The Boy Next Door

by ann anders

  At her answer, he opened his eyes. “Huh,” he said. “We drove over the mine on Halloween.” But he was just recovering, and that had been eight months ago.

  “They didn’t get everything out the first time,” he answered her unspoken question. “This last surgery is the third time they’ve had to go digging.”

  “Oh, my God! That’s horrible.”

  “Yeah.” He’d closed his eyes again. “I thought I was all fixed up but then the pain increased again. Infection. When more fragments showed up after the second surgery, they shipped me back to Colorado. I sure as hell hope they got ’em all this time.”

  “Me, too.” She couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. And afraid.

  They talked about other things, some about her marriage, and some about his life in the Navy, before he finally drifted off.

  Penny was torn.

  He looked even younger when he slept.

  And even more perfect.

  Up close, she discovered a tattoo she’d not noticed before. It started at his neck and disappeared beneath the bandages. Flames? She couldn’t tell. The rest of his skin was unmarked.

  And his hair was soft, not bristly at all. She rubbed her cheek against it and sighed. He didn’t look so pale anymore. Hopefully, the pain had receded.

  Was it possible he actually liked her?

  She crawled off the bed and took stock of his bedroom. Some old football trophies, his wallet, medical instructions, and a few dollars sat on the dresser. A small desk tucked in the corner had several picture frames propped on the surface.

  The largest of them featured his parents, younger looking, but smiling with their arms around one another. Beside that were a few smaller frames displayed football pictures of a youthful, but equally adorable Chaz.

  Propped adjacent to those, stood several portraits of him with a beautiful adolescent-looking brunette. The same brunette appeared in a few different dance photos. In the largest of them, the same girl posed in a meadow with the name ‘Francine’ written diagonally across the bottom.

  Must have been her senior picture.

  Obviously, Francine had been his high school sweetheart.

  Not so very long ago.

  This must be the room he’d grown up in.

  She tiptoed back to the bed and brushed her hand along his unshaven jaw. She couldn’t help herself. This had been amazing, phenomenal, earth-shattering… but it couldn’t be anything more. He lived his life in an entirely different world.

  She located her skirt and glanced in the mirror. Her lips were swollen and her hair a tangled mess. But other than that, she was the same.

  She locked both the front and back doors before leaving the house.

  Chapter Seven

  Always Come Prepared

  I t seemed like a lifetime had passed since she’d gone to check on Chaz this morning. Had she subconsciously intended to take advantage of the injured neighbor boy next door?

  It was possible.

  She was a nasty, nasty woman, throwing herself at young men with debilitating injuries.

  She wouldn’t work in her office anymore. It was too tempting. And now that she realized he’d been on to her all along, she didn’t want to even contemplate the thought of getting caught again.

  So, she collected her laptop, some paperwork, and her cell phone and carried them down to the kitchen table. She had work to do, for heaven’s sake!

  Of course, her phone would choose that moment to begin vibrating. Why did people have to call her? Why couldn’t they just text? Or better yet, email? She glanced at the name on the screen and froze.

  Kent.

  They had only spoken once since she’d moved. He’d needed her to fax some final documents from their divorce decree. The paperwork had seemed innocuous and yet it had represented her biggest failure.

  She hoped there wasn’t more.

  She disregarded the call and let it to go to voicemail. Ignoring the guilt and illogical desire to hide, she opened her laptop and brought up the file of her newest project. A binging sound signified Kent had left his message. She picked up the phone and touched the screen.

  Not willing to listen to the sound of his voice, she read the automatic transcription instead. “Hey, Penny, babe, I really need to see you. Everything’s been crazy lately, and I can’t stop thinking that maybe we made a mistake. I’m driving down there tomorrow. Let’s talk, okay? Miss you. Bye.”

  She about jumped out of her skin when the phone rang in her hand.

  Oh, shit. It was Mrs. Wright.

  Again, she didn’t want to answer but didn’t have the heart to send this one to voicemail. What if Chaz’s grandma had taken a bad turn, or worse? What if Mrs. Wright was worrying about her son and would be even more worried if she couldn’t get a hold of her?

  “Hello.”

  “Penny? Penny, is that you?” The connection wasn’t a good one. Common for these small mountain towns. Part of why Penny wished people would just text.

  “This is Penny. How is everything up there? Is your mother-in-law doing okay?” She spoke loudly and clearly. The sooner she discovered what this was all about, the sooner she could hang up.

  “It was a bad stroke, dear. She didn’t get to the hospital as quickly as she should have but we’ll have to wait to see her prognosis.” She paused a moment. “I wanted to call and thank you again for looking in on Chaz. I just tried calling him but there was no answer.”

  “Er, um, well… He said he was gonna take one of his pain pills when I looked in on him. I imagine he’s sleeping.”

  “That was what I thought, but I’m a mother, and even though he’s a grown man I worry about him. He’ll always be my baby boy.” Oh, good Lord. And Penny had done unmentionable things with said baby boy just a few hours ago.

  “I’m sure he’s fine but I’ll check on him again later, if you’d like me to.” Except she’d locked herself out.

  Intentionally.

  “Oh, yes, I’d appreciate that. Again, so sorry to bother you. I’ll likely be coming back tomorrow, even if I have to leave Bob up here.”

  “It’s no bother. I’ll call you if he’s having any trouble. I promise.”

  After hanging up, Penny realized she’d promised to check on Chaz again tonight. She’d have to face him. Would he be annoyed with her for bothering him again?

  And why was Kent coming here?

  After reading through the same page three times, and not making a single edit, she realized she was not going to get anything done today.

  She probably ought to take a shower. Only… glancing down at Chaz’s T-shirt, she realized she didn’t want to wash his scent away.

  And she didn’t want to remove his shirt, either.

  Pathetic! She was utterly pathetic.

  Barely a few hours had passed since she’d left him, and she was wishing she’d stayed curled up beside him for the rest of the day.

  If she’d done so, she wouldn’t have listened to Kent’s voicemail and she wouldn’t have taken his mother’s call. She could have tried cooking something for him, massaged his feet again. Massaged other places again.

  Why’d she have to go and lock all the doors?

  Because she knew herself, that was why. She’d known how tempted she’d be to go back.

  And then, after biting the nail on her thumb for nearly a full minute, she tied the bottom of her shirt into a knot and changed into another pair of cut-off shorts.

  She needed to make a trip to the drug store.

  Just in case.

  It had been seven hours since she’d used his body, drugged him, and then locked herself out of his house.

  She’d gone shopping, come home, done some clean up in her overgrown backyard, tried getting caught up on one of her favorite series on Netflix, and then finally broken down and showered.

  It was now 7:30 p.m., and the sun was low on the horizon.

  Surely, he was awake by now.

  Ignoring the skirt she’d worn earlier, and intentio
nally folding his shirt and putting it under her pillow, Penny slipped on a sundress she’d purchased just before moving out of Denver. It had been an impulse buy, something different, something that had made her feel feminine just by looking at it.

  She dabbed on perfume and applied some mascara.

  Nothing fancy. She was not going to attack him again.

  At the same time, she didn’t want him to take one look at her and wonder what the hell he’d been thinking.

  She stepped up to the porch and rang the bell. Then knocked.

  The door was still locked.

  Relief swept over her when she heard footsteps and his voice from the other side. Thank God he hadn’t had some adverse reaction to the pain pill. Mrs. Wright would have not have been so pleased if Penny had been forced to call the fire department to come and break down the door.

  Her heart raced when the door clicked.

  Again with those sweats.

  His smile weakened her knees.

  “Hey, you.” His eyes ran up and down her body and he nodded in approval. “You look great.”

  Flustered, she stumbled to think what to say. “Um, your mom wanted me to check on you again.”

  He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her inside. Before she knew his intentions, she was pinned against the closed door with his body, his mouth exploring hers thoroughly. “I’ll have to thank my mom then.” He laughed against her lips.

  She couldn’t help but laugh herself.

  He acted like he missed her!

  She’d been so afraid he would be done with her, ashamed even, for boinking the old girl next door.

  After a few minutes of canoodling, she pushed at his chest and inspected his face. “You feeling a little better?” He didn’t look pale at all. His crystal-blue eyes sparkled, and his tan glowed.

  In answer, he pressed his hips forward. “Oh, yeah.” And then, “I wasn’t sure you were coming back.”

  Was this possible? He’d been afraid she wouldn’t want to see him again?

  Penny reached into her pocket.

  And was rewarded by a look of unadulterated appreciation. There could have even been a little bit of worship in his eyes.

  For wicked, wicked woman that she was, she let fall a twenty-four-inch long strip of extra-large condoms.

  ***

  It surprised Chaz.

  The relief he felt when he’d heard the doorbell ring, followed by incessant, almost frantic knocking. And how thrilled he was when he realized it wasn’t one of his mother’s friends delivering a casserole or premade dinner.

  She was fucking beautiful, wearing a dress, her blond, freshly washed hair already tangling into curls as it fell over her shoulders and down her back.

  Her eyes looked brown in the golden light of the setting sun, with glints of green flashing at him every few seconds.

  When he woke up, his pain had disappeared and he’d decided that if she wasn’t there by eight o’clock, he would pound on her front door.

  He had other pounding in mind as well.

  Prim and neighborly, she gave herself away by returning his kiss with fervor. He liked that about her, how her body betrayed her. How it contradicted what she said. He wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince him she wasn’t interested, or herself.

  Because it wasn’t working on him.

  And regardless of pretending this was a platonic visit, it had been premeditated. For she’d gone out and bought the two of them enough condoms that they could likely stay locked up together for nearly a week.

  Oh, hell, yes.

  Barely removing his mouth from her, he locked the deadbolt on the door and led her into his mother’s dining room. “I believe you mentioned something about a dining room table.” Chaz wouldn’t give her the chance to change her mind.

  Her eyes flew open, as though shocked, but she followed him meekly into the room anyhow. Upon reaching the table, she ran her hand in a slow seductive motion along the polished surface.

  “Turn around,” he told her. She didn’t seem to know what he meant, just stared wide-eyed.

  He pivoted her so that she faced the end of the table with her back to him. Bending her forward, he positioned her in a manner that gave him delicious access to her ass.

  She held the position obediently.

  “I’ve only got one hand, Penny, so you’re gonna have to work with me.”

  She mewled a little.

  “Get on your knees.”

  After she hesitated about thirty seconds, Chaz gave her a little slap. When she finally moved, he held her dress so that it wouldn’t be trapped beneath her.

  This was new to him but with his injury, he was going to have to be creative.

  Because she didn’t realize it yet, but this delightful pose he’d put her in was for her own good.

  Finding the hem of her dress, he lifted it up her legs, all the way to her waist.

  Fucking right, she wasn’t done with him either. She’d come to him bare assed under that pretty little dress.

  “Chaz? What are you doing? I thought…”

  She clenched when he nipped at the skin inside her thighs. He pushed her knees further apart. This wasn’t enough. More… He wanted better access.

  Oh, such pretty red lips, glistening already.

  He wanted to eat her first, drink her, then feel her coming around his tongue.

  Feeling inventive, he pulled a chair up for himself. He couldn’t support himself very well and he wanted to have his hand free to do… whatever the fuck he wanted to do.

  She was spread out before him like a feast.

  Perfect.

  “Chaz, I know what this is but I’ve never, I mean, nobody has ever… what am I supposed to do?”

  Staring at the red plump skin at her apex, he leaned forward and growled. “Not a fucking thing, babe, not a fucking thing.” And then he clutched one cheek with his good hand and flicked his tongue into her creases. She tasted sweet and salty and milky wet.

  She was already swollen, throbbing.

  She wanted this.

  She needed this.

  He lengthened the stroke of his tongue and dug in deeper.

  Moving with him, she was panting already. “Chaz, fuck, Chaz, oh, my God!” He gave her a quick but solid slap. The sting on his hand perfectly matched the heat on her skin.

  She seemed even wetter now.

  He rubbed his hand in a circle and plunged his tongue inside again.

  She bucked. “Oh, God, Chaz!”

  He slapped her again.

  Then, testing her, he slid his thumb slightly into her ass.

  Lapping and sucking, he nipped at her bud.

  Her whimpers drove him.

  “Touch yourself, babe.” He liked to think of her touching her tits, the way she had when she’d watched him from the window. “Bring your other hand down here.” He grabbed it and placed it on her cunt. “What do you like? Work with me.”

  He leaned back and watched her finger herself, just the way he asked.

  He slapped her bottom again, satisfied to see the red handprint left behind.

  And then he put three fingers at her opening and pressed inside. He started slowly, and increased his pace as his mouth joined his fingers. He sucked and finger fucked her at the same time.

  The table shook a little as he increased his motions.

  And then she was shuddering, and shaking, and coming around his mouth.

  Just the way he’d wanted.

  She lay still for a minute and then acted like she might move.

  But he held her legs in place and stood up. “Don’t move.”

  Grabbing the strip of condoms, Chaz stared at it for a second before tearing one off with his teeth. He used his teeth, again, to open the package and then rolled it on with one hand. He was so fucking hard. He still couldn’t believe he’d had to stop earlier today. He’d make this up to himself right now.

  “Now, Chaz.” She whimpered a little when he placed his cock in the soft wetness w
here his mouth had just been. And then, holding her steady, he slammed himself in.

  As much as he liked her on top of him, he was happy to be in control.

  The table shook when he thrust again.

  She felt so fucking good. She was the perfect depth, the perfect shape, the perfect tightness.

  He slammed into her again and wrapped his arm around her waist. “You okay, babe? Tell me if you want to stop. I’ve been waiting for this all day.”

  “Again,” she rasped. “Fuck me hard, Chaz.”

  And he did.

  On the table, in the kitchen, in the grass, and one last time, in his bed.

  In between, they found some wine, made sandwiches, played, laughed, and joked. Chaz loved the clever ironic comments she made about everything. And he loved when she acted all shy. He loved it even more when she didn’t.

  This time, he had no problem keeping her in his bed. He didn’t know what this was between the two of them but it was more than sex.

  And he was beginning to think he could convince her to go out with him.

  On an actual date.

  Chapter Eight

  A Cold Awakening

  T he two of them didn’t fall asleep till after four in the morning. By that time, they had thoroughly exhausted one another.

  So much so that they didn’t hear the car pull into the drive.

  Or the rattling of keys and the opening doors.

  “Yoo hoo! Chaz, honey! I’m home! And I’ve brought you a surprise!” Mrs. Wright’s voice barely registered in Penny’s groggy mind. She reached over to the nightstand and glanced at Chaz’s phone.

  Nearly one in the afternoon!

  The sound of voices and footsteps punched their way through to her consciousness. Holy shit! It was his mother!

  And somebody else.

  Another woman.

  A younger-sounding woman.

  Wondering where the hell her dress might be, Penny had no option but to roll off of the floor and scoot under the bed just as a short knock heralded the opening of his bedroom door. “Are you decent, Chaz? Look who’s here! It’s Francine!”

  Francine? The high school girl? Except she wouldn’t be in high school anymore.