Page 93 of Tempt Thy Neighbor

“I’m not in love with her,” I growl.

She laughs. “Yes, you are. You are very much in love with her. And I think if you’re being perfectly honest with yourself, you’ve been in love with her for a long damn time.”

I open my mouth to argue, but the words don’t come.

She’s wrong. I’m not in love with Holland. I can’t be. She’s Holland.

She’s a pain in my ass. Obnoxious on a good day. A damn know-it-all too.

She’s…well, she’s creative. And really damn good at her job. Brilliant. She’s got a great rack. Plus, she’s funny and keeps me on my toes. Can spar with the best of them. And to my surprise, I’ve come to enjoy her company quite a bit…in and out of the bedroom.

But do I love her? No.

“Are you really sitting there thinking of all the ways to convince yourself you’re not in love with her?”

“You know, I really don’t appreciate you being in my head right now.”

She ignores me. “Do me a favor. Close your eyes.”

“No.”

She hits me with a glare. “Close your damn eyes, Sutton, or I’ll kick you right off this couch you love crying on so much.”

“Fine.” With a sigh, I sit back and close my eyes. “They’re closed.”

“All right. Now, tell me what you see.”

“Well, nothing because my eyes are fucking closed.”

She whacks me in the back of the head. “Bet you didn’t see that coming either.”

“Ow! Shit, Alma.” I rub at the back of my head. “That fucking hurt.”

“Quit being a baby. Keep your damn eyes closed.”

I squeeze my eyes tight.

“Now,” she starts again, “when you sit there and you think about your life, tell me what you see. What is it that makes you happy?”

A flash of Holland with her head thrown back in laughter floats across my mind.

“What do you see when you’re sad?”

Holland upset at me for not telling her about the promotion and the tears that were threatening to spill over her eyes.

That one hurts.

“What do you see when you’re most fulfilled?”

I see Holland with her feet in my lap, the tablet in her hand, reading one of those filthy romance novels while I pretend to watch TV but am really watching her.

“Now, when you sit there and think about what you want most in this world, what do you see?”

Holland.

I see her laughing at some stupid pervy joke I’ve made. I see her pouring that disgusting ketchup all over the scrambled eggs I’ve worked hard on. I see her getting angry at me for splashing her with pool water for the millionth time. And I see her with her head thrown back in a moan as she comes on my cock.

I see all the good and the ugly and the moments in between.

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