Fearless Abby Brooks (ebook reader color screen TXT) 📖

in Wildrose Landing. Up! Down! Turn! Turn again! And then the loop-de-loop to beat all loop-de-loops…my job description now basically included dating my sexy neighbor/boss…

…who just happened to be a New York Time bestselling author…

How was this even my life?

As Alex strolled back to his house, I grabbed my phone and buckled in. Amelia would be all for this ride.

Me: Hangover’s basically gone. Spent the day watching Alex not really work. Now he tells me part of my job is dating him.

Amelia: IDK, that kinda seems creepy?

Amelia: BTW, I totally knew he had the hots for you.

Amelia: Also. Trying to work through how I feel about this turn of events… Seems very sexual harassment-y

Me: We’re not really dating, and he doesn’t have the hots for me. I’m supposed to figure out how to get him out of the rut he’s in, which will include dinner, drinks, and long walks on the beach. I did kiss him while I was drunk last night. So, you know, the harassment goes both ways.

Amelia: I leave you alone for one day and look what happens!

Me: Wanna know the worst part? I opened the door to him while wearing my stupid tank top and underwear this morning.

Amelia: Was your boob out?

Me: OMG I DIDN’T EVEN CHECK

Amelia’s string of laughing emojis had me giggling—and swearing to pay more attention to what I wore to bed. With my mind awash in modest PJ options, I headed upstairs to get ready.

It wouldn’t take long.

After all, Alex and I weren’t going on an actual date.

Just a change of clothes. A touch of makeup. A swipe of the brush and a dash of perfume and I was good to go. Nice enough for an evening out with my boss, but still totally casual. Easy peasy summer breezy.

Except I checked my hair in every mirror I passed.

Then opted to change my outfit.

Twice.

When I got to Alex’s house, there was a note on the door reminding me to come on in. I pushed inside and Morgan skittered and clicked across the hardwood floors to greet me, while a black kitten bounced along behind him. Alex didn’t strike me as a kitten kind of guy. Guess I still had a lot to learn about the man.

Gee? You think? That’s a real shocker, considering you’ve only known him for a weekend…

I crouched to scratch Morgan’s ears. “Hey, buddy. Long time no see.”

He huffed and sniffed my face. The kitten bumped his head against my thigh, purr box rumbling, so I gave him a little attention, too. When both animals were sufficiently greeted, I straightened and peered around the foyer. The house was similar in style to mine, though the furniture was heavy and masculine instead of Aunt Ruth’s distinctly feminine choices. A quick perusal of the first floor showed I was alone, outside of the animals. The hiss and patter of running water upstairs said Alex was still in the shower.

Singing to himself.

Loudly.

And offkey.

I perched on the couch as I listened, scratching Morgan’s head while his tail wagged and the kitten curled in my lap. The more Alex sang, the more aware I was that he was upstairs, totally naked. Water slicing through his hair. Running down his body. His broad shoulders and proud posture suggested his jeans and T-shirts hid a model-worthy figure. For as much as I’d tried to forget our kiss last night, I couldn’t. The memory had been swimming through my mind all day and now it mingled with the image of a naked Alex. The longer I waited, the more my curiosity grew. The more my curiosity grew, the more a devious idea bloomed.

Alex had seen me in my underwear…

It was only fair to sneak a peek of my own.

“I’m just gonna even the score,” I said to the kitten as I shifted him off my lap. “So Alex can’t hold what happened over my head without getting a little something in return.” He’d basically threatened to blackmail me with my drunken shenanigans. Who wouldn’t want a little ammunition of her own?

The idea sounded better with each passing moment.

The kitten stretched and mewed his agreement while Morgan huffed an encouraging sneeze.

I crept through Alex’s house. Up a curved set of stairs. Down a hallway with plush carpet and rows of his book covers, framed and hanging on the wall. The sounds of the shower grew louder while Morgan paced beside me, his tongue lolling in anticipation. The water stopped, but Alex’s singing did not, and my grin widened as he mangled “Tainted Love.” The second I got close enough to hear the lyrics, Morgan tilted his head back and joined in, adding his howling voice to the mix.

I buried my face in his fur. “Oh, no, no, no, no, no,” I whisper-hissed, but he only upped his game, howling louder as laughter came from inside the bathroom. When the door cracked open, I realized I had no idea what I planned on doing. Was I going to jump out and scare him like some kind of stalker ninja? Peek around the corner and see what I could see? Or maybe I just needed to hightail it back downstairs before anything ridiculous happened.

You know, like a dog breaking into song with his owner while I snuck around like a common criminal.

What I should have done was get my ass back into the living room. What I did was dart around a corner moments before footsteps sounded in the hall. But what I got for it made the whole ordeal worthwhile—a glimpse of one fantastic rear end as Alex strutted down the hallway without a towel.

WITHOUT A TOWEL.

I stared.

Hard.

I wasn’t one to appreciate butts. Most of the time, they looked ridiculous as they wibbled, wobbled, and sagged into thighs. But Alex…he took tushies to an entirely new level.

“Why didn’t you tell me he wanders around naked and looks like that?” I whispered to Morgan. He cocked his head and wagged his tail. “I know. You’re right. It is better I know