Chapter 6
SIX
BIG GIRL PANTIES
Addison
“Okay, I’m so sorry about that, Ms. Crawford. We’re a little short-staffed today. Our property manager is out, so I’m filling in,” I said quickly.
Our new resident stood before me and smiled no matter how frantic I was. She was so casually elegant with her perfect makeup and her long gray hair pinned out of her face.
The morning had included one crisis after the next, and I was struggling to keep up by myself.
Although I’d managed to keep my head above water, I’d forgotten about our new resident moving in.
I was trying to quickly shovel my lunch in my mouth when Jen, our assistant, told me she was in the lobby.
Thankfully, Michelle Crawford appeared kind and understanding.
But the moment she began to speak, I felt a presence behind me.
Her eyes darted over my shoulder, and I tensed.
Like my body knew who it was before my head, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and the second I heard his low voice whisper, “Bubbles,” a shiver whipped down my spine.
I held my breath and closed my eyes for a brief moment, silently hoping that it was all in my head. I would rather be making up scenarios than to have Mr. Phantom standing behind me because how the hell had he found me?
Unfortunately, I would have remembered his voice anywhere and the way he made my body feel without trying. It was all I’d been thinking about since I left him. It was impossible to forget.
My first instinct—ignoring the one that urged me to turn and leap into his arms—was to run. But I was working and that would have been frowned upon. I also really needed my job. All of them.
So, I ignored every instinct and put on my big girl panties. I opened my eyes and squared my shoulders before I spun in place.
Nothing could have prepared me to see his face again.
Especially not in the bright afternoon light.
His jaw was just as sharp and square as I remembered, dusted with a thick dark stubble that was highlighted with a few gray hairs.
The few grays at his temples and the shallow lines around his eyes were the only noticeable signs of his age.
But those little signs only made him more attractive to me. As did his longer, tousled brown hair that nearly skimmed his shoulders. Hair that I’d easily slipped my fingers through that night and reminisced about since.
I tried to hide the way my eyes slipped down his body, but it was hard when he was only a few feet in front of me. Either way, I glanced down quickly and noted that his dark blue suit fit just as well as his tuxedo on Halloween night.
When my eyes met his once again, there was no doubt he’d noticed my appraisal.
Mirth sparkled behind his golden irises, and I swallowed hard as he returned the favor, dropping his eyes down, down, down.
He didn’t even try to hide how his gaze snagged on my cleavage that was notably appropriate for work.
But not so much when he was looking at me like he wanted to devour me whole.
“It is you,” he muttered, licking his lips like he was trying to hide his smile. “Bubbles,” he said again, and I suppressed the shiver that made me tense.
“Beckett, did you—did you just call Ms. Hawkins, Bubbles? What is a ‘Bubbles’?”
Thankful for the interruption, I shook my head and spun back around to our new tenant.
“Beckett?” I asked, surprise evident in my voice. “Do you—you know each other?”
Ms. Crawford nodded, her dark gray brows knitted together. “Yes, Beckett is my nephew. He’s helping me move in.”
Nephew. He was her freaking nephew. I never believed the world was that small, but apparently it was.
“And I’m guessing you two have also met,” she continued before I could fully comprehend the situation before me.
And to make everything exponentially more awkward, Beckett said “yes” at the very same time I said, “no.” I looked up at him and caught his eyes already on me, that crooked smile tilting his lips.
My eyes narrowed, and I glanced back at Ms. Crawford as I felt my cheeks heat. She cautiously glanced between us, and I was eager to move on and complete the move-in process as quickly as possible.
“Are you ready to head upstairs?” I asked, ignoring the higher pitch of my voice. I cleared my throat and tried again. “We can view the unit before the movers begin, and I can answer any questions.”
Her eyebrows shot up toward her hairline, and my stomach rolled. I wished I was better at controlling my facial expressions, because I was sure she could see my anxiety plain as day.
“Upstairs sounds good,” she finally said, and I didn’t hesitate to lead the way over to the elevator bank.
I pressed the up button and took the few seconds for them to follow to compose myself. I took a couple deep breaths and reminded myself I was working.
So, I just started talking as we stepped onto the elevator.
I ran through the instructions for the move-in checklist and details about the property.
There was so much information to go over that I was able to talk through the elevator ride, as we walked down the hallway, and until we walked into the unit.
We stepped into the open-concept apartment, and a smile spread across Ms. Crawford’s face. She lit up and clasped her hands beneath her chin as she walked into the living room and peered out the glass doors that looked out onto her balcony and the courtyard beyond.
“It’s perfect,” she said, and I returned her smile.
“I’m so glad you like it.”
“Like it? Love it!” she cried as she strode into her bedroom.
And suddenly, I was all too aware that Beckett and I were alone. Like all the air had been sucked out of the room, my heart started pounding. I dropped the move-in checklist on the counter along with the other information I’d verbally gone over a few minutes before.
Usually, Gloria would wait until the tenant had approved of the space and escorted them back downstairs to finalize the paperwork.
But I couldn’t stand there a second longer with my anxiety climbing and my heart racing and all these thoughts about what I could have done differently or how I deal with it now.
I prepared to walk back to the door when Beckett stepped into my path, and I gasped, reeling backward and into the granite countertop behind me.
My mouth went dry, and I struggled to swallow as he towered over me. Not that he was trying to, he was just tall, and it happened whether he wanted it to or not.
“Hawkins,” he said, and why did everything he said have to sound like he was recording erotic audio or something? It was especially unfair when it was my last name he was saying.
He stepped closer, which I didn’t think was possible without him touching me, but it was. Although if I’d been breathing, my chest would have brushed his, and he likely would have felt my exhale.
He made a low sound in the back of his throat, and I watched his eyes shut softly for a moment. The tension between us skyrocketed, and I braced my hands on the counter behind me, hoping it would keep me standing because I swore I was going to pass out.
“Do you know,” he began, his voice a low rumble, “how long I’ve been looking for you?”
“What—?” I croaked, but I didn’t get a chance to finish my sentence.
“This is just so perfect!” Ms. Crawford exclaimed. Her voice grew closer, and Beckett took a gloriously large step back as she rounded the corner.
I sucked in a much-needed breath and plastered on a smile. “I’m so glad you think so.” I was panting like I’d been running for my life, but thankfully she didn’t notice. “There’s just a few more things we need to finalize downstairs, then you’ll be good to go.”
“Oh,” she said, clapping her hands together and turning toward me. She frowned and sighed. “Do you think my nephew could finalize everything? I want to stay up here and wait for the movers.”
“Of course,” I said, while internally I was screaming the opposite with a string of expletives I didn’t normally use. “I’m sure we can manage.”
I grabbed my keys off the counter, leaving her set behind, and strode to the door, but Beckett was already there, swinging it open and waving for me to exit first. My steps stuttered, but I managed to recover.
Even though I could feel him following me down the hallway and back to the elevator, I kept my steps even and my spine straight. I pressed the “down” button, and Beckett came to stand beside me.
I let myself peek over at him for a very short second just to see his hands were once again in his pockets with his eyes straightforward, like he was utterly unaffected.
The doors opened, and one of my favorite residents, Mr. Rogers, stepped out.
“Oh, it’s my favorite girl,” he said. “How are you doing? I saw Gloria is out, so I’m guessing you’re busy.”
He was in his late seventies but had the energy of a twenty-year-old. He pushed his thick round glasses up his nose and ran a hand over his thick, gray hair.
“Very busy,” I said. Beckett stepped forward and held the elevator open while we spoke. “I’ll try to come by and visit later, Mr. Rogers. Otherwise, I’ll see you at bingo on Friday.”
“You bet,” she said. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
He waved as I stepped on the elevator with Beckett beside me, and I noted his long look in Beckett’s direction. The doors closed, and Mr. Rogers was still staring daggers through him.
Alone once again, Beckett turned to face me.
I saw in my periphery when he opened his mouth, but I held up my finger.
I would not be caught getting out of the elevator with him by another resident, because I knew the moment he opened his mouth again, my reaction would be no different and completely recognizable to anyone else.
I was already struggling to maintain my composure with the heady scent of his cologne and presence surrounding me in the confined space.
By some miracle, Beckett heeded my request. It also wasn’t a long ride, which worked in my favor.
The doors opened, and I hurried out like my ass was on fire.
We crossed through the lobby, and I turned into my office, struggling to think of a way out of my current predicament.
I stopped in front of my desk and took a breath as I heard him enter behind me.
A second later, the door shut, and I swore the sound echoed through the silent room.