Loving My Neighbor (4 page)

Taking her hand in mine, I hold onto it tightly, afraid to let it go. The tension in her body lessens and she whispers, “I was about to go shower…when I realized I forgot my bag with the body soap.” Her sobs are soft, but they break my heart. I pull over to the side of the road and hear fire engines approaching. I let them pass by, but wonder who called them because I haven’t made any calls. Perhaps it can be seen from the town or they have some security system. Something about the situation is giving me trepidation. It might just be that it was a close call. I could’ve lost her, and it sits heavy in my heart.

We get into the ER and I tell the receptionist that there was an explosion up at the old Carmichael Estate. “She was just outside the house when the blast went off and needs to be seen.” They make quick work of getting her into an examination room and I wait with her because even though she doesn’t know me, she asks me to stay.

“Make it a female doctor or nurse that comes in here.” I look directly at the male nurse that escorted us into the room.

“Trent,” she says with a soft “don’t embarrass me” pout. It’s cute, but it’s not up for negotiation.

“Don’t ‘Trent’ me. I’m a private person, Lily. I like to keep whatever belongs to me well protected and from now on you belong to me.”

“Why were you there?” That’s a valid question, but I can’t give her the truth. If I tell her that I had a sudden urge to see her and decided to sit outside her house like a stalker, I’m sure she would call the cops on me.

“I was on my way home because I forgot some documents when I thought I’d come meet your father and the rest of your family. I’d just pulled up when you were coming from your SUV.”

“I can’t believe this happened. They were going to town to get some food while I took a shower.”

“They who, Bunny?” I ask because she only mentioned a father earlier.

“My father, step-mother, and two half-brothers. I wonder if they know and think I was in the house when it happened.” Something about the way she says it is off, almost as if she doubts they will care.

“We’ll contact them,” I tell her to calm her down. She’s been through a lot today, and I don’t want to make it worse.

The female doctor and a nurse I requested came in. “Hello, there Miss…”

She gives them a small smile and says, “Lily Mason.”

“Lily, can you tell me if anything hurts?” the doc asks.

“Well…everything aches. Other than my head which is pounding, the rest feels tender.”

“We’re going to monitor you for the next two hours. We called the fire department and alerted them that you made it out and were seeking treatment. They’ll be here to speak with you as soon as they arrive.”

The doctor begins her examination and after five minutes, she is done. “I’d say you are extremely fortunate that you weren’t hurt worse than you are.”

“I think it was all the snow,” she says.

There’s a knock at the door and it’s the fire chief. “Hello there, Miss Mason. I’m Donald Rigging, Fire Chief. I want to ask you a few questions about the blast if you’re feeling up to it that is.”

“Sure, what do you want to know?”

“Walk me through the few minutes before the blast.”

“Okay…” She pauses, so I squeeze her hand to reassure her that I’m here if she needs me. “My dad told me they were going to go get food while I took a shower. They had just left when I realized I’d forgotten the body wash I bought in my SUV. Not all our things have been sent yet because of some issue with the moving company. I only brought my clothes and mementos with me in my SUV. So I bought some stuff in town this morning, one of them was the body wash. I ran to my SUV grabbed the bag and started back to the house. I couldn’t have been that far from the entrance when it exploded. I was blown back and then Mr. Davenport came to my aid.”

“Mr. Davenport, what were you doing there?” he asks me with a suspicious undertone.

“I was on my way home when I stopped to meet my new neighbors. I was about to get out of my truck when it happened and I rushed to help her.”

“Mr. Davenport, may I have a word with you out in the hallway for a moment?”

I look into her glossy eyes and ask, “Are you going to be okay by yourself?”

“Yes, Trent.” I give her hand a squeeze before we walk out into the hall and down to a private waiting room that’s empty. 

I have known the chief for the past five years because, on occasion, we’ve gotten together with a few other guys and played poker or watched Oregon State kick some ass. My tendency for being anti-social is known all around. I have trust issues stemming from my childhood and my teen years in foster homes, so I don’t let people in, especially women. “I know you don’t talk to most people here, but I’m just curious why you didn’t call the police when it happened, Trent?”

“Don, I would’ve called if I didn’t already hear sirens as I was starting to drive her to the hospital. She told me there was no one else in the house, so I figured it could wait until I got her safely away from the blast zone.”

“Are you certain you heard the sirens?” he asks like I’m confused.

I roll my eyes at him because that’s a fucking stupid question, but I see the puzzled look in his eyes. “I’m not a kid or some senile old man like you. I know a siren when I hear it. Besides, they passed by us when I pulled to the side of the road about a hundred feet away from the house.”

“I ask because someone made a call about the explosion and it took our responders five minutes to get to the scene.” 

“I didn’t make the call, and I don’t know who did, but it doesn’t make sense. If they knew where the fire was, then they had to be really close and nobody but the Mason’s and I live in that direction.”

“My thoughts as well. The explosion was massive and yes, we were able to see it from about two miles out, but the smoke would have taken a minute or two to reach high enough for anyone to notice from the road. How long was it before you got in your truck?”

“Not more than five minutes.” I’m pacing the small room. I had a bad feeling about it when I placed her in the truck. I’m uneasy, and I know that’s because I need to get back to my fragile Lily and protect her. “I’m not liking this one bit, Don.”

“It’s a big explosion. It will take investigators a while to figure out what caused it.” He’s not really talking to me. It’s like he’s working it out in his mind. Running through scenarios off the top of his head, he says, “A gas leak could have, but it would have to have been a massive amount of fluid and something would’ve had to set it off.”

“Listen, I need to get back to check on Lily.”

“Thanks for your help, Trent. By the way, since when do you care to meet the neighbors?” With a chuckle and a wink, he adds, “Also, Bobby Cole mentioned that you met Miss Mason earlier today.”

“Damn, small towns. Well, now you know why I was going to meet them.” I beam because I’m not concerned what anyone thinks about me.

When I get to the door, he says, “I haven’t heard from her parents yet, but we don’t know where they went to get food, so it may take them a while to find out if she hasn’t called them.”

“I told her we’d call them as soon as she’s examined. Let me get back to her. I’m taking her back to my home. So call me if you have any questions,” I say as I wave him off and return to my bunny.

I walk back into the small triage area she’s been put in. Her examination room is only covered by one of those ugly-ass sliding curtains. I can see her from the side without opening it, so I just take in the beauty before me. She’s playing with her fingers nervously. As she sits on the bed in one of the hospital gowns, she looks so small and sad. I know then and there that I would give my last breath to keep her safe and loved.

She must feel my stare because she lifts her gaze and looks directly at me from my stalking perch by the edge of the curtain.

“I’m back, did you miss me?” I ask playfully as I step fully into the room and replace the curtain.

“Painfully so.” I know she’s being sarcastic as she throws her hand to her head and pretends to swoon, but I can’t stop the feeling of satisfaction at the idea that she’s missed me.

I move to stand directly in front of her. I want to see what she’ll do if I get this close, and she doesn’t disappoint me. Her lips part as she looks up at me. I’m so close now that I’ve stepped in between her thighs and can feel her warm breath hit my chin. Our eyes lock and our breathing seem to be in unison. I place my hands on the side of her and lean down. I want to hold her in my arms when I kiss her for the first time, but I don’t know how badly she’s hurt. Being a big man, I could accidentally hurt her, so I slowly test her lips with mine. She tentatively meets me but lets me control our kiss. They’re as soft as they look. I tease them with my tongue, letting it slide across them before I crush her lips with mine. The sensation is overpowering, explosive, and my dick takes note. He’s pressing hard against my dress pants, fighting to be unleashed. I feel my pulse in my cock as the blood goes straight to it. As we kiss, she slowly rocks her barely covered mound against my ridge. She lets out a slight moan, and I feel my cum give a little squirt. I’m on edge from a bit of kissing and touching. Somehow, she’s now got her thighs wrapped around my waist.

It’s only when I hear someone in the next curtain over that I stop us. Pulling back enough to look into her eyes, I cup her cheek and run my thumb down it. “I promise we’ll finish this later. These rooms aren’t private enough, and I won’t share you. Your cries of pleasure are for my ears only.”

She tucks her head again like an ostrich in the sand. It’s her embarrassed pose, and I can’t say I care for it. I want to see her eyes and her blush that graces her flawless face. I lift her chin so that I stare into those eyes. “Fuck, you’re so damn beautiful. Even when you hide that pretty face from me. I hope they give you a clean bill of health or I’ll have to hold off on fucking you tonight.” 

She shakes her head as to argue the point, but when she peers up at me, I know it’s not because she doesn’t want me, but she’s shocked at my words. I don’t want to scare her off, so I change the subject.

“Lily, do you want to call your parents?”

“Please. I can’t believe I forgot. They must be worried by now.” I hear her words, but I’m not sure I believe them. I hand her my phone and watch as she presses the screen with her small, slender fingers. I picture her splaying those fingers across my chest as she rides my cock while looking me in the eyes. Shit, I need to get it together before I have another hard-on that won’t go away.

She dials the number, but it goes to voicemail. I see the upset in her face, but I can’t tell why. “Hi, Dad. There was an explosion at the house today. I made it out okay, but the house was destroyed. Please call me at this number for the next hour.”

“You do know you’re going home with me, right?” We didn’t discuss it before, but that’s what it is. We’re going back to my place so I can nurse her back to health, then fuck my kid into her.

“I am?”

“Yes, you are. I told you before, but I’m guessing you don’t remember because you’ve been through a lot.”

“You don’t even know me, Trent.” She’s right about that, but I don’t give a shit. I’m a very decisive man; when I make a decision it’s final. She’s mine now, and that’s all I need to know.

“I will get to know you,” I pause and give her a dirty smirk, “in every sense of the word.”

She blushes innocently and I wonder if maybe she isn’t like most women her age. I’m not going to ask because the thought of her having past lovers may drive me off the deep end. It’s only noon and the day has been filled with enough emotion for a long time.

“I lost everything in the fire.”

“I thought you said there was an issue with the movers and your things weren’t all there.”

“Well, I wasn’t living with them when they invited me to stay with them at the new house. It was only supposed to be until I decided what I was going to do with my life. I had everything that meant anything with me when I moved in.”

An irrational jealousy takes over and I want to know who she’s been living with. “Where were you before that?”

“I was in college, but I graduated three days ago— a semester early. The next day, I packed up my SUV with my belongings and headed up here to meet them for the Christmas holiday.”

“I’m sorry, Bunny. I’ll get you anything you need.” I caress her cheek only because I don’t trust myself where she’s concerned.

“You don’t have to. By the way…why do you call me Bunny?”

“Because when I saw you standing there by your SUV the other day, you reminded me of a snow bunny; tiny, cute, and fluffy.” I caress her cheek as she blushes.

“Are you calling me short and fat, but cute?” she asks with a smile that says she’s half teasing, but her eyes tell me she’s afraid I feel that way.

“Honey, you are far from fat. Short, yes. As to the cute part, well hell, you’re way past that. You’re sexy as fuck.” I let out a little growl of hunger for her. I need to kiss her again to take the edge off but kissing her doesn’t help. I’m hard and my body’s pulsing.

“You’re trouble,” I groan out, adjusting myself. She just giggles like this shit is funny. She takes a look down at the problem and the giggles disappear. “You’re not laughing now, baby.” Her eyes widen as she stares at the thick bulge in the front of my suit pants.