“Unfortunately, we’re here because our other brother was shot and is in surgery.” She said sadly. His head snapped towards Grace, his eyes travelling over her, and he frowned. That was the only emotion I’d see on his face other than annoyance since she’d called his name.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Hope he’s okay.” He said, sincerity ringing in his deep voice.
She breathed deeply before exhaling and held his eyes. “I hope so too.”
I glanced towards my brothers all wearing the same expression of confusion. Who was this guy to our baby sister?
“Aren’t you Tyler Morgan?” I heard from behind me, and recognized Kyle’s voice. Kyle did all things I.T. at Elite Securities, the security company Jax and Brody own.
Tyler’s head snapped up to focus on Kyle who was walking towards him. Kyle put his hand out, which Tyler begrudgingly shook. “Nice to meet you man. Name’s Kyle.” He introduced himself. “You’re one hell of a center.” Tyler mumbled a thanks and Kyle continued. “It blows you got hurt. Would’ve loved to watch you play a few more years.”
“You played for Seattle?” Striker, another employee of my brothers and one scary bastard came to stand beside Kyle.
Tyler nodded, shoving his hands in his front pockets. I’d never thought I’d meet someone who spoke less than Striker, but this guy had him beat hands down.
Striker shook his head. “Saw that hit man. You’re fucking lucky to be alive.” He threw out his hand and introduced himself. “Striker.”
“Morgan?” Ben spoke up. “Wait, are you the player that broke his neck?”
“I remember that.” Brody said.
“Me too.” Jax said. “That had to be almost two years ago, right?”
Tyler nodded. “Yep.”
“Wait.” Grace said, turning her body to stand directly in front of Tyler. “You did actually break your neck? I mean, I heard that, but didn’t believe something like that was even possible.”
His eyes flicked down to land on her face, his jaw hardening, and nodded.
“How the fuck do you heal from something like that?” Striker asked, and if I didn’t know better, I’d almost think he was in awe of him. But I knew better. I wasn’t sure there was anyone Striker liked enough to be in awe of.
“Slowly,” Tyler said, his eyes flicking back up to the line of men positioned behind Grace.
“I’ll bet.” Ben shook his head. “Unbelievable, you lived through that and you’re still walking.”
Tyler glanced at Grace, but I couldn’t see her expression considering she still stood in front Tyler with her back to us. “I have to go.” He turned his head back to us muttering, “See ya,” before he turned and headed towards the exit.
“Something we said?” Kyle asked Grace when she turned to face us.
She sighed. “No, he’s just really moody. Plus, I’m almost positive he doesn’t like me at all.”
Jax frowned and said, “Impossible,” at the very same time Ben said, “I could see that.”
That earned a chuckle from the group and Ben a punch to the arm from Grace.
“How do you know him?” I asked.
“He’s a client of Mr. Anderson’s. I had to pick him up at the police station last week.”
Grace has been a personal assistant to an attorney about an hour from New Hope since she graduated from college with her bachelor’s degree, saying she took the job to decide if she wanted to pursue a law degree.
“Why the hell are you picking people up at the police station?” Brody asked, obviously annoyed by that information.
Grace rolled her eyes. “It’s something I do when Mr. Anderson’s in court. I don’t have to very often.”
“What was he in for?” I asked.
“Assault.” She said it dismissively as if it wasn’t a big deal.
“Who the fuck did he assault?” Jax demanded.
“The better question would be, ‘is the other bastard still breathing?’” Brody shook his head.
Grace shrugged as if this was all no big deal. “Of course he is.”
“Grace…” I started, but that’s where the conversation ended because we all turned to watch our parents walking down the hallway towards us, twin expressions marring their features that almost brought me to my knees in guilt.
Absolute despair.
CHAPTER ONE
LANIE
“He took his shirt off again,” I said into the phone, peeking through the side of the white sheer curtain hanging from my bedroom window.
“The whole way off?”
I furrowed my brow. “Of course, the whole way off.” My best friend Paige listened to me while I ogled my new neighbor. “Is there any other way? I mean, he couldn’t take it halfway off.”
“Not true. My parents have pictures of themselves in mesh shirts from when they were young.”
I snorted. “Ugh don’t put that picture in my head.”
“Good point.” She laughed.
“Oh my god.” I sighed into the phone.
“What?” I imagined Paige sitting up straighter out of curiosity. “What’s he doing now?”
“He’s sitting in the sandbox with his little boy.”
“Is his shirt still off?” She asked, obviously stuck on only that.
I backed away from the window, feeling like I was intruding on special time with his son. “Yeah.”
“Have you introduced yourself yet?”
I walked down the short hallway, past my bathroom, to the little kitchen of my tiny Cape Cod house. “No.”
“Why not?” She asked seriously. “What are you waiting for?”
“He just moved in.” I protested.
“That was a week ago.”
And she was right. For the last week, I’d done everything to avoid my new neighbor, having no clue what to say to a man like that.
“It’s not that long, plus he’s hardly ever home.” I defended myself, and fortunately that part was true. He was usually only there late at night, leaving early every morning. This was only the second time I’d seen him in his yard, the last time he was setting up some kid stuff, like the plastic turtle sand box he’d just been sitting in with his son.
She sighed. “Elaina Rose Jones.”
I groaned. “Stop calling me by my full name when you’re irritated with me. You know I don’t like it.”
She chuckled. “I like your full name. What I don’t understand is why you don’t.”
She does like my name, she says so often, but I do not. The woman who named me thought it would be a nice tribute to name me after my biological mother. I’ve never felt the same. I’ve been having people call me Lanie since I was old enough to come up with it.
“You really need to at least say hello to him.” Paige’s voice rang out.
“I know, I know.” I said, defeat clear in my voice. “Don’t you remember the last time I tried to talk to a man I thought was really hot?”
She chuckled. “That’s not a good example of who you are.”
“Paige.” I laughed sarcastically. “That’s exactly who I am. I’m awkward. I’m okay with that. It’s who I am, but I’m not putting myself in another situation where I act completely strange blabbering on about absolutely nothing before I just run away, totally embarrassed.”
“Maybe it’ll be different this time.”
“It won’t. But I love your faith in me.” I am genuinely happy to have a friend so encouraging. “Let’s change the subject. Are you working today?”
“Ugh, yeah.” She sounded disgruntled, but then she always did when she had to go to work on a Saturday. “I need a new job.”
“You keep saying that, but you stay there.”
“Yeah, well. There aren’t a whole lot of jobs for a college drop-out, unfortunately.”
She was right, and I felt bad for her. She hates her job working in an auto-parts store, but it was all she could get when she left school, saying college just wasn’t for her. And it wasn’t, she was miserable. I’m p
retty sure the only reason she even went was because I did, because since we were twelve we’d been connected at the hip, so it only made sense to go to college together. I remember waiting to hear if I’d been awarded the academic scholarship to pay my way through school and feeling free for the first time when I was notified that I had. Paige was as excited as I was the day we walked into the dorms, ready to start our new life. But, unfortunately as the semesters wore on it was clear Paige wasn’t as happy to be there as I was. The only part she liked was the social aspect, but even that wasn’t enough to keep her there.
I graduated two years ago, just a year after she left, with a degree in business. I didn’t realize how useless it was until after I graduated and understood I should’ve gone for something more specific. I didn’t have the money to continue on to graduate school, so I found a job.
My first job out of college was working in a clothing store, which I could’ve done without four years of college, but I worked hard and climbed the ladder quickly to Manager. It helped that the original manager went on maternity leave and decided not to come back, and I used it as my opportunity to show what I was capable of.
I started by designing a website for the small, locally owned shop. It didn’t previously have one, and it quickly received a lot of good feedback with people inquiring about the designer. Before I knew it, I was running my own business and working from home. That was both good and bad. Good because my work was flexible and I was my own boss, bad because I was already not a social person, so a job where I spend most of my time alone in my house hasn’t helped me in that department. In fact, I think in the past year and a half, I’ve become even more socially awkward.
“I wish you had an interest in my work. I’ve had to turn jobs down lately because I couldn’t fit them into my schedule. We’d have one heck of a business working together.”
She sighed. “Yeah, me too, but I don’t love sitting in front of a computer all day. I like seeing people and talking to people.”
Me too. I just stink at it.
“Alright. I have to go get ready for work. I’ll talk to you tonight.” We said our good-byes and hung up. I felt a cold nose push against my hand and smiled, looking down.
“Hey buddy. You wanna go out?” I knew I’d said the magic word when he ambled to the door connecting the garage to the kitchen and pranced around in front of it. I slid off my stool, grabbed my coffee cup and opened the door for Beasley, then the side door on the garage. He bounded out into the fenced yard.
The day I realized I was able to buy a house on my own was probably one of the best days of my life. My business was doing well enough that I’d been able to save up a good down payment and get out of my crappy studio apartment. I found the perfect house almost immediately, a little Cape Cod, with only two bedrooms and one bathroom. It had been owned by a couple for about twenty years, but unfortunately, they’d aged and were having trouble taking care of it. Their son decided, after his mom passed away, to move his dad in with him because he seemed to have the beginning stages of dementia. At least that’s what the real estate agent told me. The house hadn’t been updated in a long time, but I fell in love with it anyway, knowing I could renovate it as I wanted to. The biggest selling point for this house was the big fenced yard. I knew I wanted a dog and headed to the pound the same day I moved in.
As soon as I saw those big brown eyes staring at me, I was in love. The lady in charge of adoptions said he was brought to them a month ago, but hadn’t been a great candidate for adoption because of his size. He was only six months old, but his owner gave him up because of how big he’d already become. I didn’t care and I told her that, but she warned me that he’s a St. Bernard and they can weigh well over one-hundred-and-fifty pounds, fully grown. I adopted him and took him home the same day.
I sat down on the swing I had set up in my yard and watched Beasley wander around. He’s never been an energetic dog, more of a couch potato, but I don’t care. I like just sitting out here watching him explore, especially on beautiful fall mornings like this one. I could hear voices beyond the fence, one older and one of a little boy, but luckily for me, or maybe for them, the yard is situated out the back of the house and is surrounded by a privacy fence so I don’t have as easy a time creeping on my gorgeous neighbor even if I wanted to, which I do, all the time.
Beautiful people have always fascinated me, especially ones with near perfect features and incredible bodies. I’ve always wondered how they got so lucky while the rest of us average joes are just, well, average. I consider myself the perfect example of average with dark blond hair cut to my shoulders. Not straight, but not curly either. My hazel eyes might be my most interesting feature only because they change from green to brown depending on the shade of clothes I’d wear. They may be interesting, but no one would describe them as special. Even my figure has always been average, although now since I sit most of the day and have a propensity towards chocolate, it’s going to take more work to keep it average. Maybe I’ll start walking Beasley. I glanced towards the far end of the yard where he was on his side, already snoring and giggled to myself, knowing we wouldn’t go far on those walks with Beasley along.
Sounds of horns beeping startled me out of my own thoughts. I walked to the side and stepped over Beasley who was obviously not bothered by the commotion and stood on my tip toes, peeking over the fence. My eyes widened as I watched four trucks park alongside our quiet street, right in front of my neighbor’s house. My hot neighbor’s house. I watched in amazement as tall, hot men jumped down from their trucks and headed towards the front yard. The little boy jumped from his sandbox and ran towards the group of men, six in all, one swinging him up to sit on his shoulders.
I knew I should look away, but I couldn’t. I’d never seen that many good-looking men all together, talking and laughing. It was almost like a magazine shoot in my front yard. I wanted to call Paige, but I knew she’d actually leave her job to see this and then get fired, again. Maybe I could take a picture. Damn, I left my phone on the kitchen counter. Lost in my thoughts on how to record this monumental event, I didn’t notice that I’d been seen until it was too late and seven men, including my neighbor, had turned their heads to look directly at me. Mortified, I squeaked and kneeled down in the grass, my face burning with embarrassment. “Don’t come over here, don’t come over here.” I chanted quietly while crawling along the fence towards the garage. Needing to get inside faster, I stood and took off for the door, closing it behind me and leaning back, breathing hard. I looked down at my pajamas and cringed. They had doughnuts on them, freaking doughnuts, but they were so comfy they were my favorite. No way was I getting caught by those guys in doughnut pajamas. Not to mention, I had on no make-up, hair piled on top of my head and my glasses on, which were not cute or flattering on me.
I wasn’t the best dresser on a good day anyway, but catch me first thing in the morning and its a lot worse. I have a tendency towards boxy clothes, never really sure what fits me right or looks good. Paige has tried to teach me, but finally gave up, saying I was a hopeless case.
Simply put, I’m a nerd, always have been, always will be. I’ve learned to accept it and I’m actually okay with it, but that doesn’t mean I want to show myself off to a group of gorgeous men.
No way. I’d rather hide in my little house, in my little world, with my giant dog.
CHAPTER TWO
JAKE
“What the hell was that?” Chris snickered and turned to face us. “I mean, you all saw that, right?”
Ben laughed outright, slapping his palm against my shoulder. “I’m guessing your new neighbor is a little odd.”
I shrugged. I honestly had no idea. “No clue. I haven’t met her.”
Jax’s eyes widened. “There’s a her next door and you haven’t introduced yourself?”
Jax being the oldest in the family knows all of our personalities well. And he’s right, there’s rarely been a female I haven’t been interested in. I like everything a
bout women, the softness of their skin, the way they smell, the way their hips move when they walk. I’ve never discriminated either, instead trying out all types of women, enjoying most of them for different reasons. Although I can admit I’ve had a propensity towards confident women, the type who love to put it all out there, unconcerned with other’s opinions. Now since Julie, I haven’t been interested in any woman. I see them differently, as if they only show you what they want you to see, but not until you’re in too deep, do you see the real person.
“Not interested.” I said, but glanced back towards the fence. “I haven’t actually seen her. But I’m not here much.”
Ben grinned. “She seems hilarious.”
“Then go introduce yourself.” I said, disinterest clear in my voice.
He stood up taller, taking my unconcerned answer as a challenge. “Maybe I will.”
Brody spoke up. “Yeah, well do it on your own time. Let’s get the rest of this furniture moved in. I want to get home to my girls.”
“Awe is Brody in love?” Ben taunted, earning him a scowl from Brody.
“I’m with Brody. I got shit to do today. Can we just get this done?” Nick is Cam’s friend and always willing to help out, but I could understand wanting to be done, it was Saturday.
Cam looked to his side. “What the hell do you have going on?”
“Stuff.” Nick retorted.
Cam’s eyes narrowed, his mouth opening to question his friend further, but I cut him off. “I agree. Let’s get this shit done.”
Jax pulled Braydon down from his shoulders where he’d been perched for the last few minutes, and put him on the ground.
I squatted down in front of him. “Go play in your sandbox while we unload furniture Bray. Okay?”
He pushed his thumb back into his chest, his face set with determination. “I help.”
I smiled at my almost two-year-old son, the only genuine smile in weeks, and nodded. “Okay, I’m sure there’s something you can carry little man.”
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