The Promise (Neighbor from Hell 10)

“You’ve had it since you were little,” he said, making her smile.

“Jackson got it for me the first time you went to Disneyworld,” she said, turning her head so that she could kiss his chin.

“He dragged me to ten different stores looking for that damn thing,” he said, chuckling as he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers.

“Were you able to talk any sense into your cousin?” she asked, turning around in his arms so that she could wrap her arms around him.

“No, but we did manage to get the heat working and the water turned on,” he said, gently caressing her back.

“Any idea why he couldn’t stop glaring at the house across the street?” she asked, pressing a kiss against his chest as she closed her eyes and decided to forget about everything else.

“No, but I have a feeling that it had something to do with him quitting his job and suddenly deciding to move to the other side of the state,” Reed said on a groan as he ran his hands down her back and over her bottom.

“He quit his job?” Joey asked, trying to stay focused but it was becoming increasingly difficult with the way he was touching her.

“Mmmhmm, he probably would have made partner in another year,” he said, kissing his way down to her neck.

“All of a sudden?” she asked, frowning only to moan when he found that spot on her neck that drove her crazy.

“Mmmhmm,” he murmured as he reached up and cupped her breast.

“Why?”

“He wouldn’t say,” Reed said, giving her breast one last squeeze before he reached down and picked her up.

“And you didn’t ask,” she guessed as she wrapped her legs around him.

“No,” he said, moving towards the wall as he kissed her

“Why not?” she asked, threading her fingers through his hair as she kissed the man that made everything better.

“Because all I cared about was getting back to you.”

Chapter 41

Tuesday

“The alarm’s going off.”

“I know,” the small woman sprawled out on top of him mumbled before releasing another one of those sad little sighs that had his lips twitching.

“We need to go to work,” he said as he continued to slowly run his fingertips up and down her spine.

“I know,” she mumbled sadly.

“Are you planning on getting up this morning?” he asked, reaching over to push the hair out of her face so that he could see that cute little pout that he loved so much.

“I’m getting up right now,” she mumbled even as she continued laying there, looking adorably pathetic.

“I can see that,” he murmured, more than fine with laying here with her in his arms, but when several minutes went by, and she still hadn’t moved he decided that it was time to do the one thing that he hadn’t done in five years.

He was going to call in sick.

Keeping one arm around her, he grabbed his phone off the nightstand and sent a text to Mrs. MacArthur and Erin, his vice principal, and let them know that he wouldn’t be coming in today. He also let them know that Dr. Lawson sent him an email telling him that she was taking a sick day as well. When he was done, he tossed his phone aside and resumed tracing her spine with his fingertips.

“We have to get up,” she mumbled on a groan, sounding so damn miserable that he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“No, we don’t,” he said, kissing her forehead.

Frowning, she looked up at him. “We don’t?”

“I called in sick so that you could stay home and be miserable.”

“Really?” she asked, blinking up at him.

“Mmmhmm,” he murmured as he closed his eyes and-

“What exactly does one do during a sick day?” she asked, looking adorably confused.

“Well,” Reed said, brushing her hair back over her ear, “normally you’d spend the day sipping ginger ale and watching bad daytime television, but since we’re not actually sick, we can do whatever we want.”

“I see,” she murmured, looking thoughtful as she considered his words.

“When’s the last time you took a sick day?” he asked, watching as the furry little bastard that had attacked his feet all night jumped back onto the bed and curled up on the pillow Joey only used when she was reading and narrowed his eyes on Reed.

“I’ve never taken a sick day,” she said, making him frown as she reached over to pet the little bastard that he affectionately called, “Asshole” whenever she wasn’t around.

“Seriously?”

Nodding, she said, “Perfect attendance.”

“That’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard,” he said, smiling when she mumbled, “I know.”

“Okay, then what do you want to do today?” he asked as he leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose.

“Could we sleep in?” she asked, worrying her bottom lip.

“Yes.”

“Have a late breakfast in bed?”

“I think that could be arranged,” he said, chuckling.

“And perhaps if there’s time, we could have sex?” she asked, looking so damn hopeful that all he could do was groan as he rolled her over onto her back and settled between her legs.

*-*-*-*

Wednesd

ay

“The alarm’s going off.”

“I know,” she said, making sure to add a sniffle followed by a slight cough because she didn’t want to overdo it.

“Is everything okay?” the man that she’d spent an amazing day in bed with yesterday asked as he pulled her more tightly against him.

“Yes,” sniffle, cough, sniffle, “everything’s fine.”

“Are you sure?” he asked as he kissed her shoulder.

Cough.

“Positive.”

Sniffle, sniffle.

“Are you coming down with something, baby?” he asked as brushed her hair aside so that he could kiss the side of her neck.

Sniffle.

Cough.

“I might be,” Joey said, following that up with another sniffle.

“Do you want to call in sick?” Reed asked as he slid his hand down to her hip.

Sniffle. “I might have to,” she said, with a small cough that threatened to turn into a moan when he used his hold on her hip to pull her back and-

“We really might,” he said as he slid inside her and she closed her eyes on a sigh, and after a slight pause and a sniffle, because she didn’t want him thinking that she was faking it or anything.

*-*-*-*

Thursday

“I’m sorry to call you so early, Mr. Bradford, but I have Dr. Lawson on the other line, and I’m afraid she’s still not feeling very well,” Mrs. MacArthur said, making Reed turn around and head upstairs when a faint “Meow” caught his attention.

“I see,” he murmured as he turned back around and headed towards the kitchen.

“I wasn’t sure what the policy was for Dr. Lawson, but since you normally like to be notified when staff is out for more than two days, I thought that it would be for the best if I called.”

“That’s fine,” he said, coming to a stop in front of the hallway closet when he heard what sounded suspiciously like, “Shhhhhh.”

“You know what,” Reed said as he opened the closet door and found Joey, looking guilty as hell, kneeling on the floor with her cellphone in one hand and the furry little bastard in the other, “I meant to call you sooner, but I’m afraid that I’m not going to be able to come in today.”