“You better! Don’t work too hard, and make sure you hydrate. It’s hot as a devil’s balls out today. See you when I get back.”
“Have fun at your meeting. Bye-eee.”
I hang up before she can say anything else and drag myself into the bathroom.
After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I pull my hair into a messy bun, throw on a pair of ratty denim shorts andan old Summit Studio tank top and head down to the kitchen. Coffee and a breakfast muffin are just what I need in order to tackle the bane of my existence currently sitting my driveway.
When I step outside, I suck in a breath. Noia was right, it’s hot as balls out here.
Side-eyeing Jax’s house, I make my way across the yard. It’s much different from what you’d expect a bachelor pad to look like—at least from the outside.
The house is immaculate with its freshly painted sage green siding and crisp white trim around the windows. There’s even flower boxes bursting with colorful petunias sitting beneath them. His lawn is perfectly mowed with clean edges, and not a weed in sight.
A black Dodge Ram that looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor is parked in the driveway. No mud splatters, no dust, not even a fingerprint graces the paint or chrome. The windows are spotless, and I can see what looks like a small Skin & Ink decal in the back window. Even the tires look like they’ve recently been detailed.
“Damn,” I mutter under my breath.
I never would’ve expected that level of care from someone covered in tattoos who probably spends most of his nights drinking whiskey and making women scream with pleasure in dark alleyways. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. A man who makes time to take care of his things is... well, it’s kind of hot.
It takes a couple of tries, but I’m finally able to wrench open the metal doors to the pod, which leaves me staring at the mountain of boxes inside with dread.
Remind me why I wanted to do this alone again?
“Screw it.” I climb inside and grab the first box. It’s a little heavier than I expected for kitchen stuff, and I have to struggle to maneuver it onto myshoulder.
Three boxes in, I’m already sweating like I’ve just finished teaching an hour long hot yoga class. The summer heat is brutal, and the air inside the pod almost makes it feel like an oven. I stop to take a water break, leaning against the pod’s door to catch my breath.
And that’s when I hear it—the unmistakable sound of a door opening and closing next door.
I freeze, water bottle halfway to my lips.
Don’t look. Don’t look. Don’t look.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I will myself to focus on the task at hand rather than the fact that my hot neighbor just stepped outside. Hopefully, he’s about to leave, and he won’t even know I’m here.
Taking a deep breath, I set the bottle down and start rummaging around for a lighter box to carry. Because the sooner I’m done with this, the sooner I can hide out inside where there’s no chance of running intohim.
Just as I reach for a medium-sized box full of bathroom towels, a deep voice rumbles from behind me, nearly making me jump out of my skin.
“Need some help?”
five
Basedon the startled squeak that comes from inside the moving pod, whoever it is, didn’t hear me come up behind them, and it makes me chuckle.
My heart nearly stops when a pair of familiar wide green eyes peek out from behind the metal door and lock with mine.
Her name falls from my lips before I can stop it. “Sasha?”
Hair pulled up in a messy red bun on top of her head, she looks just as gorgeous as I remember. A light sheen of sweat on her skin gives her an ethereal glow, and her full lips are still parted on a gasp.
“Jax,” she breathes.Jesus. The way she says my name sends a jolt straight through me, making my dick twitch.
For a second, neither of us moves. I’m struggling as I try to process what I’m seeing. Sasha—the woman who’s been haunting my dreams for months—is standing right in front of me.
And she’s moving in next door.
Quickly covering up my surprise with a smirk, I shove my hands in my pockets and wait for her to step out.
