Officer Next Door (Lock and Key) Read online

  She set the cucumber down on the cutting board, then placed a sweet pepper about the size of her thumb beside it. “Which one does he most resemble?”

  Alicia laughed. “Please. You’re embarrassing me, and there’s not even anyone else here to overhear.”

  Sasha waggled her eyebrows. “The answer is ‘cucumber’ then.”

  The answer was definitely ‘cucumber’, though Alicia still couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud. Not at work, anyway.

  “And her silence confirms it,” Sasha said, apparently to herself. “So… You ready for tonight?” She flashed Alicia a big grin.

  “You mean this evening?”

  “Evening. Night. Whatever. You know, if you wanted you could always invite me to stay overnight. Then I could see the show your neighbor puts on for myself.”

  “I bet you’d love that,” Alicia said, “which is exactly why I’d rather spend the night alone with my ghost.”

  “Still receiving visitors from the Great Beyond, huh?” Sasha brought her knife down on the cucumber she’d compared to Liam just moments ago.

  “Just one visitor, I think. And frankly, I’m probably imagining that.” Alicia laughed, mostly so Sasha wouldn’t think she was crazy.

  “I don’t see why you think that, unless you have a history of serious delusions you didn’t tell me about.” She tapped the side of her head. “I have a very vivid imagination, and the only time I’ve ever imagined someone standing over my bed was the time I woke up from a dream about Johnny Depp. Sadly, I knew it was too good to be true, even at the time.”

  A little shiver raced down Alicia’s spine as she recalled the night – early morning, really – she’d woken up to the sensation of being watched.

  When she’d first opened her eyes, she’d glimpsed the glowing outline of a person standing at the foot of her bed, a pale silhouette against the pre-dawn light, the shape of a person that almost appeared to be made out of cold, white light itself. It had only lasted for a split second though, and by the time she’d finished blinking sleep from her eyes, there’d been no sign of anyone.

  “Well, I’d like to think I imagined it.”

  Sasha nodded and donned a sly grin. “Not so fun being watched when you think you’re alone, huh?”

  “Very funny. For your information, that incident would’ve been a lot less scary if the person – or whatever it was – had been on the other side of a window instead of in my bedroom.”

  “Maybe you should get a dog,” Sasha suggested. “Adopt one from the county shelter or something.”

  “You know, I might just do that. It’d be nice to have a companion … someone to alert me if anyone ever actually does sneak into my house. And don’t they say that animals can sense spirits?”

  “Hell if I know.” Sasha shrugged. “I was thinking that if you had a dog, you could ‘accidentally’ let him loose in your neighbor’s yard. Then you’d have an excuse to go over there, and next thing you know you’d be talking and … bam!” She snapped her fingers, sending a fleck of chopped pepper flying. “You’re in cucumber country before you know it.”

  Alicia sighed. “You’re always scheming, aren’t you?”

  “I know the menu here like the back of my own hand – I could make it all in my sleep. I have to occupy my mind somehow while I’m cooking.”

  “Okay, just promise me that if you come up with anything too crazy, you won’t try it tonight when you come over. I’ve got to get back to the main house – I’m supposed to be meeting a bride-to-be any minute now.”

  Sasha flashed a suspiciously quiet smile, and as Alicia left the restaurant, she thought she heard her mutter something that sounded a lot like ‘I make no promises’.

  Much like the incident when she’d woken to see a figure at the end of her bed, Alicia hoped she’d only imagined it.

  Back outside, she strolled down the pathway, walking at a leisurely pace despite her appointment. The canopy of wisteria-swathed branches was so beautiful it demanded that she slow down a little, imagining that she existed in a different time. That was the real Southern charm she’d quickly become addicted to: natural beauty, and taking the time to savor it.

  She rounded the front of the plantation house – a stately structure if there ever was one, complete with crisp white siding and tall columns that supported two porches, one on the first and second story each. She was about to climb the set of stairs that led up to the first-story porch when something caught her eye.

  To the right, around the corner of the house, stood a woman. Alicia’s attention was snared by the sight of her ivory-colored skirt – one of the long, maxi-styled ones she’d always loved for their comfort-factor – flapping in the breeze.

  She veered to the right, heading for the stretch of perfectly-manicured lawn beside the house. Tours didn’t start for another half hour, so chances were the woman was the bride Alicia was supposed to be meeting with.

  The light breeze rolled over the plantation yard, carrying the earthy, slightly damp scent of Spanish moss. She closed her eyes and inhaled, sighing a moment later. There was no question about it: she loved her new job. It beat working in the city as a hotel event coordinator hands down. The atmosphere was simply without comparison.

  Sure, she missed the convenience of the city – there, anything and everything had been available 24/7, while in Riley, most things were closed by 9 or 10 – but the peace and beauty of small town life made up for it.

  “Isn’t the wisteria beautiful?” she called as she navigated a little bend in the pathway, reaching the yard around the side of the house.

  There was no saying whether the bride-to-be was equally charmed by the grounds, because she was no longer there.

  Blinking, Alicia looked from side to side, searching for any sign of the woman in the ivory skirt. “Hello?”

  Only silence met her greeting, and she began to feel foolish. The woman had been there just moments ago, she was sure of it. Where the hell had she gone?

  Scanning the yard again, she saw no sign of a human presence, only a big, dark lump a dozen yards away, on the bank of the creek that ran behind the house.

  Despite the heat, she shivered. There was still one thing she hadn’t gotten used to: seeing alligators in the wild. Before she’d moved to Riley County, she’d only ever seen them in zoos and aquariums. Here, they were native and roamed wherever they liked. Even from a distance, she was able to identify the reptile lounging in mottled sunlight that filtered through the branches of a cypress tree.

  His name was Brutus. Or at least, that was what everyone at Wisteria called him. Covered in tough blackish hide that inspired thoughts of dinosaurs, he was a good nine feet long, maybe ten. According to Sasha, he’d probably grow even bigger. And for some reason, he loved the creek behind Wisteria.

  Making a mental note to avoid the area whenever she gave the bride-to-be a tour of the grounds, Alicia turned around and headed for the house. The sight of Brutus bothered her almost as much as the fact that a woman had all but disappeared before her eyes. When she stepped into the foyer, she looked around for the bride, intent on asking her how she’d done it.

  But she wasn’t there, either. Alicia had her cell phone number on file, and briefly considered calling to ask where on the grounds the woman was. Before she could do so, someone walked through the door.

  “Hi,” a tall woman in cropped jeans and a red shell top said, shifting her purse strap on her shoulder. “I’m here for a tour of the wedding facilities?”

  “You must be Sheila,” Alicia said, pasting on her brightest smile even though something wasn’t adding up. If this woman was the one she was scheduled to meet with, who was the shorter woman she’d seen outside?

  A guest, possibly. Or maybe she really was going crazy.

  “That’s right.” Sheila held out a hand.

  Alicia shook it. “I’m Alicia Dalton, special events coordinator. If you’re considering Wisteria for your wedding, the first thing you should see is…”
/>   She spent a good forty-five minutes showing Sheila around, carefully avoiding Brutus as she showed off the grounds and buildings, explaining Wisteria’s history and the options available for a marriage ceremony. By the time she finished, the bride was talking positively about the possibilities, even mentioning how her chosen wedding colors would complement the blooming wisteria.

  Alicia took that as a sign of a job well done, and returned to the main house after seeing Sheila off.

  “I’d say that went well, if the look on your face is any indication.” A petite woman with silver pixie-cut hair stood in the foyer, dressed, as usual, in a bold printed top and dangling silver jewelry.

  “Hi Faye,” Alicia said to Wisteria’s general manager, the woman who’d hired her. “She said she’d call soon to let me know for sure, but I think she’ll be getting married here.”

  “Knew there was a reason I hired you,” Faye said, striding toward the staircase with its gorgeous hand-carved wooden bannister. “Have you seen Kerry?”

  “Not yet today.” Kerry was the head of Wisteria’s small housekeeping team, and could usually be found somewhere upstairs. “When you find her, would you mind delivering a message for me? Tell her I’ll be counting on her to reign in Sasha this evening.”

  “Good luck.” Faye was already halfway up the staircase. “I don’t have to know what you three have planned to tell you that you’re going to need it.”

  Alicia felt herself turning a little red as Sasha’s ‘cucumber country’ comment popped into her head. Truth was, she wasn’t sure she wanted to share her gorgeous neighbor with Sasha, or anyone else – not even the sight of him. Watching him get in and out of the shower felt devilish enough; blabbing about his amazing body felt downright wrong.

  Or was that just a hint of jealousy rearing its head?

  Either way, she took pleasure in knowing that there were details she’d kept to herself, like where his tattoo was.

  Now, if she could just keep Sasha from engineering some sort of disastrous confrontation with Liam, maybe she’d be able to manage getting to know him a little – or a lot – better on her own time.

  * * * * *

  Sometimes, twelve hour shifts had a way of going by incredibly slowly, depending on what went on at the prison. Today had been one of those days – the inmates Liam had been supervising hadn’t caused any major trouble.

  Sure, he’d seized a lighter and a few cigarettes from a cell during a search, but that’d been it. No one had bled or died, and a heated argument over which TV channel the inmates would watch – one of their favorite things to fight over – had fizzled out before it’d escalated into an actual fight.

  While Liam would never complain about a lack of violence and mayhem, the day had been torture, and he knew exactly who to blame.

  Alicia Dalton. Finally, he had a name to put to the face – and the body – that’d been driving him crazy for the past three weeks.

  He would’ve introduced himself sooner to his new neighbor, but he’d had a very real fear of walking up to her and being stricken by a raging erection no clothing would be able to hide. Normally, he’d like to think he had a little more self-control, but he was also a realist.

  Fact was, he’d been watching her undress for the past three weeks. Their bedroom windows were directly across from each other’s, and apparently she had yet to hang curtains over hers.

  As a result, when she slipped out of her clothing and into her pajamas, her lithe body cast a stunning silhouette against the blinds. Her naked shadow-figure had been dancing through his mind ever since the first time he’d caught a glance and stared, mesmerized.

  Maybe he should’ve said something – she probably had no idea she was putting on a show – but that ship had sailed. There was no way he could bring it up now without it being obvious that he’d been enjoying it, and besides… He hated the thought of it stopping.

  Having a conversation with her that morning had just about killed him, and his balls still ached as he neared his house, pulling into the parking area in front of the porch. His gaze was drawn automatically to the little blue house next door, and what he saw there didn’t disappoint.

  Alicia was outside on her front porch, sitting at the patio table there. A couple of other women were with her – a curvy blonde and a tiny brunette – but Alicia stole the show, no question about it.

  She wore her hair down and it hung in auburn waves, brushing her almost-bare shoulders. Narrow straps held up her purple sundress, a clingy thing that stopped a couple inches above her knees. He could just picture himself hiking up the skirt, bending her over the table and finding out if she felt as good as she looked.

  He had no doubt that she did, just like he had no doubt about what he’d do as soon as he reached the privacy of his own home. Still, he walked slowly, unable to resist staring in her direction.

  She was pouring drinks from a pitcher for her friends, but looked in his direction just as he reached his porch steps.

  He nearly tripped and fell up them. Instead, he gripped the rail, digging his fingers into wood that reminded him of the hardness straining the front of his uniform pants. After tearing his gaze away from his new neighbor, he retreated into his house, locking the door behind himself.

  The kitchen clock showed that he had fifteen, maybe twenty minutes before the guys arrived. He wouldn’t need that long, but he hurried to his room anyway.

  Once he stripped off his duty belt, uniform and boots, he considered taking a quick shower. The early summer heat never failed to make him sweat, and his heavy, dark uniform definitely didn’t help. Besides, things would be a lot cleaner that way, and not just because he’d been sweating.

  He headed down the hall to the bathroom, his hard cock leading the way as thoughts of that purple sundress – and what lay beneath – raced through his mind, fueling the almost painful lust his neighbor inspired. It was all he could do to turn on the water and step into the shower before he wrapped his hand around his dick.

  The water was hotter than he’d meant for it to be, but he chose to let it scald him rather than pause to fix it. With the hot liquid streaming down his back, he faced the wall and finally let himself wrap his fingers around his shaft, creating heat and pressure that served as a substitute for what – who – he really wanted.

  He still hadn’t decided whether having such a beautiful neighbor was a blessing or a curse. As he pumped his hand up and down the length of his cock, it felt like both. God knew it’d been a while, and if Alicia was interested in being anything more than neighbors, he had a feeling her arrival would be the best thing that’d happened to him in one hell of a long time.

  On the other hand, if it turned out she’d prefer for him to keep his distance, he’d be sentenced to a case of aching balls sure to endure as long as she was living next door.

  Or at the very least, until she invested in a set of bedroom curtains. Normally, he didn’t consider himself the type to spy, but damn, he was only human…

  The thought of her undressing, completely oblivious to the fact that he was watching, pushed him to the edge immediately. Urgency surged through him, making every muscle in his body go tense. He thrust into his fist, picturing the outline of her naked body.

  Somehow, seeing everything and nothing at the same time was more of a turn-on than he ever could’ve imagined. By now, he’d memorized her every curve, from the teardrop swells of her breasts – each enough to be a handful – to the half-moon perfection of her ass, a roundness he ached to lay hands on.

  Instead, he braced himself with a hand against the shower wall. His fingers slipped against the slick tile, prompting him to stand a little wider, wary of falling. The tension mounting below his gut alone was almost enough to knock him over; he could only imagine what it’d be like to actually get his hands on Alicia.

  In fact, he could imagine it in agonizing detail. His mouth watered at the thought of tasting her breasts, for starters – locking his lips around the nipples that made her silhou
ette something that kept him up at night. They tended to be hard when she undressed, and sometimes her fingers brushed them, causing them to draw up even tighter, even more defined. Whenever that happened, his own fingertips tingled with the urge to touch her, not just there but everywhere.

  If given the chance, he could spend an entire night exploring every inch of the curves he’d come to equate with just-out-of-reach perfection.

  With a sigh, he shoved his fist to the base of his cock, succumbing to the first surge of desperate pleasure. Come surged over his hand, joining the flow of hot water dripping from his fingers. It felt good, but not good enough to appease the desire for something more, the palpable lack thinking of Alicia never failed to make him aware of. There was no way around it: he wanted her. Bad.

  He kept pumping his hard shaft until it hurt, then let the too-hot water wash away the mess before he finally adjusted the temperature, finishing his shower beneath a tepid flow. He was still half hard when he stepped out, reaching for the towel he’d left hanging on the door.

  CHAPTER 3

  “Oh my God,” Sasha gasped. “Oh my God!” She lowered her face to her glass and took a long drink of Alicia’s homemade sangria.

  “Calm down,” Alicia managed to force out. “You’re going to give yourself a heart attack.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Sasha looked up, her eyes shining. “I’m barely into my thirties – way too young for a heart attack.”

  “An aneurysm, then.” Alicia took a generous sip of her own drink, unsure of whether or not she regretted mixing up the big pitcher of alcohol. On one hand, drinking seemed to be spurring Sasha’s loud-mouthed nature to new heights. On the other, Alicia wasn’t sure she had any hope of surviving the evening without a drink or three.

  She, Sasha and Kerry had just watched Liam get into the shower with a hard-on to shame all hard-ons. It hadn’t been completely gone by the time he’d stepped out, either. Sasha was beside herself, and even quiet Kerry seemed stunned.