Officer Next Door (5 page)

Either way, grounding herself with a few bites to eat seemed like a good idea. She had one brownie, and then another – everyone did. Sasha’s baking compelled every single person on the porch to go for seconds, including Henry. “These are really good,” he said.

Sasha grinned like she’d just received some sort of prestigious culinary award. “It’s my own special recipe.”

Maybe it was because the tray of brownies compelled him to stay close, but Henry didn’t stray far from the patio table after that.

“I wish I had something else to offer everyone for dinner,” Alicia said, “but I haven’t been on a real grocery shopping trip since I moved in.” Mostly, she’d been surviving off of coffee, cereal and extra food from the restaurant at Wisteria, courtesy of Sasha. It wasn’t exactly living rough, but it didn’t leave her with much to offer guests.

“We’ll have to be better prepared next time,” Sasha said. “We should all get together again, and I’ll cook dinner – maybe a low land boil, or gumbo. Southern style sea food is my specialty.”

Alicia didn’t try to stop Sasha, even when she went so far as to suggest an actual date for the group dinner. It was nice to have friends and acquaintances so soon after moving, and Sasha hadn’t made a single cucumber comment. So far, the evening had turned out to be more enjoyable – and less embarrassing – than Alicia had expected.

Before she knew it, everyone seemed to have agreed to get together again, and a giddy, tingly feeling that had nothing to do with alcohol filled her. When she excused herself and made her way into the house, headed for the bathroom, she caught herself humming under her breath.

She stopped immediately when she heard something else – something strange.

It was a small sound, and soft. Like the whip of fabric – skirts or a dress, some sort of long garment – going around a corner, and the suggestion of a footstep. She wouldn’t have thought anything of it if anyone else had been in the house, but they weren’t.

She was alone.

A chill struck her, and she wrapped her arms around herself as she stared down the hallway that led to the bathroom and beyond, into the little living room. If she’d been blindfolded, she would’ve sworn someone had just walked down it.

Despite the fact that she’d had her eyes wide open and had seen nothing, she had to check – had to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the living room was empty. Heart racing, she crept down the hall, hugging herself.

She breathed a little sigh of relief when she reached the living room. It was completely empty, of course – exactly as she’d left it. The couch she’d brought from DC was strewn with jewel-toned throw pillows, and a box sat in one corner, still half-unpacked. Nothing was out of the ordinary at all. Still, she stepped gingerly as she retreated to the bathroom, unable to help straining to hear any noise.

Everything seemed loud after that – from the splash of water as she washed her hands, to the rush of her own breath. Maybe it was the combination of sangria, ghost talk and Brutus combined, but her giddiness had evaporated, leaving her strangely on edge. A sense of dread colored her thoughts as she remembered waking up less than a week ago to the impression of someone – or something – standing over her bed. Had she only imagined it?

God, she hoped so.

The hallway still seemed cool when she emerged from the bathroom. At this rate, if she kept getting creeped out over every little thing, she wouldn’t even have to turn on the air conditioning. Goose bumps remained on her bare arms and shoulders as she emerged from the hall and into the kitchen, stopping by the staircase that led up to the partial second-story’s one room: her bedroom. What if…

She climbed the stairs, unable to stop herself. She
had
to see for herself that no one was in the house. Then, she could write off the sound as a glitch in her imagination.

Her room featured a bed and dresser situated beneath a sloping ceiling. A large window set into the highest wall admitted enough evening light to show that the room was empty, even before she flipped on the light switch. Still, she took a few moments to visually inspect the space, taking her time until the goose bumps faded from her skin. By the time she climbed back down the stairs, she was finally, mostly calm.

Until she saw a figure looming in the middle of the kitchen, anyway.

The figure was at least six feet tall. Clasping her hands to her chest like a starlet in an old black and white horror movie, Alicia barely stifled a gasp.

“Liam?” she said, but the realization had come too late – she was falling.

She caught the railing at the last second and managed not to tumble down the last five steps. Still, she felt herself blush from head to toe as she pulled herself up, straightening and taking careful, shaky steps until she reached the safety of the kitchen floor.

“Didn’t mean to startle you,” he said, his blue eyes locking on her.

“It’s okay. I just— Well, all that talk about ghosts… I thought I heard something, and then of course I had to check out the house to make sure I imagined it. I can tell by your expression that you think I must be crazy.”

“Not at all. If I heard a strange noise, I’d do the same thing. What did it sound like?”

She shook her head. “Nothing, really. I’m sure it was nothing. I get creeped out easily, especially living out here all alone. It’s peaceful, but it can be kind of spooky too.”

“You’re not all alone – you’ve got me next door.”

Her blush deepened. “Yeah. Well. I had dozens of neighbors back in DC – living here is definitely a change of pace.”

“Speaking of neighborly stuff, I came in to ask you whether you wanted me to fill in that crack in the kitchen window’s casing. I should have just enough time before it gets dark if I go and get my stuff now.”

“Sure. If you really don’t mind.”

“Not at all. I’ll be right back. If you want, I could bring over my grill and some burgers. I was going to grill a few for myself, Grey and Henry anyway.”

Alicia couldn’t deny that she could use some protein to ward off the effects of alcohol and sugar, especially if she was going to be spending the rest of the evening in Liam’s presence. “If it’s not too much trouble, that would be great.”

“It’s no trouble at all. I’m no master chef, but grilling is one thing I can handle, and burgers will only take a few minutes. I’ve got some patties and beer waiting in my fridge.”

After he left, she took a moment to collect herself before joining the others on the porch. As she took her seat at the patio table, Sasha waggled an eyebrow in her direction.

She pretended not to notice. “So, what did I miss?”

“We were just talking about some of the new inmates Riley’s getting,” Sasha said. “You know those two brothers who got caught dumping bodies in the Green Swamp?”

Alicia shook her head. “No.”

“The Levinson brothers – it’s been all over the news. Last year they robbed a bunch of stores, then murdered two cops who’d been working on their case. Tried to hide the bodies in the swamp over in Brunswick County? They went to trial a few weeks ago and were convicted. Now they’re being transferred to Riley – close security for the rest of their lives.”

Alicia frowned. “This is the first I’ve heard about it. I haven’t had satellite installed out here – it’s been weeks since I’ve watched TV.”

She silently vowed to call the next day and arrange to have it installed. It seemed like a good idea to stay abreast of local news, especially if there were notorious murderers on the loose in southern North Carolina.

“They won’t be dumping anymore bodies,” Grey said. “In fact, they’ll never see another swamp. They’ve been to prison before – Riley, actually – and were released, but that won’t happen this time. Both were served with life sentences.”

Swamps, alligators, ghosts and murderers – as much as she was enjoying the evening, the topics conversation had been revolving around had Alicia breaking out in goose bumps again. She’d figured she’d left danger and drama behind in the city.

She still wouldn’t have traded her new life in Riley County for the world, but one thing was for sure: she was glad to have an officer next door, and not just because Liam had returned with a bucket of tools, a small grill and a smile that made her tingle all over beneath her sundress.

* * * * *

It was evening, the cicadas were singing and Alicia was crossing the property line, wearing a pair of jean shorts and a tank top – an outfit that showed off even more of her gorgeous body than her little purple dress had the day before. Liam had just finished an after-work shower – all too necessary, especially in the summer – and stood at his kitchen window, watching her approach. All was going according to plan.

Normally, he didn’t consider himself the scheming type. However, he’d definitely had an ulterior motive when he’d leant a sack of sugar to Alicia the night before. Just like he’d anticipated, she was returning with it. That was a damn good thing, because as much as he was looking forward to the group dinner her friend had instigated, he didn’t want to wait until the next weekend to spend some time with his new neighbor again.

“Guess I should’ve sent this home with you last night,” Alicia said when he opened the front door, “but I forgot all about it. Anyway, here’s your sugar.”

Yeah, he’d forgotten about it the night before too – on purpose.

“Thanks. You’re just in time – I’m almost out of sweet tea. I’ll need this to make another batch.” Inspiration struck him as he thought of the pitcher lurking in the back of his fridge. “Want to help me finish off what’s left?”

“Sure.”

He poured two glasses of tea and they settled in two seats on his front porch. He didn’t have a patio table like she did, but the chairs worked just fine, considering it was only the two of them. As he lifted his glass to his lips, he barely tasted the sweetness – Alicia distracted him too thoroughly for that.

“You look a little red,” he said, eyeing the hint of cleavage that swelled above her top’s neckline. “Been to the beach?”

“No, not this week.” She raised her glass and took a long drink, though not before he noticed that her cheeks were tinted scarlet, too.

He let it go.

“So, did you get those two creeps at the prison yet?” she eventually asked, staring down at the ice floating in her glass.

He nearly laughed. “We’ve got over a thousand creeps under lock and key over at Riley.”

“I meant those brothers – the ones Sasha was talking about last night.”

“The Levinson brothers? No, I don’t think they’ve arrived yet. They’ll be making their way back to us soon though.”

“That’s right,” Alicia said, “Grey said they’d been to Riley before.”

Liam shrugged. “Most people who make it out of prison find their way back in. It’s not unusual.”

She was silent for a few moments. “So what’s it like – working at the prison?”

“It’s a lot of things. Not like any other job, that’s for sure. Seeing the way people act in there, knowing the things they’ve done… Makes you rethink everything you ever assumed about the human race. Makes you look over your shoulder more often than most, too.”

“Sounds kind of rough.”

He shrugged. “I’ve been doing it ever since I was 21, so a dozen years now. What about you – how’s your new job?”

“Brutus aside, it’s really pretty great. Wisteria is so gorgeous – I love spending the day there so much that sometimes it doesn’t even feel like work.” A small smile stole across her face as she spoke, and he could tell she meant it.

“So you think you’re in it for the long haul – going to make Riley County your home?” He hoped, perhaps selfishly, that she’d do exactly that. If she moved away, any future neighbor would be a disappointment.

She nodded. “I think so. I mean, the move has entailed a little bit of a culture shock, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t consider that a bad thing.”

“What about family?” He couldn’t help asking. “Friends? It’s not every day someone leaves it all behind and starts fresh in Riley County on her own.”

She shrugged and smiled. “I’ve got a few people I’ll miss, sure, but I have a feeling that with this kind of proximity to the beach, I can count on them coming to visit.

“I guess I can see why it might seem a little strange that I’d want to start fresh by myself out here—” she waved a hand at the pine forest surrounding them “—but the truth is, as soon as I saw the job listing at Wisteria and the photos on the place’s website, I knew it was right. Have you ever just had a feeling about something like that?”

He thought about it for a few moments, then shrugged. “Can’t say that I have. I was born and raised in Wilmington – moved down here for the job. I’ve more or less been a local my entire life.”

Alicia put her glass down on the floorboards beside her chair. It was empty, save for the ice. He’d barely registered that fact before his gaze was drawn to her legs, long and slim, bare all the way to the thigh, thanks to her shorts. Lust struck him, white-hot and hard-hitting. “Can I get you anything else to drink?”

Before she could reply, a melody started blasting from the vicinity of her short-shorts.

She pulled her phone from her pocket and glanced at the screen. “I should’ve known.”

“Trouble?”

She laughed. “There’s this bride getting married at Wisteria next month. She freaked out a little when she found out the old event coordinator was leaving. I gave her my personal number so she could get in touch with me whenever she wanted.”

“Regretting it?”

“You could say that. This is the fourth time she’s called me on my cell phone. I’d better get home and call her back before she has a meltdown.”

Disappointment stole through him. If only he could go back to the moment before her phone had rung. It’d been nice, sitting with her on his front porch, listening to the cadence of her words, admiring those long legs…

The only thing that’d be more perfect would be having them wrapped around his waist. “Listen, I know we’ve got that dinner coming up this weekend, but could I take you out sometime before then?”

He waited with his heart in his throat and his cock halfway stiff against his jeans zipper. For a second, he considered telling her everything – that her lack of bedroom curtains had left him with a near-constant hard-on for the past three weeks. That her silhouette haunted his dreams and that it was all he could think about every time – and there’d been a lot of times, lately – he wrapped his hand around his dick. That he wanted her, bad.

But that was no way to talk to a neighbor. If she wasn’t interested, knowing that he had a mental catalogue of times she’d undressed – having no idea he’d seen – was probably the last thing she’d want to know. Not that he could blame her.

“Out to dinner?” she asked, standing now, her sandaled feet scraping against the porch boards, toenails painted a pale shade of pink he’d expect to see inside a seashell.

“Yeah. There are a couple good seafood restaurants around here, or we could head to Wilmington if you’d rather do that.”

“I’ve actually only been to Wilmington once, and I didn’t get to see much. I’d love to go.”

“Really? Well, if you want we can make a day of it. See some of the tourist attractions.”

“Sure.” She smiled, looking so gorgeous that for a second, he seriously reconsidered telling her exactly how crazy she’d been driving him.

Her phone rang again before he could do anything so stupid.

“Just let me know what day would be good for you. Most evenings will work with my schedule.”

He agreed and she bid him goodbye, descending the porch stairs and crossing the property line, already lost in conversation as she returned to her own home.