Total pages in book: 13
Estimated words: 11285 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 56(@200wpm)___ 45(@250wpm)___ 38(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 11285 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 56(@200wpm)___ 45(@250wpm)___ 38(@300wpm)
Hmm. Even more interesting. I take another sip of my drink, and thank God that I decided to come back from that business trip a day early. Nate, the co-owner of my company, tried to convince me to stick it out at the conference a little longer, but honestly, something had been pulling me home. And now I can see exactly what it was.
I head back out to my car to find some papers – or at least, that’s what I’ll tell her if she’s still out there. Is she in that house all by herself? Big place to fill with just her presence, though maybe that’s what she likes about it. I watch as she notices the swimsuit top on the driveway next to her car. She bends over, grabs for it, and balls it up in her hand. My eyes linger on her curvy little ass when she bends down though, giving me idea son how I’d like to bend her across my bed.
Damn. I need to cool down. But she is so damn sexy it’s impossible not to imagine her with me.
A guy pulls up on a moped and she hands him a generous tip before she grabs the bag that he is carrying. Before she can vanish inside, I take a step forward. No way I’m going to miss out on introducing myself to my new neighbor.
"Hey," I greet her, and she glances up at me. Close up, I can see some freckles on her face, and I have to admit, she’s even cuter than I thought. She smiles at me, lighting her whole face up at once.
"Oh, hi!” she exclaims. "You must be my new neighbor..."
"Yeah, I must be," I reply. "I’m Gage. And you are...?"
"Olivia," she replies, and she extends her hand to me, balancing the stuff that she is carrying against her hip as she does so. "Nice to meet you. I’m looking after this house while Leanne’s out of town."
"Whole place all to yourself, huh?” I remark, and she nods.
"That’s the plan," she agrees. "I can’t wait. I live in the city with my roommates normally. I think I’m going to get addicted to having all this space to myself."
"Well, if you ever need any company, let me know," I reply, and she rests her teeth on her bottom lip for a moment.
"I’ll be sure to." She tucks a loose strand of her light hair back behind her ear. "Uh, and thanks for the welcome to the neighborhood. I know I probably stick out like a sore thumb here."
"Well, got to admit, I haven’t seen a car like yours in a while," I reply, gesturing to the run-down vehicle beside us. She bursts out laughing.
"I didn’t even think about that," she laughs. "Yeah, I guess I’m not exactly making myself easy to ignore, right?"
"Guess you’re not," I reply, and I let my eyes linger on hers for just a moment too long. She pauses, parts her lips as though there is something else that she wants to say to me, but instead, she just nods again.
"Good to meet you," she repeats herself, and I notice a little pink tinge to her cheeks as she hustles back up the driveway with her food in her hands. I watch her as she goes, and I can’t help but smile. See? There’s always a good reason to come back home.
Especially when there’s someone as cute as her waiting for me right next door.
3
OLIVIA
The cool air whips in from the ocean not far from here, and I smile as I set up my easel on the back porch. I planned to work from the study, but I can’t resist the saltwater-tinged air.
The temperature is perfect out here, a perfect chance for me to do a little warm-up work before I get down to my real plans. I tip my head back and let it flow through me, the sweet comfort of knowing that I don’t have to worry about getting under anyone’s feet when I go to the bathroom later. Is there anything better than this? If there is, I haven’t found it yet, and I don’t want to, either.
Anyway. I set up my paints on a stool beside my easel and look down over the flush of flowers in front of me. Leanne has the most gorgeous garden, and I feel like I have been blessed with a trip to the Palace of Versailles or something getting to paint here; there are a line of pink peonies, their buds parted, like lips trying to speak something into the wind.
I push the robe that I’m wearing off my shoulders, and perch on the stool that I have set up to work from. I’m wearing shorts and a sports bra; after my morning workout I didn’t feel like changing. Besides, calling it a workout is a bit of a stretch considering I kept pausing the YouTube video while the instructor was telling me to do sit-ups to take bites of the donut and sips of the coffee I had delivered this morning.