Chapter Three
E asy
I just start to rub shampoo into my hair when I hear my doorbell camera’s notification go off on my phone. “You’ve got to be fucking shitting me.” Growling, I quickly rinse the suds from my head and twist the knobs on the shower.
Whoever thinks showing up after midnight is a good time for stopping by has a goddamn death wish. I’m worn the hell out from fighting with twenty-year-old carpet.
The sound of someone knocking kicks me into high gear. “Someone better be fucking dying,” I mumble, positive I still have shampoo in my hair as I reach out and grab the towel off the counter.
I move quickly, wrapping the towel around my waist when the knocking becomes more persistent.
“I’m coming!” I yell.
Taking the stairs two at a time, I flip the deadbolt when I get to the door and yank it open, ready to give whoever’s on the other side a piece of my mind. “Jesus, what the fu?—”
Every ounce of hostility I just felt vanishes like a thief in the night when I come face to face with the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life.
Holy. Shit.
My eyes sweep down her body, taking stock of every detail from the blonde hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun to her emerald green eyes, rosy cheeks, and plump pink lips that were made to be kissed.
Fuck, I want a taste to see if they’re as sweet as I imagine.
This goddess is quite a bit shorter than the women I’m usually attracted to, but lord have mercy, she has curves in all the right places. I sink my teeth into my fist when my eyes hit the tops of her muscular tan thighs, showcased perfectly by the short cut-off denim shorts she’s wearing.
Christ Almighty.
“I…” she starts, drawing my attention back to her gorgeous face.
My lips twitch when I catch her checking me out just as eagerly as I was her.
I almost forget I was standing here in a towel, giving her the perfect view of my mangled leg until her eyes widen, and she takes a step back.
I’m used to the reaction; I was blown up for fuck’s sake, but for some reason, this reaction coming from her hits different, and my temper flares.
I’ve fought for my country, for our freedom—for her freedom—and I’ve paid a price.
“Take a fucking picture,” I growl, pissed off that the beauty banging on my door is like all the other superficial bitches I’ve come across since being discharged from the Army.
Her head flies up and her eyes widen. “What?”
Wanting nothing more than to get her off my porch, I cut to the chase. “Is there a reason you’re banging on my fucking door?” I know I’m being an asshole, but I’m fucking tired.
“Yes!” she blurts, her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink that would be cute if she hadn’t already pissed me off. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t expecting—” She bites her lip and shakes her head.
“A monster?” I snap.
“What!? No!” She shakes her head, her eyes closing before flying back open. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—and I don’t think,” she rushes out, flustered and grasping at straws. “I... Can we start over?”
I lift a brow. Start over? Fuck no. The only thing I want is for her to get off my porch.
“Hi,” she steps closer, reaching out her hand. “I’m Alexis Vale.”
I glance down at her hand then back to her.
Fuck it.
Sooner she tells me what she wants, the sooner I can finish my shower and get in bed. “Shawn Patterson, but everyone calls me Easy,” I tell her, surprising myself when I give her my government name as I take her small hand in mine to shake.
“Easy?” Her brows draw up.
Maybe if I tell her I like to fuck that would make her leave. “It’s a nickname my club gave me,” I say, rubbing at the back of my neck with my free hand.
I watch her closely, prepared for some kind of judgment, but surprisingly it never comes.
“It’s nice to meet you, Easy. My landlord told me I could pick up the key for my rental from my neighbor. I saw your light come on and thought maybe the neighbor he meant might be you.”
Now it’s my turn to lift a brow. I don’t have the slightest fucking idea what she’s talking about. “Key?”
“For the place next door,” she explains, pointing to the little flip house I just spent all day ripping the carpet out of.
“Uh, I think you must be confused. That’s not a rental.”
“It is. It’s my rental. Look,” releasing my hand, she digs into her front pocket, pulls out a folded piece of paper, and hands it to me.
My eyes go wide the second I open it up. There, in black and white, is a listing for the investment property I just purchased.
What the fuck?
As I read over the listing, it becomes crystal clear that she’s been scammed by someone. The photo itself has to be at least ten years old.
“Darlin’,” I pause, unsure how to break the bad news to her that she’s been taken for a ride. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but someone scammed you.”
“What?” she whispers, pressing a shaky hand to the side of her neck.
“I think you got scammed,” I repeat. “I bought that place a month ago when it went into foreclosure.”
“That can’t be. I sent the money and—” She digs into her back pocket, this time pulling out her phone. “I’m so sorry. Let me just call the landlord. This has to be some kind of mistake.” Shaking her pretty little head, she pushes some buttons, then lifts it to her face. With how close she’s standing, I can hear the unmistakable tone coming from the other end of her call.
The number’s been disconnected.
Seeing the devastation wash across her face, all the frustration I was feeling towards her evaporates.
“No, no, no,” she whispers as tears slide down her cheeks.
I rub at my chest, her tears doing something to me I’ve never experienced before.