Finally (Neighbor from Hell #12) - R.L. Mathewson Page 0,22

she waited for the pain to go away, only to feel her shoulders sag in defeat when the pain doubled.

Great.

She should have taken an Advil when she had a chance, Charlie thought as she opened her eyes and found herself wondering what Devin was doing here since he’d left for work over an hour ago. That led to her wondering what was in the small white bakery bag he’d placed on the bed next to her. Curious, she picked up the bag and looked inside, noting that there were two very large jelly donuts waiting for her attention.

Pleased with his offering, Charlie selected the plumper of the two donuts and took a small bite while she watched as Devin shifted the grocery bags in his arms so that he could lean over and pick up her bottle of water. Without a word, he placed it back on the nightstand before adding a second bottle of water and a small prescription bottle, which she assumed was the prescription of painkillers that she’d told him that she didn’t need last night.

That was followed by watching him walk over to her kitchen and setting aside the moving boxes that she hadn’t had a chance to unpack yet so that he could put away the food that he’d picked up for her. Once that was done, Devin grabbed one of the rolls of gauze that his cousin had given them last night and walked back over and sat down on the edge of her bed. She nibbled on the incredibly delicious donut as she watched him unwrap the gauze on her foot and inspect her stitches before carefully rolling the new roll of gauze around her foot.

Once that was done, he asked, “Do you need anything else?” while she sat there, considering the large man glaring at her as she continued to nibble on her donut and decided that there were one or two things that she could probably use a hand with since he was offering and all.

Chapter 10

“This isn’t what I had in mind when I asked if you needed anything else,” Devin bit out as he stood there, rubbing his trembling hands down his face as he struggled to figure out how this happened.

“Which is why I really appreciate it,” came the mumbled response from the woman currently stripping naked on the other side of the black shower curtain.

He should have kept his big fucking mouth shut, Devin thought as he watched helplessly as she tossed her shirt through the small gap between the shower curtain and the wall seconds before the light gray shorts that she’d been wearing joined the shirt.

“Can I ask you something?” the reason that he was on the verge of losing his fucking mind asked as the last item was thrown through the small opening, forcing him to reach back and grab hold of the bathroom counter before his legs gave out.

“No,” he bit out as he tried to get the image of her white panties on the bathroom floor out of his mind.

God, he really couldn’t fucking take much more of this.

“Fair enough,” Charlie murmured as she carefully slid her legs beneath the curtain and onto the stack of towels that he’d placed on the floor so that her stitches stayed dry while she took a shower.

Just when he felt himself relax, she said, “I’m ready!”

Sighing heavily, Devin released the counter and reached inside the shower so that he could turn the water on for her.

“Cold!” came the gasped response that had him cursing under his breath as he quickly turned the nob until he heard, “That’s good.”

Deciding that he’d tortured himself enough for one day, Devin headed towards the door and-

“Why do you hate me?” came the question that had him rubbing his trembling hands down his face with a humorless laugh because god, he really fucking wished that he could hate her. It would make his life easier if he could hate her that way he wouldn’t find himself thinking about her every fucking minute of the day.

“I don’t hate you,” Devin said, dropping his hands away as Charlie murmured, “No, of course, you don’t.”

“I don’t,” he bit out evenly.

“And I totally believe you,” Charlie said, making him narrow his eyes on the shower curtain.

“I don’t.”

“Then explain the glaring,” she said, sounding curious.

“I don’t glare,” he said, narrowing his eyes in her direction.

“Uh-huh,” she murmured slowly before asking, “And my office?”

“What about it?” Devin asked, deciding that it probably wouldn’t be a good