Arrogant Neighbor: A Navy SEAL Romance (2 page)

I
felt
like I’d just gone to sleep when my phone began buzzing near my ear. I rolled over and reached blindly for it, nearly knocking it off the nightstand before I finally got a grip.

“What?” I mumbled.

“Mr. Rutherford? This is Todd Watson, the building manager.”

“Are you asking or telling?”

The man on the other end of the line cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to bother you so early in the morning,” he said, a slight edge to his tone. “But your new neighbor, Miss Graham, left a message on my voicemail last night complaining about noise coming from your apartment.”

“I have a new neighbor?”

“Yes. Miss Graham moved into apartment C yesterday.”

“I wasn’t aware of that.”

“Yes, well, she called me at one o’clock this morning and again at two to complain about the amount of noise you were making. Apparently you had company?”

I might have laughed if it wasn’t so absurd. My neighbor was telling on me? Were we a couple of children on a playground or something?

“If you could just keep it down in the future.”

“No problem.”

I disconnected the call before Todd could say anything else that would embarrass us both. A glance at the phone’s screen told me it was barely seven in the morning. I groaned again. I’d only fallen into bed three hours ago after taking that girl home. She had been half asleep and still functioning at half-wit because of whatever she’d been drinking at the concert. She couldn’t quite remember where her apartment was and ended up taking us clear across town before she realized she lived not more than two miles from my place. And then she started to cry when I said goodbye in the truck. I ended up having to give her my phone number and practically carrying her into her place. She probably wouldn’t even remember me when she woke. But if she did, I certainly didn’t intend to speak to her again. The number was fake.

Girls aren’t the only ones who can do that.

I tossed the phone back onto the nightstand and tucked the pillow comfortably under my head, planning on grabbing a few hours more sleep. But just as my eyes slid closed, the low beat of a song began playing somewhere nearby. I couldn’t tell exactly where it was coming from at first, but then the volume was cranked up and not only could I tell where it was coming from, I understood just how thin the walls were in the place.

It hadn’t escaped me before now. I could often hear old Mrs. Watson’s television blaring through the wall our apartments shared. But it never occurred to me that having a neighbor on the other side would be quite so invasive.

I put a pillow over my head, but it didn’t drown the sound out enough to help me sleep. Just enough for me to grow more and more irritated. I finally tossed the pillow across the room and decided to get up. The truck needed an oil change anyway.

I pulled on a favorite pair of jeans and a t-shirt, grabbed my gloves and headed out. Almost the same moment I opened my door, the girl next door opened hers.

Fuck me…She was gorgeous!

She was dressed like one of those professional girls who often populate law offices, the kind who wear short skirts and proper suit jackets, like they’re trying to be sexy but prove they have a brain all at the same time. Her skirt was black and it had a lovely slit right up the front that showed off long, shapely legs. Her shirt—or blouse as I suppose someone like that would call it—was a light pink that made her pale skin shine like cream in a porcelain dish. And that contrasted with the dark of her jacket with its wide lapels and big buttons that added something of a chaste element to the whole thing.

Under the clothes…I could just imagine the curves that were just waiting to be explored. And she had big green eyes that just popped at you from a face whose best feature was probably her little pixie nose. Her hair was a deep red, not the bright, orangey kind of red that looked like a clown’s wig, but a deep color that could only be compared to the mahogany of fine grain wood. She had it pulled back so it was impossible to see how long it was, but I could imagine... Long, sexy hair. I loved long hair on a woman. But I also loved the way the delicate sweep of her hair left her long, thin neck so perfectly exposed.

Already, I was having thoughts I shouldn’t have been having about a woman I hadn’t even said hello to yet. But again, when had that ever stopped me?

Her eyes moved over me after she locked her door and turned, made aware of me for the first time. I could almost see the judgment in her eyes as she took in the rips in my jeans and the tattoos that were visible on my arms. She probably assumed I was some blue collar punk out to make just enough money so that I could party my weekends away. And she wouldn’t be terribly far from the truth. That was me—in spirit, at least.

“You must be Miss Graham,” I said with what I hoped was a charming smile.

She seemed a little surprised that I knew her name. I could see the wheels turning in her head. But I guess she decided that I was okay because she stepped forward and held out the hand that wasn’t carrying an amusingly unprofessional backpack.

“Sloane,” she said in a soft voice that was both sexy and shy.

I love shy girls!

“I’m Major. Major Rutherford.”

A blush darkened the pale skin high on her cheeks. “Is that your rank or your name?”

I’ve been asked that so many times, sometimes as a joke, but usually quite seriously as I was sure she meant it. I wondered what she would think if I told her I was a Navy SEAL, but never went higher than a Petty Officer First Class. They don’t even have a major rank in the Navy.

But that was a little too much information.

“It’s just my name. My mom thought it sounded strong.”

She inclined her head so that I couldn’t see her eyes, but not before I saw them jump to my arms. She was impressed with the muscles that bulged out of my sleeves. For some reason, that idea made me want to flex them a little. But I resisted the urge.

“So, I apologize for last night. I didn’t realize I had a new neighbor.”

“The walls in this place seem to be super thin.”

“Yeah, well, it really wasn’t built to be an apartment building.”

A light seemed to come into her eyes as she looked up at the high ceilings and the crown molding. “Yeah,” she said with a satisfied sigh. “That’s kind of why I picked it. I love the Victorian feel of the place.”

I glanced at the wide stairway that led down to the main floor and nodded in full agreement. Not many people appreciated old buildings anymore. But architecture was my field, so I loved everything about it: the wide banisters, the intricate carvings in the wood, the high ceilings and the wide rooms. The man who converted the building back in the fifties was careful to maintain the original spirit of the place. Instead of gutting the entire building and turning every spare inch into rentable space, he left the downstairs almost entirely intact, turning the living room into a gathering place for tenants, the dining room and the kitchen left whole so that tenants could cook and dine together. Sometime in the seventies or eighties, they turned the kitchen into a laundry room, and the dining room was now a small gym. But all the old wood, the original details that made the house what it was were still there.

And the apartments, of course, had been modified over the years. There were originally five apartments, each formed from the original bedrooms the house contained. But then they had been modified to include full kitchens, reducing them to three. But they still had the tall ceilings, the amazing woodwork, and the original linoleum in some of the bathrooms that gave the house the character those who built it before the turn of the century had given it. That was a big part of the reason I’d chosen to live there, too. That and its location. An address in downtown Houston wasn’t always an easy one to get.

“You interested in architecture?”

She shrugged. “Only as far as the feel and look of a place. I really know nothing about it beyond that.”

I nodded, a little surprised at the sharp edge of disappointment that cut through me.

“I should go. I start a new job today,” she said. But she didn’t move. She continued to stand there and stare at me for a long moment. I finally got the message and stepped back against my door even though there was plenty of room for her to get by from where I was standing. But that was clearly her issue, because she strode quickly toward the stairs, offering a brief wave as she disappeared down the curving staircase.

Hmph. A bit of a stuck-up bitch, wasn’t she?

But I wouldn’t mind teaching her a thing or two…

“
Y
ou would not believe
the office they gave me! It’s huge!”

Kyle laughed on the other end of the line. He was still my best friend. Despite the fact that we slept together on graduation night, things had never been weird between us. We just went back to being friends and it’d worked all those years. I couldn’t think of anyone else I’d want to share my excitement with than him.

“They must really like you,” he said.

“I don’t know about that. The guy who showed me around, my supervisor, said that it was the only space they had available at the moment.”

“He was probably just saying that because he was jealous.”

I smiled but I didn’t respond. What do you say to something like that? Was it catty to agree?

“My apartment is gorgeous. I can’t wait to get all my stuff unpacked.”

“I’ll come over this weekend and we’ll do it together.”

“That would be great. Maybe you can meet my neighbor.”

“Good looking?”

An image of Major jumped unbidden into my mind. He had incredibly intense blue eyes and dark hair that he kept super short, almost like a guy in the military might do. But it was still long enough on the top to see that it would sport big, full curls if he grew it out much more. And then there was that t-shirt stretched to its limit over his chest, the rippling muscles covered in dark-colored tattoos, the ripped jeans and the way those jeans fit over his hips, over his... Hmm, he was good looking. But not my type.

Too big. Too rough looking.

Was I a snob for thinking that?

“He’s quite popular with the ladies. He had some girl in his apartment last night, and let me just say that the walls between our apartments are pretty thin.”

“Did you talk to him about it?”

“I called the building manager. Twice. And he must have talked to him because he apologized.”

“Well, at least he has manners.”

“Maybe.”

I sat back in my office chair and turned to look out the narrow window next to my desk. I could almost see my old neighborhood from there. I wondered how my mom was doing, her first full day with an empty nest. I was so excited to get out of the house that I didn’t stop to think how all this would impact her. But she called me that morning to wish me luck, so she must be doing alright.

“Why don’t we meet for dinner tonight?” Kyle asked. “To celebrate your new job.”

“I’d like that but I have a date.”

“Really?”

“It’s a new guy. I met him at the gym my last day there.” I sighed as I thought about it. Talk about good looking. This guy was the epitome of the all-American boy, all grown up. He was tall and blond, clean cut, thin but not scrawny. He wasn’t built nearly as big as my new neighbor, but he had impressive form. And when he smiled, he had this dimple on his cheek that made my finger just wanted to touch it every time I saw it. “His name’s Ryan. He works for his father’s oil company.”

“He has money then.”

“I suppose. But you know that doesn’t matter much to me.”

“I thought you were off dating for now.”

“I was, but…I don’t know. I didn’t expect a guy like this to show interest in me.”

Kyle was quiet for a minute. And then he sighed into the phone. “I should go. I’m supposed to be going over the demographics for this new product one of our clients is coming out with. Some sort of new energy drink, as if that market hasn’t already exhausted itself.”

“Call me tomorrow?”

“You know I always do.”

I smiled as I disconnected the call. I adored Kyle. I couldn’t imagine anyone else who could sit and listen to my silliness. He was so patient, helping me through all the ups and downs of my life. I once entertained the idea of a romance with him. I could see it all—the marriage, the kids we might have. But then I realized that if any of that happened, I would lose my best friend. And I couldn’t imagine my life without Kyle in that role.

I settled back and opened the file on my first manuscript as a professional editor. I kind of giggled to myself. It all still felt so surreal. But it was really happening.

* * *

T
he building was
silent when I got home late that evening. There was only one car in the parking lot out front, a bright red Camry that I was pretty sure belonged to the old lady in apartment A. The big, ugly truck that was there in the morning must’ve belonged to Major. But it was gone now.

I wondered what he was doing. Not that it was any of my business. I hoped he wasn’t planning on bringing his girlfriend back to the apartment that night. I was so tired after lunch that I actually nodded off while reading a manuscript on the history of washing machines. I mean, granted, who wouldn’t get drowsy reading about washing machines. But it was my first day. I didn’t want to make that kind of impression on my first day. So, I really needed to get a good night’s sleep tonight.

After my date, of course.

I really was excited. Ryan seemed like a really nice guy. He bought me a smoothie at the gym and we talked for more than an hour. Most of it was about him, but I didn’t mind that much. I like to get to know a guy and there’s no better way to do it than to let him talk. And the night could be interesting, to say the least.

I stood by my bed and looked at the dozen or so outfits I had laid out there. I couldn’t decide which direction I should go. Casual or formal. Sexy or conservative. Colorful or subdued. It was a difficult choice.

It was at times like that when I wished that my best friend was a girl. Or a gay guy with a really good sense of fashion. Unfortunately, Kyle was a straight guy who knew more about Darth Vader than he did fashion.

I finally decided on a pair of dark slacks paired with a blue blouse. The blouse was low-cut and a little flirty with its big, wide sleeves. So it was kind of conservative but not so much that Ryan might think I wasn’t interested.

I dressed quickly and let my hair down from the French twist I’d worn it up in. I brushed it out until I’d tamed most of the curls and caught the front in a clip. It didn’t look too bad, if I did say so myself. And then I slipped on a pair of ankle boots with a little bit of a heel but not enough to make me look taller than my five foot six.

When Ryan knocked on the door, I had to stop and take a couple of deep breaths. This was my first date in longer than I cared to think about. Philip and I—that was over months and months ago. And I hadn’t dated since, so my heart was kind of in my throat.

But when I opened the door, I forced a smile that felt more natural than it probably looked.

“Hey, Ryan.”

He pulled a single, long stem rose out from behind his back. “For you.”

I smiled. “Thank you.”

And so it began.