AllFreeNovel
Share Us
1
LEXI
This was it.Her last box was empty, which meant that she was officially unpacked two days after moving into her new apartment. She moved to Davinapolis for a job, and the past couple of days had been spent doing nothing but working and unpacking. She was the new head chef of a trendy restaurant downtown, so she was working long hours. It was exhausting, but she hated the idea of living out of boxes, so she was determined to settle in as soon as possible. That meant no relaxing until she put everything in place.
At least, she didn’t have much to unpack. Her old apartment was a shoebox compared to this one. It was thrilling to look around and see all the space that she had to grow. The living room looked a little bare with only the loveseat that she brought from her old place and her TV. She’d have to go shopping at some point for some more furniture and decor, but it wasn’t urgent. She anticipated spending years here.
Breaking down the box she just emptied, she added it to a pile of others near the front door, planning to take them to the recycling center on her next day off. Her stomach rumbled, and she headed into the kitchen with its oversized kitchen island and pristine white cabinets. Opening the refrigerator, she sighed.
Right. No food.
She was on the go so much the last few days that she hadn’t taken the time to go to the grocery store. She’d been living off of cold cereal and whatever she felt like whipping up for herself at the restaurant when it was time for her break.
She’d spent all day working in the restaurant’s kitchen, so she wasn’t in the mood to cook anyway. That meant she could either have something delivered or leave the apartment to get dinner at one of the many restaurants in the area.
Lexi wanted to go out, even though she knew that she probably looked like a mess after spending the last hour emptying boxes. Her blonde hair was in a messy bun that flopped around at the top of her head and she didn’t have any makeup on her face. She was wearing an old pair of cutoff shorts with a frayed hem that only came as low as her upper thigh and a loose fitting black T-shirt with a huge sunflower on it.
She could change her clothes and do something with her hair, but she just didn’t care enough to put the effort in. She didn’t know anyone in the city yet, so why dress up just to take herself out to dinner?
Slipping on her tennis shoes, she grabbed her satchel-style purse, tucking her keys and phone inside before leaving the apartment and locking the door behind her. Turning toward the elevator, she paused as she saw the man standing at the door of the apartment next to hers, unlocking it. She hadn’t met any of her neighbors yet, and the man in front of her made a hell of a first impression with just one look.
He was gorgeous. With short black hair and a stubble beard that ran along his sharp jaw, he had a somewhat rugged handsomeness that made her slow down and allow her eyes to roam over him curiously. His body was muscular, and the black T-shirt he wore showed it off just right. He was taller than her, but not by much, and she had the crazy thought that being pressed into his side would feel good. Their bodies would fit together well.
He must have sensed her eyes on him because he suddenly looked her way. Their eyes met, and his were the color of melted chocolate.
Delicious.
She told herself to stop staring, but then he smiled, and her heart skipped a beat. She thought he was attractive before, but the simple curve of his lips made him even better-looking.
“Hi,” he said, turning to face her. “You must be the new neighbor.”
“That’s me,” she confirmed, stepping closer and holding out her hand. “I’m Lexi.”
“Samuil,” he said, taking her hand in his larger one. There were calluses on his fingers that indicated he was no stranger to working with his hands, and Lexi felt a shiver run down her spine at the feel of his warm palm sliding against hers. “But everyone calls me Sam.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Sam.”
His gaze ran down her body, and she could have sworn that she saw a flash of heat in his eyes when they met her again.
“I was starting to wonder if anyone was actually living there. I heard that I had a new neighbor, but no one seemed to know what you looked like. I did hear a rumor that you were living alone though.”
Lexi smirked and rolled her eyes. “Seems like there’s been gossiping around here.”
“No more than usual. Rumor’s not a stranger here. You find that Ida, your neighbor on the other side, likes to feel important by being the gossip queen of the fourth floor.”
“Thanks for the head’s up.”
“What are neighbors for?”
They grinned at each other, and Lexi was just starting to debate whether or not it was a terrible idea to hit on her neighbor when the elevator doors opened at the end of the hall. Sam turned around to see who was getting off, and she spotted the gun tucked into the small of his back. It was mostly covered by his black jacket, but she’d been around plenty of men carrying concealed handguns in the past, so it was easy for her to catch it.
Some people would immediately shrink away from such a thing, but Lexi’s connection to the Italian mafia in her old city made her uniquely unfazed by such a thing. Hell, she knew that her brother carried around at least three weapons at all times. That had saved his life on more than one occasion too. So, the sight of a Glock hidden on Sam’s body just made her curious about him.
A man that was armed all the time had a story, whether he was a part of a criminal organization like her brother, in law enforcement, or something else.
The woman that got off the elevator with her young son sent a smile their way before going into the apartment across the hall, and Lexi returned her attention to her hot new neighbor.
“Well, I was just going to get something to eat,” she said, another unhappy clench of hunger from her stomach reminding her of what she was supposed to be doing. “Can you recommend something good within walking distance?”
