Page 28 of Crave Thy Neighbor

When I don’t react, a slow, smug smile forms. “That’s what I thought. Which makes this situation even better because you won’t be trying to fuck her.”

I ignore that part. “Thanks for that, by the way—putting us both on the spot, making me feel cornered into offering her a place.”

He snorts. “Please. I’ve known you nearly all my life, Nolan. If I hadn’t brought it up, you would have by the end of the night.”

“Oh, I would have, huh?”

“Yep. Because as much as you try to act like a big grump who’s all cold and closed off, not willing to do attachments, you’re a secret softy.”

I tip my chin up, rising to my full height. “Am not.”

He laughs. “Right.”

“I might be tired, but I’m not too tired to kick your ass.”

He pushes off the wall as the elevator moves closer to his floor.

He doesn’t seem the least bit afraid.

Really, he doesn’t have a reason to.

We’ve been in a few scraps together over the years. Never anything major, just dumb shit, nothing a good punch or two couldn’t fix. He might look like a goody-goody buttoned-up teacher during the day, but he can definitely hold his own.

“Go ahead and hit me, man. But just know you’ll be the one having to explain to River why I came home with a black eye. She’s the one you need to be afraid of.”

He’s not lying there.

The elevator dings, signaling it’s reached his floor.

“Wanna come down for dinner?” he asks as the doors slide open. “We’re doing pizza.”

Pizza sounds a hell of a lot better than having the sandwich I skipped at lunch.

“Let me grab a shower first?”

“Please fucking do.” He steps out and into the hall. “See you in a bit, soft serve.”

I swear I hear him chuckle as the doors close.

5

Maya

“Are you shitting me?”

I glare down at my phone, my heart plummeting to the floor.

“What? What’s wrong?” River asks, peering up from the box of Caroline’s latest masterpieces as they go through them, sorting them out by collection.

It’s crazy to see how far Caroline has come with her designs in the last few months alone. She started here as a sales associate back when I was married and volunteering my time to River to get out of the house. As soon as River and I discovered she had a hidden talent of creating super cute, one-of-a-kind designs, we knew we had to persuade her to let us sell them. We finally wore her down after the success of our pop-up at the Harristown Jubilee late last year.

“I got rejected.”

“Again?”

“Damn.” Caroline whistles. “This has to be some kind of record or something.”

It sure feels like it.

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