A Dose Of Passion

“Instead of staring out the window, maybe you can roll up your sleeves and help guide the movers.”

“I’d rather go next door and introduce myself to the cute neighbor. Apparently, she doesn’t—”

Derek released the slat and started to walk away, but quickly turned back when at the last second he caught sight of the woman behind the lawn mower.

“What the...”

Ignoring the rest of Keith’s comment, Derek bolted for the front door. He cleared his four concrete steps with no effort and stomped across his yard and the neighbor’s double-wide driveway, not stopping until he was in front of the lawn mower.

“Hey!” Macy yanked out her earbuds and snatched off her sunglasses. “What are you...?” Her voice trailed off and surprise registered on her beautiful, sun-kissed face. “What...what are you doing here?” she yelled over the rumble of the mower before shutting it off. “How did you know where I lived?”

“Like you don’t know.” The words flew out of Derek’s mouth impatiently. He folded his arms across his chest, anger darting through his body. He didn’t like games, and apparently she and Noah had a game of their own going on. First, the medical complex project, and now this. “Why didn’t you tell me the house Noah left me was next door to yours?”

Her mouth dropped open and she leaned away from him as if he had struck her. “I didn’t know Noah left you a house, and I sure as heck didn’t know it was that one!” She jabbed her glove-covered finger toward his home. “And how dare you step to me like some crazy madman?” she seethed, her eyes boring into him like a laser beam. “I don’t know what your problem is or what you have against me, but I’m sick of it!”

She snatched her gloves off and stepped around her mower, standing only inches from him. He could feel her anger seeping through her pores, right along with the perspiration coating her skin. “You have been a big, brooding...lug,” she yelled, frustrated, her hands on her hips. “From the day I met you, you treated me like a piece of gum you’ve had stuck on the bottom of your shoe. What have I ever done to you?”

Derek studied her, trying to decide if she really didn’t know what Noah had been up to. By the way she was shooting daggers with her eyes, it was safe to say she hadn’t been a part of Noah’s little game.

Instead of answering her question, his gaze traveled the length of her, from her messy ponytail propped on the top of her head to her thin tank top displaying her more-than-a-handful breasts. He stopped at the tiny shorts. When he should’ve been trying to come up with an answer to her question that wouldn’t make him sound like a total jerk, he instead had an overwhelming desire to pull her into his arms and taste her pouty lips.

Damn, he had it bad. The woman’s gaze cut into him and all he could think about was having her body rubbed up against his, sweat and all.

“Oh, so now you have nothing to say?” She slapped her gloves against her thigh, seeming to be madder than before. “You are unbelievable. You come over here making this big fuss about something I have no knowledge of and now you’re standing there ogling me.” She turned and went back to her lawn mower. “Well, I guess that’s better than the permanent scowl you wear.”

Derek sighed and rubbed his hand over his head and let it slide down the back of his sweaty neck. He didn’t know if he would ever get used to the ninety-degree temperature. It was only July. He didn’t want to think about how hot it would be in August.

“I don’t scowl,” he finally said. His words sounded wimpy even to his own ears.

The sharp edge to her humorless laughter made him want to snatch back his words. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” She used her forearm to dab at the sweat on her forehead. “I can understand you being concerned about Noah, but that constant frown you wear on your face whenever I’m around is a good sign that you have a problem with me.”

“I don’t have a problem with you!” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his cargo shorts and stared down at his shoes, trying to come up with something intelligent to say. What the hell was wrong with him? He was acting as if he were still in high school. She was right about one thing, though. He did have a problem with her. She was too damn fine for her own good and he was seriously attracted to her. And he hated it. Now what to do about it was the question.

* * *

The last thing Macy needed was to live next door to the man she couldn’t stop thinking about. She didn’t want to believe Noah was playing matchmaker from the grave, but what else could she think? First he created a situation in which she would have to work with Derek over the next few months, and now this. How was she supposed to have peace of mind when she knew the tall, dark, brooding man with the sexy, intense gaze was sleeping next door to her? He had already caused her some sexually frustrated, sleepless nights. Now she would probably have to move if she ever wanted to get any rest.

She slipped her gloves and her dark shades back on. She so wanted to be angry at Derek, but how could she be when he towered over her like some sex god? Tall, lean and gorgeous. He looked good enough to make her want to drop her panties, no questions asked. Damn her body for betraying her. His blue fitted T-shirt stretched across his solid chest, hugged his thick biceps and lay flat against his abs. The cargo shorts he wore hung low on his hips, and his thick legs were muscular, like those of a football player. Her gaze finally edged back up his body and landed on his intense eyes. Damn him and his sexy eyes.

“Why are you still here?” she snapped. “I have work to do.” Mama Adel would have a fit if she heard her being this mean to anyone. She would always tell her foster daughters there was no excuse to stoop to someone else’s level if they were acting a fool.

He looked as if he was trying to determine whether or not she was telling the truth, but said nothing. His shoulders dropped and he rubbed his forehead.

“I’m sorry,” he said gruffly. “I was surprised to see you out here.”

“Probably no more surprised than I am to see you standing on my grass, blocking me from finishing my yard.” She slipped off her work gloves again and shoved them into the back pocket of her shorts. It seemed as if he was in no hurry to leave her alone.

Swiping her arm across her forehead for what seemed like the hundredth time, she wiped away the perspiration beading at her hairline. Noah, what are you up to? Derek moving in next door wasn’t a coincidence.

“Are you saying you didn’t know that Noah purchased that house and insisted I move into it?”

“I didn’t even know the house was for sale. My neighbor, a sweet older woman who was always a pleasure to have living next door, told me she had sold the house about a month ago.” Macy didn’t try to hide the bite in her words. She wanted him to know she wasn’t any happier than he was about this new development. “She said someone had made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. And despite what you might think, Noah didn’t always check with me whenever he decided to do something crazy.”

“So you didn’t know he was leaving me that house in his will and insisting I move into it?”

Macy’s hands flew to her hips. “What part of ‘I didn’t know’ don’t you understand? You come over here yelling like you’ve lost your mind because you think I’m playing some game? Well, I’m not. I don’t play those types of games.”

“Daddy!” Macy heard the high-pitched voice before she saw the cutest little boy running across the yard toward Derek, not stopping until his arms were wrapped around his leg. “Hi. What’s your name?” the little guy asked, hiding slightly behind his father.

A smile tugged at Macy’s lips. There was no way this cutie-pie could be related to the big lug. She bent down to his level. “My name is Macy. What’s yours?”

“Jason.” He finally released Derek and approached Macy. “I’m four. How old are you?”

“Jason.” Derek’s warning tone caused Jason to glance up at him. “What did I tell you about asking grown-ups their age?”

Jason lowered his eyes and bit on the tip of his finger. “You said it’s not appopiate,” he said, butchering the word. Macy was impressed he had even gotten that close to saying it correctly.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Jason.” Macy stretched out her hand for a handshake. Jason glanced at his father before accepting her hand and grinned, showing off two missing front teeth and making Macy fall in love with him instantly.

“You want to be my girlfriend?”

“Jason!”

Macy burst out laughing and tipped backward on her haunches, catching herself with a hand behind her before tipping all the way back. She stood to her full height and dusted her hands on her shorts. She didn’t know what was funnier, the fact Jason knew anything about girlfriends or the horror on Derek’s face.

“What did I tell you?” Derek lifted his son effortlessly, holding him out in front of him. “You are too young for a girlfriend and you are not to ask another grown woman to date you. Do you understand me?” Jason nodded slowly and Derek threw him over his shoulder, clearly frustrated but eliciting a giggle from his son. “I’m sorry,” Derek said to Macy. “Apparently I need to break some of the bad habits he’s learned from one of his uncles.”

Macy waved him off. “No harm done. He’s absolutely adorable.” Thanks to Jason, some of the tension between them seemed to have dissipated.

They stood there in awkward silence. Like her, Derek was probably wondering what was on Noah’s mind when he’d purchased the house for Derek to move into. They continued to stand there, each in their own thoughts, until they heard a ton of noise coming from the movers.

“Listen, I’m sorry about yelling. I just—” he shrugged “—was surprised to see you.”

“Yeah, you said that.” Macy put the left earbud in her ear and started to put the second one in. “Next time maybe you can think twice before coming onto my property and yelling at me.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He turned and Macy grinned when Jason, who was still hanging over Derek’s shoulder, waved at her.

Such a cute kid. Too bad his father is a jerk.

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