Page 39 of Reckless
Yap. Yap. Yap.
Her straight black hair flops over her head when she stirs, and frustration rises in me. I swear if some goddamn dog wakes her up when she’sfinallyasleep, I’m going to lose it.
I slide out of bed as seamlessly as possible, doing my best ninja imitation to not move the bed at all. Thank god for memory foam. Once I’m safely off the bed, I turn up the white noise machine on the nightstand and say a small prayer that I can make it out of this room without waking her.
This bungalow is full of charm. And by charm, I mean creaky floors. But I think I mostly have those loose floorboards memorized now. I twist and turn, combine long steps with choppy ones and when my hand wraps around the crystal doorknob, I say another prayer that the door doesn’t squeak.
I know the hinges need oiling or whatever, but I keep forgetting. Or feeling too tired to care once I have the time to do it.
This is my new reality.
Yap. Yap. Yap.
But a yappy dog next door isnotmy new reality. I refuse to let it be, so I swipe my cotton robe off the bathroom door and tie it around myself. With my shoulders squared, I march out the front door but hit the brakes to prevent the screen door from slamming behind me in my huff.
“What the hell is—”
I stop in my tracks as my eyes land on the white picket fence that divides my property from the one next door. There are three shirtless men moving furniture out of a box van.
I take an inventory of myself. Bare feet on warm wood boards. Heat already licking at where the belt of my robe is tied around my waist.
What time is it?
The full sun overhead means it must be a lot later than I thought.
Yap. Yap. Yap.
“Morning, Win!” My head snaps to the men and I squint, realizing it’s Rhett with his hair tied up in some weird little bun. My gaze zips to the side, recognizing Beau with his close-cropped hair, and then...
Him.
It's been seven days since I last saw Theo Silva in the hospital. I don’t know how long he stayed there or if he ever got the CT scan I ordered through my favorite nurse before I left. I don’t know where he’s been, and I sure as shit don’t know what he’s doing here. Shirtless and looking this goddamn sinful.
It’s annoying that I have to remind my brain that he may be hot, but he’s also shitty.
Thanks for letting me know.
That’s the sentence that will do it.
“Hi, Tink,” he says with a smirk. And how dare he smirk at me like that after everything? Knock me up, take off, and then fly back into town, gawking at me like I’m his next meal?
Fuck him.
“Looking forward to being your new neighbor.”
My jaw drops and I almost laugh. What the fuck kind of cruel joke is this? He’s planning on living next door to Vivienne and pretending she’s not his?
“Over my dead body.” I cross my arms, and his gaze lowers from my mouth to where my robe undoubtedly gapes open over the flimsy tank top I’m wearing beneath.
“Winter, it’s almost noon. Did you just wake up?” Beau asks a little mockingly.
I turn, raking my eyes over his beefy frame, then Rhett’s, who is the lankier of the two.
Theo is somewhere in between. I’m like Goldilocks picking a type. Too beefy, too long hair-y, and then there’s Theo.
Even with one toned arm in a navy-blue sling, he looks good. And I hate my brain for practically sighing and sayingjust right.
A light brown chihuahua with a graying muzzle runs stupid circles around Theo’s sneaker-clad feet. For a moment, I feel like I found a kindred spirit in the animal.
