My Bossy Protector Read online

  This guy is going to be the end of me.

  Chapter One – Lucy

  I looked around my tiny living room filled with boxes, unsure where I was going to put everything. The apartment was charming, located above the Victorian home of one of the sweetest old ladies I’d ever met in New York. I was lucky to have found it when I needed it most. I carried a box into the small kitchen with a sigh, tackling it first. The window was wide open as Pandora played from my phone on the counter. I tried not to think about the rubble that was now the only thing left of my lab.

  I had opened my lab after college with stars in my eyes. My goal was to produce the best green solutions to reduce air pollution.

  Living in a big city, I was well-aware of the thick smog that filled the air and how it impacted air quality. I loved combining my ideas and those of my staff to find the best solution. I’d felt that way since I was in school, and I knew that I was the same geek now as I was back then. I was just a slightly broken version of her after the fire three months ago that forced me out of my apartment and into this one while I waited for the insurance company to reimburse me for my losses.

  I hadn’t purchased a great policy since I had been just starting out and regretted it now. They were not making this easy, but Mrs. Hastings was looking for a little extra income and offered me the one-bedroom apartment for a great rate.

  I was working at a friend’s lab, pursuing the same goals as before, but it wasn’t like being at my own place where I could do things as I saw best. At Grant’s lab, I had to work around his staff. I never felt fully at home there, even though he assured me that I was welcome to anything that I needed. I just didn’t feel like it was mine. That was a familiar feeling after my relationship with Braden Lintier that had ended six months ago. I tried to spend as little time there as possible, only working to pay the little bit of rent and bills that I had while I waited for the money to come through for my lab so I could rebuild and continue with my dream.

  Now I had the distraction of moving in, so I organized my stuff with a little bit of false cheer and bravado. I was on my own and making it despite my troubles, acting like a strong woman. I knew that I was smart and had a lot of heart, but Braden’s verbal abuse had stuck with me since we were together. I had low self-esteem now and was struggling with that even more since the fire – something I wouldn’t put past Braden. I changed my name from Lucy Miller to Lucinda Graves to get away from him, but it would not be difficult to find me considering my job. He’d stalked me before, which had driven me to make the name change, but he wasn’t stupid. He could find me. I just wanted a chance to start all over and set Lucy aside – along with all of the mistakes that she made.

  I shuddered as I thought about the abuse that he put me through. My mind blocked out a lot of the physical abuse – the way that he tried to manipulate me into having sex with him – but I knew that I needed some time to recover. He had done his damage and hopefully would leave me alone now. I just wanted peace.

  I finished the kitchen and moved to the little bedroom that had come furnished for me. That was a big bonus since Braden had owned everything from our place together. I hung my clothes and put out pictures of my family. These touches made the apartment feel like it was mine. I saw some boxes on the floor and clipped back my caramel curls to do a little digging and see what else I had room for.

  The first one was all high school memorabilia. I had kept all my yearbooks in this box as well as some old books and notebooks that I used for taking notes. I opened one and cringed at the poem that I found, remembering my brother’s best friend Max Ranlin. It was all about him, as were many of the things I wrote back then – my silly crush on a guy that I’d never have. My brother Cameron moved to Montana after college and hadn’t mentioned Max in a while. Maybe they weren’t friends any longer. I had no idea, but picturing Max in my head made me smile to myself.

  He was always good-looking: tousled chestnut hair and bright green eyes with a hint of gold to them. I had a crush on him – so did all my friends in high school. I blushed as I thought back to the party he’d thrown when he was going to college years ago.

  It was wild, as Max had so many friends and admirers. I went with Cameron to make an appearance since Max was like a member of the family. I was more than likely the youngest person there, being a freshman, but everybody was kind to me because Cameron was my brother.

  They were also terrified to look at me the wrong way since Cameron was so protective of me. Max could be as well. I didn’t think I’d date until they went to college, if I was lucky. I mingled with some of the girls at the party, always aware of where the guest of honor was. I was a nerd in school – interested in science and math. The others were more on the jock side, but we all got on well together for a night here and there.

  I had walked outside to get some fresh air and peace after dancing for a while. I was sweaty, and the music seemed to get louder by the hour. I glanced around to see if any of the surrounding houses were lit up, awakened by the party. Max lived in a nice neighborhood in Long Island. His parents were wealthy from his father’s work as a surgeon. There was a lot of space between the houses, but the music was so loud.

  “What are you doing out here?” a voice asked. I jumped and turned to face Max. He was grinning drunkenly and holding a red cup in his hand as I glared at him.

  “You scared me! I was just getting some air.” I gestured around with my hand. “Don’t any of these people care that you’re having a loud party?”

  Max laughed before he finished off whatever was in the cup. “I talked to them in advance. They were cool with it.”

  I knew him all too well and shook my head as I wandered back to the koi pond in the back, feeling him moving with me. “You paid them off?”

  “Yup,” he admitted as I took a seat, trying to see the fish in the dark. “I’ll only go away to college once, you know.”

  “That’s true,” I admitted. I felt sadness passing through me. I saw him so much, him being my brother’s best friend, so it hurt to think of Max being so far away. There would always be holidays and summers, but it wouldn’t be the same. I looked forward to seeing him on a regular basis – my crush on him was so strong.

  “Are you going to miss me, Luce?” Max pressed as I gazed curiously at him. His eyes were dark. I couldn’t quite see them, but something about them made me shiver. I licked my lips.

  “Of course. You practically live at our house.” I shrugged and sipped the soda that I had carried out with me. “Nobody will be there to give me shit. Even Cam is leaving to go to Harvard.”

  “I’ll be back. Of course, you could give me something to remember you by,” he hinted as I raised a brow at him.

  “What do you mean?” I asked shyly as he sat down and turned to face me. We were all alone. I froze as he stared into my eyes. Things were different than they had ever been before with him. I glanced towards the house as he reached out to stroke my cheek.

  “I’ve only seen you get more gorgeous by the year, Lucy. I’ve wondered what it might be like to kiss you.” His voice was a whisper, and I felt my heart jump into my throat.

  “What?” I was the school nerd and he was a smart football player. What could he want with me?

  “Can I?” Max asked as he scooted closer and cupped my face. I nodded slowly and he pressed his lips to mine, tasting of beer and peppermint.

  I knew that I’d never enjoy a kiss like this again. I was crazy about him. He tilted his head and ran his tongue against my lower lip as I trembled and gasped against him. I gave in and he swept my mouth with his tongue, meeting mine as his other hand wrapped around my hip. I felt heat wash over me – throbbing deep inside. I blushed as I moved closer. I’d only had a couple awkward kisses before this that steered me away from ever wanting another one, but this was the opposite. This made me want everything.

  We kissed harder until the moment passed. Hell, it might have been hours, but I was lost in the feeling of our lips meeting and his han
d stroking me over my clothes. He wasn’t pushing for anything more than a kiss, but I wanted him everywhere inside and would give myself up if only he asked.

  I was terrified of that truth as he pulled away and kissed my jaw. Someone called his name and Max turned with a low growl to stare at the house. “It’s Cam,” I whispered as he nodded and stared at me for a moment. He stood slowly and looked at me again before running his hands through his hair and walking away.

  I blinked as I looked around my messy bedroom, still affected by that kiss twelve years later. What an idiot I am. I kept unpacking until I grew tired, taking a shower before I dropped into bed.

  Chapter Two – Max

  I looked down at the blonde writhing under me, begging me for more. We met at a bar where I watched a hockey game with some friends and she was willing to leave with me. Riley was with my mom for the night and I didn’t want to be alone, even though I knew I’d be sending her home in a cab when this was over.

  What was her name again? Brenda?

  I kissed her neck and unhooked her bra as she cried out again. Her voice was shrill and I winced. I regretted bringing this girl home. She was beautiful and I believed that she was a model of some degree – like she claimed – but fuck me if she wasn’t annoying. I played with her tits as I raised my head and caught something out of the corner of my eyes.

  I looked closer to see someone in the house next door. The light had never been on before and I squinted as the person stood and lifted their shirt off slowly. That was not Mrs. Hastings. I looked closer as I pinched Brenda’s nipples – hard. This woman was curvy and gorgeous in the light of the bedroom.

  Brenda cried out as I jerked forward.

  She slipped her pants off and I licked my lips as I stared at her, willing her to bare herself to me. From what I could tell, she had brown curly hair, but the room was cast in an amber glow as she wiggled out of her panties.

  My hand slid between Brenda’s warm thighs as the woman in the window turned towards me and revealed a dark bra that she slipped off. I heard Brenda moan as I slid my fingers inside of the woman, still focused on my new neighbor. Her tits were perfect: full with small, dark nipples. I moved harder inside of Brenda.

  The woman beneath me became the neighbor in my head, flaring my interest as I curled my finger inside of her. I’d want to make that woman come. I’d want to fuck her – unlike this empty woman beneath me. I pretended I was doing just that as she screamed my name.

  I watched my neighbor until she was out of sight but kept the vision of her in my head as I kissed the blonde. Women didn’t usually affect me so easily just on sight, and I wanted to enjoy this. I was a good-looking doctor and women threw themselves at me, particularly since I specialized in gynecology. I saw a lot of disturbing things in my work, but the lonely single women or housewives that came in often made it all worth it.

  I’d said no for a few years when I was still married to Riley’s mom, Blake. We were married and I had everything I wanted, so why cheat? It was when I discovered her with another man in our bed as our thirteen-month-old daughter slept in the room across the hall that I realized she didn’t think she had everything. The man had been a friend and fellow doctor in the building. Everything crashed down around me at that point.

  That was two years ago and I was single now. I threw her ass out immediately and kept the house that I had purchased for us, filing for divorce the following day. It wasn’t easy with such a young child, but the beauty of it all was that Riley wouldn’t really remember us as a family. It would hurt her less. I made an obscene amount of money and didn’t need anyone to help me with her. I could do it all on my own.

  I just needed company sometimes, and that came in the form of droves of women. I didn’t say yes to them all, but if I had an itch and they were there to scratch it, why not? I was single and successful as well as very careful.

  I felt the blonde tighten around my fingers as my cock swelled against her leg. It was half-mast at best before this gorgeous view, so I reached for a condom. I had a lot of fantasies running through my mind now, and one of them was the woman in the window between my legs and sucking my cock. I wanted to come deep in her throat. I rolled on my back as I ordered Brenda to get in front of me.

  She did, taking my large shaft in her mouth and teasing me with her mouth. I grabbed her hair and pushed up, needing to fuck her mouth as she gasped. I imagined brown hair as I held tight, feeling her moan as she dropped down over me. I imagined my neighbor’s sexy body and pert breasts as I groaned. Jesus, I was turned on.

  I imagined her watching this and getting wet. The woman between my legs rocked over me as I started to move with her, holding her head so there would be no doubt that she was going to swallow. Based on what she was saying, she had no problem with that. She’d give me anything that I wanted.

  I jerked forward and came hard as she whimpered against me. I was big and deep in her throat. I also knew that I gave her a lot to swallow while thinking about my new neighbor. She finished and pulled away with lust-filled eyes and a giggle as she dropped onto her ass. “Want me to fuck you like that?” I asked. She nodded with a dazed expression. I reached down to stroke my cock, imagining a different woman on her knees before me. I vowed to learn more about my neighbor. I was hard immediately and I ripped open the condom and sheathed myself with it. “Get on your knees, baby.”

  “Oh, fuck,” she breathed, nearly falling in her haste to move. She was primed and ready for me as I fingered her slick pussy, wondering what my neighbor’s body looked like. Was it bare like this one, or did she prefer a little hair? Was she tight? I slid inside and immediately knew that this woman had spent some time in the beds of other men since she wasn’t tight. Still, she was very fuckable.

  I gripped her hips and closed my eyes as I took her hard and deep. I knew that she felt me everywhere as she yelped and pushed back against me, trying to find a rhythm. I reached forward, pinching a nipple and picturing it to be small and firm, fucking her harder. Hell, I smacked her ass as I took her with hard thrusts. The blonde begged for more and I complied. She came a beat before me and then I let out a long moan. I didn’t use names with casuals and I didn’t know hers anyway, but I knew what name would be ringing through my head once I’d learned it. I jerked as I filled the latex, pulling out when I was done. Brenda slumped forward against my messy comforter.

  I rose and went into the bathroom to tie off the condom and throw it away. I knew that there were women that wanted to get knocked up by me for a payday – something that my ex was trying to do right now. She wasn’t happy with her spousal support and wanted full custody of Riley so she could ask for an obnoxious amount of child support. Fuck that. I wasn’t having any more kids: Riley was a perfect little girl and I adored her.

  I returned to the bedroom to see the blonde still on her stomach, not seeming to make any effort to move. “You’re as good as they all say.” I knew I had a reputation and smirked at her words while I pulled on some shorts.

  “Am I?” I asked as I heard her moving behind me.

  “Yes. Come back to bed.” I heard the seductive tone in her voice and rolled my eyes. I was done with this one and I turned to look at her. She was staring at me with her legs spread and her finger between her legs, moving slowly. In this case, it was the wrong woman. I pressed my lips together as I imagined the one that lived next door touching herself for me.

  “I think it’s time for you to leave, sweetheart.” I wasn’t shy about telling women to leave after bringing them here.

  She pouted as she sat up and cupped a breast slowly. “Are you sure?” she asked as I reached for my phone.

  “I’ve been drinking, so I’ll call for a car for you,” I offered to her as I pulled up my Uber app. I was given a half an hour before they arrived and invited her to the kitchen for something to drink before she left. Like the others, she was obviously uncomfortable sipping from a bottle of water and looking out of the front window.

  “You don’t want
me to spend the night?” she asked as I glanced at her from the couch.

  “I told you that at the bar. I came here because it was closer, but otherwise I’d be leaving your place right about now.” She stared at me, though I wasn’t sure why she seemed so surprised. I was always honest about that. She jumped and hurried towards the door, opening it and slipping out as I watched.

  I went to get a beer after I locked the door, finishing the show on television as my mind wandered back to my new neighbor. Mrs. Hastings loved me, so I could get the information out of her on who the woman was. She was always talking to Riley or dropping off cookies or some other treat for her since my daughter reminded her of her own three-year-old great granddaughter. I appreciated the effort since Blake only seemed to want her for the money and not to spend any real time with her own daughter.

  I also thought about bringing the woman over one night when Riley was gone for dinner since I wasn’t willing to have my little girl get attached to any woman. I wouldn’t allow that until I was serious about someone and thought that I might want to bring them into our life.

  A neighbor with benefits might be perfect.

  Chapter Three – Lucy

  In my exhaustion, I didn’t notice the man next door until I was already naked and jumped behind the curtain as soon as I did. I wanted to step away from the window completely, but some sick fascination made me stay there and watch him. He was staring at me, but there was a blonde woman on his bed that was clearly focused on him. She was beautiful and her body was stunning in the bright light from another part of the house. Why was he watching me?

  I stared as he moved his hand between her legs, feeling my own body tingle as she dropped her head back. The window was closed, but I imagined the noises that she must have been making. He bent forward and then moved away from her, rolling to his back.