AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Hadn’t there been that little flicker of interest in his eyes earlier? She could have sworn she’d seen something...
She shook her head. Nope. “Don’t be an idiot, Alex. This isnota date. He’s not interested in you like that.”
Technically, she was still married. And overall, she was a flaming-hot dumpster fire. Apregnantflaming-hot dumpster fire.
Yeah. She scoffed. What sane man would want to get involved with her?
Catching her reflection in the vanity mirror, she scowled. “Get over it, Alex. That man isnotfor you.”
She abandoned her search for a brush and returned to the closet. After pulling on a black T-shirt and the gray, zippered sweatshirt, a glance at the clock showed she had five minutes.
Giving herself a final once-over, she winced. To say she looked like a frumpy mess would be generous. Her makeup-free face was flushed from the mad dash, and her long black hair had fallen out of its makeshift bun and settled around her in a wavy mess. To top it all off, her ill-fitting clothes dwarfed her petite frame.
She pursed her lips. It would have to do.
Besides, there was no need to dress up tonight. Because itwasn’ta date. It was just dinner between two friends. That’s it.
Turning away from the mirror, she twisted her hair into a knot, clipped it up, and then rushed through the house, picking up her scattered clothes.
Freaking relax already, Alex!
If only the stupid butterflies in her stomach would get the memo...
* * *
At six thirty sharp, Quinn strode across Alex’s front porch. Armed with a bag of groceries and two bottles of wine, he pressed the doorbell.
Shoulders tense, he shifted on his feet.
Christ, O’Conner, calm the fuck down.
He was just doing his job. That’s it. Just being a damn good neighbor.
Alex peeked out the side window, then the door swung open.
“Hi. Come on in.” A shy smile graced her face. She had a pile of clothes balled up under her arm. “Sorry, I was just picking up. Let me put these away.” She gestured toward the kitchen as she turned to the staircase. “I assume you know where everything is?”
“Yep. All good,” he said, watching her disappear up the steps, her sweet, hesitant smile permanently etching itself in his brain.
Who the fuck was he kidding?
There was nothing neighborly about what he felt for her. Unless wanting to toss her onto the nearest flat surface and devour every damn inch of her was neighborly. If that were the case, then yes, he thought of her in a neighborly way.
His dick twitched. And that made him want to clobber himself in the head. Both heads.
He was acting like a goddamn randy teenager, and it was completely inappropriate. Now was not the time or the place. Thankfully, he was pretty sure she had no idea what was going on in his head. His thoughts would probably scare the hell out of her. And even if they didn’t, she deserved so much better than him. Especially after everything she’d been through.
An image of her battered face flashed in his mind, and a chill raced down his spine.Fuck.
With a shake of his head, he unloaded the groceries onto the island and made himself at home in Joe’s kitchen. As he started their simple dinner, conflicting emotions made a muddled mess of his mind.
When Alex had arrived on Hudson Island, given the circumstances, he’d quickly filed her away as a damsel in distress. And if there was anything he avoided at all fucking costs, it was DIDs. He’d been burned by one before, and he wouldn’t let it happen again.
Isabel.
He shuddered.
A few years back, when he’d still been with the FBI, he’d met Isabel at a friend-of-a-friend’s party. The moment he’d seen her, he’d been stunned by her beauty. Then, when some guy had started being aggressive toward her, he’d stepped in. From that moment on, she’d treated him like her white knight. She’d fawned over him and, though he hated to admit it, stroked his ego. She’d made him feel fucking invincible.
