You’re Sylvia’s niece?”
I slowly turned and faced a sweaty, shirtless Micah, holding on to the handle of a lawnmower, looking too freaking good to be legal. It took a few seconds for my alcohol-soaked brain to catch up. “Wait . . . you’re my neighbor?”
Those grassy green eyes did a full-body sweep, reminding me I was standing out in the back garden in nothing but a nightie and short satin robe—which had come untied. Son of a bitch! “Looks like,” he answered, a sinful grin stretching across his lips.
In reaction to that news, I threw my head back and looked up at the sky, shouting, “What the hell have I ever done to you, huh?” at the top of my lungs.
Me and the man upstairs were about to have some serious words, because this shit was getting ridiculous!
Chapter Ten
Hayden
“Oh my.” Aunt Sylvia looked far too pleased when I righted my head and pointed an unhappy frown in her direction. “Well, isn’t this an interesting new development?”
I didn’t see it that way, but of course she would.
“Sylvia,” Micah said, his tone holding a hint of warning, but also humor, like he and my aunt were the best of friends. And isn’t that just freaking great?
“What?” she asked innocently. “I didn’t say anything. I certainly didn’t say how pleased I am to find out the best sex my precious niece ever had just so happened to be with my strapping young neighbor.”
“Sylvia!” I yelped.
“And I most certainly didn’t say boo about the fact the woman that very same strapping neighbor is completely hung up on is my niece. Nope. Not me. Not a word. I’m just here, minding my own business.”
“That’s it!” I threw my arms up and spun around, my bare feet slapping on the cobblestones as I headed back for the house. “I’m drinking an entire pot of coffee and pretending this morning never happened. This has all been an alcohol-induced nightmare.”
Slamming the door on my aunt’s laughter, I moved straight to the coffee maker and hit the switch, glaring at it as it gurgled and began to spit out the much-needed liquid, like my anger might actually make it work faster.
I heard the creak of the back door opening, but didn’t bother turning around as I stated, “Now’s really not a good time, Sylvia. I think it’s safe to say I’ll be skipping yoga this morning.”
“Gotta say, that’s some nightie.”
At that, I spun around so fast my poor, abused head wobbled like it was at risk of falling off my shoulders. “Did you seriously just walk in here without even knocking?” I asked as I slapped my robe closed and retied the belt.
“Look, Red, we need to talk.”
He’d put his shirt back on before he followed me inside, but it was clinging to his sweaty skin, showing off those slabs of defined muscle I’d spent hours licking. I want to lick them again, the devil on my shoulder said on a dreamy sigh.
Pushing that thought to the back of my head, I crossed my arms over my chest protectively. “Pretty sure we don’t, Micah.”
His eyebrows lifted as he moved deeper into the kitchen, rounding the counter between us and resting his hips back against it. “So, what? We’re just gonna live next door to each other and pretend the other person doesn’t exist?”
“Sounds like a brilliant idea,” I muttered. “How about you get the hell out and we start now?” I was acting like a brat. I knew it and I hated it, but there was something about this man that pushed every one of my buttons, turning me into a petulant little shit, and I couldn’t seem to stop it.
Letting out a beleaguered sigh, Micah reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose before he started speaking again. “Us ignoring each other wouldn’t make Sylvia happy, and I don’t know about you, but I’m not a big fan of making her unhappy. For her sake, we at least need to pretend to get along. It’s what she wants.”
“Oh, is it?” I asked snidely. “So you think you know what my aunt wants more than I do? Why? Because living next door makes you an expert?”
I regretted the nasty words almost as soon as they spilled out of my mouth. This wasn’t me. I wasn’t a bitch, and I really hated that, whatever it was about him, it brought out this kind of behavior in me.
His vibrant green eyes flashed with something unpleasant as he uncrossed his arms