Page 26 of Tempt Thy Neighbor

But I know the moment she spots me, she’s going to be anything but.

The woman she’s with slips a key into the lock, and like she can feel my eyes on her, Holland looks over her shoulder at me.

Her eyes widen and she lets out a little squeak.

That’s my cue.

“Holls!” I call out, and her eyes narrow as I jog down the hall with a wide grin on my face. “There you are. Sorry I’m late.” I slide up next to her, ignoring the daggers she’s throwing my way, and wrap my arm around her waist. “I was able to get out of the meeting early.”

I see the hundreds of questions floating in her eyes…along with the promises to murder me.

But I keep smiling because I need this apartment.

The woman’s eyes bounce between us, and it’s clear she’s wondering who the hell I am.

I stick my hand out. “Hi. I’m sure my girl here has told you all about me. I’m Sutton, Holland’s boyfriend.”

She glances to Holland, who is still staring at me with wide eyes. The woman gives me a polite smile and presses her hand into mine. “Lucy, building manager. I wasn’t aware there was a boyfriend in the picture.”

I pull Holland into me a bit more, smiling down at her. The stare she returns is dark, the warning of bodily harm clear. “That’s because she’s a little shy. We haven’t been dating long and she’s nervous people will judge her if they know we’re moving in together so soon, but I keep telling her it’s fine. When you know, you know. Right, princess?”

I wait for it. I wait for her to shove me off of her, push me away, call me on my bullshit. But miraculously, she doesn’t. Instead, she grins up at me and says, “Right.”

She might be grinning at me, but I can see it—Holland is pissed, and this time I can’t say I blame her.

I’ve been scouring the area for apartments but haven’t had much luck. Well, that’s not completely true. There were open units all over town, but nothing that warranted a second glance.

If I want to prove to my father and family I’m capable of taking care of myself and don’t need them, it will look a lot better if I’m not staying in a hotel or a run-down apartment.

When I came across this place on my search, it wasn’t hard to put two and two together to know this was the one Jessa was referring to, and it’s no wonder Holland is here.

It’s easily the nicest building in the city. Right in the heart of downtown, everything you could ever need is within walking distance—including that delicious diner I can’t seem to stay away from. It doesn’t look like a shithole and is loaded with amenities, not to mention I could walk to work if I wanted to. Since I’d rather not load my C3 down with miles, it’s perfect for me.

Even though the website said there were no units available, I called the office to confirm. I knew something had to be up if Holland had a viewing. After a little coaxing from the person at the front desk—and a promise of fifty bucks—I was able to find out they had an opening off the record and there would be a showing this evening. They gave me all the info and made me swear I didn’t hear it from them.

I had a feeling I knew exactly who the showing was for, so I took the chance of being right and decided to see if I could swipe it out from under her.

I just didn’t expect her to be so early.

Yeah, this whole thing is a total asshole move on my part, but Ineedthis apartment. I need to prove I’m not the failuretheysay I am.

“Well, if there are no other potential tenants popping up…” Lucy looks between us again, taking extra time to judge Holland’s reaction. When there’s no protest, she nods once. “All right. On with the tour, then.”

The moment Lucy turns around to open the apartment, Holland’s elbow finds the middle of my stomach and she pushes out of my hold with enough force to send me rocking back on my heels.

What the hell, she mouths.

I shrug, hoping my eyes tell her I’ll explain everything later. She narrows her gaze at me once again before turning her attention back to the woman as she begins telling us about the apartment.

“I’m sure Dean has told you all about the building and the amenities, but just in case he hasn’t, there is a rooftop pool that is open year-round—it’s heated—and a gym with up-to-date equipment located on the same floor. Plus, we do allow most pets. Just no snakes.”

She shudders at the thought, and I have to agree.

She glances back at us to see if we have questions so far. When neither of us opens our mouth, she continues, leading us forward.

“This particular apartment is laid out very similarly to Dean’s. Well, I suppose technically it’s River’s since your brother tried burning this whole building down.”

Holland looks sheepish. “I promise I’m a much better tenant than him.”

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