Chapter Five
Unsure what the detective meant, Elliot swallowed. Hard. God, the man was gorgeous, and Elliot didn’t know where to look to keep from staring. Those heavy-lidded hazel eyes pierced right through him, and his deep, gravelly voice made every word sound sensual and dirty. Smooth bicep muscles rippled under the tight gray Henley that stretched across a broad chest. Through the golden-brown strands of his longish hair, Elliot spied a small gold earring glistening in his ear.
How had he never known a man like Winston Rogers lived next door? He was a fantasy come to life, but Elliot, with inner strength he hadn’t known he possessed, managed to gather the two wits still working in his brain at one in the morning.
“H-how are you going to do that?” Damn, he hated how breathless he sounded.
“I have tomorrow off, so if you want, I can help you install a new window lock.”
Was it stupid of him to be disappointed? Elliot figuratively smacked himself upside the head.Idiot.What are you expecting—a date?
“That’s really nice, but you don’t have to.”
“I know.” Winston’s brows drew together, and his grin faded to a frown. “Do you know how to put a new lock on a window?”
“No, but—”
“No buts.” Winston lifted a hand. “Don’t worry. It’s late. You should get some sleep, and I have a report to file. We can take my car since I don’t see one in your driveway.”
“No, I don’t have a car, but—”
“Great. See you at nine.” Leaving him standing with his mouth open, Winston took to the stairs, and Elliot heard the front door slam before he even took a step.
A little irritated by Winston’s take-charge attitude, Elliot decided to deal with him in the morning and crawled back into bed. Sleep came, but it was restless, with him imagining shadowy figures in his bedroom. Every half hour he jerked awake, heart pounding and sweat rolling down his face. At six in the morning, yawning and scratching his head, he rolled out of bed, and bleary-eyed, shuffled to the bathroom. The shower didn’t help settle his nerves, and he sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the door, picturing that intruder standing there. His skin crawled, and he rubbed his eyes.
Much as Elliot hated to admit it, Winston was right. He needed to get the window fixed and maybe also think about a home alarm system. Knowing a stranger had been inside his house gave him the creeps.
Getting dressed, he noticed the list on the nightstand. “Holy shit.” Embarrassed, as if Winston were in the room with him that moment, Elliot took that damn stupid list of Spencer’s and shoved it into the drawer. He slammed it shut and left the bedroom.
After a cup of tea and a bowl of oatmeal, he felt immeasurably better. He pulled up the blinds in the kitchen and… “Whoa,” he choked out.
There, in the neighboring house, in the middle of his kitchen, clad only in a pair of tight black briefs, stood Winston Rogers in all his almost-naked glory.
“Daaayum,” Elliot whispered to himself. His cock twitched, and though he knew it was wrong to stare, he couldn’t tear himself away. Winston’s thighs boasted strong, corded muscles, with a nice dusting of dark hair Elliot yearned to rub against his cheek. The beautiful curve of his ass was a work of art, and Elliot almost whimpered when Winston did a full-body stretch, revealing the rippling muscles of his back.
“This is insane. I can’t believe I’m resorting to peeping through the window at my next-door neighbor.”
Elliot forced himself to turn away, busying himself with washing his breakfast dishes, but couldn’t resist one last look—only to come face-to-face with a surprised Winston Rogers staring at him.
Cheeks on fire, Elliot dropped the bowl and spoon in the sink and ran. “Oh, my God, he’s gonna think I’m spying on him.” His heart hammered as he walked aimlessly around his house, deep-breathing to settle himself while wondering if he could sell the house and never see the gorgeous detective again or, at the least, sneak out to Home Depot without being spotted.
“Okay, calm down, and stop acting like an idiot. He has no idea I was staring at his ass.” Hands shaking, Elliot slipped on his jacket and grabbed his keys. “He’s not even dressed, so if I leave now, he’ll miss me.”
Confident he’d averted a major disaster, Elliot walked out his front door—and found Winston Rogers waiting for him on the sidewalk.
Shit.
Managing a smile wasn’t easy, but Elliot forced himself, hoping he could fake it. “H-hi.”
“Morning. Are you ready to go?”
Elliot blinked. “Ready to go? Where?”
“To get your window fixed. I told you last night I’d take you to Home Depot. You don’t need a whole new window; it’s just the lock that’s broken. I can fix it if you can’t.”
Based on how nonchalant Winston acted with him, maybe he didn’t suspect that Elliot had seen him in his underwear. Elliot relaxed. “Oh, well, you don’t have to.”
“I know. But you had a fright last night, and I know you must still be freaked out.”
