Page 1 of Faking It with Mr. Uptight

1

MOLLY

I shimmied my hips, caterwauling “Dancing Queen” into my hairbrush-microphone with American Idol-level overconfidence. With the music cranked, I was in my own little world, dancing around the unlit and borrowed living room in nothing but what the good Lord gave me.

Swigging some wine directly from the bottle, I leapt onto the floral couch to nail the high notes. As I sashayed across the cushions getting really into it, I thought I caught a flash of something outside the window, but it was dark, so I shrugged it off, assuming my neighbors had probably gotten home.

The light came on mid wet hair-flip. My long caramel hair thwacked against my back when I locked eyes with Jake Kingsbury— the human equivalent of a yawn. He was the only person I’d met in the six years I’d been living in Sycamore Valley that I disliked.

Finally, I broke the awkward silence, belting the next line directly at him. If he expected me to shriek and hide for seeing me au natural, no dice! I hopped off the couch and danced closer, serenading at his scowl.

When I tried coercing him to tango by shaking my tatas temptingly to the beat, he sprang into rigid headmaster mode. “What are you doing here?” he bellowed. He stared, either dumbstruck dead or in awe of my curves, I couldn't tell.

I didn't know whether to laugh or run. So, I defaulted to what I knew best and doubled down. “Enjoying the show?” I teased with a wink, not missing a beat. I planted my hands on my hips, daring him to look away.

His jaw tightened and I smirked. God, he was so easy to rile. He was certainly the last person I'd ever wanted to see me naked, but this was funny. Jake crossed the room and turned off my speaker. When he looked back at me, his eyes dropped, and I swear he was checking out the goods. My cheeks burned and I couldn't stop the giggle bubbling in my throat. I was a mess.

He turned away from me and repeated, “What are you doing here and why are you naked?”

"Amy's letting me stay here while she's in Washington. My place needed all the plumbing redone. And I shower naked. You probably bathe in swim trunks. Why are you just barging in here anyway?" I leaned forward and yanked a throw blanket from the couch and wrapped it around myself. "You can look now. I'm decent."

"Far from it." He scoffed and I rolled my eyes. "I knew she was gone for a couple weeks. And she didn't tell me you were here. I heard the music and thought someone broke in. I live next door."

Great. Mr. Buzz Kill Kingsbury was my temporary neighbor? Not only was he a pain in my ass at work now he was going to restrict my home life? I knew Amy was his sister, but she failed to mention he lived next door. How those two were even related was beyond me. Amy was sweet, funny, and upbeat. Jake was her polar opposite. All clenched jaw and no nonsense. I met Amy my first summer here. We got talking at the town bonfire, Sycamore Valley’s annual tradition to kick-off tourist season as a community. When she learned I was new to the area, she’d taken me under her wing. Though her last name was Fuller, thanks to her husband Pat, and despite seeing her around with Jake, it was six months into my brewing feud with him that I learned the Jake she referred to as her brother was in fact my enemy. "Well, as you can see, everything is fine. Now you can go." I walked to the front door and held it open. I wasn't in the mood for any of his holier than thou bullshit.

He remained where he was and stared at me. His eyes were darker, more serious than usual. He didn't look pleased, and a tingle of excitement shot through my core.

"No. This is not fine. What if it wasn't me that saw you? What if a child walked in here or a stranger? You can't leave your door unlocked and blast music, especially when you're—" It was like he couldn't bring himself to say the word naked.

"You act like you've never seen a naked woman before. But you have a child so I'm guessing you have, at least once. Although I guess total nudity isn't necessary."

He was not amused.

"Don't be crude. You shouldn't have your curtains open, and don't leave the door unlocked. "

"You sound like my mother. Well, maybe not my mother. She would have been dancing with me, but probably your own mother I'm guessing. And I had the lights off, so no one was able to see in until you turned the lights on."

"You can't just..." His eyes trailed down and my cheeks heated. Somehow the partially obscured nudity felt more inappropriate than when I was fully nude. I had never been ashamed of my body. Sure, I was a little thicker in some places than other women, but I turned heads just fine, and I thought Mr. Kingsbury here had liked what he saw. I imagined him charging toward me, ripping off the blanket and running his hands over my skin that had gone cool from being damp.

Annoying and grumpy though he was, he was still sexy, with his tall, muscular frame, intense ice-blue eyes, and dark brown hair just starting to show a touch of gray at the temples.

I bit my lip, waiting for him to continue scolding me with that firm jaw clenched, like he was trying to restrain himself. The subtle flush on his stubbled cheeks suggested he was flustered more than simply disapproving of my carefree attitude.

"You shouldn't leave yourself so... exposed," he said tightly.

I raised a daring eyebrow. "And yet I couldn't help but notice you seemed perfectly content to watch." I was getting a little thrill out of the way his eyes darkened, and he swallowed hard.

"Lock the door," he growled, storming out and slamming it shut.

I just shrugged and crossed the room, turned my speaker back on skipping through the playlist until an upbeat Sylvan Esso song came on. I threw my arms up and danced to the bedroom. My patchwork robe laid on the bed bringing a burst of color to the muted surroundings. Slipping it on, I peered into the walk-in closet, curious if Amy's surprisingly bland home style extended here too.

My fingers drifted over the maxi dresses and flowy tunics. A graphic tee with a playful emoji winked back at me. This was more Amy's style than the rest of the house, especially the scrubs with cartoon characters on them.

Padding to the bathroom, I caught my wild-haired reflection with flushed cheeks. My green eyes sparkled back to me. Damn, my skin always glowed after a shower. I wish I could look this good all day. At least Jake got to see me at my best.

In the front hall, my gaze snagged on a frame I hadn't noticed before—it featured a preteen Jake grinning, beside him Amy looking only a couple years older, their arms around each other on a dock with muddy blue lake water behind them. Even then, his eyes glinted with intensity despite the youthful laughter crinkling them. What could make someone be so serious?

Shrugging it off, I glided to the kitchen to get some water. I peered out the window above the sink overlooking the cozy back deck. Beyond the wicker furniture spread an expansive yard rolling right up to the house next door, where I realized I had a clear sightline straight into Jake's kitchen. The houses were basically mirrors of each other.

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