Sneak peek snippet #2:
The Guy Next Door #2
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Two lonely friends. One holiday movie. A little whiskey and wine.
It’s the recipe for truths and revelations that will change our lives forever.
Christmas is my favorite holiday and I love hosting my friends. This holiday is building to be as fun as always—until the last bit of family I have makes it clear I’m not wanted in the most callous way possible.
My first thought is to seek comfort from my next-door neighbor and best friend Kell, but I never expect to end the night in his bed with secret feelings laid bare. This could be an epic mistake, or the start of something amazing with a man I trust more than anyone else.
Have I unwrapped the best Christmas present a woman could ask for?
This story is intended for readers 18 and over due to adult language, sexual content, and adult situations.
*Next-door neighbors
*Friends to lovers
*Secret feelings
*He fell first
*Found family
*Holiday romance
*Steamy
*HEA
When I knocked on Adrienne’s door, I was greeted with a smile and the most delicious smell I’d encountered in I don’t know how long. “I hope you like cookies,” she said. “I know you aren’t asking for anything to work on my toilet, but I couldn’t not give you something for my appreciation—so, I baked.”
I swallowed hard. “Um, I don’t eat cookies.”
“What? Everyone eats cookies.” She looked at me like I’d sprouted a second head.
“Maybe one. After I fix the toilet.”
I didn’t want to be rude. Plus, she seemed like a normal, nice girl, but we’d just met. No way to know yet if she was the type to take rejection poorly.
I carried my supplies into the bathroom and swung the door out of the way.
“So, why don’t you eat cookies?” she asked from the other side.
Seriously? “I’m not really a sweets guy,” I lied.
“Then you’re in luck—I made chocolate chip with a brown butter dough and dark chips.”
As if she wasn’t tempting enough, the woman loved to bake?
If she made the hallway smell amazing often, I might have to move.
“Hey, can I see what you’re doing?”
I sighed, the old mechanism kit in my hands. “You want to learn?”
“Yes, please.”
I opened the door. “You can open the new kit.”
She examined the plastic package. “Hold on, I have industrial-strength scissors.”
I’d let her try before ripping into it, though these kind of packages were often beyond the strength of women’s hands since they were a pain in the ass for grown men, too.
But, her scissors did enough.
Then I talked through the installation, her black silky hair brushing my arm as she leaned in to see in tight quarters. “Pretty much the easiest plumbing issue you’ll face as a resident.”
“Thanks. I’d never had a reason to know about the inside of a toilet before now.”
I washed my hands and gathered the trash.
“How did you learn to be handy? Seems to be a dying art these days.”
“I was raised right.”
“Well, I’m grateful. Now for your reward!” She skipped out.
I was willing to take one cookie home, but she insisted on me trying a bite now. How could I resist those eyes? A nibble, and the flavors burst on my tongue.
I swallowed a moan.
“Not bad.”
She laughed. “I guess you really aren’t a sweets man. Thanks again, Kelly. I won’t monopolize your day.” Then moved out of the kitchen. “You work tonight, right?”
I paused on my way to the door. “Yeah. At six.” The bar was open six-to-two. It was admirable how much unpacking she’d gotten done. “You know, this place looks astonishingly good for you just moving in.”
Adrienne revealed a brilliant smile. “Thank you! Efficiency is a thing with me. I labeled my boxes with specifics so there would be no ‘where the hell did I put that?’ moment before my new job Monday.” She sat on the sofa that included two throw pillows. “I haven’t finished in the bedroom, yet, or gone grocery shopping, but there’s one more day.”
“Do you need help getting to know the neighborhood?”
“Actually, that’d be great. I’d otherwise be on Google.”
We sat down with her laptop and an internet map so I could enlighten her.
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