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Well, not beautiful. That wasn’t the word. Not pretty either. Or cute. Not with that wild, choppy hair in chunks of brown and black and purple. And those dark eyes that looked like they absorbed everything and let nothing show through. And her pale, flawless skin. She wasn’t pretty—she was striking. Like a kick to the gut. And he hadn’t felt that since…
Hell, he hadn’t felt that since he was an idiot boy getting his first taste of a girl from the big city. So maybe he hadn’t grown up so much after all.
But regardless of where she was from, this wasn’t L.A. and he wasn’t signing up for a life of debauchery. He was just checking on a neighbor.
So, Cole stood up—purposefully not pressing a hand to his thigh as it screamed—and walked out to knock on her door.
The silence that followed wasn’t a good sign. Eight o’clock was late by his standards, but too early for a girl like her, maybe. But the more likely truth was that she wasn’t there. She’d disappeared as quickly as she’d shown up. Seemed about right. Rayleen had sent Grace on her way. Those two would probably get along like a couple of feral cats.
Convinced that the place was just as empty as it had been two days before, Cole started to leave, only to swing back around when a muffled voice interrupted the silence. “Who is it?”
“It’s Cole,” he said, a smile springing so quickly to his face that it startled him. When she didn’t respond, he added, “Your neighbor.”
The door opened. Not all the way, of course, just enough to reveal Grace standing there glaring at him.
“Good morning,” he offered, his eyes dipping to take her in. She was dressed in jeans and a black hoodie, but her feet were bare, aside from the deep blue polish on her toenails.
“Somebody painted over the peephole,” she muttered, running a hand through her crazy hair. It stood up in wild layers that somehow made her look younger. Or maybe that was the faded, smeared makeup. But he noticed that her lips were still a deep pink color, even first thing in the morning. That wasn’t lipstick. That was just the sweet shade of her mouth.
“The what?” he finally remembered to ask.
“The peephole,” she gestured at the door.
“Oh.” He looked over his shoulder at his own door. “I guess I never noticed.”
“I guess you wouldn’t. Did you need something?”
“No. I just wanted to check on you.”
“Me?” Her eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“Well, we’re neighbors. And I hadn’t heard so much as a door shut since I saw you yesterday. I thought maybe Old Rayleen had sent you on your way.”
She started to shake her head, and then seemed to be caught by surprise by a huge yawn. Her hand clutched the edge of the door and swung it farther open. The place looked the same as yesterday. Not one piece of furniture or sign of life. The kitchen was dark and quiet.
Cole was craning his neck to look around her when Grace seemed to realize what he was doing and narrowed the opening. But he’d seen enough. None of her stuff was here yet.
“Want a cup of coffee?”
For a second, her dark, fathomless eyes flared with emotion. Something close to lust.
“It’s already brewed,” he coaxed.
“Mmm.” She glanced toward his door, and he knew she was hoping he’d offer to bring her a cup and leave her alone. Fat chance.
“Come on. We can leave my front door open, since I make you nervous.”
“Ha!” Her laugh was rusty and gorgeous. “Why would you make me nervous?”
Cole wasn’t sure he liked the emphasis she’d put on you, but he just smiled. “No idea. But I obviously do.”
“That’s not nervousness, cowboy. It’s called being smart enough not to get behind closed doors with a strange man.”
“Strange, huh? I hope you haven’t been listening to the stories about me. Half of them aren’t even true.”
“You wouldn’t know strange if it bit you on the ass,” she said, but she waved him back and stepped into the hall with a small smile. “Are you going to give me coffee or not?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he drawled, tipping an imaginary hat before he moved across the hall to open his door. “I was just about to have breakfast,” he lied. He’d eaten almost two hours before, but she didn’t seem to have done much shopping yet. “Will you eat bacon and eggs? If you’re a vegetarian, I can whip up some toast.”
