Chapter One
Lindsey
This guy is hotter than a habanero tamale.
Thick and wavy, dark blond hair curled around his neck and ears, tumbling over his brow in an untidy mess. Sharp, angular features with a hawk’s nose and sensual lips gave him the look of a raptor. His eyes fascinated me the most. Pale gold, like honey, with green flecks scattered throughout his irises. I’d never seen eyes quite so striking.
“I, er, didn’t know this house was on the market,” Brody said.
“It sort of was,” I replied, glancing around the garage. “I’m renting with the first option to buy.”
“Cool. That way you get to know your neighbors.” His white teeth gleamed in a sweet and sly grin, an expression that sent my stomach to flopping in a happy and giggly fashion. “To know whether or not you want to stick around.”
“Part of why I made the agreement,” I replied, discreetly ogling him. “The owners are friends of my family. That’s why they are letting me rent.”
“Yeah?” His brows rose. “I never got past the waving stage with the folks who used to live here.”
“They retired.” I smiled. “To Florida, of course. Hot, sticky swamps filled with snakes and gators. You couldn’t pay me to live there.”
“Have a little fear of reptiles, do you?” he asked with that grin that sent my belly into overdrive.He could seriously do some damage if I let him.
“Not so much a fear as an active dislike,” I said, matching that smile. “I don’t need to step from my door to find a gator paying a visit.”
“I stayed in Florida once.” Brody chuckled. “Found a Burmese python in my hotel shower.”
I shuddered. “Yeesh.”
“Had to have weighed over fifty pounds,” he went on. “I took it to the front desk. To say they freaked is an understatement.”
“How could it get into your room?” I asked, astounded.
Brody shrugged. “Toilet maybe? Got into the sewer lines somehow, then slithered up.”
I’d had enough man trouble to last a lifetime. I sure didn’t need more of the same. My gut instincts told me this neighbor was a decent enough human. I struggled, caught between wanting more of his company and politely asking him to leave so I could unpack my house.
My mind formed the phrase,It was sure nice meeting you, Brody.
What came from my mouth was, “If you’re not going anywhere, would you like a cup of coffee?”
He glanced at his watch. “Why not?”
“Don’t mind the mess.”Why did I ask him in? I don’t know him from Adam. What if he’s Ted Bundy Two?
“Were you headed someplace?” I asked, leading him into the kitchen and closing the garage door behind him.
“Nothing important,” he replied, looking around. “I like your kitchen. I’m planning to remodel mine one of these days.”
I motion for him to sit at the kitchen table, my nerves jacked up now that I’m inside, behind a closed door, with him.Yeah. I’ve got serious trust issues. Even with a guy who makes my tummy tumble.
“I like this house,” I said, adding coffee to the pot and switching it on. “Not too big to clean, yet gives me some space.”
“What do you do for a living?”
I lean my butt against the counter. “I’m a freelance writer,” I said. “So I work from home.”
“Now that’s cool,” he said with admiration. “I’m a construction foreman. I get to boss peons around.”
I chuckled. “I’ve been a peon all my life.”
