Page 27 of Harmless Scandals

“Thank you. I need to hit the farmers market and Foodland, but I got distracted today.”

His mouth curved. “Yeah.”

“Mick,” Adam said, the warning easy to hear in his voice.

“What?”

She glanced at Adam and knew then that they had talked about it already.

“You promised you wouldn’t pressure me.”

“I’m not pressuring you. I’m just agreeing,” Mick said.

She looked at Adam, who rolled his eyes. “Mick is just a flirt. It has nothing to do with anything else. It’s his father in him.”

“I just don’t want you to think I’m teasing you. I am not someone who easily gets involved with men in general, so this would be unprecedented.”

“No worries. I’ll control him.”

Before she knew what Adam was going to do, he leaned forward and brushed his mouth over hers. “Thank you for sharing a meal with us.”

“Yes, thank you,” Mick said, giving her an easy kiss. “We really enjoyed having you.”

“Thank you. It’s nice to eat with other people. I eat alone a lot and I like it, but conversation is good sometimes too.” She slipped on her sandals. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” they said in almost stereo precision. She walked down the stairs and then hurried along the path to her house. She unlocked her door then glanced over her shoulder. The guys were standing there watching her.

She waved to let them know she was okay, then she stepped into her house. She shut the door and slipped off her sandals. After putting the pasta in her fridge, she poured a glass of water and thought about her new neighbors.

They were both super sweet. Oh, Adam tried to play the stoic Alpha, but she suspected he had a soft center. She saw it tonight when he talked to Mick. And Mick. She smiled. He was the biggest flirt, but again, she suspected there was more to his personality.

It had been so long since anyone had worried about her. She’d been on her own for over ten years, and even before that, her mother didn’t truly care about her. She cared about the money Kayleigh Rose could make. But the guys, they had watched out for her. The path from their house to hers was just a few yards. They stood there looking out for her. A smile curved her lips and warmth filled her.

It was nice to have someone who cared about you.

eight

Adam stepped out of the shower and had just began to towel off when someone knocked at his door. He wrapped the towel around his waist and walked to the door. When he saw Serenity standing on the other side, he smiled.

It had been two weeks since the dinner they had shared, and he was getting worse than Mick. He found ways to run into her on a regular basis. If she figured it out, she didn’t say anything. It was already beyond mortifying. That shame would only increase if she knew about it.

Her back was to him, so he took his time to look at her. She had her blond curls up in a ponytail, giving him an excellent view of her neck. He had a thing for slender necks. He liked to graze his teeth across the tender skin as he rode a woman from behind.

She turned at that moment and he was thankful he hadn’t opened the door. She offered him a sunny smile and he realized she was holding a box. He ordered his body to settle down and then opened the door.

“Hey, there,” she said, after he finally opened the door. Then, her gaze travelled down his torso and he knew he was still damp from his shower. Dammit, if she kept looking at him that way, he wasn't going to be able to fight off his erection. There would be no hiding it behind his towel. He was a Dom and could control himself, to a point. And that point was apparently the woman standing in front of him.

“Hey, yourself. Did you buy me a gift?”

For a second, she said nothing, then the most delightful blush colored her cheeks. Damn, she was cute.

“Uh...no. Oh, the box.” She handed it over to him. “They left it with me, on account that I saw them trying to leave it on your lanai and I marched over here and got it.”

He chuckled and glanced at the name. It was Mick's and one of their favorite stores to buy gear at. He didn’t need a vivid imagination to figure out who Mick bought toys for.

“Thanks.”

“Because, you know, there are a lot of tourists around, and you never know what they are going to do. So, that's why I did it.”

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