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

by Lauren Wood

  My mother had come from humble beginnings and a part of me thinks something damaged her in some way. It certainly made her look for money in everything that she did. I didn't like to think that she had married dad because of it, but it was kind of hard to think anything else. She obviously was interested in the money and that wasn’t hard to see. Since I had grown up with money, I didn't really think much of it.

  “I know, Mother. I was just saying that he is from a good family. That’s all.”

  “I think your father knows his dad. You should have him come over and have dinner sometime. They can talk about business and I can get to meet your new fella.”

  “Fella?”

  She agreed. “Yeah, that's what he is, isn't he?”

  Again, her questions were making me uncomfortable because I didn't exactly have the answers. What was Nick to me? Was he a friend, or something more? What did I even want him to be?

  I decided it was better not to say anything. Mom would have some sort of opinion and if I didn’t want to hear it, then I should keep my mouth shut. Sometimes she didn’t make situations better, but her advice was taken to heart.

  “I don’t know, Mom. We just met last night.” She smiled at me like we were conspiring and said that when it's right, a woman just knows.

  That had always been what she said about dad, and I wanted to believe it now, because I felt like he was exactly what I needed, even if we couldn't fully be together yet. He acted like he had patience and in reality, that's really what I needed at this point. I just needed to see where it was all going to go.

  “Bring him over, Betty, and let us get a look at him. I knew that Montana was going to be good for you, I just didn’t think it would happen so quickly. It makes me happy, though. I want you to be happy, and I knew that you would find what you needed here. You don’t need a career, Betty. You need a man.”

  I groaned at her words. It was literally the last thing that I wanted to hear and believe. I liked Nick a lot, and I was thinking about the future with him, right or wrong, but I didn’t need a man. I was an independent woman and I was going to have my career. I was going to consult, makes lots of money, and make businesses more efficient. That was my plan and I truly just wanted my parents to see me as more than just a way for them to have grandchildren.

  I agreed to the dinner, because I thought it wouldn’t be let go until I did. I knew that she was going to harp on it until they met Nick, so I figured that I might as well get it out of the way, so I didn’t have to dread it.

  “I will see what I can do.”

  “Good. Make it tonight, Betty. You know how I hate to wait.”

  She walked out and that meant that the discussion was over. It didn’t feel over. I felt like I had more to say, but not according to her. I sighed to myself, wondering if he would even want to come.

  14

  Nick

  “Hey, Betty, what’s up? I didn’t know that you were coming by.”

  I was getting ready to take a shower, after working out for a while. My shirt was off, and I only had some running shorts on. I had her attention, her eyes falling over all of my chest. It made me smile and I invited her in. Whatever she was here for, I was more than happy to help out where I could.

  “I wanted to know if you were busy tonight.”

  “I had that set to go to. Do you not want to go?”

  She agreed that she did, but I could tell that there was something wrong. Betty wasn’t very good at hiding her emotions and something was bothering her. I needed to find out what it was because I didn’t like to see her frowning. Betty must have thought that I would be able to help her, or she wouldn’t have come to me.

  “I do, it’s just…”

  Something was stilling her tongue and making it hard for me to get a straight answer out of her. Why wouldn’t she tell me what was going on?

  “What, what is it, Betty? I don’t think I’ve seen you look like this before. Why don’t you just tell me what is going on, and I will help you.”

  “My parents want you to come over for dinner tonight.”

  I chuckled before I could stop myself. She acted like it was the worst thing in the world, but I could think of far worse things than that.

  “What time?”

  “We eat at nine.”

  “That’s cool. We will finish up a bit early and get back here. It’s no big deal.”

  “You’re okay with it?”

  “Yeah, why not?”

  “Because it’s my parents.”

  I waved her off. I had dealt with so many complicated people that I didn’t even really think about it anymore. I was brought in to bend a person’s will for my father. I was rather good at reading people, so I didn’t get intimidated with anyone, not even her father.

  “Nah, I don’t worry about it. It will be fine. Is there something I need to know?”

  She said that there wasn’t, but words were still dying to come out. She gave me this look like I wasn’t being truthful, but I was. Her dad would like me, just like everyone else did that I wanted to. I cared about Betty, and I wasn’t going to mess this up. I knew how to turn the charm on when it was time. Apparently, it was time.

  I finally said something about her staring at my chest, and she looked away quickly, face getting red. I loved the color on her cheeks, even more because I knew that I had caused it. Betty still lit a fire inside of me and when I got a little more attentive to her luscious curves, I started to peek out more and she told me so, face burning.

  “Is that what you are look at?”

  “No, I mean, yeah. But, that’s just because it’s all right there.”

  Betty was stuttering, another adorable trait I was going to enjoy exploiting. She had so many, I was losing count. I moved closer and her voice hitched in her throat.

  “You do this to me, Betty. You make it impossible to tame my feelings. I want to, truly.”

  Her green eyes sparkled, watching my lips move closer to hers. It was all just a whisper on my lips, and she leaned in. That small movement was the permission I needed. That was all that it took for me to move forward the rest of the way.

  As soon as our lips touched, I lost myself for a moment. She tasted so good and I had been waiting for it. We hadn’t been apart that long, but any amount of time without her in my arms was too long. Never had I dreamed that I would feel this way about a woman and now I didn’t want to let the feeling go, not even for a moment.

  My moment was cut short, though. Apparently, it was too much for Betty and she was pushing against my chest.

  “Why do you keep stopping me? I just want to kiss you.”

  My hands were still on her hips and I pressed her a little closer. I knew that it was in bad form, as I told her my needs. My desire was brushing up against her, and the extra sensation made it jerk, which made Betty gasp and me snicker. So innocent and tempting…

  “I know what that leads to.”

  “It can lead to lots of things, Betty. It doesn’t have to lead to that. I could make you feel good, if you just let me.”

  She shook her head, at the same time her body was rubbing back against me. Was that another sign? I wanted to believe so, leaning down to kiss her again. I was supposed to be getting ready, but it wasn’t the right time. Opportunity was calling and I couldn’t ignore the call.

  I forgot myself for a moment, letting myself do what I am used to doing. My lips were on hers, my hand was touching her breast, and then my other one was trying to dive inside of her pants. It was done without thinking, because that was the formula that every girl needed to get there. She was no different, and I was sure that I would be able to convince her.

  About the time I was getting through, I felt heat and wetness, before Betty was gasping and pulling back. Her hand pushed on mine and she was shaken. Hell, I was too. I just wanted to make her feel good and she was so ready. I was dying for it. Why couldn’t she see that?

  When I finally looked at her, Betty’s eyes were wide, and it occurre
d to me that I’d gone too far. I wanted more, needed it really, but not yet.

  “Sorry, Betty. I don’t know why I keep forgetting myself. You’re just very damn tempting.”

  She smiled, but she didn’t answer. I could feel wetness on my fingers and I wanted to taste it, but knew that wouldn’t go over well. It was impossible to tone down the feelings that I had for her. I don’t even know if I wanted to. All I knew for certain was that I needed to break down the barriers between us.

  “I thought it wouldn’t lead to sex.”

  Betty had a bit of an accusation on her lips now, but I wasn’t listening to it. I wasn’t necessarily going to have sex with her. I would have been more than content to rub and taste on her for a while. A few orgasms and I would be satisfied enough just in the show.

  “I told you that there are many things that I can do to make you feel good, Betty, that have nothing to do with sex. There are plenty of ways. Do you want me to show you?”

  It was a slim chance she would say yes, but I tried anyway. I wasn’t too upset when she turned me down, but nothing had changed.

  “No, I got to go get ready so that I can come with to listen to you play.”

  “It can relieve a lot of tension. I feel like you have quite a bit, Betty.”

  “You’re probably right, but I am not ready for this, Nick. We just met.”

  I was desperate for another answer. My lips were adamant and she kissed me back soon enough, mewling against me. I had never wanted someone so much in all of my memories.

  “Just let me make you feel good, Betty. I will be so gentle, and I won’t try to push it. Just let me touch you.”

  Betty bit her lower lip and it was sexy as hell. She certainly had something on her mind, and I wanted to believe that it was too good of an offer to refuse. I needed to believe that.

  I moved my hand slowly back down between her legs, but I wasn’t worried about getting any skin to skin action, no matter how badly I wanted that.

  Betty made the sweetest sound when I got where I was going. I put some pressure on her mound, and I couldn’t stop the immediate effect it had on me, to hear her make those sounds of unsure pleasure. It didn’t take long, before her breath was ragged and she was starting to move to a rhythm. Betty was encouraging it all, her lips answering questions of her desires. She was whimpering and saying my name, though I didn’t know what exactly she was looking for.

  It didn’t take long before she was moving faster and my lips were on her neck and shoulders, nibbling as I felt her body tense up. It happened quickly and she made the sweetest sounds, as she orgasmed to my touch. All of it was exactly as I knew it would be, delicious.

  My own need was going to have to wait and with inhuman strength, I pulled my hand away and kissed her on the cheek.

  “I am leaving in a few minutes, so why don’t you go get changed. You said you needed to, right?”

  She agreed, but Betty was dazed and the look on her face was one of confusion. I kissed her lips, coaxing her to come back in a few minutes. I knew that I should have held her, told her that I liked it so much, but I couldn’t. I needed my own quick shower now, and I wanted it done before I played. I couldn’t play when I was so backed up.

  “Do you really want me to go, Nick?” Betty was pouting and it wasn’t helping. Even that was sexy as hell.

  “No, Betty, I don’t want you to go, Betty, but if you don’t go pretty quick, I am not going to be able to keep my word.”

  Her eyes widened and she pushed back.

  15

  Betty

  We were a little late getting to the club, but no one seemed to mind. I wasn't the only one that had to change and get dressed. I knew that a lot of the reason that Nick had to was because of what we had done right before we left. My mind could not get that out of my head, and my body still had fragments of the feelings that lingered.

  The place was much like the one that we had met at. The music was obviously the same and that was one of the best parts of it. It was a little grungy, though. The floors were dirty, and the table was sticky when I set my arm on it. I tried not to think too much of it, but it was actually a distraction that I needed.

  Once Nick got on the stage and started to sing, it felt like he was talking to me when he did it. I don't know why, but I found that to be one of the hardest things to focus on. It made me realize that all of the feelings I had were from somewhere. This guy was unlike anyone I’d ever met before, and I knew that I would have never met him in California. Maybe my mom was on to something. Maybe I needed a different breed of man to satisfy me. The ones in California were never quite what I needed and wanted.

  I had never thought that of myself; however, it was becoming clear that I needed a different sort of man. I had never known that. It seemed like I was learning new things about myself all the time, and I hadn’t even been here all that long. Self-discovery was going to be frequent on this trip.

  The surroundings faded back, and I was only interested in the man that I was watching. He had the look of pleasure on his face. There was excitement in his eyes, and I could tell that he was happy. For a moment, I was a little jealous, wondering if I was ever going to find that thing that would give me the same fire in my eyes. I had a ten-year plan, sure, where I wanted to be and what I wanted to accomplish, but would any of that ever make me that blissfully happy? I had a feeling that the answer to that was going to be no.

  When he was done with the set, I looked at my watch and realized that we were going to be late for my parents’ dinner as well. I sent a text to my mom to give her a heads up that we were running about fifteen minutes behind, but I knew that it wasn't going to be enough. They were very adamant in the fact that I was to treat their time like it was golden. They both thought that their time was far more precious than basically everyone else’s.

  The last thing I wanted to do was interrupt him or rush him. I knew they had a few songs left to do and I hoped that the fifteen-minute leeway that I gave us would be enough. The second set was midway thru and we were way past the time of leaving. I tried not to feel antsy. I don't know why I was so anxious about the dinner. I wanted everyone to get along. I wanted my parents to like Nick, and I knew that if we came in late, it was going to start us off on the wrong foot. That was something that I just didn't want to do.

  Thankfully, I didn't have to say anything to Nick. He was immediately apologetic and told me that we were leaving right away.

  “I'm glad that I brought some wine with me. It usually smooths things over. I got it from my parents’ collection. This stuff is older than I am, and it always gets the parentals smiling. Wait and see.”

  I wanted to believe him. Hell, I hoped that he was right. I did not want to hear it from my parents about us being late. It didn't matter how old I was, their dissatisfaction was felt immediately for a long time after. I did not want this to be one of those times. Me giving the excuse of my date’s music set going a little later than usual would not be the kind of excuse that I could use. I didn't even dare to.

  “I hope you're right, Nick. You don't know my parents.”

  “I bet they're just like mine. Trust me, I know them. At least with yours, though, we don't have to tell them the truth right away.”

  I couldn't help but look at him a little funny.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I was thinking that they didn't have to know that we were late because of my music. If I told my dad that, he would lose it, trust me. I have to believe that your father would be the same way.”

  “I have a feeling that our parents are quite the same, then. We can tell them that you had a business meeting that ran over. He will just assume that it has to do with your father and I'm sure he'll just let it go. Business first, always.”

  It wouldn't be the first time that I had to fib to my parents a little bit. They never did want to see things my way, so I figured with a little information changed, they would. I really didn't know why I was so interested in them li
king Nick, but I was. It was important to me and telling a little white lie to my parents was not even an issue. I just wanted them to see the good in Nick, like I did. Maybe I was always hoping that they would stay off my back about finding a man.

  He agreed with me and when we got to my parents’ house, I could tell that they wanted to know what had happened. I told them that we had to stay behind so that Nick could take care of something and it went exactly like I knew it would. They immediately thought that it was some kind of work thing Nick was doing and technically it was.

  My father didn't think of much else than making money, so he must have assumed that everybody else was the same way. It smoothed things over almost immediately, and I was glad that we started with it. If not, it would have been an awkward conversation and the whole time they would have been wondering what happened. I had always found that putting a potential problem out in the forefront first always seemed to make it so much better. I had never been good at tiptoeing around things.

  My parents were quite ecstatic that I had brought Nick home. They assumed that we were together in a meaningful way, and I didn't know if we were or not, so I didn't really say anything one way or another. They embarrassed me over and over again, telling stories that were nothing that I wanted him to know about. He didn't need to know about a boyfriend that stood me up on prom or the fact that I had trouble with keeping boys.

  Even as my mom said it, I wanted to crawl into the walls so nobody could see me. I couldn't believe some of the things that came out of her mouth and it just made it a million times worse. I'm not sure if she knew that I had never been with any one before. I guess it was just something instinctual for someone like her. But for me, I had gone the unpopular route of waiting. It wasn't like I was waiting for marriage, but I was waiting for something. It was just this feeling that I had. If it wasn't one hundred percent perfect and I wasn't dying for it, what was really the point of doing it?