Tall, Dark and Handsome Neighbor: A Friends to Lovers Romance

by Lauren Wood

  “How about we get a drink instead?”

  8

  Nick

  Betty gave me this unsure look and finally agreed. If I didn't know any better, I would think that she thought I was going to jump out at her at any moment. She was not reacting at all the way I was used to. Women usually didn't respond in such a way. Usually it was a lot better.

  Most of the time, all I had to do was look at them in the right way and I basically got whatever I wanted. I know that probably made me spoiled or something, but I had certainly never given a woman a kiss like that and not had her underneath me five minutes later. Even being upright and dressed right now with Betty was different than what I was used to.

  Since it was obvious that she was nervous, I wanted to cool things out a little bit because I didn't want to move too fast. With most women that wasn't even a real thing, but like I had known when I had first met her, there was something drastically different about Betty. She was not like anyone that I had met before and that was certainly a good thing. It was also a frustrating situation, though.

  We went to the makeshift bar and ordered a couple of drinks. Her eyes were steadily scanning the room. Who was she looking for?

  I finally asked her as much and she said that she just wanted to introduce me to her parents, so that she could say that she had come with a friend.

  “Trust me, if you knew my parents, you would know why I want them off my back. You would do it, too.”

  “How so?”

  “You’re who they want me to be with.”

  I grinned and then smiled a bit bigger. Maybe I was making this more complicated than it had to be.

  “Are you sure you don't want to show me around? Maybe we will see them while we are looking around.”

  Again, I got this strange look from her, and she finally just shrugged her shoulders like it didn't matter one way or another. I would have given anything to have known what was going through her mind. What made her look that way?

  I kept thinking to myself, this is it. This is when she finally invites me up to her bedroom and we get better acquainted. It didn't seem like that long since I had met her, but I think it was the longest time I had been around a beautiful woman that I wanted and not put my hands on her. It was a bit of a feat on my side, although I knew that most people wouldn't see it that way.

  We walked around and it was a big house, just like the one that I was living in. There were a lot of people there that I recognized, and I had to say hello to a few as we went around.

  “You know everybody here, don't you?”

  I shrugged. “I guess so. I don’t really think about it. I've lived here most of my life and as you can see, it's not L.A. There's not near as many people here in Montana, so you get to know everyone quicker. You’ll see. You’ll like it here, once you get used to it. We might not have all the beaches and stuff, but we definitely have ways to have fun.”

  Because she barely looked at me and just kind of nodded her head, I was stumped. Again, I was not getting the reaction that I was hoping for. I was hoping for a lot more giggling and hair flipping. Betty given me those eyes again, indicating that she wanted more. That, in reality, was all I was waiting for, and I was still so convinced that it was going to come, because what else could possibly happen?

  We got up to her room and instead of going in, showing me around, maybe sitting on the bed and patting the side next to her, Betty just stood by the doorway. “This is my room.”

  Betty started to walk away, and I asked her where she was going.

  “You wanted a tour, so I'm showing you the rest of the house.”

  I shook my head and told her that I had seen enough of it. “I am not interested in the rest of it, Betty. Just here. Just you.”

  She started to walk away, and I grabbed her hand, pulling her towards me. She almost fell against my chest and naturally the next thing I wanted to do was kiss her again. I was still feeling the kiss from before and wanted to make it even better than that. The curvy body that I had been admiring for the last hour was now pulled hard against me, and I could feel every soft line of her. Her hips and her breasts remained pressed against me tightly.

  Pushing her up against the door that was still standing open going to her room, I kissed her with all of the passion I could muster. I was so afraid that we were going to walk away from here and that was it. I had never thought that it would even be an issue of mine. I had never had to convince someone before. A lot of times they were the ones that was convincing me. But like everything else, it would appear that Betty was massively different than the girls I was used to. I don't think it was an L.A. thing, either. I think it was a Betty thing.

  After a minute, I was ready to push on and my hand started to go underneath her shirt, pressing up against her and making her gasp. I thought the sound was a good one, until she pushed me back and was having to put effort into catching her breath. Once again, not the reaction I was looking for.

  “We shouldn’t be doing this. We should get back to the party.”

  She pushed back against my chest again and immediately walked away. I was left hard and devastated, trying to figure out why my usual wasn't working. It worked for everyone else. Why wouldn't it work for her?

  After a time, I was able to pull myself back together and rearrange my pants so that I could go back out into the party without causing too much of a scene. I didn't chase after her, but I did catch up to her. I stopped her for a moment, before we got back to the main room.

  “I wasn't trying to offend you or anything. I'm sorry, I just got the idea that you wanted...”

  I couldn't even finish the statement because I was so damn embarrassed. It has been a long time since I was left fumbling like this. Years maybe, high school was the last time that I remembered feeling this way. A humbling experience for sure.

  “It’s okay, really. I am not offended or anything, I just don’t do that. I am not that quick to go there. I know that a lot of people in L.A. are quick to play those games with men, but I'm not one of those girls.”

  I felt like she was saying more than she was saying, but I wasn't really thinking at the moment. I was watching her lips and dying to kiss them again. When I asked as much, her eyes got wide and she told me that I was ridiculous.

  “You can't tell me that you're shocked that I want to be with you. You're beautiful. I'm sure that you have gotten all kinds of attention since you’ve been here. Everyone at the party downstairs was checking you out.”

  She disagreed and there was a look of determination in her eyes. I knew then that I wasn’t going to change her mind. As much as I thought I was good at what I did, I was starting to feel like maybe I was missing something.

  I knew the moment I saw Betty that she was a different kind. I just had not really considered in what ways.

  We went and got another drink, and I did my best not to put anymore moves on her. It was obvious that it made her uncomfortable when I did, but to stand next to her and not touch her was uncomfortable for me.

  If I had to be honest, I was kind of floundering at this point. I wasn't used to being turned down by anyone and for some reason, this girl turned me down and made it feel even worse. There was just something that told me I needed to make things right, I just didn't know how. This was a whole new ball game for me. A girl never wanted anything to do with my personality. They were always more worried about what my mouth and my hands could do. And of course, I was always more than happy to show them.

  We danced for a little while and we got a little close but even then, I could feel her keeping me a little bit further than I wanted to be. Whatever was going through her mind, she was acting like I was the devil.

  Her mom came over at some point and she introduced us. Once the woman heard my last name, her smile got bigger and there was a touch of desire in the older woman's eyes. If she was someone else, and I hadn't danced with her daughter, Betty’s mother would have been a perfect target for me. Rich, beautiful, and ever so will
ing to be naughty.

  Her daughter was what I wanted, though, and she had not taken after her mother in that way, apparently. Unfortunately.

  Betty was going to make me work for it, but at the moment, I probably didn't realize how much. It was all worth it, though, that's what I liked to tell myself. As I walked home that night next door to my house, it was quite uncomfortable. My pants were fitting weird and it was hard to keep the excitement as long as I had. Blue balls were a pleasant memory. This was something else, this was a need and desire that threatened to take over everything.

  I don't know what it was about her that made her so enticing, but I knew after one night with Betty, it was going to change everything. But first, I had to change her mind and make her one of those girls that she said she wasn’t.

  9

  Betty

  The next morning, I didn't feel so good. It had been a long time since I had drunk more than a glass of wine. I wasn't usually very good at drinking. I was better at keeping my wits about me and being the designated driver for everyone else.

  The headache was constant, and I swear the sun outside was personally trying to burn out my eyeballs from the very sockets that they sat in. This was a doozy and I walked slowly downstairs to the kitchen. I didn't expect to see my mother or father there. They were never home, but I didn't expect it to be empty. I figured there would be a maid or a cook or something. Maybe they hadn't hired any yet.

  I hadn't even poured my first cup of coffee before there was someone knocking at the door. Again, I waited for somebody to answer it. We had not lived in a house without a maid since I was a child. Nobody came though, so I finally blew out a breath of frustration and walked to the door. Whoever it was, it better be good.

  When I opened it up and saw Nick, a part of me wanted to close it back up really quick. This guy was nothing but bad news. He shook awake a part of me that I wanted desperately to keep silent. I had enough going on, without this guy coming in to mess with my head. And that's exactly what he was doing, too. He was making me think that I had waited long enough. He made me want to change some of the fundamental rules that I had given myself. I don't know if I could do it of course, but I worried that I would not be able to say no to him again, if he were to ask.

  I also didn't want to tell him why I wasn't interested in that kind of thing. Truth be told, I liked the way he looked at me. Maybe he wouldn't look at me that way any longer when he realized that I wasn't going to give him what he was aiming for as quickly as he wanted. I had never given it to anybody before, but for some reason when I was around Nick, I realized that maybe that would change as well.

  “Nick? What are you doing here?”

  He pushed past me and smiled. “I figured that you might need a little help this morning. You take me as the type of girl that doesn't do much drinking. I bet you have a killer headache and everything is bright.”

  I agreed wholeheartedly that he was right, and I asked him how he knew.

  “May come as a shock to you, but I have been known to do this before. Every time my band plays, we always have a few drinks afterwards. So, the next morning it calls for a shot, coffee, and some breakfast. Nice and greasy, too, to soak up any extra alcohol that is still in your system.”

  I looked to have the shot that he sat on the table. The glass was empty and then he poured it full, took a drink of it and then handed it to me. He looked at me expectantly, like I was supposed to down it right here and now. There was no way, right?

  The attention was extreme. He was watching me, and he didn't take his eyes off of me, even while I was drinking. Didn't he know how nerve wracking he was? This guy was completely messing with my head, and I didn't even know if he knew it or not. Did I want him to know? It could possibly make it even worse.

  I handed him back the shot glass and thanked him for that. He then handed me the coffee, and I have to say that it tasted magnificent after the rank shot that I just took. I don't know if it was meant to be that way, but I certainly appreciated the coffee a lot more. I wasn't even into drinking the stuff very much, but right now it tasted like silk and gold down my throat. I don't know if it was necessarily going to help with my hangover, but it certainly helped get the taste out of my mouth.

  Then he pulled out a bag that had several grease stains in it. I wasn't as sure about that, not even as sure as I was with the liquor. Nick frowned at my obvious disgust. I didn’t want whatever was in that bag.

  “Thanks, but I'm not really much of a breakfast person.”

  “Trust me, this is no breakfast. This is Claudia’s bacon, egg, and cheese croissant and don't let looks fool you. It's the best food you'll have while you're here.”

  He handed me a wrapped package out of the bag, and I guess I just kind of looked at him a little strange. There were so many things wrong with the food he was trying to hand me. I didn't even eat meat, and definitely not bacon. I also didn't do too well with dairy because I was convinced they were going to make me fat. I had all of these weird thoughts running through my head, and he finally asked me what was wrong.

  Just like when he wanted to know why I wasn't down for a sleep over after first meeting him, this was another one of those conversations I didn't really want to have. I wasn't this open person that shared all of this information.

  So, instead of getting into the whole spiel of what I do and don't eat, I just took it and thanked him. It felt greasy in my hands and again he had this expectational look on his face and waited for me to take a bite. I was obviously supposed to gush about how great it was. I planned to do just that, faking the response that he was looking for, so he would stop staring at me like that. It was overwhelming to have so much attention pointed at me.

  I took a bite and grease was the first thing to hit my senses. The croissant was warm and buttery, and all of the other parts of it was just as good. I was so convinced that I wouldn’t like it, that I was actually surprised when I did. There was a lesson there, something about I needed to try new things and not make assumptions. I'm sure it was there, even if it was hard to put my finger on it.

  “Wow, this actually is good.”

  “Why do you sound so surprised?”

  I took another bite and set it down. The coffee was calling to me and after several more drinks, something was different. The banging headache that I had from before was starting to ease, and I had to wonder if there was something in the coffee. It was like some miracle cure and I didn't believe in miracles, so there had to be another explanation.

  “I did not believe that it would work. I actually just thought that you were trying to get me drunk again.”

  “I will admit you are a lightweight, Betty. I can tell that you don't do much partying. But, I don't think a shot is going to do it, even for you. I'm just trying to make you feel better. I was hoping that you would come out with me for a little bit today. I would like to give you a tour of Laurel. Since you gave me a tour of your house, I thought I would give you a tour of the town. There is a lot to see here.”

  Again, I was surprised by his kindness and his ability to just completely ignore the fact that I turned him down the night before. I knew very well what he wanted and even though I had wanted to give it to him, I had not. I had to wonder if that would affect him, but it appeared it did not. He was just as helpful and kind as he had been the first time I'd met him. The man was a rock star, but he had a heart of gold. I was sure that the combination was rare, and I was lucky to have found it.

  That's how I felt. I felt lucky to have met Nick out of all of the people here. He was the one that made me feel the most welcome. I couldn't turn down such a kind gesture. He was trying to make me feel more at home here and he was doing a pretty good job of it. Montana wasn’t looking so bad anymore, and I knew that it was all because of Nick.

  I looked around the room and since I was here alone, there was no excuse. Besides that, I wanted to go with him. I liked spending time with him, and as long as he didn't try to kiss me and make me feel things
like he had before, I was sure that everything would be fine.

  I was nervous, but not in the same way. I was nervous by how much I wanted him, not by how much he wanted me. I was used to guys wanting to spend time with me and wanting to take things to the next level, but I have to say that this was the first time that I wanted to go along with it.

  “Okay, I’m in. That sounds great. I have wanted to see what is all here, if I am going to stay a while.”

  He grinned wide. I was going to have a great day with Nick. All I had to do was keep my true feelings and emotions under control. No small feat, especially when he tried to walk upstairs with me to change.

  “I'll be back down in a minute, I promise.”

  He frowned at me and then immediately started in with what he needed, too. I smiled at myself as I was walking up the stairs. I don't know how, but Nick always knew exactly what to say.

  10

  Nick

  I waited almost five whole minutes for Betty to get ready. I thought it was going to take longer, but about five minutes later, she was bouncing downstairs and she looked completely different. She had changed, her hair was up, and she'd even brushed on some kind of lip gloss or something that made her lips stand out. Truthfully, it just made me want to kiss her even more, and I had to fight the urge.

  I don't know why exactly Betty was different, just that she was. She was not like other girls, and I was going to have to handle the situation differently. I was going to have to go slow and coax her into it. It was strange, the idea of having to coax any woman to my will. I was positive that I was up for the challenge. The worst part of it would be the waiting. Waiting for her to change her mind may very well kill me, but I had a feeling it would be worth it.