Chapter Thirty-One

Matt

Sometimes it’s a small and innocuous thing that opens the most important chapter of your life.

That night I met Jan, I was going to finish my martini at the midtown bar, go back to my hotel—my lease had expired a day earlier—and get a good night’s sleep. Kind of lame, sure, but what’s a guy to do when the friends who were supposed to send him off got stuck at work indefinitely?

Then Jan walked in.

And that was the moment that bisected my life—before Jan and after Jan.

I was leaving for Virginia the next day, but I wanted her so badly that I took her to my hotel room, telling myself I could get her number and call and come up for visits regularly. As long distance goes, northern Virginia to New York isn’t too bad.

When her phone rang with a family emergency, interrupting us, I finally realized how selfish I was being. Long-distance relationships suck, and they never really work, especially for a new couple. All the associates at the firm who had girlfriends in areas outside the tri-state broke up within six months.

Besides, she wasn’t like the other hard-nosed “I know what I want” associates I’d slept with. They had their lives mapped out, and I was only a tiny blip. But with Jan… I could see myself being an important chapter, just as I could see the same for her. She had an air of sweet vulnerability that said she was the type you called afterward, and took to dinner and movies and shows. She was going to find a nice guy in Brooklyn who’d do all those things with her someday, although the idea was oddly disturbing. But it was only fair I didn’t go after her, knowing I wasn’t going to stick around.

You cannot understand how much I thanked God and Buddha and every deity ever—even Zeus—when Jan walked into David’s office on my first day at Sweet Darlings Inc.

Right now, the love of my life is lying on her stomach on our bed, writing snippets of code for a new feature she says is going to blow everyone’s socks off. She transitioned to the app dev team after New Year’s and does amazingly well there, as I knew she would. I adore the way her eyes sparkle when she talks about the new architecture (which I know nothing about, but who cares as long as she’s happy) or the way she still flushes when I talk dirty to her. But most of all, I treasure her sweet, gentle heart—and the purity of a soul that keeps her humble and down to earth. Even after learning about her inheritance, she’s the same lovable, vulnerable Jan I want to protect from the world.

“Your mom called earlier today,” she says, still tapping away at her laptop.

“Did she?”

“Uh-huh. She said she’s very sorry about being rude to me before, and that I should let you know she said so. You should call her. She sounded really unwell over the phone. Like she’s been suffering from…uh…a severe case of constipation for the last few weeks.”

I smirk. I told Mom in no uncertain terms that if she didn’t apologize to Jan for the way she behaved, she could forget having me spend time with her. She probably didn’t believe me—I’ve never held on to any anger with her for long. But my not going home for Thanksgiving and Christmas probably set her straight. (We spent the holidays with Jan’s family, which was fun). I also didn’t send her birthday flowers last week either. That most likely tipped the scale. One of the most aggressive lawyers I know, Mom hates to admit she did anything wrong. But she doesn’t get to treat the love of my life badly and use the “Mom Card” to get away with it.

“You know what would be really cool?” Jan says, looking up from her laptop.

“What?”

“A trip to St. Cecilia. It’s got the most gorgeous, romantic spot.” She turns the screen, showing me an ad on Facebook. “Here.”

I peer at it. It does look beautiful with pristine white beaches and emerald blue water. “I thought you were working,” I tease, to hide my surprise since I was planning to take her there. Alexandra told me Jan has a valid passport, and I already got a week’s vacation for both of us from Sweet Darlings Inc. for our Valentine’s getaway, starting tomorrow. Sammi and Michelle already packed the things Jan’s going to need at the resort since, as a guy, I know I’m going to forget something if I do it myself.

“Everyone needs to get away from time to time to recharge,” Jan points out.

I grin. I forgot to mention another trait I adore about her—her newfound determination to value and treat herself better.

Unable to resist, I place the documents I’ve been reading on the bedside table and pull her toward me, palming her taut ass. “We can do that,” I say. “We can do whatever you want.”

“Really?” She gasps. Probably more from my fingers grazing over her braless nipple than my offer to do whatever she wants. Or maybe it’s both. I really couldn’t care less.

“Yes. Whatever, whenever.” I pepper her neck with kisses, my dick swelling. I swear her scent is an aphrodisiac. If somebody could figure out a way to bottle it they’d make a fortune, easily outselling Viagra and Cialis combined.

Her gaze darkens, her breaths going shallow. “Then…shut up and kiss me.”

“Your wish is my com—”

I spend the next…oh…at least a couple of hours engaged in the extraordinarily enjoyable act of pleasuring the most perfect woman in the world. Next time I’m inside her is going to be as her fiancé. I already bought a ring for the proposal in St. Cecilia. A yellow two-carat solitaire diamond on a platinum band. Its color reminds me of the sunflowers she loves so much, and I just knew it was the one when I saw it.

This man next door is going to be her man forever.

——

Thank you for reading That Man Next Door. Do you want a special epilogue featuring Matt’s proposal, exclusive to my VIP List? Then join today at .

Sweet Darlings Inc. series continues with , featuring Sammi.

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