Everything had changed, thanks to Leah and Luxe moving in next door. I had to admit, when I met her that first day in the stairwell, and she’d snapped at me for trying to help her pick up the items she’d dropped, I never would have believed that introduction would lead us to here. To now.

Because the now between us was good. Really good.

And maybe that’s why I should’ve known Destiny would show back up here and try to destroy the content little life I’d found.

The knock on the door had been a surprise in itself. I knew it wasn’t Leah, because she always texted or called first—her own personal habit, I guess. And if it’d been a delivery guy or something, they wouldn’t have made it into the building without buzzing my apartment doorbell and waiting for me to let them in. And, in all the years I’d lived in this building, not once had any of my other neighbors come to my door asking for favors. Hell, I barely knew them.

Which was why I should’ve known Destiny was on the other side of that door, and yet my chest had constricted, immediately convincing myself it had to be Leah because, well, everything I said, did, and thought about had to do with her lately.

“Hello, Jay.”

I would’ve slammed the door in her face if I hadn’t been so completely bowled over in disbelief by her presence. “Destiny?”

“It’s me,” she said with a coy grin. “I know it’s been a while, but—”

“More than eight months,” I bit out. “That’s more than a while, I’d say.”

The edge in my voice must have caught her off guard, because I saw her smile falter slightly. Just as quickly, it was back in place. “Can I come in? Just for a bit.”

Her hand came out to rest on mine, which I’d placed on the trim of the doorway, blocking her entry to the apartment. My apartment, not hers.

I flinched, immediately pulling it away from her grasp. “There’s no reason for you to be here, Destiny. I’ve said everything I wanted to say.”

“Well, I haven’t.” She jutted out her bottom lip. “I’ve missed you, Jay.”

Funny, until that moment, I hadn’t realized that Leah didn’t call me Jay. It was always Jason on her tongue, not the short form. And until then, I hadn’t realized that was okay, because I wasn’t Jay anymore, anyway. Jay was gone, and he’d left at the same time Destiny had decided to walk away.

That left only Jason Nightingale, the man I was now.

And that man was content and happy with the pretty lady down the hall, the woman who’d shown me there was more to life than regretting the past.

Leah was my life now, not Destiny. And Leah had opened her heart up to me—to Jason. The woman standing in front of me didn’t have a hope in hell of changing that.

“I can’t say the same,” I said, my voice low. “And I’d apologize for that, but I can’t really say I’m sorry, either.”

It may have been a trick of the lighting, but I swore I saw her roll her eyes. “Oh, you always were so dramatic.” She pushed against my arm, intent on pushing past me, but I locked my elbow, letting the muscles in my forearms bunch. I refused to let her through.

Destiny pushed herself up against my arm, her breasts pressed against me. She didn’t try to force herself through again, but she stayed in place, turning her face to mine, a war of wills battling silently.

“No, Destiny,” I repeated, knowing damn well she could count on one hand how many times she’d heard me refuse her anything in the time we’d been together. “I mean it. There’s no place for you here anymore.”

“You don’t know that,” she said, a little too sweetly.

“I know it for a fact. You should go.”

Finally, her eyes narrowed, the unspoken truth sinking in. “You’ve got someone else?” Her eyes flitted past me, as though I had someone hidden within the depths of the apartment.

I nodded. “I’ve moved on. You should, too.”

She brought her gaze back to mine. “You can’t be serious.” Her voice was barely a whisper, her face so close to mine I could see the confusion in her eyes.

“I’m very serious.” I shifted my weight, standing my ground. “You should go.”

“But we were so good together.”

I’d have been well within my rights to laugh at the audacity of her statement, but I struggled to keep my tone just as soft as hers. “Were. It’s just a shame you figured that out too late, Dest.” I swallowed, hard. “I’ve forgiven you for it, I really have. But I mean it when I say, there’s no place for you here anymore. Not in this apartment, and not in my heart. Someone else holds that place now, and I hope you can find the same someday.”

I watched as she bit down on her lower lip, and I waited with bated breath to hear what kind of retort she’d come up with.

I never expected her to lean forward a few inches and kiss me.

Destiny’s lips pressed against mine just as quickly as her hands snaked around my waist, knocking me off balance. My weight had been on the wrong foot, and as I let go of the doorframe to push her away, it caused me to fall forward, closer to her instead of away.

It lasted only the briefest moment, and my hands were on her uppers arms within seconds. I held her away from me, pissed off that her little stunt had allowed her to make it past the threshold. “What the hell, Destiny?” I hissed, my eyes wide in disbelief. “Did you not hear a goddamn word I said?”

“Every one of them,” she confirmed, breathing hard. “But I think you’re making a mistake.”

This time, I didn’t hold back the hollow laughter, and I let her go, taking a step back. “That’s where you’re wrong. You made the mistake. Eight months ago.” I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, not wanting any remnant of her left on me. “I’m not going to ask you again, Destiny. I want you to leave. We’re done here.”

She crossed her arms, making every attempt to look defiant. But reality had finally sunk in, and doubt shadowed her eyes. “You’re going to regret not—”

“I won’t,” I snapped. “But it’s nice to know you finally figured out what regret is. At least, I’m assuming you have, or else you probably wouldn’t be here now.”

“That’s not fair.” All the fight had gone out of her voice.

“No, it’s not, but neither was the way you left me. You were so convinced there had to be something better out there than me, it never occurred to you that the way I loved you could actually be enough.”

Destiny’s throat moved as she swallowed, her jaw set in a tight line. “Does she?”

“She?”

“The woman you’re in love with now?” she said flatly. “Does she think your love is enough?”

I stared at her, silent. Then, “Yeah.” I nodded. “Yeah, I think she does. And I’ll do everything to make sure it is enough. I won’t make that mistake again.”

I wasn’t sure I meant to say those words aloud, but there they were, and I raised my gaze to meet hers. I felt just as deflated, and defeated by the entire conversation, but no animosity or anger fueled my last words to Destiny—the words I hadn’t had the chance to say when she walked away from me so many months before. “Goodbye, Destiny.”

She stood still as a statue, intense eyes set on me, her hands clenched tightly at her sides. Her lips parted, and I was certain she was about to resume her feeble argument. Instead, her features softened, and she gave me a knowing nod.

“Goodbye, Jay.” She retreated without another word, her crimson hair fanning out like a train behind her.

***

AFTER THAT, ALL I WANTED to do was sneak over to Leah’s apartment and get lost in the little world between those four walls. That was the environment I craved, one that included her, the brightest and sexiest woman ever to grace me with her presence, and the feisty little boy with a heart of gold and adorable smile.

That’s where I wanted to be. That’s where I belonged.

But Luxe was with Zach, and Leah hadn’t yet called or texted, even though she should’ve been home from work almost two hours ago. Why we weren’t naked and tangled up in bed together by now was beyond me. The thought of it, however, was enough motivation for me to text her first.

Rumor has it, there’s a pretty lady who lives down the hall, and she should be home from work by now. Workin’ late?

The response didn’t come immediately, which had me thinking she was definitely stuck behind a pile of paperwork in the depths of her office building. I’d just set the phone down when it buzzed.

I’m home, just busy.

The curt text was like an alarm bell going off in my head. Not once in the past few months had Leah waited two hours to tell me she was busy, especially not on a night where Luxe was with his father. Besides, we’d made plans just last night, and she’d seemed to anticipate the impending alone time just as much as I did.

I didn’t text her back, choosing instead to ask her what was wrong face to face. I knocked on her door the way I always did, five raps in quick succession followed by another two.

She answered, but only pulled the door open partway. “Hey.” She sounded distant already, and hadn’t even said anything yet. “I said I was—”

“Busy, I know. What’s wrong?”

Her stiff posture, lackluster tone of voice, and neutral expression told me all I needed to know, but the doorway held between us...well, that was a barrier between her and I, and I didn’t much care for it.

“Nothing, I just—”

“Something happened. I can see it in your eyes.” She might have been able to lie to me, but only if she was hidden behind the safety net of a text message. Her eyes would give her away every time.

“I said everything’s fine.”

“You did, and I don’t buy it.”

“I don’t care if you believe me, Jason.” Her eyes narrowed. “Now, if you’ll excuse—”

I put a hand on the door, intent on pushing it open to open up the space between us, but she pushed back, keeping it in place. “What’s going on, Leah?”

“You tell me,” she snapped. Then, as though thinking better of it, she shook her head. “Better yet, don’t. I don’t want to do this tonight.”

“Do what?” I exclaimed, my hand still on the door. “I’m pretty sure you don’t want to have a snippy conversation tomorrow morning when I come over to watch Luxe, so you’d better fill me in now.”

“Yeah, about Luxe...” Her gaze suddenly fell toward the floor. “I’ve found him a spot at a daycare over on Darwin Avenue. He’ll go there every day now, so, you’re off the hook, Jason. You’re free.”

She may as well have slapped me in the face. Frankly, stabbing me in the fucking chest with a red hot poker would have hurt less than hearing her explain that she was putting an end to my days with Little Man Luxe. “I didn’t ask to be off the hook, Leah.” I swallowed down the anger, hating that she made it sound like some sort of business transaction between us, and not the beginnings of what could be a family for all of us.

Then, something else occurred to me. “Free of what?” The idea of not having Luxe around during the day felt like anything but freedom.

“Free of us.” Leah’s jaw was clenched. “Free to do whatever you want,” she added. “Or, whoever you want.”

My head snapped up, and I glared at her. Like a tidal wave, it hit me. “Is this about Destiny?” I blurted out. “I don’t know what you think you—”

“I know exactly what I saw!” She threw the door open the rest of the way. If she was going to tear into me, it was obviously going to be with an unobstructed view. “I saw you kissing someone else who looked an awful fucking lot like me, Jason.”

“Looked like you—what? Shit, Leah, no!” I ran my hands through my hair, mentally cursing Destiny for ever showing her face in this building. “That’s not what it was like at all.”

“So, you didn’t kiss her?”

“She kissed me—”

Leah slapped me across the face. “I fucking trusted you!” she hissed. “You made me trust you.”

“And you should! Leah, it wasn’t what you think.”

She pushed me, and I took a large step back into the hallway. “Don’t talk to me like I’m an idiot, Jason. I should’ve known you were too good to be true. You’re just fucking like him.”

Oh, hell no. “Jesus Christ, Leah. Forgive me.”

“You want me to forgive—”

I covered her mouth with my hand. “Not for that,” I told her. “For this.” I felt like I was manhandling her, and I was, but I tried to be as gentle as I could as I clamped my hand harder over her mouth and half-guided, half-pushed her back into the apartment, kicking the door closed behind me. The last thing we needed were nosy goddamn neighbors with their ears to their doors, listening to us hash this out in the hallway.

In what was meant to be a smooth gesture, I pushed her up against the wall just inside the doorway. She struggled against my every movement, however, and I ungracefully fell against her, my weight pinning her to the wall.

Leah’s wide eyes glared back at me over my hand, still pressed against her mouth, but she’d stopped wriggling, and she wasn’t trying to bite my hand off, so I was making progress.

“I’m sorry,” I said in a low voice. “The hallway was no place for this conversation, and I knew you wouldn’t invite me in.”

Muffled sounds came from behind my hand, and even though I didn’t know for sure what she was trying to say, I guessed it was likely a colorful string of swear words coming from her mouth. I didn’t care. “Listen to me, Leah. I know what you think you saw, but I need you to let me explain. Are you going to at least hear me out?”

Her sapphire eyes blazed, but she gave a slow nod. I removed my hand.

“Get off me,” she blurted out immediately.

“Not a chance. And, if my memory serves me right, you kind of like it when I’m on you.” I leaned forward, whispering, “I kind of like it, too.”

“You’re an asshole.” But her cheeks were just as fiery as her eyes.

“Sometimes, yeah. I’ll give you that one.” I paused. “But, I can tell you three things right now, Leah. Listen close, because you’ll never hear the first thing from me again. Ready? I don’t like to talk ill of other people, but from what you’ve told me, your ex-fiancé is a complete asshole. Me? I’m just an asshole sometimes. There’s a difference. So, believe me when I say that I don’t ever want to hear you tell me that I’m just like him again. You and I both know there’s nothing further from the truth.”

Leah stayed silent, but sheepishness crept into her eyes. The comment had hurt me, and she regretted it.

“Second, I can guarantee that, while you may see me as an asshole sometimes, right now, my own ex is out there cursing a blue streak, telling everyone who’ll listen that I’m a complete asshole. Why? Because she came here, thought she could bat her fake eyelashes, and I’d take her back in a heartbeat. When that didn’t work, she threw herself at me. I promptly pushed her away from me, Leah. Then, I told her about you.” My throat was thick with emotion, consumed by the need for her to know I was telling her the truth. “So, yeah, Destiny didn’t get what she wanted, and I’m the bad guy because of it. And you know what? I don’t care what Destiny thinks. It’s you I care about, Leah. You and that little boy are the only ones I give a damn about what you might think of me.”

Leah stayed quiet long enough that I didn’t think she was going to respond. I could feel that the rigidity of her body against mine had lessened, though, so she was calming down. Finally, when she spoke, her voice was quiet, a question meant only for me. “And what’s the third thing?”

“The third thing is the most important thing,” I promised her, matching the softness in my voice with hers. “The third thing is that I intend to stay by your side as long as you’ll let me—not in front of you, and not behind you—and I’ll spend every waking moment proving to you that the fact that I’ve fallen in love with you is enough for us to take on this crazy world together. I just need you to trust me.”

Silence stretched between us, and neither of us blinked. I couldn’t read her face.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“It’s okay, I get why—”

“Not for that,” she said, her voice stronger now. “For this.” She craned her neck forward and kissed me, hard enough that I didn’t remember releasing her from against the wall. When I finally pulled away, though, she was in my arms, and I held her to me as though my life depended on it.

“We really need to talk about what kind of things require apologies,” I chuckled in her ear. “Kissing me is definitely not one of them.”

I saw the hint of a smile on her face before she tucked her head under my chin, leaning against my chest. “I shouldn’t have accused you of those things and then turned around and kissed you like that. It’s not fair.”

“Define fair,” I quipped. “Because I kind of like how it ended.”

“I’m still sorry.” Leah raised her head, her arms locked securely around me. “And who says that’s the end?”

I arched a brow. “Hmm, the kiss isn’t the end? If kissing equates to requiring an apology, then I might have to take up going to confession if you’re thinking what I’m thinking.”

Leah was already pulling me toward the hallway, a devilish glint in her eye.

I let her. If this was how she wanted to make up, only a foolish man would begrudge her such a want.

“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned...” I muttered playfully, just before I slammed the bedroom door behind us.

“Mmm...” A moan slipped out of her mouth as I lowered my head and nibbled on the soft flesh of her neck and shoulder. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, stifling another groan of pleasure.

The simple erotic gesture caused my cock to stiffen and press against the seam of my jeans. Gripping her sides, I let my fingers tease their way up her shirt. Within seconds, I couldn’t contain the beast that clawed at the cage inside me, and I ripped her shirt over her head, my eyes fixated on her breasts covered in a black, lacy bra. She pulled away and ran from me, an attempt to tease me as though we played a game of cat and mouse. Her sapphire eyes burned with desire, and the gaze she pinned me with singed the surface of my body, even from the other side of the room.

Tearing my own shirt over my head, I tossed it to the side, not breaking eye contact with her. I could tell by the hunger in her eyes that emulated mine, she was doing everything in her power to restrain herself from running back over to me.

I slowly crossed the room, stalking her, and she backed herself against the wall. The magnetic pull between our bodies brought us closer, the flame igniting between us in an instant.

My mouth found hers, and our tongues were caught in a frenzy before she pulled herself away and began to lower herself to her knees, kissing down my chest to the waistband of my jeans, lighting a trail of fire against my skin as she went. Her fingers fumbled with the button of my jeans and the zipper.

As badly as I wanted her lips around my length, I couldn’t let her do it. I wanted to please her, I needed to please her. I wanted to prove to her that she was the only woman on my mind, no one else.

“No.” I growled as I laced my fingers in her crimson hair. I tugged gently, but still caused a gasp to flee from her lips. I tilted her head back by her hair, forcing her to face me.

“But I want—” She began to plead and I cut her off.

“I said no.” I lifted her up and stood her back on her feet, disappointment filling her eyes.

Without hesitation, I tore her pants from her body and picked her up by her hips. She laced her legs around my waist and I could feel the heat emanating from her core. I sat her down on the bed, towering over her. The desire in her eyes burned brightly. My fingertip teased the strap of her bra and plucked it off of her shoulder, then I traced her collarbone and down her breast, up over her other breast, across her collarbone, and plucked off her other strap. She reached behind her back and unclasped her bra, baring her full breasts before me.

It took everything in me to keep my gaze focused on her eyes. I leaned my head down and our lips crashed together once more. She nipped at my bottom lip and a groan escaped my throat.

This time, I pulled away. With my right palm placed in the middle of her chest, I gently pushed her back onto the bed and let my hand travel down her torso. With both hands, I gripped her panties and tugged them from her hips, sliding the lacy fabric down her legs. Her wetness glistened in the dim light of the room and my appetite for her grew to unbearable strength.

My mouth was watering as I lowered myself between her legs. Planting kiss after kiss on her inner thigh, slowly making my way to her warm center, I savored every inch of her sweet skin. My tongue finally reached its destination, and her legs twitched the moment my mouth met her sensitive button. Flicking, kissing, and nibbling at her sweet spot until her thighs squeezed my head, she let out a thunderous scream as she released her sweetness against my mouth.

Relaxing her legs, I stood and removed my jeans and boxers, kicking them away from me. I kneeled on the bed and towered over her, my forearms on either side of her shoulders. Her fingertips traced up my arms and she suddenly squeezed them as my erection pressed into the warmth between her legs.

I thrust into her, and pleasure broke free from her throat. She moved her grip to my lats, clawing at me blindly with her fingernails. Thrust after thrust, she wriggled beneath me in satisfaction as her channel clenched around my cock.

An animalistic growl fell from my lips as I thrust harder, in and out. I palmed her breast, pinching her pert nipple between my first finger and thumb. She moaned, arching her back as I deepened myself inside her wetness.

I couldn’t hold myself back anymore. My hands gripped her hips hard enough that she let out a whimper, and I paused, afraid I may have hurt her. But, with the swirl of her hips, and her grinding herself against my length, I knew she wanted more.

Gripping her harder again, I lifted her hips up further, meeting each thrust, getting as deep as physically possible. I pulled her up and down along my erection, over and over.

As my release built within my body, I could no longer contain it. I emptied myself deep within her, letting out a roar in unison with her own orgasm that bounced off the bedroom walls.

Still connected to one another and completely out of breath, I lowered myself onto her and rolled over, pulling her on top of me. Her breasts rested against my chest. I brushed the hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear as the smile she wore grew wider.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“No, thank you.” I laughed softly.

She brought her head down to my shoulder and gently pressed her lips to it. “Round two?” She bit down mischievously on her bottom lip.

Not only have I awakened the beast within her, I seem to have met my match.