What the fuck was I trying to do?
I was in a pair of white slacks that were a little tight around my thighs and hips. I was going a little soft, despite my efforts to exercise. I had a push-up bra on under a blouse that was pale cream and almost sheer. If I stood in the direct sunlight, you could see through the fabric, just a little. He wouldn’t see much besides the outline of my waist, but I wondered now if it had been deliberate. I could have just put on a pair of jeans and a regular top, but no.
Thinking I’d waited a little too long, I opened the door before he rang the bell again, and I sucked in my breath. I hoped he hadn't noticed.
If anything, Ken looked juicier than he did yesterday, and I wondered if he was dressing to impress just like I was.
“Hi,” he said, grinning down at me.
His grin had my body trembling even more than the rest of him, and I worried a little that my legs had turned to jelly. My hand tightened on the door, and I cleared my throat. “Please, come in,” I said, stepping aside and letting him through.
My eyes dropped down as he passed me, and I bit my lower lip to hold back a moan.
He was dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and a tight sweater that outlined his perfectly muscled chest. The jeans hugged his thighs and his nice, firm ass. My fingers twitched, wanting a touch. I held back, though, because that was technically sexual harassment.
“Would you like something to drink?” I asked as I closed the door behind us, raising my eyes away from his ass.
You’re too old for someone this young and hot, I told myself.
He was standing in the foyer, looking around the house, and thankfully hadn't seen me ogling him. I knew what he was seeing and felt a little proud of myself. I’d been to the neighbor’s house years ago before they moved, and I knew the layout was different.
The front door led straight into a wide foyer that stood right in front of the stairs. On the right side, there was an open space and a large window that faced the other house next to mine. The stairs curved, so besides the landing, there wasn’t much to see. To the other side was a small coat closet. Walking around the closet’s corner led to an open living room that wouldn’t be too clear if one was standing outside the door.
If you walked around the stairs and headed to the back, you’d walk right into the open kitchen and dining areas. I had three bedrooms upstairs and two bathrooms including a master bath, and one toilet downstairs. It was an open kind of house, one that was meant to hold and raise a family, even though the whole space now only held my son and me.
I could tell Ken looked impressed with it, and I felt a bubble of pride.
“I could give you a tour of the first floor,” I offered because he hadn't replied yet. “It’s pretty much all open space, so there isn’t much.”
He looked down at me. “It’s a very good-looking house. I could tell yesterday when I was here it was different from mine.”
I nodded. “You would think so, just looking from the outside, but not all the houses around here are alike. You could say this place is my pride and joy.”
I gestured with my hand for him to follow me as I headed for the kitchen.
“The living room is there,” I said, waving my hand to the left. “This is a closet,” I gestured at the door under the stairs. “The bathroom.” Another door behind the stairs. “And this is the kitchen.”
Ken chuckled. “You weren’t kidding. There isn’t much to see, huh.”
I shrugged. “I like the open plan. I can sit on my couch and see most of the house. It’s easier to keep track of my son that way.” It was why I worked a lot on the first floor instead of using the office upstairs, that I’d fashioned from one of the guestrooms. “Now, would you like something to drink?”
“Just water would be fine,” he said with a small smile.
I got a glass and poured some water from the tap while he looked around. When I turned back to him, he was focused on a picture I had on the wall. I saw it and grimaced. I didn’t want that picture around; it wasn’t even anything great. It was a picture of a mountain, and so blurry the only way to differentiate between trees and rocks was by color.
“Can I ask who took that?” Ken asked, tilting his head at it.
I’d hoped he wouldn’t ask. I handed him the glass and looked at the picture. I tried not to look at it too much; sometimes I forgot it was even there.
“My husband took that, probably.” I shrugged. “He left it behind. I believe it’s some mountain out in Virginia. Honestly, I would have rather tossed it or locked it up somewhere, but my son, Bryson, really wanted me to keep it. I think it’s so he won’t forget about his dad, even though he’s left us, so I didn’t argue too much about it.”
Ken nodded absently, and I let out a breath of relief when he dropped the subject.
“I came to show you your backyard,” Ken said. He’d downed the water in the glass and left it on the dining table. “I’m not sure if you’ve seen it.”
I’d avoided looking at it. I didn’t want to know just how bad it looked because I could imagine it wasn’t pretty. I didn’t go out there much to begin with, so it wasn’t well groomed. I’d left that up to my husband before, so I didn’t want to see the pathetic state it was probably in.
I moved to look through the window, then sighed.
“It looks terrible,” I said out loud. Fuck, it’s so damn ugly, I thought to myself.
The fence was down, and I could see his well-kept yard with a neat pile of chopped wood. In comparison, even though there was nothing in my yard, the grass was a little more grown, along with some weeds and wildflowers, that I would have to cut down.
“You know what? I need a drink,” I said. “I haven’t worked on that yard in a while, and before we go out there, I’d like something. Would you like anything?”
I didn’t spare him a look as I moved to the counter. The counter was just below another window in the kitchen, and now that I was looking outside, I almost felt ashamed of myself. I’d done my best, but there was a lot I wasn’t doing for my home. There was silence behind me as I busied myself.
Then, I heard the floorboards creak as Ken walked up behind me, so close I felt his body heat. My body tensed, and I realized I’d failed in trying to keep myself relaxed.
I’d thought I had control of my thoughts, my nervousness, but I was wrong. With him right behind me, it was just so much more noticeable to me.
5
Lydia
Oh, fuck…
What the hell is he doing?
I wanted to turn around and tell Ken to move. I couldn’t handle having him this close, not after my dreams last night! I might not have remembered the naughtier bits where we were both naked and tumbling around on my bed, but I could imagine it just fine.
If he moved a step… just a single step closer, he would be pressed against my back…
The height difference between us was maybe a couple of inches. I didn’t have to tilt my head too far to meet his gaze. But thinking about the size difference made me think about what it would feel like to have him pressed against me. His muscled chest against my back, those impressive arms and biceps wrapping around me. And as his hips pressed against mine, the feeling of his cock against my ass…
Stop it, I thought, letting out a gasp.
He heard it. I didn’t want to risk embarrassing myself, so I opened my mouth to tell him to move back a little, but no words came. Instead, my breathing was picking up, and I caught a scent I realized was his. I wondered if he was wearing cologne, maybe a light mix of that and his natural scent? He smelled so good…
My mind drifted a little. If he was close enough that I was catching his scent, then I could just lean back, and we would be touching. I was far too aware of him and the temptation was great. Just a little bit of a lean back, but no, I reminded myself, he’s too young for you. But…
This man… everything about him attracted me to him. I wanted him, and something about that scared me. In the years since
I’d been married, the only man I’d ever looked at was Mike. It had been a while since anyone else had caught my attention like this.
“I’m sorry,” Ken said behind me, making me jump. “I was cutting up some wood, and I just tossed it. I didn’t see where it was going, but I didn’t expect your fence to just drop like that, either.”
“Um…” I floundered. I blinked at my hands. I had two glasses on the counter, and I remembered I was supposed to be doing something. Fixing us drinks. Wait… what was I even going to make again, lemonade? Ice tea? The weather wasn’t warm enough for that! And it was too damn early for alcohol…
Then I remembered that Ken was still waiting for an answer from me. Lydia, stop talking to yourself!
I cleared my throat. “You don’t need to apologize,” I said quickly, hands fumbling awkwardly with the glasses. “Accidents happen, I understand that. I’m just glad no one got hurt.”
“I still insist on taking care of the damages and repair,” he was saying, but I couldn’t help but notice that he was still standing right behind me!
My body wouldn’t stop shivering. Every time he said anything, with his voice so close to my ear, a shiver would roll down my spine. I was an adult, a mature woman, not some horny teenager. This was enough to have me squeezing my thighs together and squirming, hoping he wouldn’t notice. Ken babbled on, his breath feathering at the back of my neck enough to make me tremble just that little bit more.
“I don’t have everything I need to fix the fence. I might need to purchase a few things, but I promise I’ll be paying for that, too. We’re going to need plenty of wood, some nails…”
He was talking but I could barely hear him, because I was standing there trying to control my body, trying to remind myself of my real age. Even harder was trying to control my thoughts. Ken, probably unknowingly, was making it harder for me. After a minute where he didn’t stop, though, I’d had enough.
I needed some space.
I took a couple of deep, relaxing breaths, letting them out slowly and imagining I was letting out the tension with every breath. I repeated it about four times before I could feel my shoulders loosen the slightest bit. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be anything weird in my expression, either.
Without thinking, I turned around. But Ken was even closer than I thought, and I’d thought he was pretty close already. He was distracted, looking out the window into my yard, so he didn’t move as I did, and I bumped into his chest.
Fuck!
He looked down at me, eyebrows jumping up in surprise. I could feel my face heat in a blush, and I fought the urge to fold my arms over my chest. I had a push-up bra on under my blouse and he was wearing a sweater, but in my mind, I imagined my nipples had brushed against his warm, hard chest. There went all my effort to calm down.
Ken laughed, and I envied how relaxed he was. “Sorry, sorry,” he said quickly, taking a step back. “I didn’t mean to crowd you.”
“It’s fine,” I said quietly, looking up to meet his eyes, even though the flush on my cheeks was already there.
Our eyes met and held, and I sucked in a, thankfully, quiet breath. There was heat in his eyes, and I had to wonder if I was imagining it. I knew I had to, but I couldn’t look away. Again, I had no idea what I had in mind, what I was supposed to do.
He’d hardly been there ten minutes, and already he was messing me up. Damn.
After a minute, I could feel my cheeks starting to grow warm again, the blush that had been cooling down was back again. My breathing was also starting to come a little fast, as well as my heartbeat. If I didn’t do something, didn’t move, then he would notice. I took a deep breath, one that pushed my breasts high, and made myself turn away.
“I don’t see how you can fix the fence, though,” I said quickly, changing the subject. “The wood was old,= to begin with, as I told you, and it’s all been there a long time. Now that you’ve knocked down one side, I might just have to redo the whole fence going around. Removing all that wood…”
“It’ll be a bit of a challenge,” Ken said, picking up from where I’d left off. “But all it’ll take is some time. If you think you can survive with your fence as it is right now, then I can manage. I can't imagine hiring someone to fix it is going to be cheap.”
He was right. With my job as a lawyer providing for the family, we were stable enough, financially. I didn’t have to worry about Bryson’s food, clothes and other needs. I still had payments on the car, though, not to mention other bills lying around the house. Most people assumed being a lawyer was some glamorous job that paid extremely well. But considering I’d planned my life around a double income and it was only me now, my paycheck at the end of the month didn’t exactly make us rich.
I could handle a few expenses here and there, but this…
“I could call up someone around here and get a quote.”
“Or I could just help,” he countered.
This guy was stubborn! I turned to him, intending to complain, but stopped when I saw his earnest expression.
He really must have felt bad about this. I couldn’t think of any other reason why he would insist this hard. Besides, I knew if it was going to take some time, besides buying some materials, professional help might get just a little bit pricey. I couldn’t just consume my entire paycheck, after all. There was my son’s future to consider, and I put about ten percent in savings every month.
I pursed my lips and considered his offer.
“Are you sure you want to be responsible for this?” I asked. “I mean, it’ll be a lot of work.”
“Absolutely,” he said quickly, eyes lighting up. “I have to make it up to you somehow or I’m not going to be comfortable. Sorry if that’s a little selfish.”
I could feel my heart melt just a little, the corner of my mouth tilting up into a tiny smile.
“There’s nothing wrong with being a little selfish. But,” I added when he opened his mouth to speak, “if I’m letting you put in the labor, the least I can do is provide the materials. If you’re not doing anything right now, you could come with me to purchase them?”
The invitation was out of my mouth before I could stop it, and I blinked. I was supposed to be getting some time away from him, not spending even more in his presence, not with how I felt.
“I don’t have any plans. Although, I think I should drive? Considering what we’re going to look for, my truck would probably be best anyway…”
Right. Where the fuck would I have fit all the materials anyway, my trunk?
“I don’t mind,” I said.
Just like that, we were heading back outside and to his truck. Ken led the way, and I couldn’t help but follow, my eyes dropping down to his ass a couple of times on the way. He unlocked the truck, and I got in.
“Do you know everything we’re going to need?”
Ken shot me a glance. “Well, I have this internal checklist, but it’s only things I can come up with off the top of my head. It’ll probably be adding up to a lot…”
“Right,” I muttered. There were still plenty of costs to consider. Who the fuck was I kidding anyway, that I could find someone to do the job for me when I couldn’t afford it?
“I can pay for the materials.”
“Oh, no,” I said quickly. “We already agreed you’re providing the labor.”
He shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I can't contribute more. I want to. We can split fifty-fifty on the cost, or we can each pay for an item?”
I didn’t want to agree to any compromise. But I also didn’t want my wallet to suffer. He named a few of the things we would need, the top five, and said possible prices. I grimaced just hearing it.
“I really should pay though,” I insisted stubbornly. “It’s my fence, and even if you hadn't knocked it down, I’m pretty sure some storm would have taken care of it, and I would need to repair it anyway.”
About ten minutes later, we’d arrived in the business district, where all the shops around town were located. The hardwar
e store where we’d be getting most of our supplies from was still a few blocks away when Ken suddenly pulled to the curb.
“I just remembered that it’s lunchtime,” he said, giving me an apologetic look. “I don’t have food in the house, so would you mind too much if we stopped to eat first?”
That hadn't been in my plans. I could have just cooked at home, but it would have been too awkward, inviting him to eat lunch with me. I didn’t know him nearly well enough yet.
“Sure,” I said because now that he mentioned food, I could feel my stomach ache a bit.
The restaurant was a small family place and quiet around this time. They got more customers during the summer, but for the moment, kids were still in school, and a lot of people were at work. We found a table and sat ourselves down, then waited. The place wasn’t packed, but I didn’t see a waitress around.
“We might have to wait a while. They’re all probably in the back.”
I nodded, reaching my hand for one of the menus. Somehow, I’d been fine in the car, even though it was the two of us in an enclosed space. But now, sitting across from him where I could see him, I couldn’t help feeling a little awkward.
“Hello, my name is Mandy, and I’ll be your server for today. May I take your orders?”
I looked up in relief at the waitress that had just stopped at our table. Even briefly, anything to dispel the awkwardness was very welcome. We both gave our orders, and she jotted them down before leaving. We spent a few more minutes in silence, eyes bouncing around as we tried to avoid each other’s eyes. Then, the server was back, and she put down plates of food in front of us. I kept my head down as she walked away, playing with my fork and racking my brain for a topic of conversation.
Something. Anything!
“Why don’t you tell me about yourself?” Ken asked, breaking the silence first. I looked up, trying not to show how relieved I was. “And I’ll tell you something about me, if you’d like. That way, we won’t be strangers any longer?”
Boxer Next Door Page 4