DALE
“If I wanted an asshole to tell me what to do, I’d still be with my ex!”
I ducked as a plate came flying, shattering against the wall next to my head. I covered my face with my arms to keep the shards from hitting me.
“Are you fucking crazy?” The question was redundant. After all, Clare Delaney had just thrown a plate at me.
Her fiery green eyes narrowed as she placed her hands on her hips, a black curl escaping the messy bun on her head.
“That’s rich, Dale Harris. You show up at eleven at night, then proceed to tell me what I can and cannot do in my own house, but ask me if I’m crazy?”
I shook my head, running my hand through my hair. It was official. I hated my neighbor. When she first moved in, I couldn’t help but admire her slender body, dark hair, sparkling emerald eyes, and full lips, but I’d quickly come to realize that those lips were always running. If she wasn’t talking on the phone loud enough to entertain the whole neighborhood, she was singing.
At the top of her lungs.
In the middle of the night.
Couldn’t she have moved anywhere but Eden, Michigan? It used to be peaceful. Now it no longer was.
I gritted my teeth, telling myself to be rational and calm. “Look, all I ask is that you tone it down after it gets dark. Sally is in bed, and she has a hard enough time sleeping without you crowing all hours of the night.”
For a second, her expression had softened, but at my last words, she looked furious again. Before I knew it, another plate came flying.
I ducked. “Woman, if you hurt me, I’ll make you pay for it,” I growled, but Clare was not the least bit impressed. Her belly button ring distracted me for a moment, the small stone sparkling whenever she inhaled.
Damn, does the woman have no decency at all?
“Sue me, Dale, but be prepared to explain to the judge why you were breaking and entering a house you weren’t invited into.”
I coughed in disbelief, glancing at the clock behind her. I needed to get back home to make sure I’d be there if my daughter woke up screaming again.
I hated Sally’s nightmares almost as much as I hated the nightmare of a woman in front of me.
“Breaking and entering? Your door is always unlocked. All I want is one fucking peaceful night for the neighborhood.”
She had the audacity to smirk. “If you wouldn’t scream, people would actually have that.”
I threw up my hands. “Fuck you. Stay quiet, or I’ll call the police!”
I shoved open her screen door and left, the banging of it closing again echoing across the empty street.
“You wouldn’t dare!” Clare called after me.
“Try me!” I swallowed the “bitch” I had on my tongue.
Stepping inside my house, I grabbed a bottle of beer from the fridge and stepped up to the kitchen window, glaring at the house next door. The downstairs was now dark, one single window lit on the second floor. The curtain was drawn, yet I could see Clare’s shadow behind it. I couldn’t help but think I should turn away, but my eyes stayed focused as she took off her top and her bra, shaking out her hair.
God, that silhouette… If only she weren’t as much of a pain in the ass as she is.
I turned away, walking through the silent kitchen and into the living room. I turned on the TV as low as I could to still hear it, then settled back against the couch. My shoulders were tense, my whole body primed and ready to jump up the moment Sally woke up again.
I set the bottle down on the coffee table and rubbed my hands across the scruff of my face. I was exhausted, had been for the last few weeks. After my wife died in a car crash two years ago, Sally’s nightmares had started. For whatever reason, they were suddenly getting worse.
Sometimes, maybe every other night, she slept peacefully. But even then, I didn’t.
I’d considered dating again, soon realizing it was for the wrong reasons. Hell, I just needed someone to help me out, to take my daughter off my hands when I couldn’t console her.
This house lacked a female touch, and I hated that for Sally.
Did I long for cuddle nights on the sofa? No doubt. Kisses in the kitchen? Sunday mornings relaxing in bed? I missed all of it, but I could do without.
What I couldn’t do without was a female voice singing Sally to sleep, calming her. On those rare occasions my mom drove up and visited, she always managed to lull Sally back to sleep faster than I ever could.
My phone rang, startling me, and I pulled it from my pocket, seeing my best friend’s name on the display.
“Cane,” I greeted him.
“You sound exhausted.”
“Thanks, dude. You sound peachy, too.”
He chuckled. “Trust me, that new nanny is a single dad’s nightmare. Anyway, I’m calling because I need to be a man again. Let’s grab some beers this Friday.”
I snorted. “Right, and what do you propose I do with Sally?” I didn’t like the idea of a babysitter because the ones I’d tried were horrible when it came to dealing with a six-year-old who occasionally had nightmares when napping.
“Bring her over. Lilian is incredible as a nanny and she’ll be able to handle her. You can pick her up Saturday morning. I’m sure Kelly will enjoy the company.” Kelly, four months older than Sally, was Cane’s daughter.
I hesitated, then sighed. I needed a break, and after some beer, I might even get a good night’s sleep, which would be a double bonus. I could allow myself one night, right? Then again…
“Hey, if your nanny calls because something’s off with Sally, will we be able to sleep at your place?”
He didn’t live too far away, but walking home at night with a six-year-old after having some drinks didn’t seem like a great idea to me.
“Definitely. So that’s a yes? Thank fuck. I was so ready to…”
He trailed off as a low murmur in the background distracted him. Probably the new nanny. She’d moved in just recently, but I didn’t know anything about her—and didn’t care either way. I’d meet her when I dropped off Sally, and if she gave off any weird vibe, my daughter and I would just go home.
“So long, Cane,” I called as loud as I dared, then hung up to leave him to deal with whatever his nanny wanted.
Lifting the beer back to my lips, a commercial for an adult dating website came on the TV. I sighed. I had to admit, some sex would be nice, but I wouldn’t be able to bring anyone home, and I’d definitely stay away from a woman’s apartment.
Wondering if I should dare watch some porn on my phone and jerk off, just for some stress relief, I turned off the TV and walked up the stairs, listening to the silence of the house. Sally was still nightmare-free tonight, so I slipped into my bedroom and closed the door, resting my back against it. I pulled up my shirt and lowered my sweatpants, then tapped one of the apps on my phone. Usually, people probably followed their fandoms there, but honestly? It was the best place for free, naked action.
I exhaled slowly, trying to get into the right mindset, even while telling myself how pathetic I was. Figuring my fantasies would do, I threw the phone onto the bed and closed my eyes, wrapping my fingers around my erection.
A hiss escaped me after the first few strokes as pleasure raced through my blood. God, this feels good, and it has been too long since I last—
A cry made me freeze and I held my breath, my cock softening. I pulled up my pants and quickly walked into the bathroom. I washed my hands, splashed water on my face, then steeled myself to rock Sally through the night until she fell asleep, probably just as the sun started rising.