Chapter One #2
I shake my head and focus on the passing scenery, set on shifting my thoughts from the sadness that sets in when I think of the man who raised me.
I try to focus on the upcoming audition and the piece I need to prepare.
I mentally reorganize my schedule to fit in practice time, and I almost have everything set when the bus arrives at my stop.
I grab my things and head out, making the short walk from the bus stop to my building, a modest four-story structure that I’ve lived in ever since Gramps and Gran first took me in when my mother died.
Even as a small child, I was charmed by its red brick that’s softened by the ivy climbing the walls and windowsills. Now, I’m grateful it’s so close to my work—only a twenty-minute bus ride. But there are other personal reasons that make me love the building.
I’m almost at my door when I skid to a halt and stand still, staring at all six feet of delicious muscles…the other reason I’m glad I chose to stay in this apartment after Gramps passed away.
My hot neighbor, who moved in about a year ago.
Hawk is leaning against the door of apartment 3B, keys in his hand, scrolling through his phone.
A huge mountain of a man, all broad shoulders and rugged angles, he’s wearing a simple white T-shirt that clings to his muscles and reveals the intricate tattoos that cover his arms. There’s no accounting for the number of nights I’ve lain in bed wondering just how far those dark lines go.
When he turns, I forget how to breathe.
His eyes are like the summer sky, a piercing and breathtaking blue that steals the air right from my lungs. I’ve never been one to flirt much, but when he looks at me like that, I suddenly realize how a man can make a woman want to giggle and twirl her hair.
And then he smiles.
His lips curve up, a slow, easy smile that does something wild to my insides.
His eyes crinkle at the corners, deepening the lines there, and for a second, I forget how to think.
Dumbfounded, I stand there staring, completely and utterly captivated by the man I know better than to have any feelings for.
He’s my neighbor.
Years ago, I forbid myself from ever being attracted to two kinds of men. Never men I worked with, for obvious reasons. And never with neighbors. But that was before I met…him.
Hawk.
“Miss Belton.” He says my name in a low rumble that vibrates in the air. My stomach flips and I can feel a blush creeping up my neck, but I’m helpless to do anything about it. “Everything alright?”
“Hmm? Ah, I mean…um…”
Kill me now!
“Miss Belton?”
Act normal. Please act normal.
“Amelia,” I manage to croak out, my voice sounding ridiculously high-pitched. It’s so hard to act casual and pretend that bumping into an incredibly good-looking man is no big deal, but Christ, no one looks like this man. “Please, call me Amelia. We’ve been neighbors for a year now.”
“Of course, Amelia, how was your day?”
Small talk? I can do that. But first, I need to look away from that intense gaze. My eyes flick up to his hair. It’s black and looks incredibly soft, like silk. I bet it would be smooth if I ran my hands through it.
My day? Right. “It was good, they’re holding auditions for the first-chair spot and I’m thinking of trying out, you know.” I gesture awkwardly to the violin that’s strapped across my back.
“That’s great, I’m sure you’ll get it.”
I blush. “Uh, thanks. And you?” My cheeks are burning and I can feel my palms start to sweat. “How was your day?”
“Nothing as exciting as yours, I’m sure.
” He glances down at his wristwatch, a slight frown creasing his forehead.
I watch with fascination as his expression shifts from casual to something a little more serious.
“Shoot,” he mutters under his breath, then looks up at me, a polite smile back in place.
“I’m sorry, I have to go. It was nice running into you, Amelia. ”
“Um, yeah, me too…”
But he’s already walking toward me, and for a second as he passes by, he’s so close to me that I’m hit with his scent.
A mix of something clean and something undeniably masculine.
It’s a strong combination of wood, musk, and leather that punches into me like a sex potion and sends my nipples hardening behind my bra.
Even minutes after he’s gone, his scent lingers in the air, on my skin. When my legs finally decide to cooperate, I’m in a daze. I have no recollection of taking out my keys and unlocking my door, or of letting myself in.
“A bath,” I whisper, dropping everything on my living room floor and stumbling to the bathroom. My entire body feels like it’s on fire, and my fingers tremble as I start the water. I think of Hawk as I plug the drain, somewhat disgusted by myself.
That I would react so pathetically just from a man having a simple conversation with me.
“But he’s no simple man, now is he?” I tell the woman staring back at me in the bathroom mirror. Though I suppose I wouldn’t know. I hardly know anything about him. I’ve always been too flustered and shy whenever I run into him to get my brain to function and ask him about his life.
I tug down the zipper on my dress and let the sleeves slip down my shoulders before the dress spills onto the floor. I unhook my bra and slowly slide it down my arms before dropping it next to the dress. Next are my panties, until I’m standing naked in my steaming bathroom.
Naked and wishing for a man I shouldn’t want. A man I know next to nothing about. I’ve seen him occasionally pull up to the building on a motorcycle, wearing a leather jacket with strange symbols on it, but beyond that…he’s an enigma to me.
Still, that doesn’t stop me from wanting him.
He hasn’t even touched me…and yet my body burns for him. My nipples, sensitive and pebbled, ache for his touch.
I shut off the water and dip a toe to test the temperature before climbing into the tub, sighing as the warm water soothes the tension in my muscles but does nothing for the need dancing along my skin.
Thoughts of the audition, of the past and future, are all pushed to the back of my mind as the image of my neighbor takes precedence.
Those blue eyes locked on mine, running over my body, not the way someone looks at their neighbor but the way a man looks at a woman when he wants to fuck her senseless.
Amelia…
On his lips, the name would come out in a deep, breathy sigh, loaded with longing. I’d tunnel my hand through that hair and climb on my tiptoes as my mouth sought his. As his hands travel over my body and touch parts of me that no other man has ever touched.
Amelia, baby…
I lean back against the tub, spreading my legs as wide as I can manage in the small space. It’s that handsome and rugged face I see when I close my eyes. Those eyes pinning me in place as I touch myself.
I sigh as I drag a hand between my legs, settling my middle finger against my clit.
I’m wet, slick with arousal even from such light contact, but I can’t help it.
My mouth opens in a whimper as I work my digit in tight circles against my sex, writhing in ecstasy at the sensation that spreads through my body.
It’s him I see, kneeling beside my tub, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up as he dips his hand into the water and nudges mine away. He’ll take charge, he tells me in that deep voice I dream about. His hand is bigger, his fingers longer and more skilled than mine.
My head falls back and water splashes as his hand moves faster between my legs. As he reaches up with his free hand and pinches my aching nipple between those long fingers, stroking his thumb over the peak before tugging hard…
“Oh God!” I sob, hips trembling and sex pulsing hard seconds before an orgasm tears through me.
His hand moves faster, splashing water all over the bathroom floor, but neither of us seems to care as pleasure ripples through me.
His voice is deep, whispering into my ear and urging me on until the ball of fire in my stomach cools down to a simmer.
I’m panting when I open my eyes to an empty bathroom, looking at the mess of water I just splashed all over the floor, but I can’t find it in myself to be mortified by the fact that I just got off by thinking about my neighbor.
Feeling incredibly limber, I relax deeper into the tub and allow myself to daydream about the man.
This time, we’re married with a dozen kids and a dog.
In this one, he doesn’t have me pinned against a wall, but we’re sharing a cozy meal under the moonlight.
Confessing our undying love to each other.
In this one, he’s not just my neighbor. He’s my husband.