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One sly corner of his mouth turned up.
“We can move our cars to the street.” Play nice. Build a good foundation. A happy landlord was the key to a happy home.
He opened his mouth to speak, but fell into a lip-biting sigh. “Oh, shit, I should give you the garage door codes and remotes. Hang on.”
“No rush.”
He stopped and stood with the other guys. “I’ll get them to you before dark. Oh, and, this is my… moving crew. Bennett and Archer, and Lana’s around here somewhere.”
Bennett nudged Vann in the arm and flashed extra charm in his smile. “We’re his friends. Vann is under the impression that moving here will buy him some quiet, but this place is pretty central, so we’ll be here often.”
Sarcasm twitched a corner of Vann’s mouth into a smile. Bennett was textbook hot. Archer was book cover sexy.
But Vann was… all of that. Plus a dash of something… irresistible. Like cozying up by a roaring fire. On a stormy day. With a glass of buttery chardonnay. And a romance novel. And cheddar and sour cream potato chips.
Comfort. Coziness…
And okay, fuck, sex. Lots of it. Cozy sex on a stormy day and then wine and books and snacks.
“Oh. Okay.” Eryn nibbled the edge of her lip as she eyed the left fourth digits of all their hands. Her new neighbor was the only one without a wedding ring. That cozy morning in bed on a stormy day was looking tempting as hell. “So you live alone?”
His brow scrunched in curious question, and he tipped a subtle nod.
Whatever cat had Lexi’s tongue finally released. “We’ll help you unload. The sun will be coming out from behind the clouds soon, so it might get too hot to work outside.”
Vann tipped a nod, going with the flow of Lexi’s sudden awkwardness. Of course, he wouldn’t know that Lexi was usually the friendlier sister.
Breezing in with the gusting wind, a woman with wild dark hair and an infectious brightness rounded the corner. She tucked her phone into her back pocket. “We can handle it, but help would be fantastic.”
Vann turned toward the newcomer and rumbled, “Lana, I’m not imposing on my new neighbors.”
Lana wrapped her arm around Archer’s middle as he folded her in close. Like the air suddenly tasted sweeter, she inhaled deeply and melted into his side. She waved a friendly hello.
The way he grasped her side. The fingertips of his other hand brushing over the bare skin of her arm. Both brightened, with a sweet love and an exquisitely sensual attraction.
“We’ll be happy to help our new landlord.” Lexi nudged Eryn in the ribs until she nodded.
“Ouch. Don’t call me that.” Vann winced and stepped back. “Sorry. I’m usually the renter, not the other guy.”
“Neighbor, then. Nice way to get to know our new neighbor, who we happen to pay to keep a roof over our heads and our apartment functional,” Lexi said brightly. “Like the slow drain. Oh, and the blinds that get stuck. There’s the front door latch—”
Eryn jammed her elbow into her sister’s ribs. “Later. Let’s butter him up with moving assistance before we list our demands.”
“Good plan.” Lexi flashed a wink before tugging her hair back into a messy pony.
Vann smiled with a gleam of amusement in his rich brown eyes. The man was a walking space heater.
Had the ER drained what little life she had left, so meeting healthy, happy, energetic people was… thrilling?
While the “moving crew” started visiting with each other and getting to the task, Eryn fiddled her toes in her flip-flops and cradled her cooled coffee closer. Heavy lifting was not on today’s agenda, but c’est la vie. She turned to change into moving shoes.
Lexi set a foot on a stair and started tying her boots.
“What was that all about?” Eryn whispered, pausing next to her sister.
“What?” Lexi asked innocently, and snuck a look back at Vann and his friends.
“You know. You were weird. They’re all hot as hell. Like, ridiculously hot. Bennett seems like your type, but you were rude.”
