I shrugged but my teeth sank into my lower lip for a second. “I haven’t really given it much thought. The cottage is at the back of his property and the main house is more to the front. Unless he’s swimming or entertaining, I don’t know if I’ll be seeing much of him at all.”
“You think?” She frowned. “If I was letting someone stay on my property, you can bet your ass I’d be checking in on them more regularly than normal for a landlord.”
“I don’t know. I mean, he’s got to work a lot. To get to where he has, a person can’t just twiddle their thumbs at home.”
“Sure, but he’s in the property game. His company offers management services as well, so he should be well versed in being a landlord. Plus, this isn’t any old property you’re renting out. It’s his property.”
“I didn’t think about any of that,” I admitted. “I probably should have, but if you see the place, you’ll understand why I didn’t. It’s just so charming and perfect. The community is gorgeous, safe, and so well located. I’m willing to put up with a lot from a landlord if it means getting all those perks.”
“Yeah, but,” she gestured toward my closet floor, “what if he gets mad at you for not keeping the place clean? Which, if we’re being honest here, seems to be the case more often than not.”
“Whatever do you mean?” I asked, blinking innocently. “The floor of my closet is where the shoes go. Don’t even try to tell me yours looks any better.”
“It doesn’t, but my landlord hasn’t come by to do an inspection once since I moved in. He gets paid on time and I get someplace to stay. It seems to be working well for us.”
“What makes you think it won’t be the same with Taydom?”
She shook her head. “It’s not that I don’t think it won’t be the same. We just don’t know if it will be, and I wanted to make sure you’d thought about all these things.”
“I get it. I would have wanted to make sure you’d thought it through as well. As much as I haven’t really thought about the finer details of having him as a landlord, I’m not too worried.”
A loud ripping sound tore through the air between us as she taped up another box. Between that and grabbing a new one to start on, she glanced at me.
“That’s good to know. You know him better than I do, after all. If you’re not worried, I’m sure I’m overthinking it.”
“I don’t think that you are. I really should have thought about it, but the truth is that I still would have taken him up on his offer. He’d have to end up being a really shitty landlord before I’d throw in the towel. Besides, thanks to him, I’m not locked into a contract. I’ll be able to leave if he gets terrible.”
Her spine straightened suddenly, eyes lighting up as she chuckled. “Yeah, I guess I’d put up with a lot to be able to live with a guy who looks like him too.”
“I’m not going to be living with him,” I grumbled. It wasn’t the first time this was coming up. “Just like you don’t live with your landlord.”
“Mine is a seventy-year-old man with a beer belly who definitely won’t look as good in his underwear as Taydom probably does.”
I rolled my eyes at her and tried to ignore the picture of Taydom that my mind helpfully conjured up. “I wouldn’t know what he looks like in any state of undress and I’m not going to find out.”
“If you do, please take pictures,” she joked. “Like, seriously, even if you see him in his swimming trunks. Record that shit and share it with your eye-candy deprived soul sister.”
I snorted. “How are you deprived of eye candy? Just last week, you told me that there are at least three guys who frequent the truck that are, and I quote, to die for.”
She sniffed and shot me a look with her brow furrowed. “None of them come to grab their lunches in their swimming attire, you know? All I get are nice smiles, pretty faces, and a glance at their hands when they reach out to take their hot dogs. It’s not exactly great inspiration.”
“Hey, hands can be sexy.” Taydom’s, in particular, definitely were. They were big, with long slender fingers that still managed to look strong—like they’d be able to crush anything that needed to be.
Even his fingernails, short, round, and clean, added to the appeal of those hands. They didn’t look manicured necessarily, but he definitely took care of himself. Yet, despite how graceful and refined they seemed, I still got the feeling he wasn’t all polished.
At lunch the other day, I’d noticed an assortment of small scars on his hands. Nothing so bad to indicate that he’d been cut up or something, but his hands definitely had stories to tell.
I liked that, and Beth seemed to notice.
“Let me guess,” she said, her eyes alight with amusement. “You were thinking about a certain landlord to be when you made that comment?”
Blood rushed to my cheeks, but I lifted my shoulder in a small, nonchalant shrug. “Maybe, but he does have nice hands.”
“I hadn’t noticed.” She laughed, but her face grew serious again soon after. “Which brings me to another point I was wondering if you’d considered. How are you going to feel if he brings girls home?”
“Fine.” My stomach churned on the blatant lie, but I was determined to get over this ridiculous little crush I had. “We don’t have that kind of relationship, so it wouldn’t be a problem.”
“What if he gets freaky with someone in the pool and you see them?” She wagged her eyebrows at me. “Other than remembering to snap a pic of his firm butt for your bestie if you can tear your eyes off it for a second, what will you do?”
“Not take a picture of it for you,” I said, my tone snippy. “Or ogle him myself for that matter. The man deserves his privacy in his own pool and I won’t invade it that way.”
“I guess I’ll just have to come to visit you often while it’s still summer,” she joked. “But okay. Again, I just wanted to be sure you’d thought about it.”
“I’m not concerned about that kind of thing. Like I said, we don’t have that kind of relationship. I don’t think he’s interested in me that way and I won’t interfere in his private life if there’s someone he does feel that way about.”
Beth made a sound that made it clear she didn’t agree with me, but I ignored it and went back to my packing. It would suck to have him parade an endless amount of women around the pool my new living room looked out on, but if that happened, I could simply keep the curtains drawn.
Nothing, not even petty jealousy I didn’t have any real reason to feel, was going to deter me from the decision I’d made. I was moving into Taydom’s guest house tomorrow and I was damn well going to enjoy living in the little slice of paradise he’d offered me.
No naked butts or midnight frolicking in the pool were going to stop me.
Chapter 16
Taydom
“Is that it?” I asked as I loaded the last of Elsie’s boxes into the back of the truck I’d borrowed from a friend for the day.
She nodded and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. Her face was red, but I was sure mine wasn’t any better. It felt like it was eleven-million degrees out and we’d just spent the better part of the morning loading up her belongings.
Her black hair was piled on top of her head, and she wore a simple pair of black shorts and a black tank top. She looked good, even with the red face.
I was starting to think this girl would look good in anything, but much better in nothing. While her outfit wasn’t revealing, it accentuated her curves and made my fingers itch to run along them.
“Thank God I don’t have a shopping problem,” she said, drawing my attention away from the small bead of sweat running down the side of her neck. “I can’t imagine how awful it must be to move if you’re one of those people who buys everything they see.”
“I think they just get moving companies to do it for them.” I closed the bed of the truck with a smirk aimed in her direction. “You know, just like I offered to get for you?”
“It really wouldn’t have bee
n worth paying someone for this.” She motioned at the tied-down boxes. “I even told you that Beth and I could do it by ourselves. Unless you’ve conveniently forgotten that little detail.”
I tapped one of my temples. “I never forget the little details. It’s one of the things that makes me so good at what I do. As I told you before, it’s no trouble to help you. I was simply reminding you that you had another option available to you.”
“None that was viable.” She flicked her gaze up to her apartment building and I could have sworn I saw her eyes water up, but then she blinked and offered me a smile. “Should we get going? I’m sure you’re looking forward to getting this over with.”
“No way. Helping friends move is what I live for on Saturdays.” I walked around to open the door for her, smiled wide when she shot me a questioning look, and motioned for her to get in. “What’s that for?”
“Two things,” she replied once I was settled behind the wheel. “Firstly, you referred to us as friends, and secondly, you got the door for me.”
Her eyes were focused intently on me as I twisted the key to start the old clunker. For some reason, she seemed to stare at my hand as I flexed my fingers over the stick when I shifted it into gear. Interesting.
Now wasn’t the time to wonder about it, though. “We are friends, aren’t we?”
She shrugged and finally lifted her gaze away from my arm to focus on the side of my face as I eased into the traffic. “Sure. I guess. Does that mean I can borrow a cup of sugar when I need it?”
“That’s a neighborly thing, so you’re welcome to borrow sugar. Considering that your neighbor is also your friend, you also get wine-borrowing privileges.”
She chuckled. “While that’s definitely a perk I’m going to end up taking advantage of, never let Beth hear that you made that offer. Your cellar would be drained within a month.”
“You haven’t seen the size of my cellar.” I winked, then groaned when I realized how my playful, though completely accurate, comment must have sounded. “Sorry, that came out sounding like I meant it as a reference to something else.”
Elsie laughed. “It really did, but you’re forgiven. I know you didn’t mean it that way.”
The certainty in her voice made me glance at her. There hadn’t been much flirtation between the two of us, but something about her tone bothered me.
It was almost like she didn’t believe I’d want to engage in flirting or innuendo-laden conversation with her. Crazy, considering that my dick had started pressing up against my zipper when I’d noticed the way she was looking at my hand. I couldn’t help but wonder if she was thinking about what it might feel like on her.
It wasn’t like I could tell her that, though. I wasn’t about to make her rethink moving by suddenly starting to hit on her. So I settled for getting to know her better. Maybe eventually, she’d start feeling the same chemistry between us that I did, and once that happened, maybe we could do something about making it go away.
Besides, helping her move had been good for distracting me from what I’d learned yesterday, and I wanted to stay that way. “So, should I be expecting many parties over at the cottage from now on?”
A soft, cute little snort came from her side of the cab. “The college I go to isn’t exactly known for its active social calendar, so no. Why? Would it have been a problem if I said yes?”
“No. I really wouldn’t have minded. I was just curious about whether I should study up on how to talk to frat guys or expect my grass to get spun out in the midst of a showdown.”
“I think you watch too many movies.” She laughed, and I caught the end of a headshake in my periphery. “Also, if they were my parties these frat guys would have been attending, what makes you think you would have been invited?”
“Ouch.” I lifted a hand to my chest and rubbed the spot over my heart. “That hurts. I thought we’d established that we were friends?”
She dipped her head in agreement. “True. I’m sorry. If I undergo a change in personality and also change schools, you will be the first person invited to my party.”
“Thank you.” I grinned. “When do your classes start up again?”
“Monday.” She turned to face the window when we started getting closer to her new neighborhood. “Thank you for helping me get my car out here earlier and for all your help with the move.”
“No problem.” The city started growing smaller behind us and the buildings beside the freeway were less densely spaced. Green treetops and wide-open spaces loomed up ahead, bringing a smile to my face. “I’m glad you decided to take me up on my offer. We’re going to have fun living together.”
“We’re not going to be living together,” she protested automatically, almost as if she was as tired of hearing that phrase as I was.
My laughter bounced off the windows of the otherwise silent cab. “I was kidding, but I’m assuming I’m not the only one who got the talk?”
“Definitely not.” She relaxed back in her seat, her features softening with every mile that went by. “What about you? Am I going to be hearing any raging parties happening at your house?”
“The most raging it gets at my house is when Drew comes by to watch a game.” Sadly, it was true.
Elsie opened her mouth, presumably to ask something else, but then decided against it. She released a contented sigh instead when I turned off at our exit, then shifted to face me again. “What made you decide to buy a place out here anyway? There are much hipper, livelier neighborhoods around for a guy like you to live in.”
“A guy like me?” I knew these roads like the back of my hand, and since there wasn’t any traffic, I figured it was safe to look at her for a moment.
She chewed the inside of her cheek before giving me an apologetic smile. “I didn’t mean it as an insult. It’s just that you’re young and successful, not bad looking and—”
“Not bad looking, huh?” When I saw the apples of her cheeks color, it dawned on me what she might have wanted to ask before deciding otherwise. “Thank you. You’re not bad looking either.”
It was the understatement to end all understatements, but it was better than freaking her out by telling her what I really thought.
“I lived in one of those hipper neighborhoods before this place came on the market. I bought it pretty much the same day I found out it was for sale. I liked the space and vegetation, trees all around, and not feeling like I was sleeping a foot away from the person next door. Don’t get me wrong. I still like going out to grab a drink and all that, but it’s not really my scene for everyday living.” Wanting to answer her unspoken question as well, I added, “There was a time that I lived up to the playboy reputation I used to have but not anymore.”
“That’s a surprisingly non-explicit way of saying it,” she remarked, but I didn’t miss how tension eased out of her jaw. “You didn’t have to tell me that, by the way. It’s none of my business.”
“No, but we’re friends and we’re about to be neighbors. You have a right to know what you’re in for. There are a couple of teenagers that live in the houses on either side of us. Whenever their parents go away, they throw the expected house parties. Other than that, you’re in for peace and quiet.”
“What about the house itself? Is there anything you expect of me there?”
I frowned as I shook my head from side to side, gently stepping on the brakes as we rolled up to the gate. “Nothing. It’s your house, Elsie. I’m happy to help you fix whatever needs fixing, but I’m not going to tell you what to do or when to do it.”
“Good to know.” She grinned as the gate started sliding open. “I can’t believe I get to call this home from now on.”
Her hand shot to squeeze my thigh as she bounced in her seat. It didn’t look like she even realized she was touching me, but I sure as hell realized.
The shorts I wore were made of a thin fabric, and I could feel the warmth of her palm on my skin. Her pinky finger was also only inches away from my junk, which didn’t hel
p matters much.
My muscles stiffened as I tried to fight the effect of her innocent touch. It was only then that she seemed to notice that she was, in fact, touching me.
With her cheeks reddening to the same hue they’d had just after we’d spent the morning hauling her boxes downstairs, her eyes widened and she yanked her hand back. “Jeez. I promise I’m not usually so touchy-feely. I just got excited.”
“Feel free to get as touchy-feely as you want.” Wait. Fuck, Taydom. You could have waited until the gate was fully closed behind you.
Elsie laughed my comment off. “It’s good to know that success hasn’t made you lose your sense of humor. Although I guess you’d remember what you felt like the first time you drove through these gates and knew you were home.”
“Yeah, sure. That’s what it was about.” I almost rolled my eyes at myself, but I busied my mind with planning the impending offloading instead. “When we get there, I’ll grab the boxes if you can just tell me where they need to go.”
“Nonsense. I’ll help get everything inside. Then you can go do whatever it is you do on Saturday afternoons and I’ll get busy unpacking.”
“We’ll see.”
Elsie ended up ignoring me and carrying the boxes she could while I heaved the heavier ones inside. This morning, Beth had brought over the few pieces of furniture that had belonged to Elsie that she’d had in her former apartment in the food truck, so at least all that was already done.
As I hoisted up a black garbage bag filled with something that sounded like it was filled with bells, something sharp sliced through my finger. “Fuck.”
“What?” she called from inside the cottage. The garbage bag was one of the last things we’d needed to carry inside, but now I was bleeding all over the path leading to her new front door.
“I think I cut myself.” Gently setting the bag down on the floor—to the side so it wouldn’t get blood on it—I lifted my hand. “Yep. Definitely cut myself.”
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