He stops, takes off his hat and wipes his brow before picking up where he left off. As I press my fingertips against the glass, memories of those same hands roaming over my body flood back with startling clarity.
Jiminy Christmas! How could this guy be even hotter than I remember?
But, no matter how hard I try, I still can’t look away.
Suddenly, he stops, glances over his shoulder and looks up at my window.
Heart hammering in my chest, I quickly duck out of sight. Did he see me? Oh god, I hope not. How mortifying would it be to get caught staring at him like some sort of Creepy McCreeperson?
The mower shuts off, and I count to ten before slowly peeking around the window frame. He’s putting the mower away.
Now I’m gawking, practically drooling as he pulls a shirt from his waistband and uses it to wipe sweat from his face before heading inside.
Only when he’s out of sight, do I finally exhale.
Heart pounding, I hurry back to my room and collapse onto the bed.
So this is my new reality. My new neighbor is the one freaking guy I’ve been trying to avoid, and I just spied on him like some kind of horny teenager.
Just great, Sash. Real fucking mature.
My phone buzzes from somewhere in the tangle of sheets on my bed. Shoving them aside, I manage to find it buried under a pillow.
“Hey,” I grunt, flopping back onto my mattress.
“Good morning to you too, sunshine,” Noia chirps. “How’s the unpacking going?”
I sigh and stare up at my ceiling. “The movers dropped off the pod, but I haven’t started unloading it yet.”
“And...?” The expectation in her voice is unmistakable.
“And what?”
“Have you seen him yet?”
I press my lips together, debating whether or not to tell her. Who am I kidding? She’s gonna get it out of me eventually. “Yeah. Actually woke me up this morning mowing his lawn.Ugh! Not only was he was shirtless, his fucking hat was on backwards.”
“I knew it!” she squeals, making me wince. “What happened? Did he see you?”
“No, thank God. I was watching from the guest bedroom window like a total creeper.”
“You’re not a creeper. You’re just... doing reconnaissance.”
I snort. “Pretty sure the definition of creeper is ‘someone who hides behind their curtains to ogle their smokin’ hot neighbor’s washboard abs.’”
“Aww. Youwikehim.”
Freaking Noia and her baby talk.
“Whatever,” I grumble, fighting a grin.
“It’s going to be fine. Don’t worry.” Another giggle. “You know I’m a huge fan of the ‘hot next door neighbor’ trope, right?”
Letting the grin win, I scoot off of the bed and run a hand through my tangled hair. “Well, aren’t you just a ball of laughs this morning? Look, I love you. But I need to start unloading the pod before it gets too hot.”
“Fine. But remember—when youdorun into him, which youwill,” she says, her tone dripping with mischief. “Try not to drool too much.”
“Ha. Ha.” I roll my eyes. “You’re so fucking hilarious. I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later.”