So. Long.: Bad Boy Next Door

So. Long.: Bad Boy Next Door

I wonâ€™t let another Mr. Wrong fool me.

I thought Iâ€™d found my Mr. Rightâ€”then he turned wrong, and ran off with my best friend. After my divorce, I swore off love, romance, and smooth-talking, tattooed, bad boys.

Until him.

The worst mistake of my life moved in next doorâ€”a bona fide pain in my ass, even if heâ€™s a pleasure everywhere else. Adam Hardick might hide behind his beard and sunglasses, but I see through himâ€”heâ€™s chronically single and just looking for trouble.

And now his eyes are trained on my side of the fence.

It doesnâ€™t matter that Adam is sexier than any man Iâ€™ve ever known, or that heâ€™s hiding a mysterious injury from his service overseas. I need stability, responsibility, and someone who can love me and my three-year-old daughter.

I canâ€™t risk another broken heart. But when our innocent fling becomes an accidental pregnancy, our relationship isnâ€™t just for fun anymore.

Can I trust a committed bachelor to become a devoted daddy?

Falling in love is easyâ€¦but sometimes the best romance is the one you never expected.

*****
KELSEY
*****

I grab the lowest branch, looking left and right to check that no oneâ€™s around to witness what might be a potential viral video opportunity in the making.

Tree climbing is something I havenâ€™t done since I was a kid.

â€œChloe, youâ€™re making me look ridiculous.â€ I hike my bare foot up to the first knot on the massive trunk as bark bites into my palms.
â€œDonâ€™t you go any higher, you little terrorist.â€

Yellow eyes stare down on me, narrowed and accusing. Her mew is low, asking what the hell, Servant? You think you have nine lives? Get down before you break your fool neck and canâ€™t do my bidding.

â€œI know. I know.â€ Itâ€™s not natural for people to climb trees; especially those of us whoâ€™s asses are usually glued to desk chairs rather than traipsing into the great outdoors. â€œHere, kitty, kitty.â€

I heft myself up to perch my other foot on the next branch.

Please donâ€™t let the bough break.

A cool breeze blows up my oversized sleep shirt.

Crap. I forgot.

Closing my eyes, I lean my forehead against the wood and sigh.

Imagine the viral videoâ€™s title: Woman Chases Cat Commando Style.

Across the street, Mr. Albertoâ€™s front door is still closed.

Good, maybe Iâ€™ll catch the cat and climb down before he comes out to retrieve his newspaper and gets an early morning peep show in the process. The poor manâ€™s pace-maker might fry at the sight of my twat airing out as the sun rises.

Rustling leaves pull my attention to the kitten. The white tip of her tail swishes three branches higher than ten seconds ago.

â€œAw, câ€™mon. Give a girl a break.â€

I grasp the next branch, hands shaking as much as my knees, while I inch upward a little more. â€œChloe, come to Momma.â€

I freeze when someone clears their throat from below my precarious position, hanging off the side of the tree.

â€œYou all right up there?â€ The voice is deep and silky, like melted fudge.

â€œYes.â€ I swallow. â€œIâ€™m just trying to get my Chloe.â€

â€œWell, I donâ€™t know what a Chloe is, but I definitely found your sugar glider.â€

I reach for Chloe as she scampers further out onto her branch. â€œSheâ€™s not a sugar glider. Sheâ€™s a kitten.â€

A soft chuckle speeds my pulse. â€œA lot of them are called kittens, but the one Iâ€™m looking at is definitely a sugar glider. Looks too sweet to be a cat.â€

Holy crap! From down there, he can see everything!

Heat steals over my chest and up my neck to my cheeks. More than anything I want to press my knees together to block my coochie from view, but Iâ€™m stranded, mid-climb, in this stupid tree, trying to get hold of my crazy escape-artist of a pet.

Lord, why do I even crawl out of bed most days?

Country	USA
Author	Kelley Harvey
Binding	Kindle Edition
Format	Kindle eBook
IsAdultProduct
Label	Kelley Harvey
Manufacturer	Kelley Harvey
PublicationDate	2016-08-29
Publisher	Kelley Harvey
ReleaseDate	2016-08-29
Studio	Kelley Harvey

So. Long.: Bad Boy Next Door

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