Neanderthal Next Door: Enemies to Lovers, Mountain Man Next-Door, Halloween Romance

by K. C. Crowne

  Or until someone makes him stop. But I didn’t say that part out loud.

  “Well I’m not giving in and h e’s not getting the hint,” she said, turning her attention back to me. “And I’m pretty sure he’s viewing you as competition.”

  A bark of laughter bubbled up out of me.

  “What’s so funny?” she asked.

  “Nothing. Just that for a woman as smart as you are, you’ve got a lot to learn when it comes to stuff like this.”

  She stomped her foot. “God, you sound just like Lizzie.”

  Another deep laugh sprang from me. “Then maybe you ought to listen to your friend.”

  “And do what?” she asked. “Tell Adam to fuck off?”

  “For starters,” I muttered. But before the conversation could go on further, Mandy took her phone out of her pocket.

  “Oh no,” she said, her eyes on the screen.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s the after-school play group where Parker is. They’re not due to get out for another hour, but they’re already calling.”

  “Thinking it’s a bad sign?”

  “With him? No doubt.”

  She answered the phone and began talking. Wanting to give her some privacy, I turned and made a slow circle around the house, taking another look around. The work done was some of the best money could buy, but I knew there’d been an ulterior motive to it all. Men like Adam wanted to be on the minds of the women they were fixated on. And what better way to do that then to be the reason they were able to turn on their lights every day?

  She was done with the phone call by the time I finished my circle around the house.

  “Listen, I’m so sorry. Let me come and get him right now.”

  Mandy hung up and sighed, shoving her phone back into her pocket before running her hand through her hair.

  She turned to me. “Did you hear any of that?”

  “Just the last part. But it didn’t sound good.”

  “That’s because it wasn’t. Parker…there was some other boy there, I guess one of the kids who’s been bothering him. And Parker, he just went right up to him in the middle of activity time and slugged him right in the face.”

  This got me to pause and take notice. “He punched him?”

  “Right in the nose. Kid started bleeding everywhere and…God, what a mess. Anyway, they’ve got Parker in the teacher’s office right now. Needless to say, they want me to come pick him up.”

  “Let me.” I said the words without pause, not even taking a moment to think about them.

  “What?”

  “Let me go get him. You’ve had a long day.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “When he gets in these moods he’s not easy to be around. I don’t want you to have to deal with that.”

  “It’s no problem at all. If he needs to scream out some aggression in the truck, then I’ll let him. You have a glass of wine or something and relax.”

  “Are you sure.”

  “I’m sure.”

  She chewed on her lower lip, considering the matter.

  “Alright. But only because I was planning on making you dinner tonight. It was going to be a surprise, but now’s as good a time as any, I suppose.”

  “Dinner, huh?”

  She smiled. “Chicken parm. I make a pretty mean one, if I do say so myself.”

  “Then it’s settled – you make dinner, I’ll get the little troublemaker. Work for you?”

  “Works. And thanks. I’ll let the school know to expect you.”

  “My pleasure. Looking forward to that parm.”

  With that, I took out my keys and hopped into my truck.

  At first, I wasn’t sure why I’d done what I’d done, why I’d volunteered to pick up Parker. It just seemed like the right thing to do.

  But it became clear as I drove. Mandy might’ve been a killer mom, but an ornery little boy was something only a man who’d been an ornery little boy could really understand.

  Parker and a slim, middle-aged woman were waiting for us outside the school as I pulled up.

  “Are you Mr. Anderson?” she asked, Parker looking sheepish.

  “That’s me.”

  “He’s ready to leave. And let his mother know this isn’t the end of it. Until we’ve met with the other child’s parents and sorted this all out, Parker is no longer welcome at our after-school activities.”

  “I’ll pass that along. Come on, kid.”

  Without a word, Parker followed me to the truck and climbed in. I tried to help him into the seat, but he snapped his head back at me. “I can do it.”

  Just like his mom. We drove in silence at first, but I knew words needed to be exchanged.

  “Alright,” I said. “Here’s the deal. You don’t have to tell me a dang thing about what happened back there. But right now, your mom’s ten different flavors of PO’d. You say nothing and go back to her, and I got a feeling you won’t be playing any video games until you’re old enough to buy your own house. You tell me, on the other hand, and I might be able to talk her down from throwing the book at you.”

  His tiny arms were folded over his tiny chest, a scowl on his face.

  “This is new for you, bud,” I said. “I know you’ve been getting into trouble with those boys, but a sucker punch out of nowhere is a new low.”

  “He deserved it!” he said. “He called me a weirdo and said my dad was a loser!”

  That gave me pause. Now, there weren’t any good reasons for a kid to sucker punch another one like Parker had done. But I’d have been lying if I’d said those weren’t fighting words. Comments like that would get you smashed into the ground at any bar.

  “And how come you’re mad at me?” he asked. “You were in the Army, right? Don’t they teach you how to punch people?”

  “I was in the Army,” I said. “But what, you think they give out medals in the service for punching guys without warning?”

  He didn't have anything to say to that.

  So, I went on.

  “They teach you to be tough in the military, that’s for dang sure. But they don’t only teach you how to hurt people, they teach you discipline. They teach you that hurting people is the last thing you do when you come up against trouble – not the first.”

  He slumped forward. “I just want them to stop bothering me.”

  Tears were in his eyes. The kid was upset. And more than that, he felt helpless. Lashing out the way he did was how people acted when they were out of options.

  “You know, I was like you when I was your age.”

  He met my eyes in the rearview mirror. “Really?”

  I nodded. “I know what it’s like to be alone, kid. Lost my parents when I was little, lived with an aunt and uncle who treated me like a problem to be dealt with.”

  Parker said nothing, simply listening and watching.

  “Wasn’t easy, and man, did I get into some trouble with the other boys. There was this kid named Marcus Penderton. Total freaking brat, always picked on me. One day I got sick of it, punched his lights out.”

  Parker was into this story. “What happened?”

  “Didn’t know my own strength. Knocked the kid’s two front teeth out.”

  This put a grin on Parker’s face. But that wasn’t the point.

  “Nice,” he said.

  “No, not nice,” I replied, my tone sharp.

  My words got him to sit up and pay attention.

  “Anyone can hurt someone else. Parker, you’re a tough kid. You’re brave, and you’ve been through a lot that’s going to make you grow up faster than you should. But that doesn’t mean you can hurt anyone who makes you feel bad.”

  “Then what do I do?”

  I reached back and put my fingertip onto his forehead. “You want to fight? You fight with this.” Then I moved my fingertip down to his chest, over his heart. “And you fight with this. Otherwise you become no better than them. You’re going to need to decide what kind of man you want to be, bud. Because if
you keep letting your anger tell you want to do, and fighting with your fists, you’re going to become no better than the kids who hurt you.”

  I went on.

  “You want to be a hero, right?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “Like you!”

  That gave me pause. I didn’t know what to say. So, I cleared my throat and went on, feeling a ticking right by my Adam’s apple.

  “Well, nice of you to say, champ. But I meant like Iron Man or the Hulk. Do you think they just go around hurting people? Punching anyone they want just because they can? Or do you think they use their head and heart to figure out what’s best?”

  He pursed his lips, thinking over my words. We were getting close to Mandy’s place, so I knew I needed to wrap things up.

  “Now, this is all stuff you need to be thinking about. Otherwise, you’re going to miss out on some trick-or-treating this Halloween.”

  “No!” he said, his eyes going so wide they looked on the verge of bulging out of his head. “No way!”

  “Those’re the terms,” I said. “You want candy, you’re going to need to straighten up. And I’ll be here, if you want to talk. Or anything you need.”

  What the hell was I saying? The words just sort of came out. But I’d really just offered to be this kid’s mentor.

  “Thanks, Mr. Anderson.”

  “You got it, bud.” I parked and killed the engine.

  Then Parker did something I sure as hell hadn’t been expecting. He undid his seatbelt, reached over, and hugged me.

  I froze, not sure what to do at first. But it felt good. It felt good to be there for this kid, to help him out.

  Sure as hell felt a damn sight better than sitting alone in my cabin drinking whiskey.

  “Uh, there, there, kid.” Hugs weren’t something I dealt with much of these days. Mandy opened the door and stepped out, the smile spreading on her face letting me know she saw what was going on.

  “Now, let’s not keep your mama waiting, alright? She’s making us both something good for dinner.”

  “OK!”

  The windows of the cabin were open, the scent of cooking food thick in the air.

  “Mom!” Parker called. “Can Mr. Anderson come with us trick-or-treating?”

  I froze in place, totally unsure what to make of it.

  My plans for staying isolated were falling apart right before my eyes.

  Mandy

  The dishes were done, our bellies were full, and Parker was in bed.

  And Hunter was right next to me on the couch, the fire roaring in front of us, all the other lights in the place off.

  It was perfect.

  “You know,” Hunter said, setting down his glass of red wine. “You’ve got enough electricity to power the Vegas strip in this place – you don’t need a fire going.”

  “I think I like this a little better. It’s cozier. And besides, you and Parker helped fix this thing up – makes me think of you guys whenever I’ve got it going.”

  The mention of Parker put a serious expression on his face. He leaned forward, gazing into the flames.

  “Something on your mind?” I asked, putting my hand in the middle of the wide span of his upper back. His chest expanded and contracted, his heart thudding. Truth be told, I could feel him like that all night.

  “Just…Parker.”

  “Now,” I said with a smile. “I thought you handled that really diplomatically. You told him you’d leave it to me to decide if he was even going trick-or-treating. Good call giving Mom the final say.”

  He glanced over at me, a sly smile on his face, the flames visible in the reflection of those baby blue eyes.

  “It’s not that. I mean, I did want to think about it. And I’ve thought about it.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’ll come with you guys, if you want. Treat-or-treating.”

  This was something I wasn’t prepared to hear – let alone this soon.

  “Are you serious?” I asked. “I mean, you’re more than welcome. And Parker would be thrilled. But I know that kind of stuff isn’t really your thing. Don’t feel like you’re obligated to do anything.”

  It was a silly thing to say. Hunter was the last who’d have a problem saying what he wanted – rules be damned.

  “I know I’m not. I want to. Might be fun, you know? And I didn’t really get a chance to do much of that sort of thing when I was little.”

  “Really? No trick-or-treating?”

  “It’s a long story. But no – not much trick-or-treating.”

  I smiled. “You know when you go as an adult you don’t actually get the candy. It’s more of a supervisory role.”

  He chuckled. “Now, I thought I was the smart-ass between the two of us.”

  “I have my moments.”

  The way he said ‘the two of us’ made me feel good, like thinking of us as an item.

  “But this thing between us…I don’t know.”

  “What don’t you know about?”

  “I don’t know if it’s a good idea. I’ve got my past and you’ve got yours. And that little rich shithead doesn’t make things easier.”

  “Wait, are you telling me you’re scared for something between us to happen because of Adam?”

  He raised his eyebrows, and I could tell I’d poked at his ego with that question.

  “I’m not scared of that little asshole. More that I don’t want him to make your life difficult.”

  “I’m a tough girl,” I said. “I can fight my own battles.”

  “Good. Because I have a feeling he’s not going to let you go without a fight. That man’s got his eye on you, and he strikes me as the underhanded type.”

  “Don’t I know it.” I turned to look into the fire, considering my situation. “But…enough about him. Adam’s already going out of his way to make himself more prominent in my life than I want him to be – I don’t need you to be making it any easier for him.”

  Hunter set down his glass before leaning over, wrapping his big arm around me. I went with it, curling up next to him.

  “I’d rather talk about me and you any day.”

  “Same here,” I said. “But to be honest, there’s other things I’d rather do than talk.”

  “Damn,” he said with a grin. “We’re so on the same page it’s not even funny.”

  And that was the end of the talking. Hunter moved in and put his lips on mine, my body lighting up with electricity like it always did when he touched me, when he kissed me.

  I closed my eyes and fell into it, letting my body go back, back onto the pillow behind me. As I fell, Hunter moved over me, his big, powerful body resting on top of me. Then he leaned down and kissed me again, putting his hand on my breast and gently squeezing me through my shirt.

  I sighed through the kiss, never wanting it to end.

  But when a tiny cough sounded out through the house, Hunter and I freezing, I knew it had to.

  “Kid in the cabin,” I said. “Living room might not be the best place for this.

  Before I had a chance to react, he swept his hands under me and lifted me up. I let out a happy squeal as he carried me across the living room, over to the bedroom. Once we were inside, he set me down on the bed and pounced, the two of us kissing like a couple of over-excited teenagers.

  We kissed and kissed, slipping one another out of our clothes under we were down to nothing but our underwear. Hunter put his hands under the cups of my bra, my nipples already hard. I moaned, biting down on my lower lip to try and keep myself quiet.

  “Now…” I said as Hunter peeled off my panties and started kissing down along my hips. “Sound kinda-sorta travels in here. We’re going to need to-”

  I didn’t get a chance to finish my sentence. He moved his lips from my thighs to my womanhood, licking my clit, the pleasure instantaneous.

  “I’ve got no problem staying quiet,” he said with a grin. “How about you?”

  I bucked my hips from side to side, trying to cope with the incredibl
e feeling of his lips and tongue and fingers all working together to take me come. And by this point he knew my body so well that it didn’t take him much time at all.

  My back arched as he ate me, his tongue making slow, sharp circles around my clit, his lips putting pressure on it, his fingers curled and teasing my G-spot just how I liked.

  I came. Hard. It took all the restraint I had not to scream my damn lungs out. Instead, I whimpered as the orgasm toured my body, each molecule of me lighting up with total delight.

  Hunter seemed to have a sixth sense for when I was done, when the first orgasm had faded, leaving me wanting more. He reached up and grabbed the soft curves of my hips and flipped me over, my ass sticking in the air.

  I barely had time to turn my head around to see him mount me, to watch as his thick, long cock plunged inside, vanishing.

  I was hooked on Hunter, addicted to how good he made me feel. There was something about this man that was beyond my understanding.

  I watched as his body worked, his shoulders broad, his arms thick and big, his chest sculpted. His body moved like a machine, a relentless, pneumatic machine that was built to make me feel good.

  Then there was that scar, that reminder even in the middle of our pleasure that he had a past I couldn’t understand, one that was just out of my view.

  But the sensation of him moving in me was enough to make me focus on the moment. He brought me right on the brink of a second climax, slowing down just enough to tease me with that was to come.

  “Just like that,” I said. “Hunter, don’t fucking stop, don’t you dare.”

  The expression of concentration on his face broke just enough for him to crack a smile, as if he were loving how I was talking to him.

  He grabbed my hips once more, flipping me over and grabbing my right leg, lifting it up against his chest and entering me again. My breasts shook back and forth as he penetrated me, his hands gripping me tightly.

  It was too much, more than I could take.

  “I want you to come for me,” he said, his blue eyes locked onto mine. “And I want you to do it right now.”

  He let go of my leg, both of them spreading wide open before him, his hands on my inner thighs as he continued to relentlessly pound me.

  And just like that, the floodgates of pleasure opened, heat flowing through my body as I came. I bit my lip hard, trying to muffle my soft moans.