Page 13 of Noble Neighbor
He mumbled something that sounded like, “In my dreams you’re naked, and we’re fucking.”
Sunny shook her head. “Not the time for humor, mister. Nor bad words. Especially with little ears about.”
“S-sorry. Forgot 'bout ears.” He slid his arm around her neck when she was under him, positioning his head next to hers. “But not the fuck,” he whispered beside her ear, his breath hot against her skin, sending shivers skittering down her body. “Never forget fucking you. P-promise. Ah, fuck. My head hurts.”
“Oliver,” she gritted out. “Stop talking.”
Sunny channeled all her strength into her quads and pushed up. They staggered the few steps to the shade, and she tried to set him down gently, but his weight was too much, and her legs gave way. They tumbled to the ground.
“We should stop doing this,” she gasped, turning her head when she got no response. The man was lying on his side, holding a thigh to his chest, shaking like a leaf in a storm.
“Cramping?”
“Yeah,” he gritted.
“Here’s the water, Mommy.”
Sunny moved, lifting Oliver’s head to her thigh. Kenzie handed her a bottle, and she twisted off the cap and placed it by his lips, tipping it slightly. “Small sips, Oliver.”
She heaved a sigh of relief when he obeyed, sipping half the bottle. Sunny smoothed a palm across his heated forehead, worried his shivering hadn’t decreased. Heat exhaustion was treatable, but what if it was heatstroke? “How’re you feeling?”
“F-foolish.”
“I bet. Ah, here’s Molly.” Sunny shifted and lowered his head to the ground.“Now for the fun part.” She ripped the packaging from the bottles and hurriedly loosened all the caps before she opened a towel and placed it across his torso. “Girls, you each take a bottle and pour it up and down the middle of the towel to cool Oliver.”
Two pairs of startled eyes looked on her. The man, she noted, had closed his, probably in resignation. The next few minutes were not going to be pleasant. “Go on,” she urged.
“You not gonna to be angry, Mr. Oliver?” Molly asked, pressing his shoulder gently.
“No, h-honey,” he whispered.
Sunny tugged off his shoes and rolled the second towel, placing it under his heels to elevate his feet. She crawled back to his head and retook her previous position.
Combing her fingers through his hair, she drizzled water onto his scalp while her girls poured the cold water over the towel. She nodded for them to continue when their first bottles emptied. Sunny reached for the last one herself, pressing it to his lips, coaxing more into his body until he stubbornly closed his mouth.
“Enough.”
Kenzie looked up with a frown. “Is Mr. Oliver going to be okay.”
“Yes, honey. We just need to give him a moment.” Already his forehead was less heated, his breathing less shallow, and the constricting band eased around her own chest.
“Good job, girls. Go fetch your lunch and finish it out here while keeping Oliver company. And bring a Gatorade,” she called after them.
In the ensuing silence, Sunny became aware of other things. Like how thick and silky his hair felt as she ran her fingers through it, and how much she enjoyed the weight of his head on her thigh.
And how impressivehisexposed thighs were — tanned and muscular. Strong. And how much she wanted to run her hands over the rest of his body.
As she had in her dreams.
Those dreadfullydeliciousdreams from which she’d woken hornier than she’d been in a long, longtime. Maybe it was time to invest in one of those battery-operated thingies to relieve thistensionthat plagued her since setting eyes on her green-eyed neighbor.With a house as spacious as they lived in now, surely she could find a safe spot to hide it. Then, when the dreams came again, she could put it to good use. And come, too.
“Love to read your thoughts.”
Oliver’s words penetrated the carnal mush her brain had sunk into. Her hand stilled, and Sunny looked down, her stare colliding with his. He managed a small grin. Awickedsmall grin. She could feel heat creep up her neck, flooding her cheeks, but for the life of her, she couldn’t look away.
There was something mesmerizing about his eyes, pulling her in, holding her captive. His gaze dropped to her mouth, then farther down, before darting back up, his countenance swamping with the same heat that flamed hers.
Then Oliver frowned. “Sunny …” He cast the soaked towel aside and struggled to a sitting position. His eyes flicked back to her chest, and she looked down.Urgh.The damp tee covering the thin bikini top she still wore from their earlier trip to the creek did nothing to hide the two beaded points.
