Dirty Neighbor (The Dirty Suburbs) (10 page)

I shrug.
“I’ve faked my fair share of orgasms. Sometimes you just need to get it over with. Because it’s 9:45 on a Tuesday night and you have a big presentation at the staff meeting the next day or it’s the middle of a Saturday afternoon and that mountain of laundry on the bedroom floor won’t do itself even though you’re kind of excited to try out that new sex trick you read about in
Cosmo
.”

He scoffs at me. “Spoken truly as the ex-girlfriend of some chump named Lenny.” His pale blue irises twinkle as he looks me deep in my eyes and says, “But when
we
have sex, I assure you that you won’t be thinking about the laundry.”

A flood of awareness rushes into the space between my thighs and I feel heat run up my neck. “
When
?” Suddenly, I’m very conscious of how close we’re sitting and how masculine he smells.

He’s still holding my gaze, a confident glint in his eye. “When…”

Now, I’m blushing profusely. And it’s hot in here. Really hot. Fire crawls across my skin and my heart beats faster than ever. “How did we end up talking about this anyway?”

Just then, Sebastian stirs again. Keeland presses his index to his lips. “Shhh.” He turns his attention back to the Moses basket but he’s still wearing that smug twist on his lips.

Chapter 19

Sammie is asleep now, snoring lightly, her head leaning against my shoulder. The sweet scent of her curls around me like a blanket, making me feel warm inside and out. Sebastian is still snoozing, too, in his little Moses basket.

And me, I’m sitting here in the quiet living room, grinning from ear-to-ear like an idiot.

She smiled at me. For the first time in eight years. And I felt my heart do a little, geeky Carlton dance.

The sound of her laughter still fills my mind. She’s pretty when she laughs. I’ve wanted to see her do that since I showed up in Reyfield.

And tonight, it happened.

I glance from the woman sleeping at my left to the baby sleeping at my right. This is what I used to dream about – a family. It’s what I wanted with Rhys.

But she turned out to be a deceitful, treacherous bitch.

So, fuck that.

Now, I realize that I don’t need a commitment. All I want to do is fuck. To be more precise, all I want to do is fuck Sammie Trotten, the most off-limits girl around.

Daniel would slice off my balls and shove them down my throat if he knew the thoughts I’ve been having about his sister. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine she’d grow up to be so insanely hot.

And as I’m defiling her in my mind, I hear keys jingling in the lock. Before I have the chance to nudge Sammie off of my shoulder, the front door swings open. Grace is frowning as she steps over the threshold and Daniel follows behind her, looking completely exasperated.

Pure shock covers both of their faces when they peer into the living room and find me sitting between Sebastian and Sammie.

I give them an awkward greeting as I gently shake Sammie awake. Her eyes slowly blink open and she recoils, pinning me with a strange look. It takes her a moment to fully register where she is and what’s going on.

“Hey…” Grace says softly as she tiptoes into the living room. She heads straight for her sleeping baby. “Was he good?” she asks as she eases him into her arms.

Sammie stands up, nervously straightening her hair and her clothes. “Yeah. Yeah. He cried a bit. And Keeland came over to help. He really saved my butt.” She offers her sister-in-law a guilty smile.

Grace’s suspicious little eyes bounce between Sammie and me. Then, she wordlessly spins on her heels and walks over to where the baby’s car seat is sitting next to the fireplace.

“I had some old tricks in my bag. Worked like magic,” I say teasingly, hoping to ease the tension in the room but when I glance over at Daniel, he’s shooting daggers my way. I quickly turn away from him. “Here, let me help you out,” I say to Grace as I scoop up the Moses basket before going into the kitchen and gathering up the diaper bag.

An uncomfortable silence falls over the room as Grace slips a hat over Sebastian’s head before sheathing him with a warm quilt. I pad over to Daniel, handing him his kid’s stuff. “Hey buddy,” I say with fake exuberance.

He leers at me. “We’ll talk tomorrow,” he says as he yanks the things from my hands and stomps out the door.

Grace picks up the car seat and follows slowly behind her husband. Just before she steps onto the porch, she turns back to us and shakes her head. “He’s not gonna be happy about this…”

I see Sammie pull in a steely breath as she closes the door. She knows what I know.

Hurricane Daniel is starting to pick up speed and it might get ugly.

Chapter 20

I’m leaning against the kitchen sink, nibbling on the edge of a bagel when Daniel’s car pulls into the driveway.

Shit!

After what he walked in on last night, I can’t say that I’m surprised to see him but I expected that I’d at least be able to get my coffee in before having to deal with him today. I grab my mug and take a long swallow of my café au lait as he walks up the back steps wearing a wool coat over his dark gray pinstriped suit. He taps on the window.

I give him a small wave before padding over to the door and pulling it open. “Hey!” My voice comes out all high-pitched and chirpy.

“Hey kiddo.” He ruffles my hair before he kicks off his shoes and strolls into the house. He heads straight for the kitchen cabinet and grabs a coffee mug.

“What are you doing over here so early?” I say as I reclaim my spot on the edge of the sink. “I heard that Gracie’s withholding sex. Is she withholding coffee now, too?” I joke in a snarky tone. It’s probably not funny to poke at my brother’s marital woes but I can’t help it. I’m desperate to lighten the mood in here.

“Ha!” he says mirthlessly before he reaches into the drawer and grabs a spoon. “Just came over to say thanks for watching Sebastian last night.”

Yeah, right.

“It’s nothing. I’d watch Mr. Pooh any time. You know that.” I shrug and take a small sip of coffee as my brother opens the fridge and grabs the milk. “You really didn’t have to drive all the way over here just to say ‘thanks’.”

“So…Keeland dropped by to help?” He says it so nonchalantly that I almost mistake it for an innocent question. Almost.

I lift my shoulder again. “He heard Sebastian crying and he came over. Said his ex-girlfriend had a baby.”

My brother is silent as he stirs the milk into his coffee and returns the near-empty carton to the fridge. He looks over at the piles of Master Ink paperwork sitting on the kitchen table. “And you’re helping him with his accounting?”

I nod. “Keeland needs a bookkeeper and I need money…”

He leans against the cold, stainless-steel refrigerator and stares at me. “Look, Sam — I love Keeland like a brother. Even after all these years, he's still my closest friend. But I don't want you to get tangled up with him. You hear me? A lot has happened to him over the years.  He's not the same guy we went to high school with.”

I roll my eyes. Daniel takes his role as big brother way too seriously. I’m not a child anymore and I don’t need him to pry, especially since there’s nothing to pry into.  “I’m not getting ‘tangled up’ with Keeland,” I say defensively as I draw air-quotes around the words. “We aren’t even friends. He just came over to help with
your
son. You should be thanking him.”

I spent last night awake, thinking about Keeland and the way he looked as he rocked Sebastian to sleep, the way he gazed at me as we talked about our past relationships, the lust that tickled my core when he implied that he was going to fuck me. I get a little flushed as it all replays in my head.

“Sam, I’m serious,” Daniel watches me sternly. “Girls like you don’t belong with guys like Keeland.”

What the hell is that supposed to mean? ‘Girls like me’?

What? Am I not pretty enough? Or thin enough? Or…I don’t know.
Well, thanks a bunch, big brother!

“Don't you have a will to go draft or an estate to go inventory or whatever other soul-sucking shit probate lawyers do?” I ask sarcastically as I move towards the door.

Thankfully, he follows me. "At least I
have
a job…A
real
job,” he scoffs at me.

I lean in and straighten his crooked necktie. “Congratulations to you,” I say holding the door open. “Now, go do it.”

He grunts and leans in to kiss my forehead just before he slides into his shoes. “Be good, okay, Sam?” He gives me earnest eyes. Eyes that say ‘I’m only doing this for your own good’. I know he’s meddling but he’s my big brother and if he’s warning me about his best friend, maybe I should trust that he knows what he’s talking about.

“I’m always good,” I say quietly as he treks down the stairs and jumps into this Mercedes.

Chapter 21

The weather in Reyfield is schizophrenic.

One day, it’s sunny and warm and half the soccer moms on Thornbush Lane are running their errands in short-shorts. Next day, snow is falling like manna from the sky. Tonight, it’s raining. Hard.

I lie awake in my bed, staring up at the ceiling. And I’m thinking about Sammie.

The smell of her skin, the swell of her lips, the way her hips sway with each step she takes. I pull my sketchpad and pencil off of the bedside table and trace her mouth. My pencil captures the fullness of her pouty bottom lip and the perfect bow at the top and the contour that outlines it all. I use my finger to blend the various shades of gray and as the pad of my index runs across the paper, I can’t help but wish that it was her warm, soft skin that I was touching and kissing.

Daniel told me to keep away from his sister but she’s the only thing I really want. I’ve always wanted her. I’ve always wanted to get back the chance I missed all those years ago.

I glance over and see her bedroom light on across the way. I pat the bed beside me until I find my phone.

Keeland: I want u

I lie there, holding the phone in my hand, waiting for her to text me back. It seems to take an eternity, but eventually, her reply comes.

Sammie: What exactly do u want from me?

She’s so damn feisty. It makes me hard as nails. I know that she’d be a firecracker in bed. Once I’ve gotten all her walls down. I slide my hand into the waist of my boxers to tame my ferocious erection.

I could say something funny or subtle, but I’m tired of playing around. So, I decide to be straightforward instead.

Keeland: I want to be inside of u

She takes no time to reply.

Sammie: Not interested

I sigh. It’s part frustration, part amusement. Because she
is i
nterested. I see it every time she looks at me. She’s as hungry as I am. It’s time for me to take this situation into my own hands.

I'm done beating around the bushes and I'm definitely done beating my meat. I grab a handful of condoms out of my bedside drawer, shove them into my pocket and dash out into the rain.