Girl Next Door: The Complete Series Read online

  “Dammit!” I stared at the object in my hand and then up at the naked pipe sticking out of the wall.

  I dropped the shower head in the bottom of the tub and climbed out. After I dried off and pulled on some comfy lounge pants and a tee, I went back into the bathroom to inspect the damage. I knew there was no way I could fix the damn thing. I refused to call Nat and Aidan on their honeymoon, so there was only one person I could call. Well, I could call a plumber, but I really didn’t want to. Besides, why would I waste my money on something that I could have Patrick fix for free?

  I steeled myself and slid on a pair of shoes. I walked across the front yard. It was already dark and cool. I knocked on Patrick’s door, rocking back and forth on my feet. After a few seconds, he opened the door and I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head. Apparently, Patrick was getting ready for bed too because he was dressed in a loose pair of lounge pants and that was it. I swallowed hard.

  “Um, I’m sorry to bother you, Patrick. I sort of had an accident and I need your help.”

  He leaned against the doorjamb and ran his eyes over me. “You look fine.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m fine. The shower head didn’t fare so well.”

  He stayed exactly where he was and I knew, I knew, he was planning on giving me a hard time. I crossed my arms over my chest and tapped my toe.

  “This is your brother’s house we’re talking about. Do you want him and your brand new sister-in-law to come home to a messed up bathroom? I can assure you I will tell them that I asked you for help and you refused.”

  I guess the guilt card worked well with the Hart brothers, because Patrick sighed and straightened.

  “Let me grab a shirt and some shoes and we’ll head over there.”

  Huh?

  “I’ll just go on and wait for you next door.”

  He shook his head. “No, wait for me here. It’s dark. I’ll walk with you.”

  I rolled my eyes again. Overprotective streak a mile wide, I realized.

  “Fine.”

  Patrick opened the door wider and I stepped into the front hall. He gestured toward the living room. “Have a seat and I’ll be right down.”

  I walked to the den and looked around. Some of Aidan’s furniture was still there, but the rest appeared to be Patrick’s. It all looked comfy and large, made to sprawl out on and watch a game or a movie. The news was on so I settled on the couch and watched. A few minutes later, Patrick sauntered into the room wearing a faded pair of jeans, a ratty gray tee, and a pair of sneakers.

  “Okay, let’s go.” He grabbed the remote and clicked the television off.

  We walked next door and I led Patrick up to the guest bathroom. He took one look at the shower head and burst out laughing.

  “What in the hell happened?”

  I sighed. “If you didn’t already know, I’m extremely clumsy. I slipped when I was getting out of the shower and grabbed the hose connected to the shower head. I pulled the whole thing off the wall.”

  Patrick inspected the damage. The only object left intact was the pipe sticking out of the wall. “I’m going to have to replace the entire thing. I’m sure Aidan has a couple out in the garage.”

  Aidan and Patrick were partners and general contractors. They owned their own business. Still, I would never have expected for Aidan to just have an extra shower head lying around. I said as much and Patrick smiled.

  “Sometimes we have leftover fixtures from jobs, so we keep them around for just this kind of occasion.”

  “Do you need me to help, or something?”

  Patrick slid me a sideways look. “I think you’ve done enough already.” He softened the remark with a smirk and I realized he was being a smart ass.

  “Fine. I’ve got stuff to do.” I started to leave the bathroom.

  “Hey, Cat, I was just teasing you,” he said.

  I smirked back at him. “I know. No offense taken.”

  “You could do one thing to help.”

  I waited.

  “Could you grab me a beer?”

  I couldn’t help myself. I laughed and decided to get him a beer because he was saving me the trouble of hiring a plumber. After I delivered his beer, I made some popcorn and settled down on the couch to watch a movie. Of course, I picked my favorite genre, horror. The movie was getting tense and I had most of the lights in the living room dimmed. Hey, that was the only way to enjoy a scary movie. Suddenly, a heavy hand landed on my shoulder. I shrieked and leapt to my feet. The bowl toppled out of my lap and popcorn flew everywhere.

  Patrick stood behind me, both hands raised as if to show me he wasn’t a threat. He was still for a second, but soon he was laughing uproariously.

  I clenched my hands into fists. “Dammit, Patrick, you scared the shit out of me. It’s not nice to sneak up on someone in the dark, especially when they’re watching a scary movie!”

  He bent over and wrapped his arms around his stomach, still laughing like a lunatic. The damn sneak was laughing so hard, he couldn’t even speak. Okay, I wasn’t so freaked out anymore, I was heading straight for seriously annoyed. I walked around the couch and punched him the arm.

  “I’m glad you think this is amusing, Patrick, but I almost expired from a heart attack. I also have a shitload of popcorn to clean up.” I thought about this for a second. “Well, you have a lot of popcorn to clean up since it is your fault I spilled it.”

  Patrick finally straightened, wiping his eyes. “You should have seen the look on your face.” He chuckled again. “Priceless and worth every piece of popcorn I’m going to have to chase down.”

  “You are not nice.” I moved to punch him again.

  Patrick wrapped his fingers around my wrist before I could make contact. “If the movie freaks you out so much, why in the hell are you watching it?”

  I’d heard this numerous times before, and it annoyed me as usual, so I kicked him in the shin, not too hard, but hard enough to get his attention. He released my wrist to rub his leg.

  “What the hell, Cat?” He sounded disgruntled rather than pissed off that I kicked him.

  “Stop laughing at me.”

  His grin was huge. “Then stop being so funny. Seriously, why were you watching the movie if it makes you this jumpy?”

  I sighed. “I like scary movies because they scare me. That’s the whole point of this genre. It should wrap you up in the suspense and the fear until it feels almost real.”

  A piercing scream came from the television and I jumped. Patrick coughed and I was sure it was to cover a laugh. I was still irritated he was amused by my reaction, but I was used to it. I got it a lot from Nat and my gay hubby, Michael. I grabbed the remote and paused the movie.

  “All done in the bathroom?” I asked.

  “Yes. Aidan actually had several choices out there. I installed a shower head with four massage settings. I figure any guests they have will appreciate it.”

  I shifted on my feet a little. “Thanks again for coming over to fix it, Patrick. I appreciate it, and I’m sure Aidan and Nat will, too.”

  Patrick got that unreadable look on his face again. I also got the feeling he was reading my mind again. Seriously, when Aidan came home from the honeymoon, I was going to ask him if his brother had ESP or something. He glanced at the paused movie on the TV.

  “What are you watching?” he asked.

  “I don’t even remember the name,” I said. I’d chosen it at random from the cable listings.

  Patrick looked at the mess of popcorn on the couch and the floor and smiled a little. “I guess I’ll help you clean up this mess before I leave. It’s the least I can do after causing you a near coronary.”

  I nodded. We walked around the couch and knelt down to gather up the popcorn. I had just put the last handful in the bowl when I glanced up and found Patrick’s face close to mine, watching me in that way again.

  “What?” I snapped. “Do I have something on my face?” The way he was watching me was making me even more u
ncomfortable than when I caught him staring at my cleavage all those months ago. I reminded myself that it belonged on the list of why Patrick Hart wasn’t right for me. Any man who would ogle other women with his fiancée around was not the right kind of man for me. Who cared if he apologized afterward?

  He shook his head and took the popcorn bowl from me. He helped me to my feet as he stood, and headed toward the kitchen. I followed him and watched as he dumped the contents of the bowl into the trash.

  “Do you mind if I stay and watch the rest of the movie with you?” he asked.

  My first instinct was to say no. Those probing stares were getting to me. Still, he’d helped me out tonight and kept me from having to spend an arm and a leg to get a plumber to work on the bathroom. It would be rude to refuse, and my mother did not raise me to be rude. As a matter of fact, she’d tan my ass if she heard me tell Patrick to take a hike after he’d helped me out. Also, I’d be less freaked out during the scary parts if there was a big, strong man around. Hey, I’m all for women’s lib, but if there’s an axe-wielding maniac around, I want a big guy there to distract him while I run away.

  “Sure.” I was rethinking my answer as soon as it popped out of my mouth, but it was too late now.

  Patrick smiled. “Great. Let’s make some more popcorn. I’m going to get another beer. Do you want one?”

  I nodded and grabbed a couple of bags of popcorn out of the pantry. Five minutes later, Patrick and I were sitting side by side on the couch. I made sure to leave plenty of space between us. Even though Patrick said it wasn’t necessary, I started the movie from the beginning. I always hated missing the beginning of a movie. It made it too difficult to follow the plot. As the movie progressed, I shivered and jumped when something unexpected happened. Before I knew it, I was pressed against Patrick’s side and hiding most of my face against his arm, only one eye open and peering at the television. I felt Patrick shaking and I glanced up at him, wondering if he was as freaked out by the movie as I was. Instead I saw him silently laughing. At me. I also realized I was all but in his lap and sat up to pull away.

  Before I could move an inch, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me back against his side. I tensed and tried to pull away again. This was way too nice and also way too date-like. Patrick, the ass, wouldn’t let me go.

  “It’s okay, Cat. I’d rather sit like this than have you try to burrow behind my back during the scary parts. Also, I’m trying to save my arm from your fingernails.”

  Crap, I’d been digging my fingernails into his arm when I got scared.

  “I’m sorry, Patrick. Look, I’ll sit on my end of the couch and strangle a pillow. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” Like I gave a shit about that. What I knew is that I really liked the way his arm felt around me and that freaked me out more than the horror movie.

  “I’m not uncomfortable, Cat. Just the opposite, in fact. Also, with you sitting this close, you can’t hog the popcorn anymore.”

  His arm tightened around me momentarily, and that was it. He didn’t try to pull me even closer or inch his other hand up my leg. He just held me lightly against his side and watched the movie. I didn’t know whether to be relieved or pissed off that he was paying so little attention to me. After a few moments, I decided I was relieved he didn’t turn into a human octopus, and watched the action on the screen, munching popcorn. I also tried to ignore the fact that his arm around me felt kind of nice.

  During the peak of the plotline, when the bad guy, who should have been dead, appeared out of the shadows and grabbed the heroine, I gave a small scream and buried my head in Patrick’s chest. I didn’t stay there long, though, because I didn’t want to miss what happened next. I didn’t even realize that I kept my body turned towards his, while my head swiveled to watch the screen. When the ending credits rolled, I realized that I was plastered against Patrick, one hand on his leg, and the other on his chest. The sad part was that he hadn’t done anything to manipulate me into this position. I’d practically jumped into his lap all by myself.

  I took my hands off him and tried to pull away, but his arm kept me still. Both of my hands went to his chest to push, but his eyes caught mine and I couldn’t even blink. I was pretty sure I had the same feeling a bug did right before it splattered into a windshield. I was intrigued by the bright light in his green eyes, but I knew it was only a matter of time before I went splat and ended up a big mess of guts.

  Patrick’s eyes were still on mine, doing that weird ESP thing again, and they dropped to my mouth. Oh crap, he was going to kiss me. I felt my belly tighten. Just like the bug heading for a windshield, I wanted to get close to him, but I really didn’t want to get crushed. I held my breath. Okay, okay, I could handle this. If he kissed me, I wouldn’t self-combust, I’d be fine.

  Patrick’s lips skimmed my cheek, heading for the corner of my mouth, and I felt my eyes drifting shut and refused to allow it. I kept them open and found myself staring into Patrick’s green gaze. Strangely, it felt more intimate than kissing him with my eyes closed. I felt his teeth lightly nip my bottom lip, which shot straight to my girlie parts, and I shivered. I’d forgotten about the beer between my thighs and, when I shook, it fell over and splashed my lap, and Patrick’s, with cold liquid.

  Just like that the spell was broken. I pulled back, and Patrick let me. Thankfully, very little of the beer got on the couch, so I set the bottle on the coffee table, and ran into the kitchen for a damp cloth. I did a quick clean up job, aware of Patrick’s eyes on me the entire time.

  “I’m sorry I spilled beer on you, Patrick.”

  I looked over at him as I took a last half-hearted swipe at the area where a few drops of beer had landed on the upholstery. The heat in his green eyes was intense. I straightened, and grabbed the popcorn bowl and empty beer bottles. Anything to avoid that look, and the strong urge that followed. The one that told me to jump back into his lap. I took everything into the kitchen and quickly tidied up. I turned to go back into the living room and bumped square into Patrick’s chest. I gasped. He’d been so quiet that I hadn’t heard him follow me into the kitchen.

  “I think I’m gonna head home, Cat. Thanks for the movie and the company.”

  I struggled to keep things light. He really didn’t need to know how much he affected me.

  “You’re welcome. Actually, I should be thanking you for fixing the mess I made in the guest bathroom. Popcorn, beer, and a movie are the least I could do.”

  Patrick smiled at me. “Goodnight, Cat. Lock up behind me. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  With that, he tapped the tip of my nose with his index finger and left. I followed him to the front door, locked up behind him, and started turning out lights to get ready for bed. It wasn’t until I was upstairs changing into a non-beer stained pair of pajama pants that I realized he planned to see me sometime tomorrow. Oh, crap. I needed to find a reason to be gone until late, because I did not need another quasi-date night with Patrick Hart. I’d barely managed to come out of this one unscathed. I fell asleep thinking about the almost kiss, and wondering why I felt disappointed instead of relieved.

  I was late coming home the next day, but I still didn’t avoid Patrick. Sure, he wasn’t around when I snuck into the house close to eight o’clock, so I relaxed, thinking I’d just misunderstood what he meant yesterday evening. After a salad for dinner, I showered and threw on a shorty pajama set. Feeling a little bored and lonely, I indulged in my guilty pleasure. When I was feeling blue, I’d put some fun music on the radio and dance around the house. I didn’t question too deeply why I was feeling lonesome. It was easier not to think about it.

  I turned on my Dance Your Ass Off playlist and cranked up the volume. I knew Nat’s neighbor Mrs. Crabtree wouldn’t be able to hear it because she would have already taken her hearing aid out for the night. Patrick, well, he could deal. I needed to feel good and cut loose for a while. When the first track queued up, I tossed my hair and started to move with the music. I loved to da
nce, but I never went out to the clubs. Honestly, as clumsy as I tended to be, I didn’t want to risk public humiliation. There was also the possibility for personal injury lawsuits in case I took someone else down when I fell. Still, I liked to do it at home because it helped me blow off steam.

  I was twirling and gyrating around the living room when flash of white caught my eye. I stumbled and screamed, tripping over an ottoman and ending up flat on my back on the couch. Patrick’s smirking face appeared above me.

  “You okay, Cat?” His voice sounded concerned and sober, but his eyes were dancing with amusement.

  I grunted and sat up a little. “Fine. Is it too much to ask that you let me know if you’re coming over? Just because you have a key doesn’t mean you can use it whenever you want. I would prefer not to die of a coronary at the age of 31.” I rested on my elbows, looking up at him.

  Patrick’s smile grew larger. “Maybe.”

  My eyes narrowed on him. I figured that was the best I would get, so I let it go.

  “So, what were you doing? Having a seizure?” His smile turned into a shit-eating grin. “Is it some weird mating ritual I’m unaware of?”

  I growled at him. “No one invited you to this party, Patty-pants, so don’t give me a hard time.”

  He snorted. “Did you just call me ‘Patty-pants’?”

  I couldn’t keep a straight face. I laughed. Suddenly, I realized I was still on my back on the couch and Patrick was crouched over me. My breath caught in my throat. That intense look from the night before was back in his eyes. I knew he was going to kiss me. My eyes latched onto his mouth and I bit my lip. Then he was kissing me. Full-on, full-throttle, tongues tangling and teeth nipping. I thought my scalp was about to catch fire. Oh, and probably my underwear, too. Patrick’s hands cupped my head, arching my neck. I was still had most of my weight on my elbows and couldn’t move. It was kind of hot.

  I moaned when one of Patrick’s hands drifted down my chest to cup my breast. Immediately, my nipples got hard and my thighs spasmed. I felt myself get wet. The sensations were too intense. I sat up completely, scraping his scalp with my fingernails and trailing my hands down his back before I thrust them under the back of his t-shirt.