Seal Next Door

by Brooke Noelle

  “Listen, I can babysit until you find someone else,” I said. “I’m not some horrible child abuser on the run, if that’s what you think.”

  Jake’s eyes narrowed at that. “What are you on the run from?”

  I stiffened in surprise at the question. “Th-that’s none of your business if I’m on the run.”

  “It is if you are going to watch my kid,” he said.

  I threw my hands up in frustration.

  “Fine,” I said shortly. “I was just trying to offer a solution until you figure something else out. It’s called being nice.” I started up the sidewalk, his gaze burning holes into me. “Maybe you should learn something about that.”

  “Wait.”

  I paused. Footsteps slowly came up behind me.

  “I appreciate the offer,” Jake said, and I turned back to face him. “I go to work at 8:00 p.m. My shift ends at 5:00 a.m. You can sleep on the couch.”

  My heart skipped in relief. The last thing I wanted to do was spend time in Jake’s house, but I needed the money until I figured something else out as well.

  “I’ll be over at around 7:30 p.m.,” I said. “I can cook Darren something to eat too. I’m not a completely helpless person like you think I am.”

  Jake didn’t respond. Dark and tired circles surrounded his eyes. It was hard to read the expression on his face.

  “I’ll cook him dinner,” he said. “I’ll expect you around 7:30 p.m.”

  He didn’t wait for a reply. He didn’t utter a thank you. I watched the strong muscles in his back flex through his shirt as he walked up the pathway to his front door. Something told me that pleasantries and politeness weren’t a part of Jake’s personality.

  He’s still sexy though.

  I sighed inwardly. I didn’t need to get involved with another man who was obviously emotionally unavailable or otherwise scarred. I was just going to stay the night inside his house, on his couch, while he went to work. There was nothing strange about that. Nothing would happen.

  I had no idea if I was relieved about that or not.

  Chapter Six

  Jake

  “My last babysitter gave me chocolate all the time,” Darren said. “I did everything she said because of that.”

  I looked over at Chloe, who was standing nervously in the living room, holding her purse close to her chest. She smiled down at Darren despite her nerves.

  “You’re in luck,” she said. “I love chocolate too.”

  “Not too much chocolate,” I said, too tired to even argue with Darren. All morning I had tossed and turned, trying to get Chloe out of my thoughts. I caught Chloe’s eye. “Don’t let him bully you into giving him more sugar. We had a discussion about this before you came over.”

  Darren stuck out his tongue at me. He immediately bounced back over to the couch to grab the book we had been reading together before the doorbell had rung.

  “Chloe,” he said, grabbing a hold of her hand, “let’s read this book together. My dad doesn’t like it.”

  “Sure,” Chloe said. “Just give me a minute with your dad, okay?”

  He pouted. “All right.”

  I grabbed a hold of Darren’s shirt before he could shoot up the stairs. He squirmed underneath me when I hugged him tightly, my heart lifting at the sound of his laughter. He had been devastated when I’d told him Hayley wouldn’t be able to watch him anymore.

  “Good night, buddy,” I said, pressing my lips to his hair. The smell of his fruity shampoo filled my nose. “Bedtime in ten minutes. I mean it.”

  “Fine,” Darren sighed out dramatically.

  He slipped out of my arms to run up the stairs. I listened to the patter of his feet across the hardwood floors before turning to look at Chloe. She smiled timidly.

  “If you need anything,” I said, holding out a piece of paper with my cell and office numbers, “call these numbers. I always answer at least one of them.”

  “Right,” Chloe said. She glanced at my bulletproof vest curiously. “Are you a cop, or—”

  “I work for the police department, but I’m not a police officer,” I said.

  Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I pulled out my wallet to take out a one-hundred-dollar bill. Chloe waved it away when I offered it.

  “Pay me tomorrow,” she said. “What is it that you do exactly?”

  The last thing I wanted to do was discuss what I had to watch every night. The Internet was an abyss of horrible and dark and twisted things that normal people didn’t think about on when they logged onto their social media accounts on a daily basis.

  “I work for the cyber-crime unit here,” I said carefully. “I work on the Internet all night to catch criminals.”

  Chloe’s eyebrows shot up in understanding. “Oh. That makes perfect sense then why you are gone at night all the time.”

  “You noticed I was gone every night?”

  “Well, sort of.” She flushed brightly before turning to look at the bookshelf. “Do you mind if I read a book once Darren is in bed? I lost all of mine.”

  “Go for it,” I said, and I didn’t push the conversation further. I took in her tanned and long legs that were noticeable because of the shorts she wore. How would it feel to have those wrapped around me? I stirred in arousal at the thought. “Okay, have a good night. I have to get going.”

  I didn’t give her a chance to reply. I gathered my keys from the hallway end table. The hot summer air didn’t help the fact that my skin already felt hot and flushed from imagining Chloe wrapped around me. I wiped away the sweat gathering at the nape of my neck. I needed to do something to release this tension brewing inside me. It was only for a few days until I found a permanent babysitter.

  The phone didn’t ring once. Five o’clock rolled around without a word from Chloe. I pulled up into the driveway ten minutes after, wary of what I would find. The smell of freshly brewed coffee caught me by surprise when I walked through the front door. Shutting it quietly so as to not stir Darren, I walked through the dark hallway to where the kitchen light was spilling out.

  “Morning,” Chloe said. She stood behind the kitchen island, nursing a cup of coffee while scrolling absently through her phone. “I didn’t expect you to be back before six.”

  “I try to get back early to get a shower in before taking Darren to school,” I said. “Do you mind if—”

  I pointed to the coffee pot behind her.

  “Oh,” Chloe said. “Here. Let me pour you a cup.”

  While she poured a cup of coffee, I undid my bulletproof vest with a sigh of relief. I draped it on the back of a dining chair. Chloe held out the cup for me to take. Her fingers brushed against mine briefly. The softness of her skin sent a tingling sensation up my arm. Her blond curls were damp. Gone were her tight shorts (thankfully), and instead she wore a pair of loose sweatpants that hung low on her narrow hips. Her tank top left little to the imagination, though, from her perky breasts to her flat stomach.

  “Thanks,” I said, retreating to put space between us. “How did Darren do throughout the night?”

  Chloe smiled warmly. “He’s a gentleman. I didn’t hear a peep out of him at all once I told him it was time to go to bed.”

  “Good,” I replied, nodding. I took a long sip of coffee to fight of the exhaustion that clouded my brain. A hot shower with Chloe in mind sounded good, but I fought it off. The last thing I needed to do was release myself with thoughts of Chloe. I cleared my throat. “Thank you again for taking care of him while I find a babysitter.”

  “No problem.” She tapped a finger against the rim of her mug anxiously. “I’m still looking for a job right now, so if you need me longer than a week, I’m free.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” I said.

  Silence stretched between us. My body ached everywhere. I downed the rest of my coffee before setting it on the kitchen island between us. I pulled out my wallet to hand over a one-hundred-dollar bill.

  “Thanks,” Chloe said, tucking it into the pocket of
her sweats. “I actually had a favor to ask of you since you’re obviously well trained in self-defense and everything else…”

  She trailed off a bit uncertainly. That piqued my interest long enough to put off having a hot shower.

  “What are you getting at?” I asked.

  “There is a person in my life who isn’t necessarily a good person,” she said a bit timidly. “I was wondering if you possibly teach me some self-defense tactics or how to use a gun.”

  A sharp coldness settled in my chest.

  “If you’re in danger—” I started, but Chloe cut me off smoothly.

  “I was in danger,” she said. “I just want to be able to protect myself in case something comes up again.”

  “I’m not buying it,” I said shortly. “What is going on for you to want a gun?”

  Chloe’s eyes flashed defiantly. “Does it matter to you?”

  “It certainly does. Owning a gun is a huge responsibility, one that I suggest you think long and hard about. It can end someone’s life.”

  “Never mind,” Chloe said. She set her coffee cup down on the kitchen island. “I’ll be over tonight to watch Darren if you still need me. If not, you know where I live.”

  I didn’t call her back. The front door shut quietly a moment later. I walked to the kitchen window to watch Chloe cross the front lawn before disappearing behind a few shrubs. That coldness in my chest melted away. Was he that dangerous? Years of working behind detectives and my fellow officers told me that he was dangerous, whoever Chloe had in mind. She’d done the right thing by moving away, but I didn’t want to see her end up with the emotional scars I carried close to my heart. Watching the life flicker away from someone’s eyes took a toll in a lot of ways. I’d seen it a few times, and I never wanted to see it again. Sidney had never understood why I had chosen to fight from behind a computer screen. “You shot people in the head before,” she had said. “Why fight it this way?”

  The morning light spilled in through the curtains. I headed upstairs for a long hot shower before I started the process of getting Darren up for the day. The floorboards groaned beneath my feet as I treaded as quietly as possible to the privacy of my room.

  The window was open still. I hesitated in closing the curtains as I always did. Instead, I hunched down to see Chloe collapsing in her own bed. She reached out to wrap her arms around a pillow, holding it tightly to her. It didn’t take a genius to see that she was crying.

  I stood up with a sigh. Closing the curtains, I headed straight to the shower. I couldn’t help her as much as I wanted to.

  Chapter Seven

  Chloe

  “Who is this man exactly?”

  I rolled my eyes at the suspicion in my mother’s voice. “His name is Jake Mason. He lives next door to me with his son, who I watch at night while he goes to his job as a detective or agent or something. I’m not sure—”

  “Chloe.”

  “What?” I asked, blinking at the sharpness in my mother’s voice.

  “I don’t think this is a good idea at all. You just got out of a highly abusive relationship that you’re still involved in to a degree. Do you think it’s a good idea to be babysitting this man’s child? You don’t even know him.”

  “Everyone knows him,” I said, exasperated. “The neighbor across the street suggested that I watch his kid for him. He’s not a bad person.”

  “Honey, you said the same damn thing about Luke,” she said, equally exasperated. “I know how you tend to be sometimes, Chloe. You get caught up with men who aren’t healthy for you.”

  “I’m not caught up in him, though!”

  “It sounds like you are to me.”

  “I’m not,” I said, rubbing at my eyes in frustration. “This is just a job for me to get by until he finds a new babysitter, or until I find a different income. That’s all.”

  “Right,” she said sarcastically. “Just keep your guard up, sweetheart. This guy doesn’t sound too good to me. Where’s the mother of that child?”

  It occurred to me then that I had no idea where Darren’s mother was. There weren’t any pictures of her in Jake’s house either.

  “No idea,” I said. “He hasn’t brought it up.”

  “That doesn’t sound good to me. He’s a complete stranger to you.”

  “To be fair, I’m a stranger to him too.”

  My mothered sighed into the phone. “Where is this going to lead, Chloe? I hear something in your voice that suggests you are hopeful about something.”

  I gritted my teeth. I was starting to see the mistake in telling my mother about Jake. She wanted to jump to conclusions. I do want something though. The temptation was there. I could feel it curling in my lower stomach, and if I read Jake’s lingering gazes right, he felt the same temptation. It’d never happen though. There was something dark and painful behind his gaze that kept him back.

  The sound of Darren’s laughter reached my ears. I sat up from where I was curled up on the couch below the windows I had opened earlier in the morning. Darren happily waved a Nerf gun as he darted across the front lawn with Jake pumping his own Nerf gun behind him. That carefree smile on Jake’s face warmed me from the inside.

  “I’m not hoping for anything,” I said thickly. “I have to go, Mom. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “All right. Call me tomorrow.”

  She hung up without question. I dropped my phone onto the couch cushions before sliding my feet into a pair of flip flops. Darren grinned cheerfully at me when I stepped out on the front porch.

  “Hi, Chloe! Come join us.”

  I started across the damp grass in their direction. I caught Jake’s eye as a guarded expression fell over his face. Gone was that carefree smile.

  “If you don’t mind,” I said, hopping over the fence between our yards. “Do you have a spare Nerf gun?”

  “Inside,” Darren said, and he thrust out his. “I’ll go get the other one. You can have mine.”

  He darted past Jake before either one of us could say anything. Jake shot a wary glance in my direction.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “I’m about to take your ass out,” I said, pumping Darren’s Nerf gun. “That is what I’m doing.”

  His eyes widened a bit at that, but that carefully guarded expression remained in place. I pointed the Nerf gun at him. His arms automatically rose in defense.

  “I doubt it,” he said, and I caught a trace of a teasing tone. “I’d like to see you try to take me out.”

  “Years of Navy SEAL training, right?” I mocked, but I kept a playful smile on my face.

  I knew without a doubt that Jake could easily take me out without even batting an eyelash.

  “You know it,” he said seriously.

  Darren came out of the house with another Nerf gun in hand. He ran past Jake with a delighted cheer before reaching my side.

  “Chloe and I are on a team,” he declared, taking a stance next to me. “Just like paintball, Dad. Come find us.”

  “You better hide then,” Jake said.

  He turned to start counting. Darren’s sweaty little hand grabbed a hold of mine to tug me in the direction of the backyard. I relished the carefree feeling of running alongside him.

  “Hide in there,” Darren said, pointing to a garden shed. “I’ll ambush him from behind, because he’ll go looking for you first.”

  “The element of surprise,” I said, but my heart pounded at the thought of hiding in a shed with Jake. There was no doubt in my mind that he would find us both without any trouble.

  I hid in the shadows like Darren instructed before he closed the door. I watched his tiny shadow dart around the side to hide behind a tree. The smell of fertilizer and soil filled my lungs, and I heard Jake approach with confident steps. My fingers gripped the Nerf gun. My heart pounded hard.

  The door opened. The morning sunlight fell in behind Jake as he stepped forward with his Nerf gun pointed directly at me. Maybe it was the way he stood so tall an
d confident that caused my stomach to twist into a million knots, or maybe it was the way he looked at me heatedly as he let the garden shed door close.

  “Hands up,” Jake said, a husky timbre in his voice. “You surrender?”

  “No,” I said breathlessly, and held up my own Nerf gun. “Never. I’ll never surrender.”

  A ghost of a grin tugged at Jake’s lips. “We’ll see about that.”

  He surged forward with such speed and precision that it took me by surprise. The Nerf gun fell from my fingers to the ground between us. I half expected him to shoot me, to end the game there, but his strong fingers circled my wrists instead. I stumbled back into the shed wall. The air in my lungs hitched when he pressed against my body, every strong muscle of his pressing against mine intimately.

  The heat in the shed increased. The smell of mint toothpaste fell over me. Heavy pants escaped my lips when I looked up at Jake, who was smiling down at me in triumph. He had planned this. He knew I would be alone, and the blood in my veins raced at the thought. A week’s worth of temptation bubbled inside me. A part of me expected him to release my wrists, but he never did. His hands remained firmly circled around my wrists as he held them above our heads.

  Nothing could prepare me for the feeling of him pressing his lips against mine in a bruising kiss that effectively stole the breath right from my lungs. He kissed me hard and deep, pouring every inch of his frustration into me. I kissed him back just as hard. Sweat gathered at the back of my neck, and I arched up into his hard body with a moan. I needed this. I needed him.

  “D-d-d-daddy!!!!”

  We broke apart breathlessly. Darren’s shadow crept by the shed walls. I caught Jake’s heated gaze before he took a step back. I quickly gathered my Nerf gun with trembling hands while I tried to cool myself down.

  The door opened again, and an array of Nerf bullets hit Jake squarely in the back. Darren shot us both a happy grin. “We won, Chloe! Did you see that? My plan worked. We caught you by surprise, Dad.”