Page 30 of Bad Boy Neighbor

“You didn’t get your face smashed into a pile of mud by the town bully.”

“Aw.” Her smile is innocent, and her attempt to feel sorry for me is absolutely pathetic. “That’s so cute.”

“Cute?” I raise my brow at her. “You’re twisted, Gabs. C’mon, get your arse off the ground, and let’s do this.”

I extend my hand, her own reaching for mine. When she’s standing beside me, our gaze locks as something passes between us.

I don’t know what the hell it is, nor can I explain the way it makes me feel.

I only know this—Gabriella Carmichael is a heartbreaker.

And I’m directly in her path.

Ten

Gabriella

“Ican’t believe we’re walking,” Oliver complains for the hundredth time.

We walk slowly back to the house, as I take in the seaside scenery which is impossible when you’re running. Walking also means I won’t die up the stupid hill.

Oliver loves to talk about his childhood—his face lights up every time he mentions his ma and pa back home. I enjoy listening—his upbringing the polar opposite to mine. He was raised on a farm, along with his two younger sisters, Rory and Matilda, then in his teenage years, his family decided to move to Sydney to give him a decent chance at playing professional soccer.

“So, I guess living on a farm, you probably love being around Bubbles?”

Oliver’s expression changes instantly. He blinks rapidly, shoulders tightening as we walk side by side. “Ah… I kinda had an incident with a rabbit when I was young.”

I wait for him to tell me, but seconds pass followed by nothing. It’s obvious I’m going to have to drag it out of him. The guy is as stubborn as a mule.

“And?”

“Promise not to laugh?”

I cross my heart, already smiling because I know he will make me laugh.

“You’re already laughing!”

“I’m not…” I try to keep a straight face, struggling to compose myself. Pursing my lips and biting them together, my smile disappears. “See?”

With his brow raised, eyeing me dubiously, he rubs his jaw, watching my expression with uncertainty. “Okay, so I was about eight when we had two rabbits, Elvis and Priscilla.”

“You had rabbits named Elvis and Priscilla?”

“My parents loved them, and you know that era. So, one day at school, this boy, Caleb, was teasing me, calling me a wuss because I had two sisters, so I must be a girl. The actual truth is I had a crush on this girl, Milly, and so did he.” He draws in a deep breath, then continues, “Anyway, he followed me home that day because he lived one property down from us and saw Elvis and Priscilla. He said that if I weren’t a girl, I needed to take off my red hat and wave it at them to see if they would move.”

“Oh no, then what happened?”

Oliver folds his arms across his chest, his gaze flicking upward. “They weren’t bulls, so I was confident nothing would happen, especially because my parents treated them like their own children so they were considered harmless. Nothing happened until I turned around and Elvis chased me only to bite me on the arse.”

I try my best to contain my laughter, covering my mouth and breathing into my hand to control myself.

“Pa had to call the doctor. I needed a Tetanus shot.”

“What happened to Elvis and Priscilla?”

“Priscilla was in her old age, so she passed not long after, and Elvis… well, he was sent to another farm.”

“Oh,” I mouth. “Poor Olly, and all over a crush.”

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