by Ranae Rose
Alicia had just about died when he’d walked into the bathroom, bare-assed and even more magnificent than she’d let on during her ill-advised discussion with Sasha.
“You never mentioned that he had a tattoo,” Kerry half-whispered, her cheeks stained a bright pink that contrasted with her fair skin and sable hair.
“He had a tattoo?” Sasha asked. “I didn’t even notice, I was so distracted by his huge—”
“Shut up,” Alicia pleaded as a car turned into Liam’s driveway. “I don’t want whoever that is to overhear us talking about him. You two are going to leave in a couple hours, but I still have to live next door to him, remember?”
“Lucky you,” Sasha breathed. “I’m so jealous I could die.”
Despite her declaration, Sasha seemed to forget her jealousy the moment Liam’s visitors stepped out of the vehicle.
Alicia had to admit, she could understand why they posed such a distraction. Both men were built along the same lines as Liam – tall and broad-shouldered. Their jeans and t-shirts didn’t hide their muscular bodies, either. One was blond while the other was dark-haired, and their short haircuts made it easy to picture them in uniforms like the one Liam wore to work every day.
“Are those his friends?” Sasha stage-whispered. “Do they come over often?”
“I’ve never seen them before.”
Liam – fully dressed now – came out onto the front porch to greet his friends, and for a moment, all three women simply stared in silence.
“That’s it,” Sasha said eventually, planting her hands on the table. “There are three of them and three of us; this is too perfect an opportunity to let pass.”
“Wait a minute!” It was all Alicia could do to keep herself from grabbing ahold of Sasha as the other woman rose from her seat. “What are you doing?”
“Making sure our little get-together merges with theirs,” she said matter-of-factly.
“I swear, if you mention the fact that we just spent the past ten minutes spying on him and comparing him to a prize cucumber, you’re never invited over again.” Alicia infused her voice with as much firmness as she could muster, gripping the edge of the table.
Sasha was down the stairs and striding across the lawn before Alicia could say another word.
“Don’t worry,” Kerry said. “She’s crafty. She may have the mouth and mind of a sailor, but she knows how to reign herself in, believe it or not. Like right now – I’d bet you a paycheck she’s about to put on her Southern Belle act and charm them into coming over here for drinks.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Alicia said. “Sasha, a Southern Belle?”
Kerry shrugged, her dark eyes meeting Alicia’s hazel ones. “How do you think she deals with customers at work? She has a polite persona she uses … sometimes.”
“I guess I assumed she wasn’t allowed out of the kitchen.”
Kerry broke into a rare smile. “Oh boy… Here they come.”
Sure enough, all three men followed Sasha across the lawn and right up the porch steps. By the time they stopped by the patio table, Alicia’s heart was in her throat.
“So, as I was just telling these three, I’ve got to get back to baking those brownies we won’t possibly be able to eat all by ourselves.” Sasha turned to Alicia and Kerry, flashing them a wink the men couldn’t see. “They’ll be ready soon, but there’s plenty of time for everyone to relax with a drink first.” She hurried into the house, leaving the other two women outnumbered by the three sexiest men Alicia had ever seen together in one place.
Liam nodded at her, his sexy mouth set in a serious expression that reassured her he had no idea what she, Sasha and Kerry had just witnessed. Still, it was impossible not to think about it as she met his eyes.
“Nice to meet you again, Alicia.”
The sound of her name on his lips sent a frisson down her spine despite the day’s fading but still considerable heat. “You too, Liam.”
“This is Henry,” he said, nodding to his blond companion, then the dark-haired one. “And this is Grey.”
“Nice to meet you both.” Her voice came out funny-sounding – a little too high. “This is Kerry, and I see that you’ve already met Sasha.”
The three men nodded, and silence descended, making Alicia long to smack some sense into Sasha. Unfortunately, the other woman was safely inside, protected from the perfect storm of awkwardness she’d created.
“You know what – I’d better go get three more glasses.” Alicia leapt up and hurried inside before they could accept or reject the offer.
She found Sasha rifling through her kitchen cupboards. “What are you doing?”
Sasha whirled, a sack of flour in hand. “Making brownies.”
“I don’t have any brownie mix, you know.”
Sasha gave Alicia what looked like a pitying glance. “A boxed mix? Blasphemy.” She kept pulling things out of the cupboard, setting a salt shaker and bag of chocolate chips on the counter. “Where’s your sugar?”
Alicia shrugged. “If it’s not in there, I must not have any.”
Sasha tsked. “I’m going to need you to borrow a cup from your neighbor, then.”
“What?”
“Ask to borrow a cup of sugar. I’m sure he won’t mind.”
“No way. I’ll just run to the store.”
Sasha spun, planting her hands on her hips. “Either you ask your neighbor for a cup of sugar, or I will.” A wicked smile crept across her face. “The choice is yours.”
Alicia sighed and turned for the door. “Don’t you dare come out of here – I’m officially confining you to the kitchen until I return.”
“It’s all part of my strategy, anyway,” Sasha said, shrugging and seizing a mixing bowl. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder. By the time I emerge outside with a tray of brownies, Henry will be wondering what took so long.”
“So you’ve set your sights on Henry?”
“I like blonds. Plus, he seems like the strong, silent type. I like those too.”
Well, at least that meant Sasha wasn’t preying on Liam. That fact might not be enough to save Alicia from all potential embarrassment, but it was something. “I’ll be back.”
She was halfway out the door when she remembered to turn back for glasses.
“Here we go,” she said, setting the tumblers down on the patio table when she returned to the porch. Pouring drinks for the guys barely took a minute, and then she had little choice but to face Liam. “Would you mind if I borrowed a cup of sugar? For the brownies.”
He blinked, and a split second of silence followed.
“Sure,” he said, relinquishing his hold on the glass she’d just handed him and pushing back his seat.
She breathed the world’s tiniest sigh of relief as she followed him down the steps and across her lawn, toward his house. Thank God for Southern hospitality, or charm or whatever it was that had Liam holding the door open for her as she traipsed into his kitchen. Back in DC, her next door neighbor had had a penchant for playing loud music and walking his dog in her tiny yard just so the creature could relieve itself there. Not exactly the sugar-lending type.
“Wow, this kitchen looks just like mine,” she said, noting the similarity in design. There was even an island in the middle of the room, just like hers. The only thing that was different was the fact that Liam’s cabinets were stained a deep green, whereas hers were the light, natural color of pine wood.
“Our houses were made by the same builder,” he said, opening a cabinet and reaching inside. “Back in the 50’s.”
“Really? I didn’t know that.”
He nodded, his back to her as he reached for a sack of sugar. “There aren’t many differences between the two.”
“You’ve been inside my place?”
“Yeah, but it’s been a while. It’s been a while since I’ve had a neighbor, actually. The last person to live in your house was an elderly guy, and the place got kind of rundown after he died. Took his son a few ye
ars to decide to fix it up and rent it out.”
“To me?”
“Yeah. I’d gotten pretty used to not having anyone next door.”
Heat flushed Alicia’s face, and she counted herself lucky that he wasn’t facing her. She knew firsthand that he’d gotten very used to not having a neighbor.
“It’s pretty secluded out here, huh?” Pine Hollow Road wasn’t quite as out of the way as it seemed. The small community of Cypress – Riley County’s only actual town – was just a five minute drive away. Still, her and Liam’s homes were tucked away on the tree-lined road, surrounded by its towering namesake pines. The effect was so charming it was almost otherworldly, or at least that’s what she’d thought when she’d first laid eyes on the home she was renting.
“That’s what I like about it,” he said, turning to face her with a sack of sugar cradled in the crook of his arm. “Close to everything, but not to anyone.”
“Well, I hope I didn’t spoil things for you by moving in next door.”
A certain look flashed in his eyes – all hard light and something that made butterflies burst into motion inside her belly – as he met her gaze. “You didn’t spoil anything. Here’s your sugar.”
“I only need one cup,” she said as he placed the entire five pound sack in her hands. His fingertips brushed hers, and – God help her – the split second of contact made her entire body tingle, all the way down to her toes.
“Take the whole bag, and bring it back when you’re done.”
A deliberate excuse to have her return to his place? Or was he just being neighborly? Alicia wasn’t sure, but a sense of excitement rose up inside her anyway, leaving her feeling distinctly Sasha-like. “Thanks.”
“So was your friend really planning to make brownies?” he asked. “Or did she surprise you with the news?”
Alicia blushed as she clutched the sugar sack. “You heard about her brownie-making plans before I did. How did you know?”
“I get lied to all day; it’s my job.”
“Right. I guess convicted felons probably aren’t the most honest bunch in the world.”
“Definitely not. I can’t say I like being lied to, but if it involves freshly-baked brownies, I’m prepared to let it slide.” A slight smile tempered his serious expression, and the sight of it nearly had Alicia melting into a puddle.
God, he was hot. A fierce sense of jealousy-laced satisfaction filled her as she silently congratulated herself on fetching the sugar in lieu of letting Sasha do it. Sasha claimed to have her eye on Henry, but no woman in her right mind would be immune to Liam’s appeal.
“Sasha’s the head chef at Wisteria – I’m sure the brownies will be worth a little dishonesty. Besides, as far as her schemes go, bending the truth in the name of getting you three to join us for the evening is pretty mild.”
“Well, I’m glad she did it. I’d lay down my life for Henry and Grey if it came down to it, but I’d be lying if I said getting to know my new neighbor wasn’t more appealing than sitting around here and watching some game I don’t really care about with them.”
Alicia smiled. She couldn’t help it. Liam Alexander was flirting with her; she was sure of it now. As she met his eyes, her nipples went hard beneath her sundress. Life on Pine Hollow was shaping up to be much more exciting than she’d imagined, and she wasn’t about to complain.
Liam tipped his head toward the sack of sugar she’d clutched to her chest. “Your friend will be waiting for that. Don’t spill it all, or there won’t be any brownies.” His smile returned.
She glanced down and realized that sugar was pouring from one corner of the bag, falling in a fine white mist to form a gritty pile by her sandal.
“Sorry about that,” she said, righting the sack and hoping she wouldn’t actually turn red. “In case you didn’t realize this morning, I’m a total klutz. Where are your paper towels? I’ll get this cleaned up.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He tore a couple from a roll beside the sink, dampened them at the kitchen faucet and knelt in front of her for the second time that day.
She half-stepped, half-stumbled backward despite the fact that her sandals didn’t have heels. Living next to Liam was going to kill her via a heart attack if dropping to his knees in front of her for seemingly innocent purposes turned out to be a habit.
CHAPTER 4
When Liam rose from his knees, Alicia was practically dizzy from the sight of him kneeling in front of her. “I’d better get this sugar to Sasha before I ruin it all,” she said and turned carefully, wary of tripping.
Whenever she was flustered or excited, she was ten times clumsier than usual.
He held the door for her again, and she managed to make it down the porch stairs without face-planting at the bottom, which seemed like a considerable success after that morning’s ordeal.
“Thanks again for the sugar,” she said to fill the silence as she and Liam strolled side by side.
“Anytime.”
By the time they reached her front porch, it was almost a relief not to be alone with him anymore. A relief and a disappointment at the same time. She returned to the kitchen, where Sasha seemed busy despite her lack of sugar.
“Well, that certainly took longer than it needed to,” Sasha said, her blonde ponytail whipping around as she turned to face Alicia. “Did you—”
“No.” Alicia deposited the sugar sack on the counter. “Whatever you’re thinking, the answer is no.”
“That’s a shame,” Sasha said, dipping a measuring cup into the bag and leveling off the sugar with the edge of a butter knife before dumping it into a mixing bowl.
Alicia returned to the front porch and settled down next to Kerry – a position that put her directly next to Liam. She gripped her glass and took a long sip of sangria. Surprisingly, Sasha reemerged from the kitchen before Alicia had even gotten close to half-emptying her glass.
“Brownies are in the oven,” she announced, settling into her old seat. There were only four patio table chairs, but Henry and Grey were both standing, leaning against the porch railing.
Sasha shot a lingering glance in Henry’s direction, but he was standing farther away from the patio table than anyone else and seemed to be absorbed in something in the distance, his gaze traveling far beyond the gathering on the porch and into the pine forest.
“Don’t take it personally,” Grey said, motioning in Henry’s direction. “In our little group, he’s the paranoid tightass who doesn’t know how to relax and have a good time.”
“And Grey,” Liam said, “is the one who never shuts up.”
Grey frowned. “I was going to say I was the fun one.”
“What’s that leave for me?” Liam asked.
Grey shrugged. “Guess that makes you the boring one. Sorry.”
Alicia was 100% certain that no woman would ever consider Liam boring, but refrained from embarrassing herself by voicing that opinion out loud.
“I can hear your big mouth running Grey, even from over here,” Henry said, turning to face the group and Grey in particular. “And I’m not paranoid. In order to be paranoid, you have to be afraid. I’m not afraid of anything.”
Grey rolled his eyes. “Right. How could I forget? You ritualistically banish fear by polishing your war medals when things get scary.”
Sasha responded before Henry could say anything else. “You’re a war veteran, Henry?”
“I was in the Marine Corps before I was discharged and started working at Riley.”
“Wow.” Sasha’s eyes got big, and Alicia had a feeling Sasha was envisioning Henry in a military uniform.
Apparently, the vision stunned Sasha into near silence, because several moments ticked by before she spoke again, seeming a little flustered. “Anyway, only a few more minutes until the brownies are done.”
Vaguely appreciative murmurs rippled through the group, and Sasha smiled, though her gaze returned to Henry again, who didn’t seem to have anything else to say.
Alici
a couldn’t help but think that if he was a little hard to get, maybe that would temper Sasha’s wild tendencies and render the evening bearable, even enjoyable. She wouldn’t have been forward enough to invite the three men over on her own, but she had to admit, she wasn’t exactly sorry they were there.
“So let me guess – you three must all work together at Riley now,” Sasha said, leaning forward as she clutched her drink, as if settling in for a long, juicy conversation.
“That’s right,” Grey said.
“Same shift and everything?” Sasha prompted.
Grey nodded. “We’re on PERT together too.”
“What’s that?” Alicia asked, wary of letting Sasha control the direction of the conversation. The last thing she wanted was for the innocent talk to take a turn for ‘cucumber country’. Though she’d only known Sasha for a couple weeks, that seemed like a real possibility.
This time, it was Liam who responded. “Prison Emergency Response Team.”
“Is that anything like a police SWAT team?” It was the closest thing Alicia knew of to compare it to – she knew nothing about how prisons operated.
“Sort of. Basically, we handle things if shit hits the fan at the prison.”
“Sounds risky,” Sasha interjected. “I bet you guys have to do all sorts of special training.” Again, her gaze drifted toward Henry. “Military experience must come in handy.”
Liam shrugged. “Yeah, extra training is a requirement.” He took a drink from his sangria glass, meeting Alicia’s eyes over the rim. “Alicia tells me you three work together, too.”
They made a little small talk over their positions at Wisteria.
“I went to a wedding there once,” Grey said. “Heard the place is haunted.”
“It is,” Kerry replied, her voice echoing soft but somber as she spoke for the first time Alicia had witnessed since the guys’ arrival.
Grey eyed her with apparent interest. “You see a ghost or something?”
Kerry shrugged, the picture of mystery, though Alicia knew she wasn’t the type to tease intentionally, like Sasha might have in a similar situation. “As head housekeeper, I spend a lot of time in the house. I’ve been working there for three years now… The house is never empty, even when there are no guests.”