My breath caught in my chest, eyes widening in a moment of surprise.

Fuck.

He hadn't moved in that long ago. I’d never officially met him, but it had been a weekend when he moved in, so I was at home to notice all the commotion. I’d seen him around the place, through the windows as he fixed up the house, outside fixing a broken shutter, even out on the yard, blowing leaves into piles to be gathered.

Every time I saw him, he always looked busy. There were occasions where I’d called a hello over the fence or given a quick wave. He’d given a distracted hello and a wave back, and that was about as far as the interactions between us had gone.

So what was he doing on my doorstep?

Even though I knew better, I could feel my heart start to beat faster. My neighbor was a bit of a looker. Okay, that was understating it—the guy was very good-looking. If I had been several years younger, or he had been older, I might have found some courage to explore it. But he was too damn young for me.

And besides, after Mike and that heartbreak, I knew better.

“Hi,” my sexy neighbor said, giving me a bashful grin. “We’ve never talked before, but I live next door.”

I smiled back, hiding my initial surprise. “No, I know who you are. I’m just surprised to see you here, I guess. Is there something I can do for you?”

“I was hoping there was something I could do for you.”

His answer left me confused. Before I could figure out what he meant, or just ask for it, he was holding his hand out to me, grinning.

“I’m Ken Davis,” he introduced. “And I am so sorry, but… I kinda knocked down the wooden privacy fence in your backyard,” he admitted sheepishly and hurried to add, “I swear it was a total accident. I was working out back and it just somehow happened. And I promise I will repair the fence, and I can pay you for damages to your yard.”

He stopped talking, and for a moment I didn’t know what to say. Mostly because I hadn't been listening to him.

Dammit. His eyes…

There was so much more about him that was good-looking than just his eyes. He had blond hair, he was tall and so fit; I was pretty sure Olympians would look at him and feel jealous. He’d obviously just come from work, dressed in a tank top covered with a light jacket and looking like he was sweating even in the cold weather we had. There was a hint of a tattoo at the top of his tank top, and I wished silently that it were just a little lower.

I’d never seen him this close, and I’d never had the chance to admire his eyes before. They were so green, beautiful, reminding me of a time when Mike, Bryson, and I went out to camp one summer. It was one of the last happy memories we’d had as a family and something precious to me. Looking into Ken’s eyes, I could hardly think.

I did clue into his words when I heard the words ‘fence’ and ‘knocked down.’ Then he was talking about repairing my fence, and I figured out what he’d come for.

“Oh,” I said after a long silence.

Ken’s eyebrows shot up like he’d expected more of a reaction, and I could feel my face warming. I cleared my throat and thought frantically for a minute.

“Um, I mean, it’s fine. The fence was old when my husband and I bought the place, anyway, years ago. So I’m not surprised it got knocked down easily. I’m sure you didn’t mean to do it. You can just leave it, I’ll take care of it.”

I arched an eyebrow at him as he chuckled.

“I still feel responsible, though. It was, after all, my mistake that caused the damage. I don’t think I can just ignore it.”

His voice… it was so deep and smooth. Every time he chuckled, the sound sent a shiver up and down my spine. I could feel my body stirring with a desire I hadn't felt in a while, and if I weren't so fascinated by this guy, I would have panicked because of it.

I didn’t need to fall for a stranger, especially one as young this. I was a thirty-eight-year-old woman, and this kid didn’t look older than twenty-five! Feeling attracted towards him made me feel like I was robbing the cradle. He was a grown-up but just too damn young.

“You don’t have to do anything,” I said again, feeling a growing desperation I didn’t let out for him to see. My experience as a lawyer was coming in handy outside of work. “It’s a little late right now, and I don’t think anyone will be taking advantage of the broken fence too soon. I can look at it in the morning and think of what to do then. You don’t have to do anything.”

My treacherous mind was already arguing with me. I can pay for the damages, but I wouldn’t see him if I handled it myself! Let him work on it and fix it himself!

Now that I’d seen him this close, I was getting greedy. I could just picture it. Him working in my backyard with only a tank top on. The sun would be up, it wouldn’t be too hot, but he would be sweating from all the work he was putting in.

Just the image in my mind made me tremble.

“But I really wouldn’t feel okay just leaving it,” Ken insisted. “Old or not, your fence would still be standing if not for me. Let me help you out.”

I chewed on my bottom lip. There was no way I could let him. Even if I tried to keep myself away, the temptation would be too great. I’d never looked at another man since Mike and I got married and then had Bryson years later. I had large windows in my kitchen that showed a clear view of the backyard; there was no way I would pass up the chance to drool over such a fine male specimen.

Get it together!

Ken was stubborn. “If you won’t let me work on the fence,” he started slowly. “Then, I could fix anything else, whatever you want to take care of. Anything you need.”

Anything I need… my mind repeated.

I wondered if he was wording it intentionally, or if I’d become a pervy old woman. Here was a young man insisting on trying to offer me help, and my mind was jumping to dirty thoughts. His expression was so clear and earnest, but he had my thoughts rushing in another direction, thinking about what other less innocent situations he might have that look on his face.

My mind needed to get out of the gutter, I chided myself. But wait… did he just give me a once over? And was it my imagination, or did his voice just get a little bit deeper, smokier… I could have sworn…

I shoved those thoughts to the back of my mind and smiled up at him.

“Yes, actually, I have noticed that you’re handy around a house. Your place was left alone for too long, and it was practically falling apart when you moved in. I’ve seen how you’ve changed it.”

Ken pursed his lips in thought, and my eyes unconsciously fell to them. My eyes rose up to meet his just as quickly, but I was sure he’d noticed. Damn it! I didn’t want him thinking badly of me. I gave him an uneasy smile that he returned with one of his own.

“At this point, I think you could say we’re at a stand-off,” he said, sounding amused, his smile crooked.

Fuck, his smile just got hotter. I smiled innocently up at him. “I guess you could say so. There is no need, but if you’re going to insist, I guess we can talk about it.”

He opened his mouth to say something when our conversation was interrupted by the sound of something blowing up. A squeal followed, and I looked into the living room. The angle wasn’t right to see much, but I’d just remembered my son wasn’t that far away, waiting for me so we could get back to our movie night.

Damn it. How could I forget?

That thought made me panic a little. No one was more important to me than my son was, not even this hot, new neighbor that was insistent on making himself useful to me.

As if to make sure I would go back, Bryson spoke up.

“Mom, get back here already! We’re almost at the best part of the movie!”

“I thought you hadn't watched this one before,” I called back, feeling amused.

“Mom,” he whined. “My friends already watched it! I asked them for some spoilers, and they told me something awesome happens when the explosions start! Hurry up!”

I chuckled at my son and his excitement, before turning back to my guest. His eyes were aimed inside, a look of curiosity on his face. I wondered if he’d ever seen Bryson, though he’d probably heard him. My kid didn’t like staying too quiet.

“I have to go now,” I said to Ken. “I’m watching some movies with my son, and I’ve already missed a part of it. I should probably get over there before he comes for me.”

I didn’t need Bryson to see him at my doorstep and wonder why he was there. Or worse yet, invite him in to enjoy movie night with us, because my son was polite like that.

Ken nodded. “I figured. But I don’t feel right just leaving things as they are, either.”

I sighed through my nose, puffing my cheeks up a little bit. “Why don’t we talk about it tomorrow, then?” I offered. “I’m not going anywhere for the day. I’ll be awake by around nine or ten, and we can decide what to do?”

He offered me another grin, this one larger and brighter than the ones that had come before it. “Sure. Oh, and you never did introduce yourself…”

I blinked, then felt my face warm up again. “Oh! My name is Lydia. It’s nice to meet you, Ken.”

“The pleasure was all mine,” he said, and I thought his voice was just a little lower.

I waved at him and waited for him to leave before I went back inside and moved over to Bryson.

His eyes had looked down at me, I thought, a little giddily. His eyes had, very obviously, lingered on my chest in that short time before he turned away. I’d been looking closely, and I knew I hadn't imagined it. I should probably be offended, but I couldn’t help but be thrilled.

Does that mean he thinks I’m hot?

I knew I shouldn’t be letting myself get carried away. It wasn’t like anything would happen between us. I’d already made that much clear to myself. It just wasn’t practical. But it was an enormous boost to my ego to know that someone that young and attractive could look at me with desire. Juggling between a demanding job and looking after my son had left me feeling older than my years, and I couldn’t help the smile on my face as I curled back into the couch with Bryson.

The feeling was too much to keep to myself. I picked up my phone from where I’d left it, biting on my lower lip.

I’ve still got it, I thought to myself, sending a quick text to my friend Annara.

Her reply was back in a moment, and I put my hand over my mouth so I wouldn’t do something embarrassing like squeal.

Yes, honey, you still do.