Page 2 of Hot Neighbor Summer

With Stellan soothing me, I glance over to Duke. Both of his hands are tightly fisted into Conor's shirt. I can't hear what he's saying, but the longer he talks, the more Conor's face goes pale. Duke jerks Conor's body until he spits out, "Okay, okay. Fine. Just get your hands off me."

Duke stares him down for a few more seconds then shoves him with such force Conor barely manages to stay on his feet. Straightening his shirt, Conor picks up a box and takes it to the trunk of his car. He does this twice more. When he looks like he's about to protest that his canoe won't fit, Duke lifts his finger and it silences him immediately. Duke mutters something to Conor that keeps him in place before jogging over to his and Stellan's, returning a few moments later with two pool noodles and some rope. It only takes him a couple of minutes to put together a DIY soft rack system on the roof of Conor's car and attach the canoe onto it.

He claps Conor on the shoulder so hard he winces, says something into his ear, and watches with a serious glower as Conor walks back to the car, shoulders slumped, all his seething rage and bullshit bravado well and truly gone now.

The engine hums with a hollow, echoing clang, and then he takes off. Gone. Out of my life. Forever this time.

Duke strides over to Stellan and me. The two men exchange a look before Duke kneels down next to us, his warm, chocolatey brown eyes scanning me with such intensity it makes me tremble. "Did he hurt you?"

"No. I'm fine." I rub my hand over my chest where Conor elbowed me.

Seeing this, Duke gently places his hand over the top of my palm, sending a flare of warmth all the way up to my shoulder. "Are you sure?"

Apart from being slightly sore I really am okay. "I am. Thank you." I turn to Stellan. "Thank you both. If you hadn't shown up?—"

"Shhh. It's okay. We don't have to go there." Stellan keeps one hand on my shoulder as Duke does the same on the other side, adding, "He won't ever bother you again, Bailey. We promise you. You're safe."

And sitting on my front lawn between these two giant, muscled, gorgeous men who I've only met once in my life… I totally believe him.

2

Duke

"We should go over and check in on Bailey today," I say, smearing coconut lotion all over Stellan's massive shoulders and muscled back as he lies front down on the sunbed. We may have retired from the NHL over a decade ago, but we both take pride in maintaining our athletic physiques.

"You're only saying that because you didn't get the same one-on-one time with him that I did," he replies, and even though I can't see his face, I canhearthe smirk in his tone.

I lift up his speedo and squirt some oil down his ass crack.

"Oi!"

"Oops. Sorry," I say so insincerely he'll hearmysmirk.

I smooth the sunscreen down his muscular legs in slow, even strokes, making sure every inch is covered. Even though we're both six four, Stellan is smooth and dark-blond—earning him the nickname of the Nordic Viking in our playing days even though he's originally from Pennsylvania—while I'm dark-haired, brown-eyed, and have a light smattering of fur across my chest and legs.

"Thanks," he says when I'm done, lifting up onto his elbows and turning to look at me. "And I appreciate you taking care of Bailey's scumbag ex the way you did yesterday."

I lift a shoulder, sitting on the edge of the sunbed next to my bestie and soulmate. "I just got to him first. I have no doubt you would've done the same."

When I heard the ruckus happening next door, I called out for Stellan, and we bolted over to help Bailey.

Stellan shakes his head. "Don't know if I would've been able to restrain myself the way you did."

"All I cared about was making sure Bailey was okay."

He sits up so we're directly facing each other. "He said they've broken up."

I shake my head. "Don't start."

"Why not? You said we can't do anything while Bailey has a boyfriend. He doesn't have a boyfriend, so, hello, the coast is clear."

"The coast is not clear." I get up and walk over to sit by the pool.

A few seconds later, Stellan joins me, our legs dangling in the cool water. "You're the one who suggested we should check in on him," he says softly.

"I meant it in a friendly way." I shuffle to hide the pressure building in my board shorts at the thought of our sexy young neighbor. "A neighborly way."

Stellan chuckles and gives my bulge a hearty tug. "Neighborly my ass."

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