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What the heck? “Yeah…”
“I’ll be back.”
“Do you think your sisters are mad?” I asked absentmindedly.
“No. And it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks.” He kissed me on the forehead and fluffed my hair, repeating that he’d be back.
I silently watched him leave the room, grabbing a pair of Jordans on his way out.
Alone now, my head began to spin as if I’d entered the Twilight Zone.
I folded over onto the bed and rested my head on a pillow. From this vantage point, I could almost see my own bed perfectly. I rolled to my other side and stared at the wall.
A wave of exhaustion washed over me, and I closed my eyes.
CHAPTER EIGHT
ROSELYNN
AFTER HIM
It was never okay to ring a doorbell before seven in the morning. That had to be a law somewhere. Especially mine. My house was practically barren, making the chimes that much louder. Not having to work until four that afternoon, I’d planned on sleeping in. The person continuously ringing my doorbell ruined that for me.
Stumbling off my air mattress, I scrubbed a hand over my face and ambled towards the front door. A steady drip, drip came from the living room, signaling that the water was close to overflowing in the bucket.
“Motherfucker,” I muttered as the bell chimed again.
Angrily flinging the heavy oak door open, I planted a hand on my hip. I didn’t give a flying fuck that the only thing I had on was my WW thong and tank top. They were the ones at my door. At least, I didn’t care until I saw who it was.
“Max?”
Now wide awake, I stared at him, taking a quick inventory of the coffee carrier in his hands and a small brown bag. I’d expected to see the guy around town a time or two, maybe. He wasn’t supposed to show up on my doorstep.
“Well, good morning, sunshine,” he drawled with a huge grin on his face.
“How do you know where I live?” I questioned with more than a little suspicion, peering over his shoulder.
“Oh, I’m your new neighbor.” He jerked his chin towards the only other house on the street.
“Just wait until you see the guys next door,” were the exact words the realtor had said.
“You’ve got to be shitting me.” I couldn’t help but laugh. What better way was there to meet the neighbor than letting him bend you over the hood of a stranger’s car?
“I saw you pull the sign out of the yard the day you moved in. I was getting ready to head to work,” he confessed.
“And you were all the way at Gooskis because…?”
“It’s the only dive in town.”
That said it all. His reasoning was the exact same as mine; I couldn’t find fault in it. Yet. I wasn’t going to take this all at face value, it was too weird and a certain someone had taught me some life lessons the hard way. We eyed one another for a few silent beats--him continuing to stare at me like the sun was orbiting my face. I didn’t like it.
“Are you gonna invite me in? I brought goodies.” He lifted the paper bag and shook it for emphasis.
“Yeah, sure. Come on.” I turned and headed for the kitchen, peeking over my shoulder to make sure he was following. Of course, his eyes were locked on my ass.
He quickly looked away when he saw me watching him, glancing everywhere else but back at me. Smothering a laugh, I shook my head, deciding not to make a big deal about it. I’d never been bothered by nudity in any capacity. Being a Moretto bride—being his--pretty much erased any sensitivities one might have.
Max looked around my house with a troubled frown that continued to grow. I knew it was impossible not to notice the major lack of furniture, the walls that desperately needed painting, and the overall depressing state of the Tudor.
Max being the gentleman, I pegged him for, didn’t say a word. He would have had this place demolished if I dared think of living in it.
“So, why didn’t you introduce yourself sooner?” I asked as we entered the kitchen, gesturing to the round wooden table for him to sit.
“I planned to. I didn’t think I’d see you at Gooskis,” he replied with a shrug, leaving out the rest of our nightly festivities.
“Hm.”
I walked into the laundry room just off the kitchen and grabbed a random pair of sweatpants, hobbling into them before I went back out.
“That’s for you,” Max said when he saw me. He had sat one of the coffees in front of an empty chair and placed a large blueberry muffin on one of my saucers.
“Thank you.” I smiled, happily accepting my coffee and sweet.
“Do you usually answer the door without clothes on?”
An unladylike snort flew from my nose. “You just saw my bare, naked ass bent over last night. Is it bothering you all of a sudden?”
