What time tonight?

  She thought about adding an emoji, but tool-belt Joe didn’t seem like the emoji kind of person. Joe was laughing but stopped and read her phone before turning her head to smile at her. God, that smile was almost as nice as that ass in those jeans. When in the hell had she developed such objectifying tendencies?

  If I said six would I sound eager or geriatric? I promise I’m not trying to talk you into the early bird special.

  She laughed at the response and replied, I don’t mind a little eager.

  “As soon as the nailing stops, I’m going to treat you to something nice. Like me, for instance.” She picked an outfit to wear for when Joe was done. Even if they stayed in, she wanted to look good, and it also gave her an excuse to wear heels. Lucy had mentioned the extra height made her ass look good.

  She took her time in the shower and thought about being alone with Joe. That only made her want to touch herself again, and that wasn’t going to cut it today. After she dried off and put her pajamas back on so she wouldn’t wrinkle her skirt, she sat at the small desk on the other side of the room and powered her laptop on. There was no reason to torture herself any more than she had already.

  It was amazing how fast her nipples puckered to the point of uncomfortable when she saw an email from Anonymous right below one from Marlo. Whatever her boss wanted was going to have to wait. The subject line from Anonymous simply said addition, and there was a file attached. When she opened it, the story shared the title of the first once Anonymous had sent, and she sat on her bed to read.

  Neighbor

  The way she looks standing there is getting me so hard I want to take my pants off. She’s naked and staring at me with an expression I’m not sure how to decipher, but I can tell she’s determined. All I can ask myself is why. Why isn’t she touching herself like all the nights before now?

  I move closer to the window and raise my hand to the pane, smiling when she repeats the move. Now I know what she wants from me, and it excites me more than the cutest girl in fifth grade kissing me behind our elementary school. To test my theory, I place my hands on my abdomen, and she mirrors the action. This time I not only get to watch but lead the dance. She wants me to touch her, and I want to give her everything she desires.

  The intensity of her stare as she watches me strip off my clothes makes me take my time. Once I’m naked, I spread my fingers and stroke my stomach before running my index finger up between my breasts. She watches me as she follows my movements religiously. The way her eyes narrow a bit means she’s enjoying this. It was then that it wasn’t hard to imagine the feel of her skin, the hardness of her nipples against my palms, and my lips on her neck. I was in that room—they were my hands on her body.

  The echo of her voice reverberates in my head when she moans softly as my hands cover her breasts. I’m standing behind her, liking all that soft skin pressed against mine. She falls back against me when I squeeze and suck right where her neck meets her shoulder, making me moan this time. I have the whole expanse of her body in front of me, and I pause not only to savor it, but to decide where I want to touch next. There’s no reason to rush but she seems impatient as her hands cover mine as if trying to get me to focus.

  “Not yet,” I say into her ear, and she reaches back and pulls my hair. I move her closer, and she spreads her legs as if ready for me.

  She drops her head to the side when I run a line of kisses down to her shoulder. There is nothing more I want than to touch her, so I move the hand she’s covering with hers and run my fingers along her pussy. She grips my wrist and moans again, pressing her ass into my groin. I stop, wanting to enjoy how wet she is, and it seems all she’s thought about since we were together last was getting fucked. This is what I’ve been thinking of as well, and having her open like this, wanting, makes me want to rush, but I take a breath. I want to touch her until she’s ready for me.

  “Baby, please,” she says, sounding so out of breath as she chases my fingers.

  “Please what?” I turn her head and kiss her. “Tell me what you want.”

  “Fuck me,” she says, her breathing coming in gasps as if she can’t control herself. “I need you to fuck me.”

  I stroke her clit, and she turns and wraps her legs around me. She’s clinging to me and bucking her hips like she wants to come. There’s been enough teasing, enough foreplay, and enough of everything except going inside her until she’s done. It won’t be long before she climbs the peak I’ve led her to and she’ll be lost in the pleasure. I sit with her straddling my lap, slide my fingers in, and place my thumb over her clit.

  She can’t hold back now, and I give her everything she’s demanded of me. I fuck her like she belongs to no one but me. It’s perfect—she’s perfect. The feel of her is the most exquisite thing I’ve ever experienced.

  The walls of her sex grip my fingers, and she screams as I sense how close she is to coming. Her breathing picks up, and a steady stream of Oh Gods sounds like a mantra as I quicken my pace, wanting her to claim her orgasm.

  “Harder, baby, harder. I’m almost there,” she says, and I gladly give her what she wants.

  She yells and squeezes my shoulders as I stop my hand but not my thumb. My fingers are buried deep in her sex, and I stroke her clit until she screams my name. The way she stiffens and then relaxes in my arms makes me complete. She’s done, and she opens her eyes and gazes at me like a woman completely sated. With one last kiss she releases my fingers so she can drop to her knees and take me into her mouth until I come.

  When I do, the only thing wrong is it breaks the spell, and I’m back in my chair with my hand between my legs. Thinking of her made me touch myself until I was lost at the sight of her. She makes me feel alive, and I’ve come to want to see her smile. It’s my addiction.

  “Thank you.” I stand and press my hand to the windowpane again. She nods as if she understands me. Just as quickly she walks away and is gone. “Until next time.”

  Hayley closed her eyes and took deep breaths. She was so turned-on she wanted to lie down and give Joe a call. There were still construction sounds coming from outside, but she walked to the window on surprisingly strong legs. The guys were still working and joking, only she didn’t see Joe. Her phone dinged, and she smiled seeing Joe’s name on her message readout.

  Are you ready? Or do you need more time? The message was like all Joe’s so far, direct and short.

  Give me five. She deleted that and retyped, fifteen minutes. She sent it and her phone rang right after. “Hey.”

  “Could I come in and wait? I’d rather not give George the chance to shoot a dart into my neck if he thinks I’m about to manhandle you.” Joe laughed.

  She had to press her hand to her chest. She needed to calm down. “Are you sure it’s not so your pals out there won’t tease you for having no game?” If Joe had any more game, she’d be pregnant by now.

  “I’ll leave it up to you to decide about that. I’m here.”

  She opened the door and leaned against it when she saw Joe standing there with a bottle of wine and a smile. Even if she’d been a writer instead of an editor, she’d have trouble coming up with the words to describe Joe. That smile of hers could turn a nun into a woman in need of sex.

  “Hi,” Joe said and waited.

  “Come in.” She accepted the wine and watched Joe stride in. The way she glanced around seemed more about curiosity than nosiness. It was something she hadn’t done that morning, and Hayley wondered what made her do it now. “You’ve been busy over there.”

  “I didn’t want to rush your time with Lucy, and I wanted to improve the view for you.” Joe walked to her living room and pointed to the couch. “Can I sit?”

  “Please.” She liked the look of Joe on her couch. “You’ve done wonders for my view, and I was wondering if you’d like to stay in so we can discuss it. We could order Chinese or something.”

  “I’d love that, but I don’t mind taking you somewhere.” Joe spread her legs slightly. All the stuff in her head about Joe popped right back to the forefront of her thoughts. “That might be the best way to make me behave.”

  “Oh, you’re going to behave. You’ve made me lose my mind plenty of times, but I don’t want to make it that easy for you. You’re right, going out is a good idea.” She smiled when Joe pouted. “Let me go finish getting dressed, and I’ll be right back down.” Joe’s jeans and suede coat made her change her outfit to leather pants and boots, considering it was getting colder outside. She put on some light makeup and a dark pink lipstick and was pleased with the results.

  She stopped halfway down the stairs and listened to Joe talking to someone. It sounded serious and she prayed it didn’t mean Joe was going to have to cancel. She couldn’t walk back upstairs without giving away her spot on the stairs.

  “Then I drove up and saw that the train wreck was not only my station, but I owned it,” Joe said, and she had to be talking about the house. “That’s a longer conversation for another day, but I do have a question. Can you guys give me any insight on George? Is he as crazy as he seems?”

  The dual meowing made her shake her head and laugh. When she made it back down, she was shocked to find Hugo and Truman sitting on the coffee table while Joe held one of their paws in each hand. If she didn’t know her cats and their antisocial behavior with practically every human on the planet, she’d swear the two talking to Joe were imposters. They didn’t even let her touch their paws, but Joe just sat there like she was thinking of dumping her for the two cats.

  “Are they warning you off? They should remember who feeds them.” She stopped moving, enjoying the way Joe looked her over.

  “They’re giving me the skinny on the neighbors, and would you be mad if I told you how beautiful you look?” Joe petted each cat before standing and taking her hands. “You’re gorgeous.”

  “Thank you, and women love hearing how beautiful they are, for future reference.” She released one of Joe’s hands and placed hers on Joe’s chest. It was a bold move, and yet it felt right given the amount of sensuality already humming between them. Joe was solid and, from what she saw so far, respectful. Wasting most of the day on nerves made her an idiot, but the way Joe let her work her way through her stuff brought her a level of comfort she’d never experienced around another woman. “You won’t lie to me, will you? That’s the most important thing to me.”

  It was an out-of-the-blue question, and probably too serious for what was essentially the second time they’d met. But she couldn’t help but ask. There were different people in the world, some who followed the rules and some who made them up to get what they wanted. The latter were the ones who had the power to eviscerate you if you gave them a chance. Of course if Joe was a liar, a good one, she’d do so now without a problem.

  Like she had that morning, Joe touched her, drawing her in. “What you should do is take it a day at a time. Hopefully, our shared moments so far should tell you that you can trust me to keep your secrets safe. Now, if you have George waiting in the kitchen to take me down, you’re on your own.”

  She rested her forehead against Joe’s and laughed. “George’s been a large concession to good manners. He’s a pain in the ass, but I’m too nice to mention it.” The way Joe held her made her relax farther into her. “He’s a strange man, but he’s better than the newspaper when it comes to information about the neighborhood. George is a good cub reporter.”

  “Maybe I’ll just manhandle you for answers so I can avoid George altogether.” Joe held her hips with a light touch. Her hands warmed the leather she was wearing, and it made her think of the story she’d read earlier. That Joe had a talent for erotica was an understatement.

  “Tell me why you decided to finally ask me out.” While a relationship based simply on sex was something she might’ve thought of at first, something like that wouldn’t last. It only worked out in erotica, and even those were usually short stories.

  “It’s something my father told me once.” Joe combed Hayley’s hair back, leaving her hand on the side of her neck. “Every woman deserves respect, and I didn’t want you to think you don’t affect me because you do. That’s true, and I’m not sure yet what it is you want, but what I need is more than a night. It’s not like I’m proposing, but you’re someone I want to know.”

  “I affect you?” Sex might not be the only reason to be with someone, but it should be an important aspect of any relationship. How someone touched her, saw her, and wanted her were priorities.

  “You can’t think otherwise.” Joe took a chance and pulled her closer. She lowered her head with the slowness that’d give Hayley a chance to stop her if that’s what she really wanted. There was no way she was doing that, and she encouraged her by placing her hands behind Joe’s head.

  There were moments Hayley’s father said you never forgot, and this kiss was going to be on her list of memorable highlights. Joe was gentle, and there was something passionate in the way she kissed. It was the kind of act that made her feel like they’d been apart for years and had finally gotten together again. She felt cherished and turned-on, a heady combination.

  “Wow,” she said when Joe pulled back.

  “Wow is right,” Joe said. “Hi.” Joe smiled and kissed her again.

  “Hi.” She encouraged Joe to lower her head and kissed her again. “Do you want to order in?”

  “I do, but I’m taking you out. We’re neighbors, so you know I’m not going anywhere, but I want us to be sure. Is that okay?” Her stomach rumbled loudly, making them both laugh.

  “It is, so let’s get going.”

  She took Joe’s arm and smiled when she helped her up into the old truck. The old country songs on the radio didn’t quite fit Joe. “It’s stuck on that channel, and the power button is broken, so I can’t turn it off. I’d say I hated that, but these songs will show you that no matter how horrible your life is going, it could be so much worse. I mean, your horse could run off with your girl.”

  “I’ll have to remember that.” She sat back, waiting to see what Joe came up with. First date in their case was relative, considering their distant enjoyment of one another, yet she was still curious. They stopped at the Coquille d’Huître, one of the best restaurants not only in the city, but in the country. This place wasn’t just impressive, but expensive. Hayley had never been, and it was nice her first time was with Joe. It was also romantic, so the night was off to a good start.

  Joe hurried around and got her door before the valet could. They were seated at an intimate table by a window, which was perfect. The dinner and conversation they shared for the next couple of hours was wonderful.

  She found out that Joe was a voracious reader, which Hayley was putting on her list of wants, should she lose her mind and try internet dating again. Joe was the whole package when it came to stimulating her brain as well as her body. She’d been more successful than Lucy at getting Joe to open up about herself, and she knew which college she’d graduated from and heard about some of the trips she’d taken. Joe was also smart enough to turn it around on her and talk about her favorite subjects, so they’d covered everything from Jane Austen to Stephen King.

  “So,” Hayley said as they were waiting to share a dessert, “what exactly is it you do?”

  It was the only time in the night that Joe didn’t meet her gaze directly. “I’m in between jobs right now, but my dad had a contracting firm before he suddenly retired. The Fuller house was a good opportunity to use all the skills I’ve learned through the years.” Joe stirred cream and sugar into her coffee, a process she appeared to take seriously.

  “You’re flipping it? Is that why you’re moving so fast?” Not seeing Joe next door was something she didn’t want to consider just yet.

  “No. I bought it to live in it, and I’m moving fast because that’s the way I work. I want it done and livable as quickly as possible. The Fuller family was big in size from what I’ve heard, but none of them were into maintenance.”

  Joe stopped to take a sip of coffee. The expression on her face and the way she closed her eyes in apparent enjoyment made her want to research perfumes that smelled like coffee.

  “What I’ve done so far were the most pressing things, like the pipes and the outside, so the cold air doesn’t come through the walls like I’m living surrounded by cheesecloth.”

  “You really like coffee, huh?” She placed her hand on the table, happy when Joe threaded their fingers together.

  “You can tell a lot about a city from their coffee, don’t you think? This place is a coffee lover’s paradise. We can discuss the food on our next date.”

  Joe winked at her and smiled, turning her blood to lava. The urge to go home and strip her clothes off was growing with every sip of the strong brew. Coffee as an aphrodisiac, who knew? “Should we take the dessert to go?” Please say yes, she repeated a few times in her head.

  “That sounds like a wonderful idea.” Joe signaled for the waiter, who brought the check and the chocolate cake they’d ordered. Joe pulled cash from her wallet, so they could get going that much faster.

  They stood in the shadows while they waited for the valet to bring their truck and kissed. Their first kiss was good, but tame in comparison to this. Joe held her against the building and possessed her lips as her hands moved right above her ass. She held on, wanting to rush home and get what she’d been waiting for.

  “Take me home,” she demanded with Joe’s shirt bunched in her fists. “Don’t make me wait any longer. I need your hands on me—I want you over me until I come.”

  “Jesus,” Joe said, closing her eyes. “You’ve driven me crazy from the first day I saw you in the shower.”

  “You watch me in the shower?” She laughed, pinching Joe’s side hard. “Perv.”