Page 8 of A Love Like Candle Light

“Abby, drop it. Right the fuck now.”

Chapter 2

Kylie

My lungs burn by the time I reach my neighbor’s house, every breath like needles piercing through my chest.

That’s what I get for being a home-office couch potato. At least I didn’t slip on the muddy ground. No better first impression than knocking on a new neighbors door covered from head to toe in wet earth.

Abby is by my side and stares up at me with eyes that say, ‘Seriously?’

Easy for her to think. She’s a dog. They have great endurance by design, Australian Shepherds even more so. Clearly, she finds my athletic abilities laughable.

I’d care more if I wasn’t fighting for every breath as I walk around the house and try to find a front door to knock on. Whoever lives here, their home is even bigger than I thought. Even from a distance, I could see it’s bigger than mine, but up close? Damn. It’s also way more modern and has the kind of subtle extravagance that’s probably twice the obvious extravagance price tag.

The windows are mirrored, there’s no way to look inside during daylight, but what I can see is neat and tidy. There are no toys in the front yard. So, not a family with small kids, what a relief. Abby is not the biggest fan of tiny humans.

Finally, I find a door and ring the bell with the urgency of a delivery driver trying to hand over the last package of the day.

“Come on, come on.” I wheeze, then take a step back and put my hands on my knees as I try to suck in a deep breath.

Holy shit, what a run. I should start jogging again. What if a serial killer decides this lake is the perfect scenery for a murder and breaks into my home? If I can only run five steps, I wouldn’t even make it out alive.

“Hello?”

I glance up, and my next attempt of a deep breath gets stuck in my throat.

“Hi,” I croak and force myself upright, clutching my shirt above my chest. Fuck, breathing is a challenge.

“So, um…” I stare at the guy and spontaneously forget how talking works.

Wow. I expected my neighbor to be less… hot. Maybe a nice retired couple who want to spend the rest of their life in the serenity of nature. Instead, it’s a guy almost as tall as the doorframe, with tattoos creeping down his muscular arms and even up his throat where they disappear in his raven-black hair.

And damn, what a wall of a man. His shirt is so tight over his biceps, one wrong move and the seams will pop open.

“Uh…” I stammer. An amused grin tugs at his lips. He must be used to making women speechless. “So, funny story-” I press out, but the rest of the sentence succumbs to my lungs fighting for air.

His eyes dart behind me and his cocky grin turns into a real smile as soon as he notices Abby. “Oh, who’s this?” He crouches down and beckons her closer. Abby immediately runs up to him and puts one of her muddy paws on his knee. “You’re a little beauty,” he coos, unfazed by the dirt on his jeans. “What’s your name?”

“It’s Abby,” I wheeze, still fighting for air. Finally, breathing is starting to come a little easier and my heart is calming down.

I’m not trying to peek into his house. I swear I’m not. Until suddenly a little fluffy head pops around the corner to his hallway, swiftly followed by the pitter-patter of dog feet on the ground rushing closer.

“Hi, Abby. Sorry-” He glances up at me with a worried frown, keeping his hands just above Abby’s fur. “I should have asked. Is it okay if I pet her?”

“Yes, of course. Abby loves head scratches,” I mumble distractedly, still staring at the golden retriever suddenly in the doorway. What an adorable creature. “So, I’m kind of your new neighbor and—”

“Really?” He looks up and I didn’t think it’s, but his face lights up even brighter. “Oh my God, that’s awesome. I love having more dogs around! You know, Nic and Lauren, the two girls who live over there-“ He points away from my house, to the other two mansions along the lake shore. “-they have cats.” He lowers his voice. “And not that I don’t like cats, but… they’re a little boring. Wonderful cuddle partners, though, I’ll give them that. I’ll have to introduce you to them sometime. Whoops. Speaking of introductions—” he gets back up again, pats some dirt off his jeans, gives up when a spot remains, and extends his hand. “I’m Kieran. Nice to meet you.”

“Kylie,” I answer. Finally, the fire in my lungs is extinguished and I can take a deep breath. Keep up, Kylie. “Listen, Kieran, it’s lovely to meet you and all, but I’m not here for introductions.”

If I were I’d be wearing something more presentable than the comfortable jogging pants I threw on when I expected this day to be a bunch of cleaning and unpacking.

“You weren’t?” He cocks his head, eerily similar to Abby when she’s trying to figure out if I’m going to give her some of the food I’m holding anytime soon. “Do you need sugar? Some eggs? Don’t worry, I’m the perfect neighbor. I have everything here.”

“What? No, I’m not baking. I just…” Calm down, Kylie. I take a deep breath and clear my throat. “So there kind of might or might not be a human skeleton in my yard.”

Kieran freezes. Then his eyes widen, his jaw drops and he blindly reaches for the doorframe.