Bully Next Door

She wanted him.

Nibbling on her lip, she turned away from the mirror. There was no way she was going to worry about how she looked for Hector. This was a teaching opportunity.

She made the bed as best she could with her dog still asleep, only peering up at her to squint daggers in her direction.

“I get it. I get it. You’re comfortable. It’s my bed as well.”

Her dog grumbled, and Verity laughed.

After making her way downstairs, she went straight to the coffee machine. She needed her hit of caffeine in the morning. The scent filled her kitchen, and she glanced in the fridge to see her tofu was marinating perfectly to use the small barbeque stand she’d purchased.

With the coffee finished, she poured herself a nice big mug and went to open the curtains. She had finished all the ones in the back and was at the front to open them. She took a sip of her coffee, opened the curtain, and froze as she caught sight of Hector jogging toward her. Well, not toward her, but toward his house.

He didn’t see her, and Verity perched behind her curtain, sipping coffee and just watching him.

At his home, he stopped, clicked a button on his watch, and then leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. He wore a pair of tight-fitting shorts, a large shirt, and all of his muscles were on display.

The Hector from her youth was not the man who stood mere feet away now.

He was all man. All toned.

She licked her lips and felt like a fool for doing so.

Hector glanced toward her, and she didn’t know if he could see her or not. She quickly started to fuss with the curtain, sipping at her coffee and feeling like an idiot for ogling her neighbor.

What the hell is wrong with me?

She didn’t do crazy stuff like this.

Stepping away, she finished her coffee and entered the kitchen to clean up the mess. She wasn’t hungry, and as she checked the time, she saw it was near seven-thirty.

The thought of going over there made her nervous.

“Get a grip, Verity. He’s just a neighbor. There’s nothing to this.” Squaring her shoulders, she grabbed her keys and left her home.

She stepped up to Hector’s front door.

He opened it with a towel wrapped around his neck. “Right on time.”

“I don’t like to keep you waiting.”

“We’re all good. I’m starving. So, what’s for breakfast?”

“I was thinking of oats and fruit, but after seeing you run like that, I’m thinking a little more substantial.” She cringed at admitting she’d seen him running.

“Tell me about it. I’m starving.”

“How about I do you something a little more to keep you going until lunchtime, and then tonight I show you how to soak some oats? Will that work?” she asked.

“Sounds delightful.”

She smiled and escaped to the sanctuary of his kitchen. After opening up the fridge, she pulled out some fresh mushrooms and tomatoes, remembering the loaf of bread at the last minute.

Hector came in seconds later, and he moved in close beside her.

“Where do you want me, teach?” he asked.

“Wherever you feel it is better to learn.” She froze as he put a hand on her waist and reached over her.

He didn’t touch flesh, but the feel of his hand made her ache, and she couldn’t believe how a simple touch could make her feel so many different things. She wasn’t a virgin. There had been men in her life, so it wasn’t like she was new to all of this. Far from it.

She loved sex. Had enjoyed quite a bit of sex with partners. Men who she had thought were the ones, but it had always ended with her crying into some tissues. She got tired of the pain and so had vowed to never date men again. Then her mother had passed, and she hadn’t been with a man since.

She shook the feeling off as he released her.

Clearly, her body wanted something she didn’t want to give.

Forcing a smile to her lips, she tried to act normally.

“We can start by preparing the mushrooms.” She talked him through the process of peeling the skins, and then if there was dirt, wiping it away with a piece of tissue, or on a clean towel.

Hector didn’t interrupt once. He followed her instructions.

Each time he got close, it was like he awakened a need within her body, and that just wasn’t good.

This was Hector Carter.

Asshole and bully.

But you promised not to hold a grudge.

She didn’t hold a grudge against him or the past, but that didn’t mean she should be attracted to him.

Life was so unfair. She wanted to sob. Instead, she got to work cooking him breakfast.

“Make sure you do enough for yourself,” Hector said.

“Huh?”

“You’re teaching me how to cook, but there is no way I’m throwing you out so I can eat. We’ll eat together. I insist.”