought left her.
All that remained was his body next to hers.
The towel on her head had started to dry

her hair but now it fell. He sank his fingers into her
hair and kissed her again.

“Now that I have you quiet, I’m going to

tell you there was nothing going on between that
woman and me. There will never be anything going
on because I don’t belong to anyone, Ann. You’re
the only woman I want. Katie didn’t even want to
go out on a playdate. I organized it because I
thought she did, and I wanted her to fit in. Have a
life here. One where she is loved and people know
her. You know?” he asked.

She nodded. Right now, words seemed to be

failing her at every single turn and it would be
much easier for her to listen. Less humiliating as
well. She had really thrown their relationship up in
his face, and even brought dating other men into it.
She was an idiot. No doubt about it.

“I’m sorry,” she said.
“You have every single right to be hurt,

Ann. I’m not going to hold it against you.”

“No, you’re right. I acted like an idiot and I

won’t let it happen again.”

He pressed his head against hers. “I mean,

what I’m saying is I don’t want any other woman.
I’m not even looking.”

“I saw the way the woman looked at you.

She wants you.”

“She can want all she likes, she’s not getting

me. I belong to you.”

Her heart lifted. His words filled her with

hope. Did he even realize the words he’d spoken?

The kind that gave way to commitment. She knew
they were only spoken in the heat of the moment,
but still, they were there.

Did he really belong to her?
She needed to keep her hopes down. There

was no way she was going to let this moment go.
Not now.

He kissed her again. “I did try to call you,”

he said.

“You did?” She frowned. “When?”
“Today. When I realized Katie didn’t want

to go and that this could have been a ruse to get me
to go along. I know what that woman wants, Ann.
I’m not a fool.”

“I didn’t think you were a fool,” she said.
“You didn’t answer.”
“I was out, sorry.”
“What were you doing?”
“I was walking a friend’s dogs.”
He raised a brow. “Really? Do you need

more money?”

“No. I don’t need any money.” She put a

hand on his chest. She didn’t want him to pay for
anything more.

After seeing the woman with him today, she

had to stay on her own two feet. There was no way
she was going to rely on him for money, and she
didn’t want him to think she only saw him as a
bank book.

“I want to walk the dogs. Honestly, I do. I

like to walk.”

“You’re going to be walking dogs.”
“Yep, six of them. In the morning and at

night.”

“I don’t like it.”
“You can hate it all you want, but I’m doing

it.”

“You’re going to be alone at night and in the

morning?” he asked.

“Yes. It’s fine and I will be perfectly safe.”

She tilted her head back and felt his growing
erection as it pressed between her thighs. “Do you
want to continue to lecture me about going out
alone after dark? Or do you want something else?”

“Oh, you see, you won’t be alone because

whenever Katie is busy, you’re going to have me.
I’ll walk with you with the dogs.”

“What about when Katie is with you?” she

asked.

“You’re going to be on the phone with me.”
“Eli, that is a little extreme.”
“It’s not. I need to know you’re safe. Now, I

think I need to take care of another problem.”

“You do?” she asked.
“Yeah, I need to hear you scream my name

as I lick this pretty little pussy.” He moved down
between her thighs and she gasped as he licked
from her entrance up to her clit, then back down

again.

She wasn’t going to argue with him.

****

“You know you don’t have to come with

me,” Ann said the next morning.

Eli had on his walking boots, jeans, and a

shirt. The last of summer was ebbing away, and
soon he was going to have to start thinking about
Halloween, Thanksgiving, and even Christmas.

“I’m coming with.”
He wasn’t going to let Ann go out on her

own. He wanted to make sure she was safe and
protected.

“What are you doing at Halloween?” he

asked, changing the subject. He didn’t want to
think about why it was so important for him to keep
her safe.

Ann had lived without him and would be

able to take care of herself, but he didn’t like the
very thought of her being alone.

After they had walked the dogs, he was

going to pick up Katie and had every intention of
spending the day with Ann as well. They could go
to the town fair that was being set up for the last
summer weekend.

It had started last week, and Katie had

wanted to go. He hadn’t been able to take her
because of work commitments. Even though he
worked from home, he still needed to take some

time to actually get work done.

“Isn’t it a bit early to be thinking about

Halloween?”

“Katie’s already making me order stuff to

decorate the house. We never did anything back at
my old place. I didn’t do Halloween.” In fact,
Thanksgiving, he worked through, and Christmas,
he was on his cell phone while she unwrapped
presents. This would be the first year where he
actually gave a shit about what happened, and he
intended to make it as memorable as possible.

“That’s so cute. I don’t know. I’ve not

really thought about anything.”

“We’re going to be decorating our house,”

he said. “I want you to come along. Also, you’re
invited for Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

“Really?” Ann asked, stopping outside of

the gates of a house. “Doesn’t that go against all of
your rules?”

“Nope. I don’t have any rules and I want

you to make plans with me.” He reached out,
tucking her hair behind her ear.

“I thought we had to keep this secret.”
“I just moved your hair.”
“Then why is your other arm around my

back, holding me in place?” she asked.

He chuckled. “I don’t mind the world

knowing, Ann.” In fact, he wanted to keep the
world away from her so all men knew who she

belonged to.

Tilting her head back, he kissed her hard,

wanting to consume her.

She melted against him until someone

cleared their throat, and he finally heard a bunch of
dogs yapping.

“So, you’re the neighbor.”
“You’ve talked about me?” he asked,

turning to the woman with the crisp white hair.

“We don’t need to talk about you. You’re

living at those houses.”

“The cursed ones?”
“They’re not cursed, believe me. I’m

Elizabeth, dear,” she said, holding out her hand.

He took it and laid a kiss to her knuckles.
“Oh, I see you’re a charmer, aren’t you?

You’re used to getting all the ladies.”

He raised a brow at her but didn’t dispute it.
“Where are the leads, Beth?” Ann asked.
“Inside, honey, if you’d like to go and get

them.”

He watched Ann disappear into the house

and turned his gaze once again to Elizabeth.

“You be careful with that girl,” Elizabeth

said.

“I will be. You barely know her and yet

you’re protective of her.”

“She’s young and has never known what

love is. From looking at you, I can see you’re the

same. You don’t know what real love is. You’ve
never experienced it.”

“I’m a grown man, I don’t need to know

what love feels like. I’ll take care of Ann. You
don’t need to worry about her.”

Elizabeth looked at him. “You don’t believe

in the pull of the houses, do you?”

“Again, I’m a full-grown man. I make my

own way in life and no house is going to tell me
what to do, or who to love.”

She smiled. “Like all young men, you’re a

fool. Tell me, Eli, when you saw her, that first time,
when you looked over and gazed at her red hair,
beautiful sparkling eyes, and that smile, tell me
what you thought.”

Eli didn’t say a single word. “You were

watching?”

“I always watch. I like to see exactly who

will fall next. You have already fallen for her, Eli.
Right now, you’re too afraid to admit it.” Elizabeth
patted him on the arm. “Don’t worry, there will
come a moment when you realize it. The houses
don’t fail.”

The conversation came to an end as Ann

came out with all the leads. The dogs rushed to her
side, and he watched her.

The instant he had seen her, he’d found her

striking, no doubt about that. Even now as she bent
down, and helped the dogs, she was … everything.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he looked at

the other woman who merely smiled at him as if
she knew the trouble his thoughts were giving him.
This wasn’t what he wanted, far from it.

Fuck.
Why did she have to look at him like that?
“Is everything okay?” Ann asked, coming to

his side.

“Perfect.” He took three of the leads and

smiled at the women.

“Eli, a little advice,” Elizabeth said. “Don’t

fight it.”

He walked down the street with Ann. No

one else was awake yet, and the dogs were well
trained.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, of course. Why?”
“You’re glaring.”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
“What did Elizabeth say? She believes in

the houses thing. Don’t worry about her. She told
me she’s seen the houses bring a lot of couples
together.”

She might not be wrong.
Walking beside Ann, he found himself

glancing her way, watching her.

No, he couldn’t fall for her.
This move wasn’t about him finding love. It

was about offering Katie some stability. He didn’t

get the opportunity to find love. It wasn’t in his
makeup. Love was for people who didn’t run
companies or didn’t want to settle down. His
parents had the perfect marriage, and he knew he
wasn’t going to find that.

They made it to the park, one he didn’t

even realize was around. Ann bent down once
again and let the dogs loose. They ran off, each of
them chasing a ball he hadn’t realized she had.

He took her hand, wanting to hold her.

Pulling her close, he grabbed the ball, and tossed it
across the ground, watching as it landed on the
ground. The dogs barked excitedly and came back.

“Do you like dogs?” she asked.
“Love them.”
“Have you ever owned one?”
“No. I’ve always been too busy to get one.”
“Oh,” she said. “I’m thinking about getting

a dog.”

“You are?”
“Katie did tell you, remember?”
He vaguely had a recollection of it. With the

ball back in his hand, he threw it again.

“I don’t want you seeing other men,” he

said.

“I’m not.”
“I want to make this exclusive.” He felt her

tense at his side.

“I’m not sure I know what that means. I’m

not with anyone else but you. Have you been with
other women?”

“No. What I’m saying is, I don’t want to

hide that we’re a couple from Katie anymore. I
want you to come with me to pick her up.” He
didn’t know why the fuck he was saying this. It
went against the rules he’d put in place.

“Oh, okay, sure.”
He threw the ball and turned to her. “Look,

I don’t know what this is. I’m not promising you
forever. I don’t believe the bullshit people keep
saying about the houses, and I’m not acting on this
because of that.”

“You’re acting strange.”
“I know that, but I don’t want to lose you,

Ann.” He cupped her cheek.

“You’re not going to lose me. I’m right

here.” She turned her face and kissed his inner
palm.

He needed to talk to his dad, or someone.

He didn’t understand what was going on with him.
Love wasn’t something he wanted or believed in.
Love was for fools who felt they needed a reason
to marry or to stay together. For a long time, he’d
settled for the pleasures of the flesh, but this was
more than that. This was his life and he had come
to find nighttimes were the worst. He would reach
out and she wouldn’t be there.

Sleeping alone was his style, but after

waking up with her in his arms, he had found it
overrated. No, it couldn’t be love. He refused to
fall for her, or even the notion of being in love. It
was stupid. But what if he already had fallen? What
if his feelings for her couldn’t be switched off? Was
he too far gone? Had he already fallen in love with
her?

“I don’t believe in the houses either, Eli.”

She went on her tiptoes and kissed him. “I will
follow your lead. Katie’s your daughter, and I will
do what you ask of me, always.”

He kissed her back, harder.
He couldn’t promise her forever, but he

could offer her a good time now. Closing his eyes,
he let himself go, only for the dogs to come around
his feet and start yapping at him to throw the ball.

Chapter Nine

One month later

With the graveyard in place, the bones

protruding from the ground, and Halloween cookies
on the kitchen counter setting, Ann stepped back
and saw the display as Eli finished hanging the
lights. Halloween was three days away, and they’d
decided to decorate both of their houses.

Katie loved it and she’d been the one in

charge of organizing all the decorations.

“Perfect,” Katie said, clapping her hands.

“It looks awesome.”

Ann gasped as Katie threw her arms around

her, cutting off her air.

“I get it, you love it. I love it too,” she said,

laughing.

Eli had been true to his word. They didn’t

keep their relationship a secret, and the first time
they kissed in front of her, Katie had squealed.

After entering the house, she went to the

fridge to pour out some blood punch for all three of
them.

“Ann, are you busy tomorrow after

school?” Katie asked.

“Friday, I’ve got half a day as Mr. Graves

wants to close shop and check for bugs. He thinks

aliens have come down and are tracking him.” She
loved working with Mr. Graves.

“Can you come to the school for a pre-

Halloween lunch?” Katie asked. “All of the other
girls are talking about taking their mothers and well,
I don’t want to be the only girl without a mommy.”

Ann’s heart pulled. “Katie, it’s up to your

dad. I don’t know if he’d like it.”

They hadn’t exactly talked about her taking

the role of mom or any kind of parental role. She
never interfered when he had to punish Katie, not
that he ever did. She’d refused to do homework one
night, and he banned her from the pool.

“Dad doesn’t mind. I’ve asked him and he

said I had to ask you. If you would go. Please,
please, Louisa is already laughing at me, saying I
have no mommy.”

“I’m happy for you to go,” Eli said.
“Erm, sure, I’ll go.”
Katie ran off screaming in excitement.
Ann looked back at her before turning to

Eli. “Are you sure?”

“She wants to take you, and to be honest, I

think it’s time for Louisa’s mom to get the message.
She texted me, you know, offered to sit with Katie
at lunch.”

“Oh,” Ann said.
Louisa’s mom had looked at her with such

hatred when she’d turned up with Eli to pick up

Katie. The other woman clearly had designs on
him, and she’d screwed with the other woman’s
plans.

“Yeah, oh.”
“But, I don’t want you to think I’m crossing

a line.”

“Ann, I told her to ask you.” He wrapped

his arms around her waist. “You’re not crossing any
line. Unless of course you don’t want to?”

“I do. I adore her, you know that. I’m just

worried.”

“What are you worried about?”
“In case this doesn’t work out with us. I

don’t want her to get too attached.” The truth was,
she didn’t want to get too attached. They shared
their houses. The spare bedroom had even been
made up for Katie. They spent a weekend
decorating it exactly how she’d like it. Pale-pink
walls, blue curtains, and she’d stuck dog and puppy
posters on the walls. Her laundry consisted of her
own clothes, mixed in with Eli’s and Katie’s.

If Eli had a conference or an important

phone call, she took Katie to school and picked her
up. She even dealt with lunch as well.

Eli came to the law office or the DIY store

to eat with her. He’d even allowed Mr. Graves to
scan him with a device to check for an antenna or
something.

They walked Elizabeth’s dogs every single

day. The older woman had really grown on her. She
had even gotten a phone call from Eli to say that he
was eating dinner at her house, and to bring Katie
along. She’d had dinner with his parents and she
adored them.

From his mother, she did get the motherly

warning, again, another surprise to her.

Everything seemed to be moving fast but

rather than panic, she felt at peace, until now. She
was happy going at a steady pace. They didn’t talk
about previous couples or the house curse.
Elizabeth tried to talk about it, but Eli always
changed the topic. Neither of them had said the I
love you. Nothing.

Eli kissed her. It wasn’t a soft kiss. Another

of his deep, possessive kisses that threatened to
make her go weak at the knees. She was totally
gone on him.

Just because she hadn’t told him with words

that she loved him, Ann knew without a doubt her
feelings for him were strong. In fact, she truly
believed she loved him, only it scared her.

What if he laughed at her?
“I need you to stop worrying,” he said.

“We’re good together, aren’t we?”

“Yes, I know we’re good together.”
“I don’t mind Katie getting attached to you.

I’m very much attached to you.” He cupped her
ass, squeezing the cheeks.

She also didn’t have it in her heart to tell

him she’d skipped a period. She was due another
one next week. She had counted her cycle and
hidden away her notes when she should have
started.

Her last cycle may not have happened

because of stress. She’d checked out all possible
signs for no menstruals. Stress was a big one. Of
course, pregnancy was the number one cause, but
they had been careful, and she was on the pill.

She hadn’t lied to him. What might have

been a tiny problem, with her stress and worry
about money, she’d forgotten to take it a couple of
times, but that surely wouldn’t have been a reason
for her to catch.

She wasn’t pregnant. No way.
“Then I’ll go to the mommy Halloween

lunch,” she said. She had already seen all the
advertisements for it on the billboards outside of
the school. He kissed her again and they pulled
apart as Katie laughed.

Whenever they kissed, Katie always

giggled. There was no reason to worry him, not
when she didn’t know what it meant. For all she
knew, this was just a little hiccup.

“Are you okay?” Eli asked when Katie ran

off into the sitting room to set up a movie.

“Yeah, of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know, you seem distracted.”

Ann wanted to tell him but why worry what

they had? If he was still only looking for a good
time, then this conversation wouldn’t matter.

“I’m fine. Honestly. Nothing to worry

about.” She kissed him hard. “I’ve got it all taken
care of.”

****

The mommy Halloween lunch went really

well, so did Halloween. They all went trick or
treating and Katie got sick on way too much
chocolate. After that, everyone was planning for
Thanksgiving.

The DIY store wasn’t overly busy but Mr.

Graves used it as the time to make sure no aliens
were watching his shop.

She’d grown rather attached to her boss’s

ways. There were times she even helped him with
these devices he’d made. He was sure he heard a
lot of people talking, but for her, it was always
static.

Still, she helped as much as she could.
Her hours were reduced even more at the

law firm, and she picked more up at the DIY store.
Then, of course, she kept on walking Elizabeth’s
dogs. She’d yet to go and adopt one for herself, but
in time. Her life was doing wonders. She seemed
more in control now than ever before.

She didn’t see a reason to cause any kind of

upheaval until one morning, with Eli’s arms

wrapped around her, she woke up with the
overwhelming need to vomit.

Without being quiet about it, she shoved Eli

back, rushed to the toilet, and threw everything up
she ate the previous day. She didn’t hold back or
keep anything down.

Eli came to her rescue, holding her hair

back as she did this. Tears filled her eyes and she
knew without a doubt she had to find out the truth.

“It’s a nasty bug going around. Don’t worry

about it. I’ll call Mr. Graves and let him know
you’re not coming in today.”

“I’ve got to work. I’ll be fine.”
“No, you’re going to brush your teeth, rest,

and I’ll take care of everything.”

“You’ve got to head into the city,” she said.

“You’ve got that meeting.” She didn’t know what it
was about, but he’d asked her to take care of Katie
while he was away for a couple of days.

“I’m not going to leave you while you’re

throwing up everywhere.”

She brushed her teeth. Staring at her

reflection in the mirror, she saw how pale she
looked. “I’m fine. Really.”

“Not happening.” Eli was already on his

cell. “I’ll arrange the meeting for me to be in my
office. You don’t need to worry yourself about
anything.” He stood in the doorway, arranging with
his assistant to organize communication via video.

It didn’t take long for him to get the job done. Not
after he barked orders at everyone, and so like him,
all of them obeyed. Not a single person disputed
him.

She was put back to bed, and Eli left the

house thirty minutes later with Katie to drop her off
at school.

She had to know the answer now. She’d

been putting it off for too long now, and she was
scared.

What if he didn’t want to have anything to

do with her?

Seeing no end in sight to her worries, she

threw the covers off, grabbed some clothes, and
quickly pulled them on. In a matter of minutes, she
was out of the house.

She’d finally been able to afford a full tank

of gas, and so she used her car to drive into town
toward the local pharmacy. She went in the
opposite direction to make sure she didn’t bump
into Eli. The last thing she needed right now was to
bump into him and let him know her concerns.

Parking the car outside, she looked at the

building. No one was inside, apart from the cashier.
She could do this.

Hands clammy, she walked into the

pharmacy and right up to the pregnancy tests. Even
though the cost was shocking, she picked the one
that appeared to be the most reliable, and she didn’t

have a clue which one really was.

This was just a tester. After grabbing one

box with two tests inside, she then grabbed a
couple of different ones. She quickly calculated the
price into her budget and winced.

No, she needed these tests to know for sure.
With her hands shaking, she put them down

on the counter and paid for them.

There wasn’t a moment to lose, not now.

Not when her life and future were at stake. The
woman looked at her as if she was mocking her or
something.

She ignored her and paid for her tests. The

woman bagged them up and Ann, with shaking
hands, took off back to her car.

There, she sat behind the wheel and

wondered where she should take them. The only
suitable place was her own home. If Eli was back
from dropping off Katie, which he should be, he
was going to want to know what was going up. If
not, she didn’t know how she was going to explain
this to him.

He had a right to know, though.
After climbing back into her car, she took

off, hoping that what she was about to do wasn’t
going to be a big mistake. Surely, being pregnant
wasn’t going to be anything but good news.

She thought about Katie. He’d confided in

her how he hadn’t wanted kids. How he’d hated

Katie’s mother, but hadn’t wanted her to die, and to
a point, he felt a little resentful of the fact she’d
given birth and abandoned him.

What would he think of this?
No, she wouldn’t think about his thoughts,

not until she knew for sure, and then she’d allow
herself to panic.

****

Eli arrived home to find Ann gone. It wasn’t

unusual, but considering how she vomited that very
morning, he wasn’t going to lie about not being
concerned. His conference call started before he
got a chance to call her.

The meeting was important as it was about

the takeover approach of a smaller tech firm. He
wanted it and knew how to reach out to offer the
best deal. There was a time he’d been a smaller
tech firm, and there was no way he wanted anyone
to take his baby from him, so a delicate touch was
always needed.

Distractions didn’t help. After the first three

hours, he left his man to go and make an offer and
to come back to him with a counter-offer.

Switching off his cell phone, he went to

check outside and found Ann’s car parked outside
her house. Normally, it was covered with a large
sheet. He’d noticed she’d gone out, and using his
key, he let himself into her home.

“Ann, baby, where are you?” he asked.

There was no sound.
He closed the door, flicked the lock into

place, and looked around her house. There was no
sign of her downstairs. Making his way upstairs, he
heard sniffling and found her sitting on the edge of
the bed, holding something in her hand. Tears fell
down her face as she glanced up at him.

All she said to him were two words. “I’m

sorry.”

She held out the stick and he took it. There

was no doubt in his mind what this what, or what it
looked like.

Pregnant.
He’d done this before, only, the last time he

hadn’t been prepared. He wasn’t prepared this time
as he looked at the two lines.

Pregnant.
The word kept swirling around his head.
“How long have you known?” he asked.
“About two and a half hours. It turned

positive pretty much immediately.” She sniffled. “I
don’t know what to do.”

He looked at her then, really looked at her.
“We didn’t plan this,” she said.
“Babies are not always a planning matter.”
“What do I do, Eli?”
“What do you want to do?” He couldn’t

think. His mind was screaming at him to focus, but
he hadn’t been expecting this.

“I don’t know. I was hoping you could tell

me.”

“You mean about keeping the baby?”
“What?” she asked. “I don’t want to get rid

of it, I mean, him, or her. I don’t know.”

He dropped the test and stepped out of the

room.

“Eli?”
“I can’t do this shit right now.” He stepped

back and rushed downstairs, not really paying
attention. He went back into his house, grabbed his
car keys, threw himself into his car, and drove. He
had to get the fuck away right now.

After seeing her, hearing her, he had to

focus, and the only way for him to do that was to
drive. He took off out of town and went to the one
place he knew he would be able to just be, his
parents’.

The moment his mom saw him, she called

from her position on the front porch.

Even though he could have bought them a

mansion in whatever country they wanted, they had
always settled on their four-bedroom, country
house, where the lines for the washing were still
seen.

Katie loved coming here all the time.
His father appeared. Eli walked up to his

dad, who pulled him in for a hug. It didn’t take any
words. His father was a master of a few of them.

They left his mother and went down to the

basement, his man den. Well, his father’s man den.
This was where his dad always came when he
wanted peace and quiet away from the busy life
that had been given to him.

“What’s goin’ on, son?”
“I don’t know.”
“Cut the bullshit with me. I’m not interested

in trying to find out if you smashed the neighbor’s
window. You’ve come to me as a man, I’m guessing
with problems.”

“Ann’s pregnant,” he said, just blurting it

out.

“You don’t want her to be?”
“I don’t know what I want.”
“Then maybe it is time you figured what

shit it is you do want,” he said.

“Dad, I don’t know what to do. She’s not

going to get rid of it.”

“And is that a bad thing?”
“No.”
“Then I don’t see what the problem is.”
“There isn’t a problem, not a single one,” he

said. He collapsed back into his chair, running a
hand down his face. His company would be calling
him back soon, but for now, he needed to get his
shit together right here.

His dad didn’t say a word. Just sat with him

while he tried to think and contemplate what was

really going on in his life. It was hard, more than
hard. “I love her,” he said.

“You do?”
“Yeah. More than I’ve ever loved any

woman before in my life. I don’t want to lose her.”

“Then why did you run out here and tell me

rather than tell Ann?”

“What if she doesn’t love me back or thinks

I only told her because of the baby?”

“Then you make sure your woman knows

that you love her for her, not because of some kid.”
His father slapped him on the arm. “You know the
answers to all of these, Eli. You’re a good kid.”

“Dad, I’m in my forties.”
“So, you’ll always be my son. That will

never change. I know when you found out about
Katie that you couldn’t stand the mother, but you
stuck by her.”

“I didn’t marry her.”
“And is this what you want to do this time?”

he asked.

Eli thought about it. Ann’s smile. Her

incessant need to make notes and to do her
finances and calculations. She also liked to clean,
which was odd. Her baking. Listening to her handle
Katie when his little girl had one of her tantrums.
They were few and far between, but she still
screamed the house down from time to time.

All of it.

He wanted it all with Ann.
The damn houses.
Elizabeth was right. The houses were

fucking gifted. “I’m going to ask her to marry me.”

“You know, son, you’re going to have to

make it up to her. It’s not every single day a woman
finds out she’s pregnant and the man runs out on
her.”

Chapter Ten

Not only did her revelation send Eli running

for the hills, or wherever it was he went, he forgot
about his daughter as well. While she was collapsed
on the bed, sobbing her heart out, she got a call
from Katie’s school to come and pick her up.

Eli had been over an hour late.
She didn’t walk though, opting to take her

car after throwing water on her face.

She had to get herself together. There was

no way Katie needed to see her like this. She was
stronger than this.

So, the guy she was in love with couldn’t

handle the thought of being a dad to another kid.
No problem. She’d been alone most of her life and
even though these past couple of months had been
the best of her life, it was coming to an end. She
could handle it. There was nothing she could do
about his lack of love.

Gripping the steering wheel, she refused to

let any more tears out. Crying was for wimps. She
wasn’t a wimp. She would get her shit together and
all would be okay in the world, in her world.

Katie stood outside with the principal.
The moment she saw her car, she ran

toward her. She loved this little girl too, and she

wouldn’t let her down.

Katie let herself into the passenger side.

“Hey, Ann. Are you feeling better?”

“A little bit.”
“I don’t know why my dad is late. He’s

never late. Not now. I know there was a time he
never turned up but it’s been a long time since that
happened. How are you feeling?” Katie asked. “I
learned a lot today in school. I like it when we read,
though.”

Ann didn’t need to talk.
Silence for her was easier, especially as

Katie took up all of the conversation.

They drove back to her home and Ann

cursed, much to Katie’s shock. “I totally forgot
about Elizabeth. You want to help me walk the
dogs?”

“Yay,” Katie said, throwing her arms up in

the air, clearly in celebration.

Smiling, she drove back to Elizabeth’s

house and parked the car.

The moment she got to the gate, the dogs

came charging toward her, Elizabeth not too far
behind. “I was starting to worry.”

“I’ve had a long morning.” Ann offered her

a smile.

“Oh, no, shall I get the kettle on?”
“No, it’s fine. Katie and I are going to take

the dogs for a walk, and then we’re going to head

home. I hope that’s okay.”

“If you need to talk?”
“Maybe later. For now, I just want to deal

with this.”

“Of course, of course.”
She got the leads for the dogs and walked

them out of the house, down to the park.

Katie ran after them, throwing a ball and

playing catch.

Tucking her hair behind her ears, she

allowed herself to finally touch her stomach. There
were no signs of pregnancy. No bump.

No nothing. Soon she would have a bump.

A little piece of her time with Eli.

Would she ever be the same? Watching

Katie, she knew it would break her heart to leave
the little girl, but what other choice did she have?
There were no other choices. Her life was about to
change a lot.

After an hour out in the park, Katie was

starved, and the dogs were tired. They walked them
back to Elizabeth. She held on to the older woman,
needing comfort of any kind in their goodbye hug.

Next, they were back in the car, and then at

her home.

With her stomach settled, she cooked them

up some pasta with vegetables, one of Katie’s
favorites as she loved broccoli. The kid was
obsessed with it, and she didn’t want to let her

down, so broccoli it was, and pasta, possibly some
cream, but again, she wasn’t sure.

With everything made up, they sat in the

living room, eating.

Katie talked all the time about her school

and what she was getting up to.

“And then we’re going to be learning math.

I hate math. I like it when we add up and subtract
but I hate everything else.” She wrinkled her nose.
“What was your favorite lesson in school?”

“I didn’t have one. I just went to school, got

my head down, did what I needed to do.”

“You went to college.”
“I know.”
“I want to go to college. I want to be super-

smart like you or my dad. Ann, can I ask you
something?”

“Sure, you can ask me anything.”
“Would you be my mommy?” Katie asked.
Tears filled her eyes as she looked at the

little girl. “Katie, you already have a mommy.”

“No, I don’t. I don’t know her, and I don’t

miss her. It’s weird, but everyone knows what it’s
like to love a mommy and when they tell me what it
feels like, I think of you. Always. You take care of
me. When I’m sick, you read to me. When I’m not
sick you cook food for me. You love me, don’t you,
Ann?”

“Yes, of course I love you. I’ll never stop

loving you.” She held her arms open and Katie
threw herself into them.

“Katie, sweetie, you need to go and get

ready for bed,” Eli said, startling the two of them.

They pulled apart and Ann got to her feet.
“Daddy, you forgot to pick me up,” Katie

said, running toward her dad. She threw her arms
around him.

“I know, honey, and I won’t do it again.

There were a few things I had to do.”

“You did, like what?”
“When you’re older, you’ll find out.”
“I am always waiting to find out. No one

will ever tell me anything. I’m old enough to know.
I’m going to be six soon and I will have to know
everything. I’m a big girl for my age.”

Ann smiled as Katie went to her room.
They were in her house but she already had

a room for Katie.

“I stopped by Elizabeth’s place. She told me

you already walked the dogs.”

“I did. I only remembered after I was

driving Katie home.”

“Thank you for picking her up.”
“No problem. You know I love Katie. Erm,

about what you heard…”

“My daughter loves you like a mother,

Ann.”

“I don’t encourage it.” Damn, this was

breaking her heart.

“You should,” he said.
“What?”
She expected him to shout at her, to curse,

to tell her she had no right being part of his family,
and the sooner she got it through her thick skull, the
better.

“I’m not really very good at any of this,” Eli

said. “You’re pregnant and I don’t want you to get
rid of the baby.”

“You don’t?” she asked. “You asked me

what I wanted to do.”

“Because I didn’t know how to tell you that

I love you.”

She opened her mouth, closed it. “I’m sorry.

There’s no way I heard that right.”

“You heard it and you know you did.”
“You just told me that you loved me.”
“I did. Do you want me to tell you again?”

he asked.

“You can’t love me.”
“I do.”
“But, why did you run out? Is this because

of the baby? Are you doing the right thing because
I’m pregnant, is that it? You don’t have to do
something like that. This doesn’t have to change
our lives like that.”

“But you see, it does. This is going to

change our lives and what’s more, I want it to.” Eli

rushed toward her, cupping her face. “I was angry
you were pregnant but not because of the reason
you think.”

“Now you know how I think?”
“I wanted to tell you that I loved you before

you were pregnant. This, the way I feel.” He took
her hand, placing it over his heart. “This is real. All
of it. I love you, Ann. More than anything else in
the world. I want to have a family with you. Grow
old with a bunch of kids. I want forever with you,
but I felt like a fucking fool because you were
holding that test, and I hadn’t told you already. I’d
spent more time mocking this fucking house gift
than seeing what is the truth.”

“What’s the truth?”
“These houses, they’re a gift, but they don’t

bring people together. It’s the people in them who
finally give themselves a chance to see and to be
happy. I love you, Ann. I took a chance, and I saw
you, and I loved every single part of you. Even the
note-taking and keeping every little scrap of
leftovers.”

“It’s the college student in me.”
“Yeah, well, I love it. I want you in my life,

as my wife. I want to raise our kids together. To get
a chance on everything I missed out on.” He
lowered himself to one knee, opening up the box in
his hands. She hadn’t even seen him get it out of his
pocket.

“Ann Adams, please, do me the honor of

becoming my wife,” he said.

She opened her mouth and closed it.

“You’re sure? Like, really, one hundred percent
sure?”

“Do you want me to go and tell every single

one of our neighbors how sure I am?” he asked.

“Yes.”
He got to his feet, about to leave, and she

grabbed his arm, laughing. “No, I don’t mean to go
and talk to our neighbors. I was saying yes. As in,
yes, I’ll marry you. Yes, I want to spend the rest of
my life with you, because I do love you, Eli.
Workaholic that you are, leaving the toilet seat up,
and being just a little possessive.”

“But I will always love you. That I can

promise you.” He pulled her close, kissing her.

This was meant to be, she knew it right deep

in her soul.

****

One month later

“You have to check everywhere for bugs.

They come down in their ships, but they don’t
always do that. They have these cars and they can
just plant them on the side of your house and they
walk around, and it’s just scary, and you have to
just live with it.”

Eli listened as Mr. Graves handed him a

device for him to take wherever he wanted or

needed to go. This was new to him.

He thanked him for it and watched as he

took his seat in the garden.

He and Ann decided on a small wedding, in

his back yard. She only had a couple of friends, as
did he. He didn’t bring work to it, but his family
was present, Mr. Graves, his parents, Elizabeth, and
a few neighbors, but that was it.

His hands were sweaty and his dad stood

beside him.

“What an interesting man,” his father said.
“Yeah, he often scans Ann as well

whenever she’s been at the law firm. He says that’s
where most of the bugs are.”

His father burst out laughing. “Now that I

can believe. Are you ready for this, son?”

The music started up, and he looked toward

his back door. Katie came through first, carrying a
small basket with petals.

His little girl was so happy. She waved at

him and walked slowly down the aisle, doing as
she’d been asked.

“Yeah, I’m more than ready,” he said as he

finally caught sight of his bride. She looked
stunning, as he’d imagined he would. They hadn’t
seen each other for the past three days.

He looked at her.
Really looked at her.
Her beauty made him gasp. The dress she

wore hid the tiny bump that showed she was
carrying his baby. He didn’t think it was possible to
be this happy but now he knew it was really
possible, and what was more, he wanted this.

He loved her.
She was his everything. There was a reason

he’d never found love before. He was waiting for
her. For the right woman to finally come to him.

His mother followed behind her, and then

she was in his arms, finally. Their time apart was
already too long.

“You look stunning,” he said, leaning

forward to kiss her cheek but stopping as the priest
cleared his throat.

“After the vows, sir,” he said.
“Of course.”
He faced his woman, his life, as the priest

began to speak the necessary words to bind them
together.

Eli had offered Ann whatever wedding she

wanted. A big, lavish affair, or something quick in
Vegas, but instead, she wanted to marry where they
met. Their homes, privately. Where it was just them
and a few guests, of course.

Neither of them had written any vows other

than to say they loved each other and promised
their lives to one another. When it came to saying I
do, he was fast losing his patience.

“I can now pronounce you man and wife,”

the priest said.

Pulling Ann into his arms, he sealed the deal

with a kiss. His ring on her finger, his kid inside her
—this was what he’d been wanting and never really
thought was possible.

After kissing her again to the round of

applause, he pulled away. Her eyes were still
closed, and he hugged her tight.

“I love you,” he said.
Her smile brightened his whole world. “I

love you too.”

“I love you three,” Katie said, throwing her

arms around the two of them.

They burst out laughing.
His father hugged Ann, followed by his

mother. Elizabeth came to them then, holding them
both and promising the power of the houses was to
thank.

Music started up, and Eli wouldn’t let his

wife go. He held her against him, even as people
wanted them to cut the cake. He kept one arm
around her and didn’t share her, not once.

“What do we do now?” she asked. “We’ve

got two houses and I know you still have your
doubts, but can we really stay in the two of them?”

“There’s a place I’ve found. It’s out of

town, about twenty minutes away. Katie can still
come to school here. You can still work for, Mr.
Graves. I haven’t bought it, but I wanted you to see

it.”

She leaned back in his arms. “Do you

believe in the houses, Eli?”

“I believe in love, Ann Bruce. Not the

houses, and I don’t want to think about you being a
bedroom away from me, let alone a house away.”

“Okay, so now that you have me, what are

you doing to do with me?” she asked.

He spun her away from their guests, sliding

his hands down to cup her ass. “With Katie staying
at my parents for the next couple of nights, I was
thinking I would show you what being my woman,
at my beck and call, wearing my ring, is really like.
What do you say?” he asked.

He saw the heat in her eyes and smiled.

Their passion hadn’t subsided, not even a speck.

“I say I can’t wait for us to finally be

alone.”

“Right, everyone, out. I want time with my

wife,” Eli said.

Ann gasped, pressing a hand to her face as

he ordered everyone out of his house, because he
was done waiting. He wanted to make love, fuck,
and hold his wife, and he was willing to be rude to
get what he wanted.

Epilogue

Ten months later

“I don’t see it myself,” Eli said.
Ann stood beside her husband, watching the

new occupants of their homes. It hadn’t been an
easy decision to put her house on the market, even
though Eli paid for it, but keeping them felt selfish.

Holding their son in her arms, with Katie

standing between them while Eli held the lead on
their cocker spaniel pup, who was only a couple
months old, but so boisterous, her little family, she
watched as the heavily inked biker came out. His
group of men was with him. She didn’t catch sight
of the MC logo, but Eli wouldn’t let her be alone
with him either.

Eli had taken care of the sale of their

homes.

“You did this on purpose, didn’t you?” Ann

asked, turning to her husband.

“What? What is it you think I did?” Eli

asked.

“You’re testing the houses.”
“Come on, I’m doing no such thing.”
“Seriously, a biker living next door to a …

what was she again?” Ann asked.

“Does it really matter what she does? She’s

an accountant.”

“A biker and an accountant,” Ann said.

“Yep, you’re totally testing everyone’s theory
about the houses. Just because she’s an accountant
doesn’t mean that the biker isn’t going to be the
one for her.”

“Look, if they become a couple, I will

believe it, but you have to admit, it’s a little
farfetched,” he said.

“You’re still having your doubts,” Elizabeth

said, coming to stand with them with her six dogs
all around her.

Ann smiled over at the older woman and

moved so she could see her little boy.

“He’s going to be trouble when he’s older,”

Elizabeth said.

Katie came too. She liked being a big sister.
Ann didn’t need to see the next couple

moving into their old houses. She didn’t care if it
was true or not.

She had the love of her life, a family, and

that was all the proof she needed for her.

Eli took their son, wrapping his arm around

her and kissing her head.

“I don’t care what will come, Ann. I know

I’m happy, and if the curse is true, so be it. I wish
them all the success. Elizabeth, are you coming for
dinner?” Eli asked, opening up the trunk of the car.

“Can my dogs come?”

“Yep, they have to travel in the back

though.”

“Then it’s a deal.”
She helped Katie into the passenger seat,

with her baby, Andrew, next. Elizabeth climbed into
the car.

One glance out of the window and she

caught sight of the angry-looking biker checking
out the accountant’s ass while they were both
standing in the front yard.

This would be very interesting.

The End

www.samcrescent.com

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BONUS SAMPLE CHAPTER

BRED BY THE BILLIONAIRE

Breeding Season, 1

Sam Crescent and Stacey Espino

Copyright © 2017

Sample Chapter

“Where’s my fucking coffee?” Tobias

Bennett sifted through the files on his desk. He was
getting too old for this shit—late nights at the office
and staff who couldn’t follow simple instructions.
At this point in his life, he’d imagined living on a
private island, a mojito in one hand and The Wall
Street Journal in the other. But he was still running
the family business with no sign of slowing down.
He’d been termed a perfectionist, and probably a
lot worse, but he strongly believed wealth was the
measure of success.

A couple minutes later, one of the interns

set a mug on the corner of his desk. She scurried
out of his office, nearly breaking into a jog. Was he
that much of an asshole?

Tobias scrubbed both hands over his face.

He knew exactly what had been driving him crazy
lately. His parents were riding him hard for an heir,
another Bennett to carry on the family empire. The
problem—he wasn’t looking for a wife. His
bachelor life suited him just fine, and even at forty-
five, he wasn’t ready to settle down. He would
have told his aging parents to back off, but they had
a point, one that kept crowding his thoughts.

Morgan peered in his office. “Why are you

still here?”

“Work.”
“Go home. It’s Friday night, for God’s

sake.” He’d gone to university with Morgan, and
hired him to work on the Bennett Corporation legal
team over a decade ago. Morgan was the only man
who dared to speak freely with him.

“I’ve got that big bid on Monday. I need to

be prepared,” said Tobias.

“We’ve already got it covered. Everything’s

in order.”

“It has to be perfect.”
Morgan exhaled, then shook his head.

“Well, I’m heading out.” Then he added, “Don’t
push yourself so hard.”

“See you Monday.” Tobias leaned back in

his leather chair and gave his friend a mock salute.

Once alone again, he pondered Morgan’s

words. Yes, he pushed himself. It was life as a
Bennett. His parents expected perfection from day
one, and he’d always delivered. The company was
strong, profitable, and dominating the stock market
because he didn’t fuck around. He always put a
hundred percent effort into everything he set out to
do, and demanded the same from his staff. If one of
his employees couldn’t meet the mark, he didn’t
think twice about showing them the door. He had
no room for weakness.

After another couple of hours, he packed up

his paperwork and flicked off the lights to his
corner penthouse office. As he stood in the
darkness, the lights of the city sparkled with life
beyond the floor to ceiling windows. He grabbed
his briefcase and walked over to the window,
looking down from one of the highest vantage
points. It was one big party below, a city that never
slept.

He’d put the Bennett Corporation on the

map, made his father’s business into something
multi-national, but what happened next? What
would happen when he died? The legacy he’d built
would die along with him, all his hard work and
sacrifices for nothing. The business might continue
with the family name, but without the blood of a
Bennett, it would be a soulless enterprise, nothing

more than dollars and cents.

“Mr. Bennett?”
Tobias snapped out of his reverie, turning to

see a silhouette in the doorway of his darkened
office. “Yes?”

“Would you like some company tonight?”
He narrowed his eyes as he strode to the

door. “Aren’t you one of the new analysts we just
hired?” Tobias had thousands of employees, so
couldn’t remember many names and faces. He only
allowed minimal staff on the penthouse floor of his
skyscraper. He remembered this woman from the
new staff tour yesterday morning, and only because
she’d worn a short skirt.

“Yes, sir.”
“And why are you up here?”
“I wanted to offer my company.” She ran

her finger along the low collar of her blouse. Was
she actually trying to seduce him? “I have many
skillsets beyond analyzing, and I thought you’d like
me to show you some.”

He

scoffed.

“You

thought

wrong,

sweetheart. If you’d actually done any digging,
you’d know I never mix business with pleasure.”

“But—”
“Stay on the fifth floor. I don’t want to see

you up here again.”

She sulked off, clearly not expecting him to

reject her. Tobias wasn’t hard up. He had a long list

of women he could call for a hook-up. None of
them meant a thing to him. They were available for
sex, and that’s how he liked it—until now. If he
wanted a kid, he had to find a decent woman to be
the mother. Unfortunately, most of the women he
fucked were gold-diggers, and he didn’t want any
baby drama. He just wanted the heir, nothing more.

He could already envision it, a life similar to

his own childhood. His son would be raised by a
nanny, go to boarding school, and be trained to be
the best at everything. Tobias knew parenting
wouldn’t take much effort on his part—he’d rarely
seen his own mother and father growing up.

Tobias took the elevator down to the

parking garage, trying to push thoughts of babies
and legacies out of his head. This responsibility
shouldn’t have fallen on his damn shoulders. He’d
been the younger brother—until he turned sixteen.
Maximus had been nineteen when he died of a
heroin overdose. Of course, his parents made sure
the real cause didn’t hit the media, appearances
being more important than the truth. Tobias had
seen it coming. He’d done nothing. Unlike him,
Maximus wanted more, wanted the love and
warmth he’d seen in other homes. Their father said
he was weak, he couldn’t cut it, and that’s why he
killed himself. No one ever mentioned Maximus,
like he never existed.

The elevator dinged, and Tobias stepped out

into the secure garage. He dug the keys to his
Mercedes out of his pocket, turning off the alarm
system. Once behind the wheel, he tossed his
briefcase onto the passenger seat and squeezed the
steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.
Reflecting on a past that couldn’t be undone was
pointless, and like his father taught him, emotions
were for pussies. He needed to block that shit out,
forget about the brother taken from him too soon.
Trying to imagine an alternate reality would only
break down his carefully maintained exterior.

He turned on the radio, hoping the music

would drown out the noise in his head. Right now,
he wished he could have fucked that blonde bitch
over his desk to release the tension, but he refused
to get involved with women in the office. Nothing
was worth risking the reputation of the family
business, certainly not a piece of ass.

Tobias hit the gas as he drove, the

streetlights and bright signage disguising the fact
the sun had set hours ago. At least leaving late
thinned out the downtown traffic. His condo was
only ten minutes from the office in one of the
waterfront condos owned by the Bennett
Corporation. There wasn’t much they didn’t have
their hand in.

He nodded to the doorman as he walked to

the elevator. Normally, he’d go out for a drink on
Friday, maybe choose who he wanted to take home

with him for the night. Today, he just wanted to
crash. He’d pour himself a scotch on the rocks and
drown out all the insecurities. Friday meant he
could sleep in tomorrow, so he’d drink enough to
keep all his nightmares at bay.
****

Adora Garcia had three major assignments

due in the next two weeks, so her desk and laptop
were going to be her best friends for a while. She’d
been studying all morning, empty coffee cups and
balls of scrunched up paper hiding her cellphone.
When it began to ring, she remembered the promise
to pick her mother up from work while her car was
in the shop.

She drove out to the waterfront where her

mother worked cleaning Tobias Bennett’s condo
three days a week and every Saturday. Adora hated
driving in the downtown core, but it was the least
she could do for the woman who raised her single-
handedly, working her fingers to the bone to
provide the basics.

“Can I help you?”
Adora had been wandering around the

massive lobby of the condo, admiring the modern
architecture, use of glass, and difficult angles. The
security had apparently had enough of her
presence. She was used to being questioned in
stores when they assumed she was stealing
something. Her absentee father had been a blue-

eyed, white businessman who’d used and dumped
her mother twenty years ago, leaving her alone and
pregnant. Although Adora didn’t have her mother’s
skin color, she had many of her Latin American
features, including her long dark hair.

“I’m looking for Tobias Bennett,” she said.
The security guard sauntered over, his

thumbs hooked in his pockets. He looked her up
and down. “Is he expecting you?”

She was going to give him the whole story,

but decided to keep it simple. “Yes.”

He tilted his head. “You’re not his usual

type, but who am I to judge? Top floor.”

Adora bit her tongue and hit the elevator

button. She’d grab her mother and get the hell out
of this overpriced neighborhood. It was hard
enough getting by without all the judgmental stares
and stereotypes.

She wasn’t one of Mr. Bennett’s whores.
Her mother had told her all about the old

bastard’s weekly escapades. There wasn’t enough
money in all the world to pay Adora to sleep with
him—not that he’d want her. She imagined a man
in his position could have whoever he wanted. It
made her sick thinking of all the beautiful young
women who gave themselves to him in exchange
for money or status. That would never be her. A
degree in architecture would be her way out, a
chance to make a real life for herself.

When she reached the penthouse suite, she

softly knocked on the door. When no one
answered, she turned the handle. She decided to
slip inside and find her mother for herself. If she
knocked too loudly, she could wake Mr. Bennett.
Adora was used to finding her mother on the job.
When she was younger, she’d helped her clean the
condos and offices so they could get home sooner.

The condo was huge, and not what she

expected. She knew he had money, but nothing like
this. Adora whirled around in slow circles as she
admired the vaulting ceilings, massive windows,
and impressive collection of artwork. She couldn’t
even imagine living like this. It would be like
stepping into a fairy tale. Mostly she craved the
security that money could offer, not the luxuries.
When she was a kid, she’d pretend to live in the
homes her mother cleaned, role-playing and
escaping into her imagination. Now she was an
adult, and knew the only way she’d get ahead was
working her ass off.

She studied the streets below from the

massive floor to ceiling window, the people and
cars scurrying about like tiny ants, when a throat
cleared behind her. Adora paled, slowly turning to
the sound. She swore her heart stopped when she
saw a man standing there wearing an open robe. He
wore navy pajama pants underneath and no shirt,
an empty coffee mug dangling in his hand.

It couldn’t be Tobias Bennett. She’d already

envisioned exactly what her mother’s boss would
look like, and it was nothing like the man in front of
her. This man wasn’t haggard with sweaty palms
and balding head. His chest was hard, with a light
sprinkling of dark hair, and chiseled abs. A thin trail
of hair led down into his low waistband … she
averted her eyes. Adora swallowed hard, waiting
for the shitstorm. She didn’t want her mother to get
fired because she was uninvited in Mr. Bennett’s
very expensive condo.

He didn’t say a word, just stared at her, like

a predator planning its attack. Should she say
something? Apologize? Explain the situation? No
words came out of her mouth, even when he started
to walk closer.

“You’re not Maria.” His voice was deep, a

hint of teasing, but no malice.

“I’m just picking her up. I’m sorry if I

startled you.”

He wet his bottom lip and moved to the side

to get a better look at her. She felt as if she was on
auction. This was exactly the reason she was
enrolled in college, so she’d never be at the mercy
of a man. She could only imagine the horrors her
mother had to deal with over the course of her life,
especially speaking minimal English.

“Do you work in the building?”
She’d kept her head down, but dared to

look up into his eyes. “No. I’m her daughter.”

He smirked, realization softening his

features. His hair was still damp from a shower, and
his dark, musky scent suited him perfectly. “You
know, Maria’s worked here for what? Ten years? I
never knew she had a daughter.”

“Did you ask?”
“My Spanish isn’t the greatest.” He held out

his hand. “Tobias.”

This was actually Tobias Bennett? One of

the wealthiest men in the city? She wasn’t sure how
she felt about him now that she’d seen him in the
flesh. Her mother had a job because of him, but
Adora had always associated money with
everything debased in society. From her experience
the wealthier the person, the higher they expected
you to jump.

She shook his outstretched hand. “Adora

Garcia.” His grip was firm, and he didn’t allow her
to pull away. She looked down at his hand, and hers
was tiny in his grip. Her body coiled tight, a wash
of need taking her by surprise. When she glanced
up to see his intention, her breath caught.

“Such a pretty name,” he said. His words

were slow and deliberate, mesmerizing her.

Then she thought better. He was a

renowned playboy, and she had no intention of
being his next victim. She pulled her hand back,
which only served to amuse him.

“Have you seen my mother?”
“I don’t know what I’d do without her. She

knows exactly how I like things, and half the time I
don’t even know she’s here.” He ran the backs of
his fingers along the length of her hair. She’d left in
such a rush, she hadn’t pulled it back into her usual
ponytail. “I can see her in you.”

She instinctively flinched away from his

touch.

“Are you afraid of me?” he asked.
“I don’t know you.”
He moved toward his open concept kitchen,

setting his mug on the counter. Tobias flicked on his
coffee maker and then leaned over the counter,
using one curled finger to beckon her closer. She
took tentative steps, making sure to stay on the
opposite side of the granite island. “How about we
change that?”

“Change what?” she asked.
“I want to get to know you, Adora. Can I

take you to dinner?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Really? Why

would you want to take me to dinner?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”
She scoffed. “Where would I start? You

know nothing about me. What if I’m already dating
someone?”

Tobias poured his coffee, then left it aside.

He walked around the island to where she stood,

bracing a hand on each side of the counter, caging
her in. “Are you?” he asked.

Adora forgot how to breathe. He was so

much taller than she was, his shoulders blocking out
the rest of the room, making her feel small and
feminine. He had such a commanding presence,
and she imagined he got everything he wanted.

“Cat got your tongue?”
“Yes, I have a boyfriend,” she lied. For all

she knew he had another one-night stand still
sleeping in his bed. Adora decided it was best to put
up a wall to protect herself from this shark. If she
rejected him flat out, her mother could lose her job.
A boyfriend was a safe answer, an easy out.

He shook his head, his dark eyes stripping

her layer by layer. “You’re a terrible liar, little one.”
He ran the pad of his thumb along her lower lip,
making her bolt back, hitting the counter. Tobias
still wouldn’t let her escape. “I’ll bet all my shares
in the Bennett Corporation that you’re a virgin,
too.”

She gasped.
He chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound. “I

didn’t get this far by not being able to read people.”

“Where’s my mother?” she repeated,

looking side to side for an escape. This stranger had
unraveled her in just a few minutes. She felt so
exposed, so deliciously violated. He had to be over
twice her age, so why did he affect her like this?

She wasn’t used to watching all her control slip
away.

“Relax, baby girl. I’m just playing.” He

stepped back, running his hand through his dark
hair, a bit of grey at the temples. Everything about
him was composed and deliberate. “I’m just asking
for one date.”

“I don’t think I’m your type,” she said.

“I’m not interested in a good time, and I can’t be
bought.” She stood firm on her beliefs. No way
would she be used and discarded. Not for all the
money in the world, no matter how tempting he
may be.

But a part of her, deep down to the marrow,

wanted to be his. Wanted to be taken and claimed.
Was she dealing with daddy issues? Was she sick
for desiring a man exuding power and control? He
was everything she tried to steer clear of, but she
was inexplicably drawn to him. That one touch
made her desperate for more, but she had to resist
her twisted desires. Adora was convinced her DNA
was against her, leading her to follow in her
mother’s footsteps. She wanted more from a man,
demanded more from her life.

“Everyone has a price,” he said.
She pushed away, finally able to breathe

once she put space between them. His scent was
addictive, pulling her under his spell. Adora turned
around once at a safe distance. “Maybe in your

world. Not mine.”

“Then prove me wrong. One date.”
It took all her willpower to refuse him.

“Sorry, I’m not interested.”

End of sample chapter

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