That is poetry in motion right there.
I watched Jenny jog away, practically drooling. She wasn't the friendliest little thing in the world, but looking like that, I wasn't so sure I blamed her.
She probably spent half her time beating off men with a stick.
My eyes widened appreciatively as her round little bottom flexed in those tiny shorts. Her long toned legs seemed to literally eat the ground as she ran. She looked graceful and determined, if a little curvy to make jogging practical. Her long honey colored hair swooshed back and forth against her back.
But it was her face that had startled the hell out of me. She was stunning. Not just beautiful. Certainly not just pretty.
No, Jenny was drop dead gorgeous.
High cheekbones, a strong jaw, stubborn little chin, pert delicate nose and the most luscious looking lips I’d seen in my life. And huge grey green eyes that completely dominated her face.
Hooded eyes that said 'keep your distance.' Her thick, sooty lashes and high arched brows framed a face that would stop traffic from fifty feet.
Jenny had a classic beauty that was impossible to hide, no matter how hard she tried to dress it down. And she did try to hide it, I could tell. She was unlike any of the many exceptionally good looking women I’d known over the years. Women who primped and preened themselves within an inch of their life.
This girl put them all to shame and she wasn't even trying.
Good lord.
I had a strong feeling I knew what I would be thinking about for the rest of the day. And the night. I reached down and adjusted myself.
I was getting hard just thinking about the girl.
That's when I noticed where she was going. She was turning into the ramshackle little beach hut that was right next door to my house.
In fact, it was so close I'd thought about trying to buy it. Make it into a guest house or something, or tear it down completely. But my lawyer hadn't had any luck so I’d let it go.
Oh boy.
With Jenny as a neighbor I was sure to have a lot of sleepless nights. That would be fine, as long as she joined me.
I smiled, feeling optimistic for the first time in forever.
I could think of a lot of interesting things to do with little miss hot pants in the dead of night.
Chapter 5
Jenny
A long, yawn and a stretch started my day. I rolled over and stared at the clock. It flashed at me a lovely, lazy day number. A number I hadn’t woken to in months.
10:08 AM
I blinked and pulled out my ear plugs.
Blissful silence.
I sat up and looked around. Basil was on his back in a patch on sunshine, sound asleep. He snorted and his little paws jerked in the air.
"Is it Sunday?"
Ever since the construction had started I’d gotten one day of silence a week. Sunday. But today was Friday.
Oh my God.
It was quiet outside.
Was there a power outage?
Was it finally over???
I rolled to my feet and stood up. Basil huffed and didn't move. I almost laughed. My dog was like I was, a light sleeper. And for once, he was asleep past the crack of dawn.
For the first time in forever, I felt well rested.
I pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and made myself a small pot of coffee. I had orders to fill for the weekend so I got to work immediately after taking the pup out for a walk.
For a new small business owner like me, I worked 24/7, just to break even. But I loved what I did. Besides, business was picking up. Word of mouth about my recipes and magic fingers was spreading quickly.
Next year, I’d be flush.
Hopefully anyway.
I was dusting a mocha crumb cake with powdered sugar when the knock came at the door. I jumped a mile high and ended up covered with a film of powdered sugar. I cursed under my breath.
I didn't like unexpected visitors.
I especially didn't like them when I was working.
Oh well, it wasn't the first time I’d been covered in powdered sugar.
I set dow my accoutresments and went to answer the door.
Of course. It was him.
The slick, handsome stranger I’d met last week on the beach.
The one I hadn't been able to get out of my head.
It was twisted but whenever I had a quiet moment I found myself wondering about him, if I’d ever see him again. And promptly got pissed at myself for doing it.
Slade.
What a ridiculous name.
Yet somehow, it suited him.
I opened the door and stared at him through the screen door. He was wearing that same leather jacket and tight jeans. He leaned against the side of the door smiling at me, looking utterly at home.
He looked thrilled to see me, truth be known.
"Hi."
"Hey Jenny. Oh my god it smells good in there."
I shouldn't invite him in, I shouldn't invite him in, I shouldn't invite him in.
"Would you like to come in?"
“That would be great, thanks.”
I opened the screen door, feeling a bit like I was in one of those scary movies. One of the ones where the heroine just invited a vampire inside her house. I almost laughed. Now he was going to either seduce me or suck out all my blood.