Page 3 of Echo

Violet’s stunning eyes immediately caught my attention. I wondered if her parents had named her for their unique, deep purple color. Her long, dark brown hair floated around her, emphasizing her pale skin, making her eyes pop even more. Plush lips were spread out in a wide, beautiful smile, showing dimples digging into her plump cheeks.

I continued to study her photo, my eyes tracking down her body, and I licked my lips, my rock-hard cock twitching with excitement.

She was average height, no more than five foot four inches, but it was enough of a difference that I would tower over her at my six foot two inches.

I might have worried that my muscular frame and tall stature would be too much for this dainty creature, but Violet had a full body with mouthwatering curves. Her big tits would spill out of my hands, and her wide hips would be perfect for holding while her thick thighs were wrapped around me. Although I couldn’t see her ass in the picture, I had a feeling it was just as round and sexy as the rest of her.

Dragging my eyes away from her picture, I scanned the rest of the file and was not surprised to see Violet described as sweet, funny, and witty. There was just something about her that had told me she was the perfect fucking woman. And Jeff would never get near her again because she was mine.

2

VIOLET

Returning home after grocery shopping shouldn’t be a big deal. But here I was, doing my best to walk down the hallway as quietly as possible. Unfortunately, I realized my efforts proved useless when my neighbor’s door flung open when I was still a good fifty feet away from it.

I was too far away from the elevator to turn back but not close enough to my apartment to avoid talking to him. I barely held back an audible groan at seeing Jeff step out of his apartment.

He seemed to have an internal radar when it came to me. No matter how hard I tried to avoid him, he always seemed to be lurking anytime I left my apartment. Or returned.

If I didn’t know better, I’d think he had a tracker of some kind on me.

“Hey, Jeff,” I muttered, hefting one of the bags high enough to cover my chest so he couldn't leer at my boobs.

“Hi, Violet. Do you need some help carrying that stuff?” he offered, his gaze raking down my body, sending a cold shiver along my spine.

I shook my head and grimaced. “No thanks, I have it.”

If he had been any of my other neighbors, I would have taken him up on the offer, but I learned quickly that Jeff was the kind of guy who took a mile if you gave him an inch. Which was probably why he was single even though he was handsome enough to attract plenty of feminine attention with his blond hair, blue eyes, and runner’s physique.

I didn’t understand why he was so fixated on me unless it was because his good looks had never pulled me in. Maybe he was one of those guys who liked the challenge. Whatever the reason, I’d give just about anything for him to forget I existed.

“Oh, okay.” His shoulders slumped. “Let me know if you ever need anything. I’m right next door, only a wall away.”

“Yep, I know.”

His proximity was the only reason I was considering not renewing my lease for another year. My apartment was perfect for me in every way but one—Jeff.

I loved the balcony looking over the woods that lined the back of the complex. And the walk-in closet in my second bedroom had been easy to convert into the vocal booth where I did my voiceover work, mostly recording audiobooks. The kitchen was also great, with granite countertops and more cabinet space than I knew what to do with.

Finding another place with the same amenities without a huge hike in rent would be tough, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend another year afraid to leave my apartment. Working from home meant that I didn’t get a lot of interaction with people during the day, so it would’ve been nice to be able to get out more often without having to worry about running into Jeff. Having him as a neighbor had turned me into a hermit instead of just an introvert.

He stepped closer as I struggled with sticking my key into the lock while holding two overly full bags. “Are you sure you don’t need help?”

“Whatever Violet needs, I have it covered.”

My head swung up at the deep voice, and I was stunned by who I found walking toward us. If I had asked my favorite client to write the description of my fantasy guy, she couldn't have done any better than the man standing in front of me. He looked as though he had come to life from the pages of a motorcycle club romance book.

Except for the fact that he was a ginger because I didn't often run into book boyfriends with red hair. I would definitely need to search them out from now on, though, because he was sexier than any man had the right to be.

He was tall and muscular in a way that made me think he earned his build outside of the gym. His hair was a deep red, and his close-cropped beard was the same color. His blue eyes reminded me of the ocean when I took a snorkeling trip in the Bahamas. With his short sleeve shirt under his Hounds of Hellfire cut, I could see most of the full sleeve of black ink on his left arm.

I’d never seen him in the building before…and he was definitely someone I’d remember. That was probably because I hadn’t done a great job of getting to know my neighbors since I tended to rush through the lobby in my attempts to avoid Jeff.

But that didn’t stop me from going along with him when he tugged both bags out of my arms and flashed me a sexy smile. “Sorry it took me so long to park the car, baby.”

“Who the hell are you?” Jeff demanded, glaring at the guy.

He turned to my neighbor, juggling the bags so he was holding them in one arm while he slid the other behind my back to pull me against his side. “I’m her boyfriend, Echo.”

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