eighteen
Declan
“She’s going to kill you when she sees you,” Baxter cautions.
“Don’t care. I’m going to get her back if it’s the last thing I do.”
“And how are you going to do that?
“Not sure. Kill her with kindness? Piss her off until she’s so angry she kisses me? Traipse women in and out of my apartment until she lights it on fire?”
“All those sound like real winners. Why don’t you be yourself for a change? Show her why she fell in love with you in the first place.”
“Or I could try that.”
“It would probably work better than fucking girls across the hall from your ex.”
“I wouldn’t actually do that. I couldn’t fuck someone with Holly across the hall. I could make it look like it, though.”
Baxter groans. “Good Lord, this is such a bad idea.”
My door is wide open, and Holly’s front door is about six feet away from mine, max. The sound of Sage and her laughing echoes through the hall. “Oh look, you finally got new neighbors. I wonder if he’s hot.”
As I stifle my laugh, I shake my head. Sage will never change. “How do you even know it’s a guy?”
That’s my practical girl.
“Women’s intuition,” is Sage’s flippant reply.
Baxter and I move into the hall and each grab a box. “Your intuition is lacking asshole radar,” an irritated Holly tells Sage.
Baxter laughs so hard he almost drops my box. “Nice to see you, neighbor,” I tell her as she unlocks her door.
Once it’s open, she puts her stuff down and leans against her doorjamb. “Please tell me this is a nightmare.”
“I don’t know, your nightmare looks a lot like my wet dream.”
Sage snorts when my words carry into the apartment. “He’s probably not lying,” she calls out to Holly.
“You’re not helping, Sage.” Then, Holly crooks her finger and motions for me to come over. I’m happy to oblige.
“What are you doing here, Declan?” I’m close enough to inhale the apricot vanilla scent wafting from her. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this close.
“I’m your new neighbor.”
She closes her eyes and exhales. “You know what I mean. Why here, of all the places you could live?”
“Truthfully? I heard there was a sexy girl in the apartment across the way who recently got out of a long-term relationship and might be looking for love.”
“It’s been a year, Declan,” she replies with growing irritation.
“True, and I’ve been texting and calling you for the last six months. You’ve never once told me to stop. Admit it, Holls, you miss me and want me back as much as I want you.”
“I want you about as much as I want a raging case of crabs.”
Now we can hear both Sage and Baxter snorting, but it’s okay; she can hurl all the insults at me she wants to as long as she’s talking.
“Don’t be coy. Tell me how you really feel.”
“Come on, Declan! How did you even know where I live?”
I’m waiting for her to stomp her foot like that girl from Willy Wonka. “Tell me your secret and I’ll tell you mine.”
Flashes of anger spark in her eyes as she gestures wildly between us. “We’ve done this before. You and me … we don’t work.”
“I beg to differ.”
“Me, too,” Baxter calls out from the door. “I’m pretty sure when he strokes your flower with his fertilizing rod you’ve been known to scream loud enough to set off the seismometer.”
Her cheeks and neck flush the sexiest shade of pink ever known to man, and Sage winks at me from the doorway. If Holly knew Sage was the one who outed her, she’d never forgive her. Sage wouldn’t have told me if Holly didn’t miss me; she’d never sell out her friend that way.
Holly shakes her head in disbelief. “You two are insane. I can’t believe they’d rent an apartment to you.”
“They rented an apartment to me. Baxter doesn’t live here.”
“Just … just you?” she stutters. “Wonderful, remind me to buy some earplugs. I can only imagine the ungodly noises that will come from your apartment.”
“Oh, come now, love, you know exactly what those noises sound like. If you’ve forgotten, I’d be happy to give you a reminder course.”
The rise and fall of her chest intensifies. I’m getting to her. “No, nope, nada, no thanks, pass.”
My tongue traces the seam of my lips, and I swear her eyes are going to bug out of their sockets. This is what I needed to make me feel better. I needed my girl. I can play these games with her for as long as it takes until she’s back in my life and my bed.
I lean close and inhale deeply. Her breath catches audibly, and the heat from her skin radiates up to mine. “Come on, Holly, you know you want to. It will be like riding a bike. You, me, a little wine, some conversation, maybe a cookie or two, and then mind-numbing, out-of-body-experience, curl-your-toes type orgasms. I’ll even let you take control.”
She’s panting like she ran a race, her eyes are already glazed over, and our pheromones are melding together. It’s wearing her down.
When she looks up at me with her innocent little eyes, I know I’ve got her. “You know the best part of living alone, Declan?”
“Tell me,” I murmur against her skin. My cock is harder than it’s been in months just being in her proximity.
“Learning all the ways to get myself off that I never knew existed.” Her eyes drop down to my dick and she smirks. “You should go take a cold shower and take care of that because he’s not playing at my house anytime soon.”
When she ducks out from under my arm and shuts her apartment door, I can’t help but laugh.
“That was rough,” Baxter says.
“Are you kidding me? That was perfect. I knew Holly wouldn’t let me fuck her, she’s the kind of girl you have to work for. And I’m happy to work for it for as long as it takes.”
“I’m lost. How was it perfect?”
Through my massive smile, I answer, “Because she said we couldn’t play anytime soon. That wasn’t a no, Bax. On the contrary, that was her way of saying ‘bring your A game.’ It’s on, Baxter. I’m going to get my girl back or die trying.”