Page 36 of The Cocky Neighbor

I missed the man that seemed to take up so much space to fill the void that had existed in my heart. I knew that there was only sex between us—he'd made it very clear that he wasn't interested in anything else with me—but a part of me could get used to having him around.

It was too easy to see a life with Eric doing the same things we did this weekend. Every day would be filled with teasing, laughter, and so much color.

I'd been searching for love since forever, but I'd never found someone who matched me so well. He was able to hold his own against me, but also easily yielded to my commands. It was like he was tailor made for me. Was it so bad to wish for more?

This weekend had given me a taste of a future that I'd dreamed of, but the only problem was that the other man in the future didn't want the same thing as I did, at least that was what he'd told me.

It was eight at night, and I had too many thoughts swirling in my head. I needed to sort them out or else I'd stay up all night thinking until I went crazy. There was only one person I could think of who could help me find logic in this situation, so I padded down to the second floor.

A few minutes passed, and there was still no answer. I had a spare key that he gave me permission to use, but I hadn't used it since Lucas moved in. If I ever caught them doing something not suitable for children, I'd have to bleach my eyes out.

I knocked one more time, thinking that maybe he didn't hear me the first time. Noah was flustered when he opened the door. He was huffing as he smoothed back his curls.

"Am I interrupting something?" I asked with a brow raised.

"No—"

"Yes!" I heard Lucas shout from inside, and a faint blush colored Noah's cheeks.

"I can come back later?" I asked, but Noah quickly shook his head and pulled me inside.

"Don't worry about your brother. He's just being clingy. You came here for something, didn't you? I'll get you something to drink," Noah rushed to the kitchen to pour me a cup of juice.

I took a seat on the couch beside Molly, who was curled upsmack dab in the middle of it.She opened one eye to take a peek at me before deeming me unworthy of her attention and falling back asleep. I chuckled and gave her a quick pet before leaving her alone for her nap.

"Hey, puppy," Lucas said, walking out from the bedroom, shirtless. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Geez, thanks for getting all dressed up for me. And stop calling me that," I grumbled. Puppy was a nickname he'd given me when we were kids since I'd followed Noah and him around everywhere.

Lucas laughed and tugged on the shirt that was thrown on the back of a chair before plopping himself on the armchair that was next to my seat on the couch. "So, what brings you here on this fine Sunday, especially this late at night?"

"It's eight."

"And? Noah and I are usually in bed by now," Lucas said with a smirk, and I made a disgruntled face.

"Stop antagonizing your brother," Noah chided, and handed me the glass. I thanked him and took a sip before putting it on the coffee table.

He stood in between Lucas and me and glanced at the seat next to me, the seat Molly was occupying. Before he could even think about moving her, Lucas wrapped his arms around him and pulled Noah onto his lap. Noah yelped at the sudden action but quickly adjusted and made himself comfortable, snuggled into his fiancé.

They were so cute together, and I was happy that they’d found their way back to each other. I was. But I couldn't say that I wasn't jealous. They looked so in love, used to these simple actions of intimacy. It was everything that I wanted, but I needed to find my person to share it with.

"So what brings you here tonight? Not that you need a reason to visit. You know I love when you come over," Noah asked.

"I was hoping to talk to you about what we talked about last time I was here," I said, trying to be vague as I glanced at Lucas. Roslyn Hotel was his project, and here I was trying to get together with one of his employees. While the transition of the hotel chain was basically done at this point, I still didn't know how he would feel about the entire situation.

Lucas caught me staring at him and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "What? Did you guys talk about me?"

Noah laughed and gave Lucas a soft pat on the cheek. "Not everything is about you, dear. Liam was telling me about someone he was attracted to."

"Oh. Go on, then. I guess it's about time to do my job as the big brother and give you advice on how to catch a man," Lucas said as he tightened his arms around Noah, making him giggle.

"You have to promise you won’t get mad," Noah said when he calmed down from his fit of laughter. I squirmed in my seat, knowing what was coming next.

Lucas frowned. "Why would I get mad? Who Liam likes has nothing to do with me."

Noah gave me a pointed stare, and I rubbed the back of my neck before confessing, "Well…the guy in question is the manager of a certain popular hotel in Corio City."

Lucas stared at me for a second, and I knew he'd connected the dots when his eyes widened before quickly narrowing at me. "Liam, tell me you didn't."

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