The Neighbor - Don't Hate Me

It was so ungodly amazing that I felt like I was going to pass out. My head tingled. My body vibrated.

“Shh,” Max said before closing his eyes.

He thrust hard and deep, grunting as he came inside me. My body felt like a feather floating through the air as reality reappeared around me.

Max gently eased himself out, dropping down on the bed next to me. He was breathing as if he’d just finished a race.

“That was fucking amazing,” he said as he worked to steady his breathing. “I’ve never—”

“Me either,” I said, knowing exactly what he was going to say. Max and I fit together perfectly, and what we experienced was mind-blowing.

Max pulled me into his arm and kissed the top of my head. I almost laughed. I couldn’t believe how angry I’d been when I’d first walked over… now I was lying in his bed.

Max sighed as he pressed his head against mine. “I hate to say this, but you have to leave.”

9

Max

She shot straight up, just like my cock had only moments ago. Her jaw was stiff, and even in the darkness, I could tell she was glaring at me.

“Sorry?” she asked sharply.

“I… I’d love for you to stay but my daughter,” I said, sitting up. I took her hand, but she pulled it away. “She doesn’t even know you exist. How could I explain?”

Hope’s eyes lowered, and her jaw relaxed. She let out a breath before she crawled out of bed.

Her dress was back on far too quickly.

“I’m sorry,” I said, getting out of the bed. I placed my hands on her shoulders. “I won’t keep you a secret. I’ll tell her about you, but I just don’t want her to find out like this.”

“I get it,” Hope said, holding up her hand. “Daddy’s not allowed to have sleepovers.”

I ran my fingers through my hair. “Yeah, I’m not. At least not yet.”

“I’ll see you around,” Hope said as she reached out for the doorknob.

“Hope,” I said, grabbing her hand. “I don’t want you leaving like this. I don’t want you mad at me. I want to see you again.” A smile curled my lips. “I want to do this again, don’t you?”

I grabbed her waist and pulled her clothed body against my nakedness. The feel of her silky dress was almost enough to get me going again.

“Yes,” she said. “I do. But as soon as I walk out the door, I have to return to my life. I’d rather stay here and forget about all that.”

Hope looked up at me. She looked scared and lost. It was strange, but all I wanted to do was to take care of the woman staring up at me.

“I’ll help you any way I can,” I said.

“Will you?” she asked. “Or will I just be greeted by uniformed men again tomorrow? Or the next day? I’m tired, Max. My friends don’t get that. I’m done with partying. I’m forty-one, and I don’t have anything to show for my life. All I have is the house, and if I don’t figure out a way to pay my bills, I’m going to lose that too.”

“We’ll figure it out,” I said as I wrapped my arms around her. “I won’t call the police again. I’ll come to talk to you. I was an asshole, and I won’t let it happen again.”

She grinned. “You really were.”

“I’m sorry, Hope,” I said. “It’s been a rough few years for me too. It’s not easy raising a daughter by myself. I promise you we will work this all out. I don’t want to go another day without you. You’re the missing piece of my puzzle. I don’t think you realize how long I’ve been looking for that piece… so long, I gave up. But here you are, the last place I thought to look.”

Hope’s eyes were glassy. “I kept trying to fit in the wrong puzzles.”

I chuckled before kissing her soft lips. I didn’t want to pull away, but I forced myself.

“Can I walk you home?” I asked.

“Sure,” Hope said.

I took her hand in mine, and we walked side by side across the yard to her place. We kissed for a long time on her front porch. She didn’t pull away until a car turned at the end of the block.

“That’s probably Olivia,” she said.

“You don’t want her to see us together?” I asked with a raised brow.

“She’s going to ask me a lot of questions,” Hope said, raising herself onto her tip-toes. “See you tomorrow?”

“Can’t wait,” I said.

I was back inside my house before the car pulled in the driveway. There was a light on upstairs and a shadow moving back in forth in front of the window. The light flicked off when the car door slammed shut.

“Good night, Hope,” I whispered and went to bed.

In the morning, I rehearsed in my head over and over again what I would tell Lily. She was feeling better, but still, I had to keep her home from school. I wasn’t exactly sure how to tell her, so, at breakfast, I just blurted it out.