Irresistible (Neighbor from Hell #11) - R.L. Mathewson Page 0,40
of breaks.
“Don’t leave that couch, woman,” Aidan said, pointing at the couch that she was currently cuddled up on with all her favorite blankets, her laptop, and snacks.
“I thought I was supposed to get more exercise?” she reminded him as she took a sip of her chocolate milk.
“I’ll be back at lunchtime to take you for a walk. So, until then, don’t leave that couch,” Aidan said, shooting her a glare as he grabbed his bag and headed for the door only to stop, glare one last time and finally leave while Melanie sat there, shaking her head with a sigh, wondering why he didn’t trust her as she pushed her blankets aside and climbed off the couch.
The man definitely had trust issues, Melanie thought with a sad sigh as she headed into the kitchen and decided that she should surprise him with cupcakes…and brownies. Definitely brownies, Melanie decided only to turn right back around when she realized that she forgot her iPad in her bedroom. Twenty minutes and a bathroom break later, she was walking back into the kitchen, searching through KaseyCooks for recipes and trying to decide between two different brownie recipes.
After some much-needed soul searching, Melanie realized that she didn’t have a choice in the matter. She had to make them both. Decision made, she poured herself another cup of chocolate milk, grabbed the mixing bowls and set to work. Twenty minutes later, she had both pans of brownie batter in the oven and somehow found herself grabbing a mixing bowl for chocolate chip cookies when she suddenly got a craving for oatmeal raisin cookies. That somehow led to a craving for lasagna, fettuccini alfredo, and buttermilk biscuits, which eventually led to her standing in the middle of the kitchen, hugging her cookie spatula against her chest and struggling not to cry as she watched the timer, waiting for the moment when she could go curl back up on the couch and pass out.
Unfortunately for her, she still had thirty minutes left on the lasagna and twenty on the apple crisp that she’d decided to make to go along with the homemade French vanilla ice cream that she’d made while the cookies were cooling. Really wishing that she’d taken a break after making the cupcakes, Melanie released a sniffle as she reached over and helped herself to one of the aforementioned cupcakes and-
“Dr. Bradford?” came the somewhat desperate words followed by pounding on what sounded like Aidan’s door. Curious, Melanie broke off a piece of cupcake and headed to the hallway to see what was going on.
“I-I will kill you,” the small woman with long curly black hair pulled back into a ponytail and sporting a Black Jack’s tee-shirt bit out as she glared at the large incredibly handsome man wearing a Bradford Construction tee-shirt that Melanie had seen around the Fire & Brimstone.
“Aw, aren’t you an adorable little thing?” the man that could only be a Bradford said as he reached over and patted the angry-looking woman on the head.
With a murderous glare, she slapped his hand away with a, “Don’t make me kill you.”
“That hurts, pumpkin,” the man said with a heavy sigh as he absently reached over and plucked the cupcake out of Melanie’s hands and finished it off in one bite while she stood there trying to make sense out of what just happened and when she did…
“Oh, shit,” he said, eyes going wide as he took in her bottom lip trembling to the large swell of her belly and back again before adding another, “Oh, shit.”
“What is wrong with you?” the other woman demanded as she slapped the white envelope in her hand on Aidan’s door with some tape before walking away, shaking her head in disgust.
“Many things,” he murmured absently as he focused his attention on Melanie. “I’m sorry.”
“My,” sniffle, “cupcake.”
“I’m really sorry,” he said, holding his hands up in surrender. “My name’s Arik and I’m an asshole.”
Sniffle, “I know,” Melanie said with a sad nod as she turned around and headed back inside, not really surprised when Arik followed her.
Deciding that she’d more than earned a break, Melanie sat down on the couch and curled up in her blankets. When he opened his mouth, most likely to apologize again, she simply raised her hand and pointed towards the kitchen. Frowning, Arik followed the gesture and-
“Oh, my god,” he said in a reverent whisper when he saw all the food.
“Timer’s about to go off,” Melanie said as she tried to get