Chapter 1 #3
“It won’t,” he promised, and stood again.
When the knock sounded on her front door, he caught her fingers in his much larger, slightly rough, and incredibly warm hand.
Oh, not good. His touch was electrifying, though she tried to hide her reaction. Instead of feeling impersonal, the connection was far too intimate—at least for her. Ford didn’t seem all that affected.
The second she gained her feet, he led her through the kitchen, past her small dining room, into the living room, and to the entry door.
Of course, he knew the way. Their houses had similar layouts, but with different exteriors.
Hers was siding, his brick. Her landscaping was new and still small, his was lush and well-manicured.
And now he had that amazing deck that made his pool a beautiful feature in his backyard.
Her yard was more shaded, with several big trees.
“What’s his name again?” Ford asked quietly.
“Clyde. Why?”
Another knock sounded, followed by the doorbell.
He released her, saying, “Go ahead and let him in.”
Incredulous, she said low, “That’s what I’m doing.” She unlocked not one, but two locks. Ford said nothing else, but as she pulled the door open, he draped a long arm around her shoulders, smiled brightly, and literally took over.
Before she could get out a single word, he said, “Hey, Clyde, right?” He stepped aside to let Clyde in, and as he had her pinned to his side, she moved with him. “Nice ride you have. Is it new?”
Bewildered, Clyde stared at him. “Who the hell are you?”
“Neighbor,” Ford said, his smile still in place. “Friend. Confidant. Escort.” Lifting his brows, he added, “Admirer. Currently the one. You know what I mean.”
Bristling, Clyde said, “No, I don’t.”
“Ah, man. Sucks for you.”
Skye nearly choked. Good grief. Where had her standoffish neighbor gone? He was now the man she’d often heard joking with his friends.
She kind of liked both personas.
Ford hugged her into his side with an overdose of affection. “Skye told me you had to pick up a few things?”
“I have it all right here.” Darting away from Ford, she went to the couch and lifted a box.
“Two CDs, your charging cord, a hat, the book you wanted me to read, sunglasses, ear buds, and your pen.” She met Clyde’s gaze and stated, “Everything you left in my car.” For some reason, she wanted Ford to know that Clyde hadn’t been in her house.
After considering everything she’d said to him and his friends, she’d realized how bad it had made her sound. Like a total user. Like someone who’d taken advantage of Clyde and then ruthlessly dumped him.
Not the way it had happened, and though she’d assumed that one visit with them was all she’d ever have, she’d hated to leave them with that impression.
Then Ford had showed up after all, and now here she was, with both men staring at her over the way she’d listed the inventory.
Ready to end the farce, she thrust the box at Clyde.
He took it only to set it aside. “I want to talk, Skye.”
God, this was so awkward. Gently, because she did feel bad, Skye said, “We’ve done enough talking, I think.”
When Clyde started to step forward, Ford got in his way. “Sorry, man.” His tone was still cordial. “She says no.”
Clyde was not a small man. He was muscular, maybe as much so as Bray. He intimidated a lot of people.
Apparently, not Ford.
They were nearly the same height, but the similarities ended there. Clyde was big and bulky, Ford was lean and athletic. Clyde’s dark hair and eyes were a stark contrast to Ford’s blond hair and mesmerizing green eyes.
Mesmerizing? No, that was ridiculous. Nothing mesmerizing about the man at all.
Interrupting their silent stare down, she came forward—and was immediately snagged again by Ford, who treated her to a warm kiss on her temple.
“What she says, goes,” Ford explained. “And we both know she’s been clear.”
Clyde’s expression hardened. “I’m not buying it.”
“It?” Ford asked.
“The idea of you two together. The touching and kissing.”
Her heart seized up. Of course, he knew better. In a moment of weakness, she’d explained a few things to Clyde. Now he’d use that knowledge against her? No, no, no. Hoping to reason with him, she said, “Clyde—”
“Maybe if you weren’t laying it on so thick, I’d be convinced. I mean, new sidekick? Yeah, that I’d believe. Skye doesn’t like to attend parties alone. But this?” He gestured at Ford’s arm around her. “I was with her first, so I know better.”
Wishing the floor would swallow her up, Skye tried to withdraw.
Instead of letting her go, Ford tightened his hold. “Whatever you think you know,” he said, his voice low, “I suggest you get your belongings and get out.”
Dismissing him as unimportant, Clyde stared only at Skye. “I don’t know what game you’re playing, but have you laid out the rules to him?”
No, she hadn’t, because as he’d said, this show with Ford wasn’t real. And she’d been right. Clyde wasn’t fooled.
In an oddly protective gesture, Ford stepped in front of her, which meant Clyde had to step back. “Rules that applied to you,” Ford said. “Seriously, dude, I’m sorry. You got stuck in the friend zone, and that had to burn, but it’s over. Just gather up your pride and go.”
Furious, Clyde shook his head. “Not that easy.” To Skye, he said, “I’ll see you at the restaurant next week, and at Mel’s party after that.” He completely ignored Ford. “And whenever I shop.”
In other words, he intended to haunt her everywhere she went. Would she ever be rid of him?
Bunching his muscles, Ford warned, “Those plans sound an awful lot like stalking.”
“Stalking?” he scoffed. “Her friends are my friends, and vice versa. We’re both invited to the party. And I’ve bought plenty of gifts at the boutique.” His smile was far from friendly. “Isn’t that right, Skye?”
Things were getting completely out of control. Having another man around hadn’t discouraged Clyde at all. He actually seemed to feel challenged to prove something.
She was pondering how to end this visit when Ford did the unthinkable.
He stepped into Clyde’s space.
Though his tone was casual, antagonism charged the air. “One way or another, your ass is going on the other side of the door. You decide how that’s going to happen.”
“Ford.” Hadn’t she made it clear that this wasn’t to be a violent confrontation? Clyde wasn’t a pushover; anyone could see that. Ford, however, spoke as if he didn’t have a single doubt of his own ability.
What in the world had gotten into him?
Unimpressed, Clyde laughed, but he also took a step back. “Don’t worry, Skye. I won’t mess up his face.” He grabbed up the box, then paused to stare at her. “He doesn’t know you like I do. He doesn’t understand your insecurities. If he did, he wouldn’t be here.”
Probably true. She couldn’t look at Ford, but then, he wasn’t looking at her either. All his attention was fixed on Clyde.
“When he walks,” Clyde added, “and we both know he will, I’ll still be around. Give me a call.”
“Why don’t you hold your breath?” Done being passive in this awful confrontation, Skye pressed forward to stand beside Ford. “I’d always thought you were nice, but you taught me better, didn’t you?”
For only a second, Clyde appeared hurt. Then he went out the door, and she closed it firmly behind him, turned the lock, and stepped away. A few seconds later, they heard him gun the engine, back out of her driveway, and accelerate away.
Ford didn’t move. Shoulders knotted, his hands in fists, he continued to face the door. “You would have faced that asshole alone.”
She had no idea what to say to him. She couldn’t think with her heart punching so hard inside her chest. “I could have handled it.”
“And you would have, if I’d kept on being a dipshit.”
Should she explain about Clyde? Could she explain?
No! She and Ford were friendly, but they weren’t in any way close. Despite his being here now, she didn’t owe him explanations.
Audibly inhaling and slowly exhaling, Ford pivoted to her with a good-natured smile as if all was fine and dandy in his world. “Well, good riddance. You were right about him. Definitely a nuisance. I’m glad my friends heckled me and that I came over.”
Her thoughts scrambling this way and that, Skye struggled to make sense of his reaction. Had he really been furious, or just feigning that reaction for Clyde? No, looking into his eyes, she knew his anger hadn’t been a sham. He was putting on a good show for her now.
She tried to think of how to respond, but all she could manage was a quiet, “Thank you. I appreciate the help.”
“What are neighbors for, if not a little heavy lifting?”
Great attitude, but she couldn’t let it go at that. “For the record, I didn’t expect Clyde’s reaction. Reluctance on his part, sure. But not”—she flapped her hand—“whatever that was.”
“That was a guy who didn’t want to take no for an answer.”
Obviously, she hadn’t known Clyde as well as she’d thought. “I didn’t mean to drag you into anything violent.”
“Not sure you could. I mean, I’m twice your size. Remember the difficulty you had with that large limb? I’d be even tougher to drag.”
Humor was nowhere in reach, so she only met his gaze and waited.
“Skye.” Getting real, he said, “Not a big deal, okay? Bozos are everywhere, believe me. I’ve dealt with my fair share.”
“You practically challenged him.”
Still looking very calm, he said, “You have no idea how badly I wanted to. Bullies infuriate me. But hey, I’ll survive the disappointment of letting him off easy.”
See, that. Clearly, he assumed he’d have come out the victor, but how in the world could he think it would be that easy? “I’ve never seen Clyde so aggressive before. I swear, it wasn’t what I expected.”
“Some guys aren’t great with rejection, and believe me, finding me here sharpened the sensation for him. He wanted you alone, he hoped to convince you, but he’ll get over it.”
This was all such a mess. She looked away, wishing she hadn’t bothered him, wishing she hadn’t opened the door to Clyde—wishing she’d never made the ridiculous arrangement with Clyde in the first place.
Touching her chin, Ford brought her gaze back to his. “Whatever you’re dealing with in your life, it’s your business. Clyde was an ass for trying to embarrass you.” Releasing her, he held out his arms. “Look, this is me, unimpressed with him. You should be unimpressed, too.”
Briefly, she closed her eyes, but she wasn’t a coward. “Right. He can only bother me if I let him.”
“True to a point. Emotionally, anyway. The thing is, I don’t think he’s going to back off completely. If you really want him to—”
“I do!” Surely, he didn’t still doubt that. They’d just seen Clyde at his worst. “The shine wore off that friendship weeks ago, and that was before he acted like an obnoxious ape.”
“Then could I make a suggestion?”
Guessing what he’d say, she went to her couch and sat down. “I can’t involve the cops.”
“Okay.”
She chewed her bottom lip. “I should avoid the restaurant and skip the party.” Even though she’d made those plans ages ago, and even though the party was part of her job, it was still—
“Wrong move,” he said. “At least in my opinion.” Taking a seat next to her, he got close, but didn’t touch her. “You should never give in to bullies. They see it as encouragement and things get worse.”
Recognizing the sincerity in his eyes, she nodded. “Okay. Then what?”
“You have to stand up to bullies.”
“I tried that,” she admitted, frowning at the memory. “It was awful. He caused a scene and embarrassed me.”
“Were you alone or with a date?”
Maybe it was time she made a few things clear. “I was at a club with friends, no date though. That’s how I prefer it.”
“Okay, fair enough.”
Wait, what? It couldn’t be that easy. As soon as she saw his smile, she knew he had more to say.
“Another guy wasn’t around because you’re not interested. Understood. Can I just point out that going it alone isn’t working great so far? That’s why you visited me today, right?”
“I can’t exactly deny it.”
“So this is me, volunteering further. Feel free to use me.”
Heated visuals flashed through her brain. “Use you?” Surely, he didn’t mean that the way it sounded.
His voice went low and rough. “I wasn’t offering up my body, so don’t get ideas. It’s this pretend stuff I can handle.”
Trying to cover her reaction, she eyed him. “Your friends seemed to think even that would be difficult for you.”
Jokingly putting his nose in the air, he stated, “Nothing with women is difficult for me.”
That was so absurd, she laughed. How had she not known her neighbor was funny, too? “This whole situation is a mess, and still you’re amusing.”
“It’s a gift.”
Appreciating him more by the second, she said, “I agree.”
His expression softened. “You have a dinner, and then a party, right?” When she nodded, he said, “So take me along. I can discourage your ape and ensure he can’t bother you. He’ll eventually get the message and tire of hanging around.”
She wasn’t at all convinced.
“The offer comes with no strings attached.”
“Last time I tried that, I ended up with an obnoxious ape.”
“Ah, so that explains Clyde. I did wonder.”
“You thought I was awful, didn’t you?”
Instead of denying it, he said, “Maybe a little. The good news is that I’m nothing like him. For whatever reason, you don’t want to get involved. I probably have just as many reasons for feeling the same.”
She listed two of those reasons easily enough. “You’re a diehard bachelor, and you enjoy playing the field.”
“Not precisely true, not all of it anyway.”
“No?” she asked with a lot of skepticism.
“If you ever want to share stories, maybe we’ll discuss it.
Until then, let’s just say we both have our reasons.
In the meantime, we can hang out, right?
I got a smile or two out of you, and even a laugh.
My company won’t be an awful hardship, and Clyde doesn’t intimidate me.
” He held out his hand. “What do you say?”
“Your offer is almost too good to be true.”
He didn’t retract his hand. “Then let me surprise you.”
Remembering the charge she’d felt last time she’d touched him, she should have been reluctant; instead, she felt only relief as she put her palm to his.
Keeping the handshake agreement brief, he said, “Give me all the details on your upcoming social calendar—that is, anything that involves Clyde. We’ll make this work. I promise.”