Love Thy Neighbor Read online

  “Nikki, I already told you—it’s over with us, remember?”

  Her mouth dropped open. Coherent speech escaped her. He gave her another guilty look before he set his glass down, turned, and walked away, stuffing his hands inside his pockets.

  When Dallas came back with two glasses of white wine, Nikki practically pounded hers down.

  “Whoa. Go easy,” Dallas said.

  “You’d better get me another,” Nikki said. “This is going to be a long night.”

  “What just happened here?” he asked.

  “Matthew. He saw me. Came up to say hello. He saw me, but he didn’t really see me.” Her eyes started to cloud up. “I went to all this fuss for nothing. He didn’t even tell me I looked nice. He said something about finally losing weight and asked if I did something different to my hair.”

  “Wanker. Okay. Stay right there. I’ll be back.”

  Dallas ducked back into the crowd and at first Nikki feared he was going to go over and say something to Matthew. But a few minutes later Dallas returned with two glasses of either bourbon or maybe scotch.

  “This calls for something a little stronger than wine,” he said, giving her glass a clink.

  Nikki took a sip and let it burn the back of her throat. It stung, but that felt better than the pain in her heart. She took another sip, and another. The band started playing, and when she saw Matthew and Blondie head out to the dance floor, she polished off the rest of her drink. This was turning into a nightmare.

  When that number was finished, the band struck up an old Sinatra classic, “The Best Is Yet To Come.”

  That’s when Dallas lifted the empty glass from her hand and said, “It’s Frank. They’re playing our song. Come. Dance with me.”

  “Oh, no thanks.” Nikki shook her head. “I’m a terrible dancer. I always lead.”

  “Maybe that’s because you’ve never had the right partner.” He gave her a look that was impossible to say no to.

  As soon as Dallas placed his arm on the small of her back, a spark rippled down her body. She rested her hand in his as another current rushed through her. Her other hand made its way along his strong, broad shoulders, and as she looked up into his eyes, everything inside her fluttered. God, he was sexy. He could make her forget about Matthew—at least for the moment. And for the first time, Dallas almost made her feel like she fit with him as easily as her hand had fit in his.

  The next song, “The Way You Look Tonight,” started up and he held her closer still. The heat coming off his body made her melt as they swayed back and forth, hips touching, his legs pressed to hers. He ran his fingers through her hair, and it made her scalp tingle before the rest of her joined in. His thumb gently caressed her bare back where the dress dipped down below her shoulders. It sent a shiver of something she’d never felt before surging through her body.

  She happened to catch a glimpse of Matthew. He stood at the edge of the dance floor, watching her, his mouth gaping open. Nikki looked away and gazed up into Dallas’s eyes, intense and all-encompassing. She knew this was just pretend, that they were only putting on an act for Matthew, but in that moment, it felt real to her.

  “Someone’s watching us,” she said.

  He leaned into her ear and whispered, “Then let’s give him something to really see.”

  He leaned in and brushed his mouth to hers. It was the softest, sweetest, most unexpected wonder she’d ever experienced. She looked at him and he kissed her again, this time letting his lips part ever so slightly, enough to let the tip of his tongue stroke hers. She moaned softly, letting herself relax as her tongue danced with his.

  Never had a kiss been so perfect. Delicious in every way. He wrapped his arms around her even tighter, and she felt something else, too. Dallas was definitely turned on. She was getting wet and he was getting hard. What is happening here?

  When the dance was over, he looked at her and grinned. “I think that oughta get a reaction out of him, don’t you?” He glanced down at himself and said, “It certainly got a reaction out of me.”

  Nikki blushed. She hadn’t expected that and told herself it was male biology. He was kissing a woman—could have been any woman, and that would have happened. It had nothing to do with her.

  She couldn’t say the same was true for her. Whatever was going on inside her body was definitely Dallas-induced. She craved him, wanting him deep inside. Forget her dignity, her pride. Hell, forget Matthew. Even if Dallas rejected her outright, she wanted to throw herself at him. She wanted that hardness she’d felt on the dance floor to slide into her, to pound away this aching feeling. Here she was, getting more aroused by the minute.

  Nikki tried to get a hold of herself. On the ride home her heart still raced from their dance. And from their kiss. God, was he an amazing kisser, and the way he held her, well, it took her breath away. But she had to remind herself for the millionth time that it was just pretend.

  As they rode up in the elevator, she glanced at him. “I hope this wasn’t too much torture for you tonight.”

  “Nah, I managed.” He smiled, his eyes holding hers.

  “Thanks for being my pretend date tonight. You’re a great stand-in. I hope you had at least a little fun.”

  He looked at her and she saw something flicker behind his eyes. “It was my pleasure. Any time.”

  “Well…” She wanted to kiss him. God how she wanted to kiss him, but this wasn’t a date. And there was no Matthew standing off to the side watching. She had to stop before she made a fool of herself. So she smiled and dug inside her bag for her keys. “Good night.”

  “Good night, gorgeous.”

  Neither one of them made a move for their door.

  Finally she turned and was about to head inside when he reached for her, drew her into his arms, and held her, pressing his hard body up against hers. She turned to liquid right on the spot. He kissed her, and as she kissed him back, she ran her fingers through his glorious dark locks, savoring his tongue, which was so perfectly soft and warm and wet against hers.

  “I mean it,” he said, finally pulling back. “Any time you want to make your ex jealous, let me know.”

  After that explosive, passionate kiss, he leaned in and kissed the top of her head. “Good night, Nikki Norris.”

  It was all she could do to breathe, let alone say good night.

  As soon as she got into her apartment, Nikki leaned against the door, panting, trying to catch her breath. The last man to hold her, to kiss her that way, was Matthew. And if she was being perfectly honest, Matthew had never held her that way, had never kissed her that way. That friendly, neighborly good-night kiss, or whatever the hell it was, was the hottest thing she’d ever experienced.

  But then what was that peck on the top of her head all about? Did he get carried away when he kissed her on the lips, lost in the moment? Was he teasing her by kissing her with such passion? No, he wouldn’t do that. That would be cruel, and Dallas wasn’t cruel. Dallas was red-hot sexy, and hands down the best kisser on the planet.

  She closed her eyes, her legs still weak from his embrace. She slid down the length of door and brought her knees up close to her chest.

  She was in trouble.

  Chapter Nine

  Dallas woke with a dream still fresh in his mind and a hard-on throbbing between his legs. A Nikki Norris��inspired hard-on. He reached his hand under the covers and gripped his cock, still aching from what had started the night before.

  The whole evening had turned out to be a surprise in more ways than one. He knew Nikki was beautiful, but when he stopped by her place earlier, he found himself face-to-face with a downright hot, sexy woman. And not in that over-processed model-like way. No, Nikki’s sensuality was natural, pure, coming straight from her core. The astonishing part about it was that Nikki wasn’t even aware of the vibe she gave off. It was effortless, irresistible.

  And the legs. The woman had those legs. They went on forever, especially in those high heels and that short dress. Oh
man, that dress. It fit like it was painted on, and even if she didn’t believe it, Nikki had the body to pull it off. And her skin, luminous and so soft…he could have touched her all night long. He sighed, remembering the glow of her bare shoulders bronzed from her runs along the lakefront.

  When he had her in his arms on the dance floor, she made him downright dizzy. Those lips of hers were begging to be kissed. And her perfume teased him. Her hair had draped over his wrist like silk. All he’d wanted to do was kiss her. So he did, and it was the sexiest first kiss he’d ever had. He was still turned on just thinking about it.

  If she weren’t his neighbor, if she weren’t still hung up on her ex, if she weren’t such a sweet girl, he would have brought her back to his bed last night and fucked her till the sun came up.

  If that ex-fiancé of hers thought she was boring, it was only because he’d never fully explored her. Dallas was certain of that. He could sense that she’d never really been pleased sexually, had never really been fulfilled the way she deserved to be. She may have thought she’d had good sex before, but Dallas knew he could push her beyond her limitations and take her someplace she’d never gone before.

  He caught himself. Be real, man. Who’s kidding who? He couldn’t do that to someone like Nikki. She wasn’t the “hit it and quit it” type. And he wasn’t the type of guy to stick around. He knew he shouldn’t have kissed her at the door when they got home last night, but he couldn’t help himself.

  He was dying for this girl, and he was sure now that it wasn’t because he knew he couldn’t have her. Up until last night he’d worried about his motivations, and he didn’t want to be that guy. The one who’d pull an asshole move like that on a girl like Nikki. He was relieved that his feelings were genuine.

  Even if they did scare the shit out of him.

  Still, he’d have to exercise more restraint from now on. He wouldn’t play with her head or her heart. Not when she was the kind of girl you romanced and fell in love with. The kind you made your girlfriend and then your wife.

  Wait—Dallas wiped the sleep from his eyes—did I really run all that through my head? That was a shocker. What was this girl doing to him? And what was the point of fantasizing about her when he knew how it would all play out?

  How many times had he met a woman, turned on the charm, turned on the romance, and turned up the heat only to have it snuffed out a day, a week, or a month later? He wasn’t a relationship guy. And as much as he longed for something intimate, longed to open his heart to a woman, in the end, it always clamped shut on him.

  Any number of his exes could have told him why. Wasn’t it Cheryl who said, “Abandonment issues.” And Susan, who said he was a textbook commitment-phobe. Rhonda had begged him to go see a therapist, to which Dallas laughed, Yeah, like that’s ever going to happen. He didn’t need a therapist to point out what he already knew.

  When your mother ups and leaves when you’re six years old, but takes your kid brother, it’ll do a number on you. If your own mother can walk out on you, a girlfriend could do the same thing. If your own mother didn’t love you enough to stay, what woman ever would? That’s why he was always the first to leave. Make a preemptive strike. Don’t ever set yourself up to be left behind again.

  Even those few times when he’d thought he’d met someone he could truly care for, even when he initially fought that urge to up and leave, it was always a matter of time before his emotions shut down and he had to make his escape.

  “Do you want to be alone forever?” one woman had asked him.

  The answer was no. Of course not. He would love to have a woman, a woman like Nikki Norris. Forever. He could picture her in his bed, asleep beside him, cuddled up against his body, her hair sweeping across his chest. Her warm, sweet breath on his neck.

  It was easy to imagine himself getting up, trying to be quiet, hoping not the wake her as he’d go downstairs to make the coffee and fry up some eggs and bacon. He’d bring it all upstairs to her along with the Sunday paper. They’d lie in bed and work the crossword puzzle together and make love until they were too spent for more. He could envision an easy afternoon on the couch, watching a movie, or the two of them reading in front of the fireplace, making dinner together, and later, making love some more. That was his idea of a perfect day. His idea of a perfect relationship. But he knew that was just a far-fetched dream because dammit, he could also picture Nikki Norris walking out the door forever.

  He glanced over at the clock. It wasn’t even eight o’clock yet, but he couldn’t lie in bed all day fantasizing about a woman who wasn’t available to him. Dallas flung off the covers, stepped his naked, still semi-hard body into a pair of jeans, and jogged down the spiral staircase. He walked through his loft and went to get the Sunday paper.

  When Dallas opened the front door, he gazed across the hall, thinking about Nikki, as he bent down and grabbed the Chicago Tribune on his doorstep. He pictured her lying in bed, still asleep, her body all warm and welcoming. Stop it, man. He grabbed his newspaper and went back inside and upstairs to his deck.

  It was a beautiful morning, still cool with a cloudless sky and a crisp breeze coming in off the lake. It was perfect weather for running. And that morning there was only one person he wanted to go with. Hey, it’s just a run. There was nothing wrong with that, right?

  …

  Nikki luxuriated in the memory of dancing with Dallas, being in his strong arms, and reliving his kisses. She reached up and touched her lips, still plump and swollen from it all. A ripple of heat pulsed through her body before settling in between her legs. She’d almost forgotten the stunned look on Matthew’s face when she’d glanced up and saw him staring at the two of them. When she was in Dallas’s embrace, she’d forgotten all about the plan to make Matthew jealous. She’d forgotten that it was all an act. And that was the point she’d kept forcing herself to come back to.

  If Nikki thought for one minute that she and Dallas could have had something real, she’d have pursued it. But her pretend date couldn’t have made it clearer. He’d told her himself, he didn’t want to be tied down. He was traveling light. And he’d kissed her on the top of the head, like a father kissed a daughter. It was one of those protective, there, there kisses. A kiss on the head was not an I want to take you right here, right now kind of kiss.

  There was a knock on her door followed by that sexy accent. “Hey, you up? It’s me.”

  “Dallas?” She opened the door and found him in a pair of running shorts and a Boston Marathon T-shirt. Of course he ran the Boston Marathon. Of course he did.

  “It’s a beautiful morning. I was going to head out for a run. Thought you might like to join me.”

  She knew she probably shouldn’t. The more time she spent with him, the more time she wanted to spend with him. But it was just a run, right? She’d do that later anyway, so why not have a little company in the process?

  “Um, I’m not dressed yet,” she said, looking down at her yoga pants and oversize T-shirt. “Can you wait?”

  “Sure, I can wait for you.” He smiled and she came unglued.

  “Ah, make yourself at home, I’ll be right out.” She scurried off to her bedroom and pulled her hair up in a high ponytail and slipped into a pair of old baggy shorts. She hoped they wouldn’t fall down halfway through her run.

  Coming out from her bedroom with her running shoes hooked on her fingers, she said, “I have to warn you, I’m no Boston Marathoner. I’m not very fast.”

  “Not to worry. We’ll take it slow.” He smiled and she wasn’t sure they were talking about running anymore.

  “You know,” she said, lacing up her shoes, “I wouldn’t have made it through that wedding last night without you.”

  “Glad I could be of service.”

  She looked at his biceps and envisioned his buff abs through his T-shirt.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Oh, yeah. Sure.” God, she was practically drooling. She stood up and dropped her key in her shorts pocke
t. “Shall we go?”

  Not risking the freight elevator again, they headed down the stairs and out the side door in the direction of the lakefront. It was a perfect day for a run, with a gentle breeze coming off the lake. In no time they were at the underpass that led to the water and heading south. Running had never felt so easy and effortless to Nikki before.

  Off to the east, the lake was calm, the waves rolling rhythmically onto the shore. Seagulls swooped down as dogs chased Frisbees soaring through the air. The sky was a brilliant blue and the running path was alive with joggers, bikers, and people strolling along. She could see the Museum Campus coming into view.

  “How you holding up?” he asked.

  “So far so good.”

  “You’ve got great form,” he said. “You could probably run a marathon.”

  “It’s only those last twenty-six miles that concerns me,” she said with a laugh.

  “Ha,” he laughed. “Seriously, the last six miles are what kill you. They’re brutal…”

  They jogged along, making easy conversation, when suddenly she felt a dull ache in her thigh muscle. Not wanting to be a baby, she pushed through it, gritting her teeth as they passed Navy Pier. But less than a quarter mile later it was an absolute cramp, like a charley horse right in her quad.

  “Ohhhh, shit.” She hobbled off to the side, trying not to howl as she doubled over and clutched her thigh.

  “Okay. Relax. Breathe.” Dallas jogged over as soon as he saw that she was in real pain. “Is it your knee?”

  “No.” She clenched her teeth and shook her head. “Cramp. In my thigh.”

  “Okay, let’s stretch you out.” He knelt down before her. “Hold on to my shoulder.” His hand slid up the length of her thigh, his palm warm against her skin. He began to massage her inner thigh, kneading her skin, his fingertips reaching higher and higher, beneath the bottom of her shorts. The whole time, his eyes were locked on hers.

  She wasn’t imagining it. He was as into this as she was. The heat coming off her body was hotter than the sun. God, how she wanted his hand to keep moving up her thigh. Come on, just a little higher. She was so turned on she had forgotten all about the cramp in her leg. She ran her hand over his shoulder and down his bicep. The whole lakefront had fallen away and—