I ended up renting the apartment to Lee. He asked to sign a lease just seconds after I finished giving him the full tour of the garage apartment that sat behind my own home. I didn’t know how I actually felt about being attracted to a tenant, but it was my job to lease the apartment and so that’s what I did.

As he promised, he paid me first and last month’s rent and signed a year-long lease. I didn’t ask if his little sister was going to live with him as I assumed she was just visiting. Either way, I didn’t feel that it was any of my business and the garage apartment was two rooms, so even if she stayed, it wasn’t as if he didn’t have the extra room.

It had been about a week or two since I had rented the apartment to Lee when he knocked on my door one morning. I had just gotten in from my daily run and wasn’t expecting someone, so I was a little taken aback when I looked out of the peephole and saw Lee standing there.

I immediately opened the door, “Hi,” I smiled warmly at him, “Is everything okay with the apartment?”

He didn’t answer immediately as he was distracted by my long legs clearly on display given the very brief running shorts I had on. Frankly, if I were to bend down and pick anything up, the shorts would err on the side of indecent. I liked Lee’s attention and welcomed it. His eyes seemed to burn a slow trail from my legs up my flat belly that was uncovered given that I was only wearing a cropped top and then he gave my breasts a cursory glance. I didn’t think the sports bra I was wearing did my breasts any justice, but frankly, Lee didn’t seem to care.

I cleared my throat to get his attention and he looked up at me, clearly a little embarrassed having gotten caught checking me out.

“Do you run every morning?”

“Yep. I like to keep in shape. I was in the military for a while so it’s ingrained in me.”

He looked surprised, “I was in the military too.”

“Really? Here in the U.S.?”

He seemed surprised by my question, “Oh, it’s the accent. I grew up in Ireland, but my Mom moved here when I was about fourteen. I’m a U.S. citizen now.”

“I’m sorry, I just figured...”

“No need to apologize. I didn’t know my accent was still so detectable. So what branch were you in?”

“Navy. You?”

“Army.” He said looking at me with a renewed sense of respect.

“Surprised that I’m not just a pretty face?” I said succinctly, turning away from him and leaving the door open for him to follow.

He hesitated saying, “Can I come in?” I nodded and helped myself to a drink of water before turning around and speaking to him.

“You want some?” I asked leaning back against the counter while his eyes scanned the interior of my home.

“No, I’m good. Nice house, though.”

I turned to place the glass in the sink. “Thanks. I inherited it from my grandparents.”

“Oh really?”

“They moved to a small senior living apartment complex in the city. Strangely enough, small town living just didn’t seem all that interesting to them after having spent so long here. But my grandparents always were the cultured type, so being able to go see a play or an opera without having to drive an hour to the nearest big city appealed to them.”

“I can’t say I understand given that I’m partial to small towns myself,” he remarked looking at the antiques that dotted their home.

“So you kept all the original furniture when they moved out?” He asked.

“No. I know it looks old-fashioned, but I love antiques. I collected all these on my own.”

“That’s right, you own an antique store. Duh. I’m not thinking straight. Was that also your grandparents’ store?”

“God no. They didn’t like old things.”

Lee laughed, the irony of my statement not escaping his notice.

“So what did you come over to ask me?” I sat down at the dining room table and motioned for him to do the same.

He sank down in the seat across from me and I couldn’t help but stare at the hint of a tattoo that was across his throat, leading to his chest.

“What’s that tattoo of?” I asked curiously.

“Which one?” He said.

“The one on your chest, peeking through the neck of your shirt.”

Without hesitating he removed his shirt and my mouth might have dropped open just a little. I promptly closed it when I saw the knowing smile on his face. I was right about earlier, his entire chest and ab areas were nothing but layers of perfectly sculpted muscles. He could easily be on television as one of those trainers on the infomercials promising a perfect body in just ten minutes a day. Except that he was better looking than them. I forced myself to focus on the tattoo instead of his flawless body.

It was a hodgepodge of different tattoos: an eagle with its wings spread wide, letters that I guess meant something to him, but I was unsure of the significance. But despite the random nature of the illustrations that consumed his chest, it seemed to all have been done by one person. It was a work of art and it all had rhyme and reason to it. I didn’t understand it but it was seamlessly all tied together as if Lee’s chest was a storyboard and only he knew the full story. And then at the bottom of the tattoos was a date, nearly indiscernible.

“What does that date mean?” I asked more curious about it than anything else.

He looked down and slowly lowered his shirt. “It’s the day my mother died.”

“I’m so sorry,” I said instantly regretting that I had asked.

He shrugged, “It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure, after she died.”

“And now you’re raising your sister?”

He nodded, “I’m doing my best.” I knew from the date that it hadn’t been too long ago. Only about two years, give or take a few months.

“She seems happy with you.” From the few interactions I had seen between the two of them, she seemed to adore him. She drove him crazy with her smart comebacks and endless teen angst, but besides that, she seemed to genuinely like being around him.

“She’s a strong kid. She’s bouncing back well, especially given the circumstances.” I didn’t want to pry so I didn’t ask him to explain. Instead I said, “So what did you need?” I wanted to change the subject. I hated talking about death and loss. I had lost my parents early on in high school and it hadn’t been easy for me to get over it. If it weren’t for my grandparents, I didn’t even want to think what the alternative would have been. I had heard horror stories about foster care and luckily I hadn’t had to go down that route. I respected and admired Lee for what he did for his sister. It made him even that bit more interesting to me as a man.

“You.” He said simply and I did a double take.

“Excuse me?”

“Are you seeing anyone?”

“Maybe.” I said teasingly and he called me on it immediately.

“You’re such a tease.”

I shrugged, “It keeps men interested.”

“Even if you weren’t a tease, they would still be interested.”

“You’re right,” I said enjoying this conversation more than I expected I would.

Most men were intimidated by me. I spoke my mind, was comfortable in my sexuality and went after what I wanted. My friends, male and female alike, commented that I behaved more like a man when it came to relationships than like a woman. I didn’t necessarily take that as a compliment. I just felt there was nothing wrong with taking what you wanted and leaving emotions for the other person to handle. But I was starting to think, maybe with Lee, things might be different. I had an interest in him that went beyond just getting into his pants. I was curious about this man who had his whole life story tattooed across his chest. I was intrigued by him. He was an enigma, a man who obviously valued family, but seemed to be a bad boy at heart.

“So how’s tomorrow for you?” I asked getting up and perching my hip against the counter in what I thought was a sexy pose. Apparently it was, as Lee’s eyes traveled down my body, lust was apparent in his gaze.

“I thought I was the one asking you out.” He laughed.

“You took too long,” I said straightening up and sauntering over to him. “I did you a favor.”

I stopped just a few inches from him. “Are you curious?”

“Curious about what?” He said as I lowered my lips towards his.

“Curious to know what I taste like?”

He didn’t respond; he just roughly pulled my body to his and I groaned in pleasure as his lips crushed mine. He wasn’t gentle as he kissed me and he definitely wasn’t gentle when he shoved a hand under my sports bra and started to roughly play with my nipples, before pulling me down into his lap. I responded by letting my hands have a little fun of their own, reaching down between us to rub my hand up and down his crotch. I could feel it hardening in my hands, growing thicker as it pushed against the fabric, begging for relief in more ways than one. And when I went to unbutton his pants, he placed his hands in my exercise shorts and then abruptly raised his head away from me, “You’re not wearing any panties.”

“Is that a problem?” I said huskily.

“No way. Covering an ass this perfect would be a crime.” I smiled and then suddenly his expression grew serious as he looked down at me, rubbing my behind gently. “I don’t do emotional ties, Angelica.”

I hadn’t been expecting that statement. Normally I didn’t do emotional ties either, but there was something about Lee that made me want to break that rule, but there was no way I was telling him that. “Have I said anything to make you think I want any ties at all?” I challenged him. “I’m a no ties girl myself. Are we done talking because there are other better ways to use that mouth of yours?”

He grinned and was about to say something else when I heard a knock at my front door. I swore softly to myself and climbed out of Lee’s lap. I straightened my bra and shorts and Lee looked on with a slight smile on his face.

I was surprised to see the sheriff standing there when I opened the door. I was even more surprised to see Avani standing there with him looking both nervous and outraged.

“Is Lee Keating here?”

I stepped back and gestured for the officer and Avani to come in, “He’s right here.” I said.

Lee’s face looked tight as he approached the door. “What’s going on Avani? You’re supposed to be in school.” He said keeping his voice controlled even though it sounded like he was angry.

Avani didn’t meet his eyes and the cop instead began to talk, “Are you her Dad? Her legal guardian?”

“I’m her brother. She’s in my custody. What’s going on?”

“Can we talk somewhere privately?” The sheriff asked.

Lee looked at me and I nodded in understanding and then without a word he followed Avani and the sheriff outside. I didn’t want to eavesdrop, but I felt as the landlord that I should know if I had an errant teen on my property. Not that I would kick Lee and his sister out, but I wanted to know what I was dealing with. Unfortunately, they were all standing at the cop’s car now so I couldn’t hear a word.

I watched as Lee folded his arms across his chest, clearly angry. Avani seemed to be saying something and Lee responded quickly. Whatever he said shut her up immediately and she pouted and leaned her back against the sheriff’s car. The sheriff and Lee exchanged a couple more words and then the sheriff climbed back into his car and left.

Lee didn’t look in my direction as he headed to the garage apartment, head down in thought as Avani scampered behind him apparently trying to explain herself. And then they were out of my eyesight and I wondered briefly if we were actually going to get that chance to follow up on that date. I figured Avani was probably just guilty of truancy. After all she was a precocious kid, but the look on Lee’s face looked thunderous. I was sure she was going to get an earful when they were behind closed doors. I shrugged my shoulders and headed to the shower. Maybe if I were lucky, I would see him again tomorrow. And as I undressed, I noticed that my nipples were still hard. I was still aroused and as the hot spray of the shower caressed my body, I wished it was Lee’s hands instead.