the Northeast is dropping the big bucks on you. I hope you accepted it and didn’t ask her to take it back like you normally do?"
Violet raised a brow even though she knew Beckett couldn't see. "Beck, focus."
"Goddamn party pooper."
"I’m going to just ignore that. Anyway, once she was here, she demanded to see my boyfriend."
"Wait, wait, back up for a second because this is where you’re losing me, Vi. How did she get the idea that you had a boyfriend to begin with?"
She skimmed her teeth over the back of her thumbnail. "I sort of told her."
"Why?"
"Because she told me she lined up this ‘eating partner’ for me, like I was some poor slob who couldn't get my own date to one of her stuffy parties." Violet considered her words for a second. "No, don't say anything." She didn't want to hear how that assessment of herself was sickeningly close to the truth. "When I refused to go with some corporate lawyer who knows my granddad, the excuse of having a boyfriend just popped up! All I wanted was for her to drop the whole date subject, so I told her I was dating Declan."
Beck snickered, reminding her of one of her students when the word ‘loins’ showed up in reading material. "And let me guess, she decided to go over to strike the fear of Alexandra Clarkson and her manicured talons into him?”
“Of course.”
“So did Mr. Neighbor blow your cover?"
"No." She paused and studied her cuticles. She knew that, as soon as she told Beck what happened next, he was going to have a thousand questions. "He ... kind of kissed me."
"Whoa, what? How the hell do you kind of kiss someone? I think that’s right up there with kind of screwing someone or kind of getting hitched in Vegas."
She rolled her eyes. "Grandma was walking really fast up his driveway. I'll tell you, she might be old but that woman can out-move just about everyone I know. So, I'm hot on her heels and when he opened the door I just flung myself onto him for a hug and whispered for him to play along. Then we went in for a kiss."
"Well damn." Beck paused, and she could easily picture a slow, cat-like grin lighting his golden features. "Was it any good?"
Another pause. "Yeah."
"Good as in, 'I'm surprised we have chemistry and this man knows how to properly kiss’ or good as in, 'Holy fuck! Instant orgasm!' "
Violet couldn't help but laugh at Beck’s ridiculous statement. "Somewhere between the two." But it had definitely been leaning more toward the Instant Orgasm side of the spectrum. Her toes had actually curled when she felt Declan’s mouth and hands on her.
"So did you explain everything to him afterwards?"
"No, I left with Grandma."
He tssked her then released a disappointed breath. "And what about Declan?"
"I haven't told him anything yet."
"Didn't this happen last night?"
Violet had spent most of the day racking her brains to find the right words to say to her neighbor when she approached him. How did one tell their new neighbor that not only was she attracted to him but that he was also currently starring as her pretend boyfriend? "To be honest, I'm really, really embarrassed."
"Think how he feels. You used the poor guy’s lips and then probably left him with a semi.”
“You’re dirty.”
“I’m just telling it like it is.”
“What would I do without you and your smart ass mouth?” she asked before releasing a shaky breath. "Do I have to tell him?"
"Are you out of your mind?"
Violet vigorously rubbed her hand over her face and closed her eyes. "Damn, this is going to suck."
"Just get it over with. You'll probably laugh about it together." Beck’s own laughter floated away, and his voice came back, serious. "Violet, you're attracted to him, right?"
"Yeah."
"So what's the problem?”
She was attracted to Declan. After that kiss yesterday, there was no doubt in her mind that there were definitely sparks between them. But there was more—something that had kept her up late last night and had bothered her all day. "Beck,
Violet raised a brow even though she knew Beckett couldn't see. "Beck, focus."
"Goddamn party pooper."
"I’m going to just ignore that. Anyway, once she was here, she demanded to see my boyfriend."
"Wait, wait, back up for a second because this is where you’re losing me, Vi. How did she get the idea that you had a boyfriend to begin with?"
She skimmed her teeth over the back of her thumbnail. "I sort of told her."
"Why?"
"Because she told me she lined up this ‘eating partner’ for me, like I was some poor slob who couldn't get my own date to one of her stuffy parties." Violet considered her words for a second. "No, don't say anything." She didn't want to hear how that assessment of herself was sickeningly close to the truth. "When I refused to go with some corporate lawyer who knows my granddad, the excuse of having a boyfriend just popped up! All I wanted was for her to drop the whole date subject, so I told her I was dating Declan."
Beck snickered, reminding her of one of her students when the word ‘loins’ showed up in reading material. "And let me guess, she decided to go over to strike the fear of Alexandra Clarkson and her manicured talons into him?”
“Of course.”
“So did Mr. Neighbor blow your cover?"
"No." She paused and studied her cuticles. She knew that, as soon as she told Beck what happened next, he was going to have a thousand questions. "He ... kind of kissed me."
"Whoa, what? How the hell do you kind of kiss someone? I think that’s right up there with kind of screwing someone or kind of getting hitched in Vegas."
She rolled her eyes. "Grandma was walking really fast up his driveway. I'll tell you, she might be old but that woman can out-move just about everyone I know. So, I'm hot on her heels and when he opened the door I just flung myself onto him for a hug and whispered for him to play along. Then we went in for a kiss."
"Well damn." Beck paused, and she could easily picture a slow, cat-like grin lighting his golden features. "Was it any good?"
Another pause. "Yeah."
"Good as in, 'I'm surprised we have chemistry and this man knows how to properly kiss’ or good as in, 'Holy fuck! Instant orgasm!' "
Violet couldn't help but laugh at Beck’s ridiculous statement. "Somewhere between the two." But it had definitely been leaning more toward the Instant Orgasm side of the spectrum. Her toes had actually curled when she felt Declan’s mouth and hands on her.
"So did you explain everything to him afterwards?"
"No, I left with Grandma."
He tssked her then released a disappointed breath. "And what about Declan?"
"I haven't told him anything yet."
"Didn't this happen last night?"
Violet had spent most of the day racking her brains to find the right words to say to her neighbor when she approached him. How did one tell their new neighbor that not only was she attracted to him but that he was also currently starring as her pretend boyfriend? "To be honest, I'm really, really embarrassed."
"Think how he feels. You used the poor guy’s lips and then probably left him with a semi.”
“You’re dirty.”
“I’m just telling it like it is.”
“What would I do without you and your smart ass mouth?” she asked before releasing a shaky breath. "Do I have to tell him?"
"Are you out of your mind?"
Violet vigorously rubbed her hand over her face and closed her eyes. "Damn, this is going to suck."
"Just get it over with. You'll probably laugh about it together." Beck’s own laughter floated away, and his voice came back, serious. "Violet, you're attracted to him, right?"
"Yeah."
"So what's the problem?”
She was attracted to Declan. After that kiss yesterday, there was no doubt in her mind that there were definitely sparks between them. But there was more—something that had kept her up late last night and had bothered her all day. "Beck,
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