The Man Next Door

by Gina Wilkins

  “Friends. Right.”

  She glanced at him again. He wasn’t talking now, apparently. Coming down from the adrenaline high that must have accompanied the physical confrontation with Kurt? “What did you say to Kurt to make him leave so easily?”

  Teague shrugged. “I just asked nicely.”

  Which meant he wasn’t going to tell her.

  It was going to be a long drive. He wasn’t talking much about his unwanted intrusion into her confrontation with Kurt. She certainly didn’t want to talk about her past with the jerk. And neither of them wanted to talk yet about last night. At least, she assumed he felt the same way she did about that.

  Sighing, she reached over to turn up the radio again.

  They stopped for a late lunch when Dani couldn’t drive anymore without a break. The chain restaurant she selected was convenient to the highway, with a menu that was generic but consistently decent. She ordered a grilled-chicken salad. Teague asked for chicken and dumplings.

  “It’s good,” Teague said after taking a few bites.

  “Mine, too.”

  “I was getting pretty hungry.”

  “You should have said something. I would have stopped sooner.”

  “I figured you’d get hungry eventually.”

  “Sorry.”

  “No problem.” He ate another dumpling, then set down his fork to reach for his iced tea. “So, are we ever going to talk about it?”

  She fumbled a strip of chicken, then stabbed into it again as she asked, “Talk about what?”

  “Last night.”

  She hadn’t been sure whether he’d referred to last night or to her history with Kurt. Nor did she know which subject was more complicated. “What’s to talk about? It happened, we had a great time and now we’re on our way back to our real lives. If you’re worried about me having expectations—being ‘high maintenance,’ as you would put it—you needn’t be. And if you’re under any misconception that last night was the beginning of some sort of relationship, you’d be mistaken about that, too. We agreed that neither of us has time right now for anything more than work and a very rare evening of relaxation. There’s no need to even try to start something that could only get awkward and messy.”

  “Nice little speech,” Teague said in slightly mocking admiration. “You must have been mentally practicing it all day.”

  She scowled. “I was not.”

  “Well, the thing is, I agree with pretty much everything you said. I don’t have time for a relationship right now. Every time I’ve tried, it’s been pretty much a disaster. I wouldn’t want to mess up the great friendship you and I have going for us.”

  “Neither would I,” she murmured, deciding not to even try to analyze her feelings just then. There would be plenty of time for that when she was back in her apartment, alone.

  “So we agree that last night was amazing, but it doesn’t have to get all weird between us now. We’re good, right?”

  She swallowed a sip of tea and nodded. “We’re good.”

  “Great. Now, you want to tell me what you ever saw in that guy Kurt?”

  Play it light, she advised herself. They had just agreed they were friends and that was exactly a question a friend would have asked. “You never dated anyone who made you wonder later what the hell you’d been thinking?”

  He laughed. “Sweetheart, I could tell you dating stories that would send chills down your spine.”

  Something certainly went down her spine in response to his lazy endearment, but it felt more like electricity than chills. And she’d never even liked being called “sweetheart.” But she’d never been called that by Teague before, which seemed to make all the difference. Her mouth suddenly going dry, she reached for her iced tea again.

  Hannah was waiting for the elevator when Teague and Dani stepped off on their floor later that day. She carried a heavy-looking backpack, so Teague assumed she was on her way to one of her study-group meetings. Mrs. Parsons had fussed that Hannah’s only social life consisted of meeting with other med students to study.

  “I see you’re back from your holiday,” she said unnecessarily, glancing at the bags they held.

  “And so are you,” Dani responded. “I thought you were going to take the whole weekend.”

  “I was. Then some of my classmates decided to schedule an extra study session for this evening, so I came back to join them.”

  Dani shook her head in disapproval. “I’m starting to agree with Mrs. Parsons. You should have at least given yourself the entire Thanksgiving weekend to relax.”

  Hannah smiled wryly. “There is no relaxing in medical school. You miss one day of studying and you’re suddenly behind by about thirty lectures. I gave up on relaxing the day I decided to pursue medicine as a career. Speaking of which, Teague, you look a lot better. Those bruises are healing nicely. How’s your ankle?”

  “Much better, thanks. I’m hardly limping at all now.”

  “Good. Try not to get yourself beaten up again anytime soon, okay? At least not until I’ve done a rotation in the E.R.”

  He chuckled and stepped out of the way so Hannah could get into the elevator. “I’ll try to wait. See you later, Hannah. Don’t study too hard.”

  She gave him the look he deserved for such a trite sendoff and disappeared into the elevator.

  Leaving his bag sitting by the elevator, Teague walked Dani to her door. Because she was carrying a bigger load than he had, having brought a larger bag and a couple of small totes, he unlocked her door for her.

  “Thanks,” she said, dragging her large wheeled bag inside. “It’s good to be home.”

  “Interesting. You think of this as more home to you now than Atlanta?”

  She gave him a look that was similar to the one he’d gotten from Hannah. “Don’t go all psych-minor on me now. I’m not about to start analyzing the meaning of home after an all-day drive.”

  He chuckled. “Okay, we’ll save that discussion for another time. Over dinner, maybe.”

  She frowned at him and he cocked an eyebrow. “Friends hang out sometimes, Dani,” he reminded her. “They have dinner when they’re both free, they discuss stuff like the psychological meaning of home. Don’t start trying to figure out my motivation for everything I say or suggest, okay?”

  Making an apologetic face, she dropped her things and pushed a hand through her hair. “Sorry. Guess I’m just tired. Of course we’ll have dinner together sometime. I’d enjoy that.”

  “So would I.” He reached out to stroke her cheek lightly with his fingertips, making a massive effort to restrict himself to that light touch. “You should get some rest. You’re worn-out.”

  “I’m fine. I don’t need to rest,” she said with a lift of her chin, reacting with her usual resistance to any hint that he might be telling her what to do. He thought he understood that part of her a little better now that he’d met her family. Not to mention Kurt.

  He smiled. “Then I’ll go get some rest. Maybe I’m the one who’s tired.”

  She nodded a little sheepishly. “Can I get you anything before you go?”

  “No. You’ve done enough for me the past week.” Giving in to impulse, he cupped her face in his hands. “Thank you, Dani. For taking care of me when I was hurt, for sharing your family Thanksgiving with me. For everything.”

  Her skin went a couple degrees warmer beneath his palms. “You’re welcome. You’re sure you’re okay now?”

  “I’m better than okay,” he murmured, still feeling a faint afterglow of the night before. Lowering his head, he brushed her lips with his. Once. And then again.

  Dani hesitated for only a moment, then wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, letting the embrace linger a long time. He wanted to hold on when she finally ended the kiss and eased herself out of his arms, but he knew better. He let her go without trying to entice her to stay, as much as he would have liked to try.

  “Go home,” she said, smiling faintly, her cheeks still a bit flushed f
rom the kiss. “I have things to do tonight, and I can’t concentrate if you’re here.”

  He nodded regretfully and moved toward the door. “I’ll probably go in to work tomorrow. You know how to reach me if you need anything.”

  “You’re working on Sunday?”

  He shrugged. “Just checking in. I only needed a few days off to get over the worst of the bruising, and now I figure I’m at least a week behind on the job.”

  “I’ll have to echo Hannah, then. Don’t get yourself beaten up again anytime soon.”

  Grimacing, he looked back at her as he made himself open the door. “I’ll try not to. Good night, Dani.”

  “Good night, Teague.”

  Stepping out into the hall, he closed the door behind him, hearing it click shut with a symbolic finality that sort of made his chest hurt. Snatching his bag from the floor, he moved to unlock his door, ordering himself to stop being an idiot. Dani was still just across the hall. It wasn’t as if they’d just said goodbye forever or anything like that.

  Sure, it had been nice to be with her 24/7 for the past few days, but it was time now to get back to reality. It wasn’t as if he wanted to commit himself to a serious, full-time relationship. To have to report to anyone on a regular basis about where he was going or what he was doing or when he’d be back. If he was going to do all that, he might as well be married, he thought with a scowl—and he’d watched entirely too many marriages fail in this career he had chosen.

  Maybe someday, when he was ready for a desk job—but not yet. Not while he still absolutely thrived on being out in the field, occasional dangers and all. He actually liked not knowing what he’d be doing tomorrow, or where he would be next week. He wouldn’t inflict that worry or inconvenience on anyone else, especially a woman who…

  No. He’d been about to call Dani “high maintenance” again, but he’d concluded he was wrong about that, despite her willing acceptance of the term. If anything, she was too stubbornly independent. Had a real thing about being in control, which could get annoying to someone who was also accustomed to being in charge, he thought wryly. While he understood a bit better now why she preferred dating easily led “lap dogs,” that didn’t mean he was ready to put on a collar and a leash. Not even for Dani.

  Dani was very busy for the next few weeks. She had final exams for her classes that semester, in addition to a Christmas piano recital she had planned for her students. It was a hectic schedule, and she would not have been surprised if she didn’t see Teague at all, considering his own odd hours. But, oddly enough, they ended up spending time together quite often.

  Teague got into the habit of tapping on her door if he arrived home at a reasonable time, just to say hi and ask how she was doing. She ended up asking him in for tea or coffee or hot chocolate and they chatted for a few minutes over the beverages, catching up on each other’s day, commenting on something in the news. Just talking.

  He never stayed long, saying he knew she was busy and he didn’t want to take up too much of her time. Occasionally, he gave her a light kiss at the door when they parted, but he didn’t seem to expect anything more from her.

  If he was deliberately trying to leave her wanting more, he was succeeding, she thought wryly, fanning her warm face with her hand after one of those entirely too brief good-night kisses. Had it not been for a certain look she had seen in his eyes when he’d drawn back, she might have thought he had lost interest in her, at least in a sexual context. But she had seen the flare of heat that he’d quickly suppressed, and she’d grown to know him well enough to make a pretty good guess at what he was doing. He was leaving the next move up to her. How annoying of him, she thought with a rueful chuckle.

  She tried to work in some Christmas shopping on the rare occasions when she had a little free time during the day. Every hour between classes or lessons was an opportunity to dash to the nearest shopping center and grab the first item she could afford that she thought might appeal to one of her relatives. Pleased to find a big sale at an exclusive men’s store, she snatched a gorgeous, lightweight sweater at a deep discount for Mark, and found a trendy fleece hoodie that looked like something Clay would wear.

  She was on her way to the cash register when her attention was caught by a display of soft wool mufflers in very nice muted plaids. She couldn’t resist stroking one of the scarves, appreciating the luxurious feel of it against her skin. They were marked down considerably, still a bit pricey but within her budget. She didn’t think Clay would wear one, and Mark probably had a closetful of nice neck scarves.

  She fingered a nice black-watch plaid, thinking how good it would look on Teague. Though early winter had been quite mild in Arkansas, January and February were predicted to be colder than usual, if the forecasters were to be believed. Maybe Teague would like a warm scarf on those stakeouts or whatever he was doing all those late nights. Could FBI agents even wear scarves on duty? She hadn’t a clue, but it would still go well with the soft black leather bomber jacket he often wore, so maybe he could wear it when he wasn’t on the job. For a date or something, maybe.

  That thought made her drop her hand from the scarf. She wasn’t buying accessories for Teague to wear on dates. Besides, they weren’t really on gift-swapping terms. They were just casual pals. She wouldn’t want him reading anything more into a gift than she intended.

  She took another step toward the register, then hesitated again. What if Teague got her a gift? Just a friendly, neighborly gesture in the spirit of the season? It would be awkward if she had nothing to give him in return.

  Okay, so maybe she would buy the scarf, stuff it in a gift bag and have it on hand in case he did show up with something for her. If he didn’t, she would give it to Mark. Or maybe hang on to the receipt and return it for a refund, since she didn’t need to waste the money, anyway. Either way, she thought, snatching the scarf from the display, she would be prepared. It was a quite practical purchase, actually.

  Deciding to leave it at that, she dumped her merchandise on the checkout counter and reached for her credit card.

  Teague took the stairs up to his floor, bypassing the tempting-looking elevator. He was tired, but he needed the exercise. Now, had Dani been riding the elevator—

  He shook his head and pushed through the door into his hallway. Seemed like she was all he thought about these days. Every time he let his attention wander from the job, Dani crept into his mind. He hadn’t allowed thoughts of her to interfere with his work; he’d been as efficient and focused as ever. But the moment he went off duty, there she was again.

  He glanced at her door. It was barely 6:00 p.m., and he figured she was probably there. He usually made a point to say hello when he got home, but maybe he should just keep walking this time. Things were getting just a little too…well, cozy was the first word that came to his mind.

  He was getting a little too accustomed to being greeted by her when he came home, to sharing a hot drink and a comfortable conversation. And he was getting a lot too frustrated every time he left her with no more than an occasional friendly kiss.

  All in all, he should keep walking. Instead he felt his feet taking him straight to Dani’s door. His knuckles rapped on the wood almost as if with a will of their own.

  She opened the door, and he could see at a glance that she was getting ready to go out. Her hair was up in a pretty twist of some sort, she wore a bit more makeup than usual and she was dressed in a modest, long-sleeved, midcalf jersey dress that clung nicely to her near-perfect figure.

  “Sorry, I didn’t know you had plans for the evening,” he said, taking a step backward. “I just wanted to say hello.”

  Did she have a date? Another one of her lap puppies? And was it really wrong of him to want to pound the guy, sight unseen? Especially since he and Dani were “only friends”?

  She wrinkled her nose. “Didn’t I mention I’m singing in a choir concert at the university this evening? It’s a program of Christmas music. No big deal, just something I’m requir
ed to participate in for my grade.”

  “Yeah?” Unclenching the fist in his jacket pocket, he tilted his head. “When does it start?”

  She glanced at her watch. “In just under an hour. I’m leaving in about ten minutes.”

  “So, is this a casual sort of thing? I mean, would it be okay if I go dressed like this?” he asked, motioning toward the pale gray shirt and charcoal slacks he wore beneath his black leather jacket, the same outfit he’d worn to work that day.

  She looked startled. “You want to go to the concert?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t have any other plans for the evening. And I like hearing you sing.”

  “I’ll be singing in a choir,” she reminded him. “I have only one solo part.”

  “I’ll hear your voice in the choir,” he predicted. “You don’t mind if I go, do you?”

  “Well…no, not if you really want to.” She smiled a bit uncertainly. “Actually, it will be nice to have someone who’s there with me, since most of the others will have family in attendance.”

  “Then I’m definitely going. Give me five minutes to freshen up and I’ll drive you.”

  “All right.” Still smiling, she closed the door.

  So he was going to a college choir concert, Teague thought, hurrying to his own apartment. What the hell had he been thinking? He didn’t even like Christmas music all that much. Too many fa-la-las and sleigh bells jingling for his hard-rocking musical soul.

  He really had to think about this thing with Dani, he decided. Seriously.

  Half an hour later he sat in the audience of the auditorium, waiting for the concert to begin. He held a printed program listing the songs that would be performed—quite a few of them, he thought with a wince, and a lot of them sounded as though they were in Latin and French—and the names of all the choir members. He found Dani’s name, and noted that she’d used Danielle rather than the shortened version. It looked odd, since he didn’t think of her as Danielle now.