6. Liz
LIZ
Living next to Declan Maxwell was like receiving an advent calendar in December. Each time you opened a door, you found a surprise.
I rose from my chair, intending to gather the empty plates. He hadn’t even touched the food while I’d devoured everything.
He rose too, coming up next to me. He smelled absolutely delicious, fresh out of the shower. Of course, he’d been sex on a stick before too, in that rugged, sweaty handyman way. Clearing my throat, I focused on his question.
“I’m not exactly worried, just wondering if I’ll be able to keep to my timeline with the bakery.”
“You have a timeline?”
“I gave myself one year to open it since moving to Chicago.”
“And how long has it been?”
“Seven months.”
“You’ve still got five.”
“I know, but the search for affordable space is going nowhere, honestly. My realtor keeps sending me emails, but most places are far too big for what I need and too expensive. Or they’re in areas with low foot traffic.
” I pasted a smile on my face. “But I know it’ll happen. I have to be persistent.”
“What did you do before moving to Chicago?”
“I worked at a catering company too. I was the boss’s right hand. I’m far lower on the totem pole at my current catering job, but that’s to be expected, I guess.”
“Where are you from?” he asked.
“Sunnyvale. It’s four hours away.”
“Did you go to culinary school?”
“No, opening my bakery was always a pipe dream. I didn’t think I’d ever do it. But wait… how did you even pick up that I was worried? From just looking at me out of the corner of your eye?"
"You were biting your lips and then your nail."
That stopped me for a moment. "Oh. That's very observant."
"I'm a lawyer."
"Damn, and I thought you were paying special attention to me," I teased.
"I am," he said.
"Oh." I shrugged, trying not to show how much his words affected me. I wasn’t even sure why it was happening. Perhaps because I hadn’t thought that this gorgeous, broody man would ever look at me with anything but annoyance. Besides, I still hadn’t recovered from finding out he wasn’t an asshole.
I turned around, focusing on the table. I felt him move behind me. Stepping back, I bumped into him. My ass was pressing against his outer thigh. If I leaned back, I'd probably feel his abs against me, but I wanted to fight the impulse. I couldn't give in to it.
"I am paying special attention to you," he said in my ear, and all the fight left my body. I melted against him, and yep, those muscles were as hard as they looked.
“Liz….”
I suddenly felt cold and knew he had taken a step back. Putting a hand on my waist, he turned me around. My breath caught. He was so very close.
He feathered his lips against mine, and I grabbed his shirt, tugging at it, wanting even more. He traced the contour of my mouth with the tip of his tongue before claiming me completely.
Oh, sweet heavens, the way this man kissed.
It was utterly all-consuming. His mouth was on mine, and his hands were on my hips, but I felt as if he was touching me intimately.
With every stroke of his tongue, my body was even more on edge.
Every nerve ending was on fire. Warmth skittered over my skin.
The kiss was so deep and wet and sensual that I couldn't help but moan against his mouth. I gripped his shoulders with both hands, needing to brace myself. He tasted like grapes and just him . His masculine scent was all around me, and I could get lost in it for days.
A loud bang snapped me out of this utterly delicious daydream.
“Fuck,” Declan exclaimed.
I blinked rapidly. “What’s happening?”
“My family is at the gate. I forgot they were dropping by.”
“Oh, wow. Umm, okay.” I felt a bit dazed by that delicious kiss. Come on, neurons. Help me out here . “I’ll go back to the guest house.”
“No.” His voice was strong and commanding. “I’ll ignore them. They’ll leave. You’re not going anywhere.”
“Declan…,” I whispered, fully on board with his plan. His hands were still on my hips.
A loud honk resounded through the yard. This time, it completely brought me down to earth. I took a step back.
“I don’t think they’ll leave.”
Declan groaned. “No, they won’t.”
A second later, a woman’s voice said, “Declan. Open the gate, please.”
He groaned again. “That’s my cousin.”
“Go, go, go,” I said. “Before they try to run down the gate.”
“Wouldn’t put it past them.” Clearing his throat, he added loudly for his guests to hear, “I’ll be right there.”
I licked my lower lip, watching him walk toward the gate. Damn, the man was beyond sexy. The way those jeans clung to him….
Yummm.
I darted inside my house before he even reached the gate. Today had taken an unexpected turn. I touched my lips with two fingers, barely believing what had happened.
I’d kissed Declan Maxwell.
Holy. Crap.
I’d done it. I’d crossed the line.
I was buzzing with energy. Adrenaline thrummed through my body.
Ha! I couldn’t believe it.
And damn, was he a good kisser or what?
I mean, I was still dazed.
A few seconds later, I remembered I had a plan for my free hours. I’d visit Helen before the shift at the bar.
That meant I needed to make a huge batch of donuts first. Helen had a sweet tooth.
I loved baking. Ever since I was a kid, it had been my happy place.
I had all the ingredients in my cupboard.
I put on music, dancing in the kitchen while I prepped everything.
I had to admit though, donuts weren’t my favorite to make.
Because it involved deep-frying, it didn’t entirely feel like baking. But they were Helen’s favorites.
Maneuvering my kitchen utensils with a banged-up forearm wasn’t easy, but I managed. I was much slower than usual—which was why Richard had sent me home.
After they were ready, I left them to cool and got dressed in jeans and a pink cotton sweater. Then I put the donuts in two boxes. They already had the logo of my bakery.
“Sweet Treats” was written in cursive white letters on a pink background. I’d had this design for a few years, and it was exciting to think it was soon going to be a reality.
Stepping outside, I glanced at the big house, biting my lip. I’d really, really love to show Helen pics of the interior of Declan’s home. It would make her so happy. But after our smoking-hot kiss, I wasn't sure what to do. Just knock at his front door? Besides, he was with his family now.
Still… I really wanted to show Helen all Declan had done.
I went up the front steps before I could lose my courage. Putting down the boxes of donuts, I knocked. A few seconds later, the door opened. A handsome man stood in front of it.
"Hey, you’re Declan’s neighbor, right? I'm Travis, his brother."
Even if I hadn’t known his family was visiting, I’d guess Travis was related to Declan. He was just as tall, and there was a passing resemblance between the two, but Travis’s hair was longer.
“Hey, Travis, is Declan here?”
"I'm here," I heard him say. "Come on in."
“Thanks.” I walked inside and noticed commotion to my right. It appeared everyone was situated in the kitchen.
My neighbor was at the island, and next to him were two women.
One had vivid green eyes and dark brown hair that was half up in a messy bun while the other half floated in waves around her shoulders.
She wore a bohemian cream-colored dress with a lot of lace and ankle boots.
She looked stunning. The other woman had her hair in a braid down her back.
She was dressed in jeans and a maxi T-shirt she’d knotted on the right side.
I’d only ever seen the style in magazines, and it usually seemed over the top, but I loved it on her.
There were also two guys, and I instantly knew they were his brothers too.
They had this insane sex appeal. My goodness, these men were a danger to women's hormones. How could they all be so attractive? Of course, Declan was still in a league of his own. My insides lit up at the sight of him. The way he’d kissed me, God… .
He trained his eyes on me, and my breath caught even though I was across the room.
“Hi, Liz!" the woman with the lace dress said, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“You know my name? I don't know yours.”
"I'm Reese. This is my sister, Kimberly.”
Kimberly smiled from ear to ear. “Nice to meet you.”
“And I'm Luke," one of the guys said.
“And I’m Sam.” He yawned, then shook his head. “Sorry, still not completely on this time zone. I just flew in from Honduras.”
“You live there?” I asked.
“I work there for Doctors Without Borders.”
“It’s great to meet all of you.” I waved to everyone, then turned to my neighbor.
"Declan, I need to ask you for a favor. I'm going to visit Helen, and I think it would make her day if I took pictures of the house and showed them to her. I know she’d love to see these beautiful hardwood floors and the reconditioned banister leading up to the first floor." I’d mentioned it to him earlier, but I didn’t want to bring up our time together in front of his family.
Declan's eyes turned soft. He was killing me. "Sure. Where does she live?" I hadn’t mentioned the location earlier, so no wonder he was asking.
"In an assisted living facility near Elm Street. I'm heading there right now."
“No problem,” Declan said.
“Thanks. You’ve taken such good care of the place, and I know she’ll be thrilled to see the changes.” I took out my phone. “Don't let me keep you from what you were doing." I started snapping pics, even trying to take a few selfies showing a thumbs-up, but I looked a bit ridiculous.
"Liz, give me that. I'll help you," Declan said, coming next to me. I felt his physical presence like a hug, as if he’d wrapped those muscular arms around me.
I handed him the phone, trying to ignore the sizzle in my body when our fingers touched.
I moved around the room, going to the banister and the window. He snapped a few pics as I made silly poses. I’d already photographed them before, but I knew Helen would have a field day with my shenanigans.