Page 10 of Knockout (Whiskey Dolls 2)

“I don’t have to tell you shit,” I hissed, poking him again. “I know who I am, and that’s all that matters. I don’t have to defend myself to a bitter, pathetic man who’d rather judge people in order to keep everyone at a distance than get to know them.”

The sanctimonious expression he’d been wearing just a moment earlier melted off of his face. He looked like he wanted to say something but, lucky for me, the slow-as-hell elevator finally made it to my floor. With a resounding ding, the doors opened, and I whipped around and stormed out. So much for a warm bath and a glass of wine. Because of that jackass, I was going to need the whole bottle.

* * *

Jude

I knew I’d fucked up as soon as the words fell from my mouth. This rivalry of ours had been a pain in the ass, but even with us throwing barbs and intentionally trying to piss the other off, I knew I’d crossed a line with what I’d just said to her.

It had been cruel. Uncalled for. And as I watched her march down the hall toward her apartment, I felt like the world’s biggest dick. That feeling didn’t get any better as the elevator took me up to my own floor.

The guilt clawing at my insides only made the bone-deep exhaustion I’d been feeling that much worse as I unlocked my door and stepped into my apartment.

It had been a long, hard day. Getting my company off the ground had been a difficult road to navigate. I had to prove myself when I first started Kingsley Landscape and Design, but all the hard work and long hours had finally started paying off. My business was steadily growing, so the company was taking on more and more projects, meaning that, from the time the sun rose until it started to set, me and my guys were outside, busting our asses to give our clients the most beautiful yards and gardens possible.

My job gave me a sense of accomplishment. There was something about working outdoors, getting my hands dirty, and being surrounded by nature that breathed life into me. It was all I’d ever wanted to do since Gram started taking me out into the huge gardens on her property.

But that calm feeling I always came home with was tempered today, the latest run-in with my downstairs neighbor weighing too heavily for me to feel anything but tense.

Not to mention there was the minor fact that my dick was so damn hard it was trying to bust free from my pants. It had started out as just a game, but it took no time at all to realize the huge fucking mistake I’d made by instigating a new game on that elevator.

I saw the way her pulse had started to thrum, heard how her breathing picked up when I moved closer to her and fed her that bullshit about my dream. I’d intended to use her reaction against her, and while it may have come across like I’d succeeded, the whole fucking thing backfired. The entire time I stood just inches away from her, I’d been sporting the kind of wood that would have put a full-grown oak to shame.

The way she smelled was intoxicating. Like jasmine and vanilla. The fragrance was stronger than a physical punch. The urge to reach out and touch her, to see if her skin felt as soft as it looked, had almost been too strong to fight. And Christ, when those hypnotizing gray eyes went all glassy, it took an act of strength I didn’t even know I possessed to keep from wrapping all that long, dark brown hair around my fist and yanking her to me so I could see if she tasted as good as she smelled.

“Fucking hell, Jude,” I scolded. “Get your shit together, man.”

When the music started blaring up from beneath my floor, I knew I was in for a long night.

Layla and I might not have liked each other, but over the past several months, I’d gotten a feel for her based on the ear-splitting music she’d blast in her apartment. And if the angry rock vibrating beneath my feet was anything to go on, she was good and pissed off.

Letting out a weary sigh, I headed for my fridge and cracked open a beer. I had no one to blame but myself.

6

Layla

Ilifted the coffee to my lips and took a long, fortifying sip. Muffin Top wasn’t exactly the most convenient coffee shop to get to, but it had the best pastries and coffee in our three towns, so when my girls called about meeting up, I didn’t have any issue with driving from Grapevine to Hope Valley. A cappuccino and sugary pastry was totally worth the twenty-minute drive. Hell, for Muffin Top, I’d drive a freaking hour if need be.

The scone I’d just shoved into my mouth worked wonders in tempering the bad mood I’d been in since my latest run-in two days ago with the douche-nozzle living above me. But I couldn’t say the same for my friends, who I had just relayed the entire story to. They were well aware of my hate-ship with my neighbor, so this was just the latest in a long line of bitch-sessions.

“He saidwhat?” Marin snapped, looking like her head was two seconds away from exploding.

“That son of a bitch,” Mac seethed. “I have half a mind to drive over there right now and light his car on fire. You know where he parks, right?” She looked to Charlotte. “Your husband does all that super secret private investigator stuff. Think he can hack the security cameras to the parking garage for a few minutes so we can get in without getting caught?”

“Probably,” Charlotte replied, looking just as angry as the rest of them. “And if he’s not willing to help me commit arson, I bet I could talk one of the other Alpha Omega guys into it.”

I really did have the best friends a girl could possibly ask for. “I love you all. But how about we take a breath and rethink the felony that will probably mostdefinitelycome with some serious jail time? I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t look good in orange. It washes me out.”

“Pretty sure they’re tan up here,” Asher said in a tone like she was giving the color of the prison jumpsuits serious thought. “I could rock the hell out of tan.”

“Me too,” Marin decreed.

While I had to admit—at least to myself—that I could handle tan, I still didn’t like the idea of being sent to the clink. I didn’t have the personality for it. So I went a different route, looking to each girl in a serious, committed relationship. “And if they don’t allow conjugal visits? Then what?”

That gave most of them pause.

“So what are we going to do to get him back?” Marin finally asked when she realized not getting the D from her man, Pierce, on a regular basis wasn’t worth the hassle.

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