I can only marvel at his incredible body. Seriously, his abs looked like they were etched by a grandmaster mason, chiseled to perfection. To make matters worse, a sheen of sweat covers his entire torso, and droplets are running down the hardened lines of his stomach muscles. I have to fight an extreme urge to want to bend over and lick it off.
If I thought I was burning up before, now I'm in the fiery pits of hell.
“What are you doing here?” I croak with disbelief, trying to keep my eyes level with his face and not that washboard stomach of his.
Zane’s grin grows wider and his eyes seem to assess my body, making me feel even hotter. He’s pleased that he’s shocked me. “I live right there,” he says, nodding to the condo that's directly next to mine.
I gape with shock. Seriously, I’m fucking floored. What are the odds? What are the odds that I meet this guy at the bar and run away from him, only to find out that he lives right next door to me?
One in a billion, I think to myself. Fuck! I can’t run away from him now.
“You’re shitting me.”
Zane chuckles. Fuck. Even his laugh is sexy. “Nah. Actually, I was surprised myself when I saw you guys out here. I was like, no way. Apparently fate's decided to bring us back together again.” The way he looks at me conjures up the memory of running from his sexy touch. His eyes are telling me I’ve committed a crime, and he won’t let me get away with it.
“Then fate must be fucked up in the head.”
Zane throws back his head and laughs again. “You’re funny, I’ll give you that.”
There's nothing funny about this situation. I ran away last night because I knew Zane was nothing but trouble, and now fate's put him right next door.
Almost as if to torment me.
“And sexy,” he growls throatily, his eyes roaming all over my body.
I suddenly remember what I’m wearing, daisy dukes that hug my ass cheeks and a cropped tank top that bares my midriff, and I blush furiously under Zane’s appreciative stare.
God, he makes me feel so sexy. Wanted.
“Yeah, somehow fate changed the name of my street to Candyland Road without even telling me.”
My cheeks heat with embarrassment. “It’s alright peaches,” he winks at me.
Right then, Katie comes back out of our condo with one of the moving guys in tow. She stops and stares when she sees Zane, her jaw dropping. After composing herself, she walks over.
“Well, well, well. Look at what we have here,” she says with a huge smile plastered on her face.
“Hey,” Zane greets her politely.
Katie encircles her arm around Zane’s sculpted waistline and looks up at him admiringly. “Sup, hot stuff?”
I roll my eyes at Katie’s silliness.
Zane chuckles. “Not much.”
“Can you believe he lives right next door?” I demand. For some reason the sight of Katie’s arms around Zane is irritating me, though I don’t know why. It’s not like we're an item. Or like Katie would ever go after a guy I liked. My brow furrows at the thought. Do I like him? It’s nothing. It’s fine. Whatever.
“Nope. Can you believe these abs, though?” she marvels, actually running her hands along Zane’s muscular lines that are slick with sweat.
“Get your hands off him!” I snap with so much venom it causes Katie to jump away from Zane.
“Damn, Maddy, I didn’t realize he was your property.” I bite down on the inside of my cheek and stare at the house.
She’s right. I don’t know what’s come over me. I ran away from Zane like he was the devil last night, and here I am getting pissed because Katie's admiring his perfect body?
“I’m sorry,” I apologize to Zane quickly, my cheeks burning from embarrassment. “I don’t know what came over me.”
Zane has an amused smirk on his face. He doesn’t look bothered by my outburst in the least. In fact, I think he liked it. “It’s cool.”
“And you were calling me bitchy earlier,” Katie complains.
“Well you were,” I point out.
“Says the one who just screamed at me for touching our hot new neighbor.” She raises her voice on the last words and gives him a wink.
I ignore how much I hate that I feel jealous. “I didn’t scream.”
“You didn’t? I think they heard you on the other side of town.”
I roll my eyes with exasperation and turn to Zane. “Do you see what I have to deal with?”
Zane chuckles. “I think it’s cute.”
Katie sticks her tongue out at me. “See Maddy, even Zane takes my side.”
“Hey,” Zane protests. “Don't put me in the middle of this.”
“You sure about that? The three of us would make a good sandwich.”
I blush. “Katie!” Jesus. She’s so embarrassing. I know she’s joking, but he might not!
“Wha?”
I shake my head. “Never mind.” I cross my arms and lean back against the van.
Katie badgers him with question after question about the area and I watch them interact, only half-listening to what he’s saying. He keeps looking back at me when he answers, even though I’m not the one asking. And as much as Katie loves pissing me off, she’s at least keeping her hands to herself. With every move he makes, his muscles ripple and glisten in the sun. It’s not fair. Fate really is a bitch.
“So, you going to help us out then?” Katie asks him. It’s only when he answers he’s more than happy to oblige that I realize he’s staying to help the movers. Which means he’ll be in our house.
“I gotta go inside,” I bite out and push off the van.
“You alright?” Zane asks.
I fan myself and walk backward. “Just need to cool off.”
“You’re telling me,” Katie says with a smirk. I roll my eyes and nearly fall flat on my face as I try to turn around and walk normally. Fuck. I am not looking back. I refuse to check to see if he saw me.
Despite saying I was going to go inside and enjoy the A/C, I watch Zane at work, admiring his glistening muscles and washboard abs until they’re done. Which happens all too quickly. I fucking hated packing, but I’d go out and buy all of Ikea if I could right now. I wish I had some new furniture I could ask him to assemble for me, giving me an excuse to check him out some more.
I grab a case of water from the kitchen and set it on the table for the guys. It’s the least we can do.
It looks like Katie has set her sights on a new man and is chatting with one of the movers as the guys walk out.
I give them a wave and yell after them, “Thanks again!”
My heart beats faster as Zane, at the very end of the line, closes the door, rather than walking through it.
Oh, fuck.
I can’t run now.
I grab a bottle of water and walk to the kitchen to start unpacking, completely ignoring the fact that he followed me in here. This is bad. I’m hot and sweaty and worked up. My lungs aren’t even working right.
I stand near the fridge and consider bending down to open the closest box, but I know I need to say something. I look up and I’m trying desperately not to stare at him and his sweaty, hot body. Trying desperately not to think naughty thoughts. Trying, and failing miserably.