Being Neighborly Read online

  Being Neighborly

  By Meka James

  Glass doors make great neighbors...

  A broken AC forces Jess Watson outside for a little relief. But when she catches a glimpse of the sexy neighbor directly across from her having—ahem—a private moment, her rising body temperature is no longer due to the weather.

  Ryan Branson is amused by the tongue-tied, flustered woman he suspects watched him as he pleasured himself. Intrigued, he sets out to see if her hedonistic desires stop at watching...or if she’d be up for more than loaning him a cup of sugar.

  As their sexy encounters escalate, Jess and Ryan put a new spin on getting to know your neighbor. The chemistry between them is strong—but will friends with benefits be enough?

  This book is approximately 19,000 words

  The Dirty Bits from Carina Press give you what you want, when you want it. Designed to be read in an hour or two, these sex-filled microromances are guaranteed to pack a punch and deliver a happily-ever-after.

  One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

  To Lidy Wilks, for introducing me to the Dirty Bits line. Without your comment on my blog, this story may never have been born.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Meka James

  Chapter One

  Jess

  Even at nine in the evening, the Arizona temperature hadn’t dropped enough to bring relief. Jess hit the button on her phone and the screen lit up; the display read ninety-six fucking degrees. With a quick tug, she removed the elastic band from her wrist, did her best to secure her wild, curly hair into a bun, and let out a small sigh at having the strands off her neck.

  Her no-good landlord was supposed to have had the AC fixed three days ago. She lived in the goddamned desert. It should be criminal to make people live in these conditions with no AC. Since her job transfer timeframe had been moved up, cutting her days down from forty-five to twenty, she’d not had much time to look for a place.

  She’d thought she’d lucked out finding this two-bedroom townhouse in Desert Rose Station, located on the northern end of Phoenix, because it was close to work. Good area of town, perfect size, right price, it fit all her needs. However, as she stood in front of the fan that really only served to circulate the hot air, lucky was the last thing she felt.

  She ran a hand across her sticky skin, and the thin fabric of her sea-green tank top clung to her, damp and uncomfortable. She rolled up her shirt and let her breasts act as a natural weight to keep it tucked beneath them. It served double duty to soak up the sweat gathering there.

  “This is bullshit!” she ground out.

  She stalked toward the attached, small master bathroom and turned on the shower. Quick work was done to strip free of her clothes, before she secured the plastic shower cap over her curls and stepped in. The initial shock of the cold water caused her to squeal, before sighing from the sweet relief it offered, if only temporary.

  After drying off and applying lotion, Jess put on a new tank top and a pair of boy-short panties. Once downstairs, she grabbed a bottle of water from her fridge. Its cold sweat met the back of her neck as she turned off the lights and walked outside to her “semiprivate” deck. At least the place was quiet, and she didn’t have to worry about too many people being outside. The odd design of the complex provided nearly zero privacy.

  Her building and the one across the way sat in the middle of the subdivision and she’d wondered more than once since being there if the developers threw these two up once they realized they could squeeze in more. The weird layout was probably why Jess couldn’t recall a single time she’d seen or heard anyone using their patios in the month she’d lived there.

  She settled into her lime green Adirondack chair, cracked the seal on the bottle, and stared at the dark window of the townhouse directly across from her. A light flicked on and the male occupant strolled into the living room wearing only a black towel around his waist. No more than thirty feet separated her building from his. The common “greenspace” didn’t even have tall cacti for an attempt at privacy; instead its desert scape consisted of low colorful bushes and reddish river rocks of some sort. With his blinds wide open and the only light source coming from his unit, Jess had a clear view into his house.

  A mess of dark wet curls sat atop his head, and when she squinted she swore she could almost see the beads of water as they rolled down his well-toned chest. The man could be a walking advertisement for any underwear company, gym, or a combination of the two. Maybe she needed to make more of an effort to get to know her neighbors after all.

  Jess took a drink but started a choking cough when he removed the towel, rubbed it across his hair then tossed it on his black leather couch. She turned and ducked her head in an attempt to peer through the slits of the fences on either side for signs of life. Nothing. Not a sound.

  Enamored with the scene being played out before her, Jess couldn’t tear her attention away. Surely he’d close the blinds. He ran his hands across his tanned chest then down...down...

  “Holy shit,” she whispered then covered her mouth.

  He took his impressive cock into his hand and did slow strokes along the length until it stood full and erect. Even from a distance, dude was packing, and she could only imagine seeing that thing up close and personal. Jess brought the bottle to her mouth and guzzled more of the water. The man across the way sat on his couch, propped his legs up on the coffee table, and bent them at the knee with a wide stance.

  The bottle fell from her hand and she sat up to move to the edge of her chair. Her mouth went dry as she watched his movements. How could he—why would he do this with the blinds wide open? But he was.

  Jess let out a breath, mesmerized by this sexy stranger pleasuring himself. His head dropped back on the couch and his hand worked in slow, rhythmic motions: up, down, up then his thumb circled the head.

  Jess covered her mouth. Her breathing rose and fell in sync with the guy’s hand. Nipples hardened and the familiar tingle of arousal radiated between her legs. How long had it been since she’d had a cock? A real, long and thick cock attached to an actual man instead of run on batteries. Six months? Longer?

  Her tongue rolled across her lips, and her hand ran across her heated skin. Dipping her fingers below the neckline of her tank, Jess skimmed the tops of her breasts. Almost of their own accord, her hands slid down and her palms grazed her erect nipples. She made slow circles around the sensitive peaks, and a breathy whimper escaped when she gave them a pinch.

  Her neighbor worked his cock, rocking his hips back and forth. Jess bit the inside of her cheek and leaned forward to get a better view. The clenched eyes and the way his mouth hung open all clear indicators of how deep in the moment he was. She parted her own lips. Her pussy pulsed with arousal in sync with each rapid beat of her heart.

  A shiver of excitement shot down her spine at being a secret witness to something so personal and private. She swallowed. Her fresh panties now dampened and her fingers twitched, but she resisted the urge to slip them under the thin cotton fabric.

  Faster his hand went. Her breathing quickened and she ran her hands up h
er bare thighs, using her thumbs to stroke herself. Spying on him was probably wrong, and part of her said look away, but she couldn’t. She could only fight against the growing need to join him by spreading her legs wide, plunging her hand inside her drenched panties, and finger fucking herself. Her tongue moistened her bottom lip and she rocked forward, continuing to tease her stimulated sex.

  Her heart pounded and her mouth went dry. The man kept going, raising his hips up to meet his strokes. Jess’s eyes widened and she let out a low squeal when spurts of come shot forth from his cock. He continued to pump, drawing out the final bits before he relaxed back against his couch. The guy then picked up the towel, cleaned his hands and stomach, before hoisting himself up.

  When he walked toward his patio door, Jess shrank back against her chair. His head tilted to the side and she held her breath. Could he see her? Was he going to confront her for spying on him? She remained frozen, desperate to flee, but afraid of drawing attention to herself. Her eyes went to his limp, but still impressive cock then back to his face. She could have sworn he smiled in her direction before pulling the vertical blinds closed.

  Jess relaxed, picked up her bottle, drained the remains of her water and let out a nervous laugh. “Well, fuck me.” Her eyes closed and the scene replayed in her head.

  Yeah, she’d like to fuck him for sure.

  A wry smile tugged at her lips and she pushed herself up to head back into her sweltering townhouse. The heat radiating off her body now had nothing to do with the Arizona weather and lack of AC. As she turned to close her blinds, she detected movement at his.

  Shit! Maybe he had seen me.

  She sank her teeth into her bottom lip and pressed against the wall. In her best attempt to be stealthy, Jess peeked around to see if he was looking out and let out a sigh of relief when she saw the lights were off across the way. She locked the door before heading upstairs to spend some quality time with Franco, her trusty vibrator.

  Chapter Two

  Ryan

  Ryan pulled his dusty Toyota Tacoma up to the curb by the community mailboxes and threw it into park. The temperature change from the cool air-conditioned cab to the sweltering heat instantaneous as he stepped out. After a long day of working in the sun, he wanted nothing more than a shower and a cold beer.

  The sight of a curvaceous ass attached to a pair of shapely light brown legs stopped him in his tracks. As his gaze drifted upward, the side profile didn’t disappoint. Round hips, ample breasts, and thick, black curly hair piled high on top of her head.

  She turned and, as he approached, her full lips stretched into a wide smile to reveal deep dimples in both cheeks.

  Ryan scratched his hand through his hair and bits of sawdust floated free. “Evening.”

  Her smile faltered, and what almost seemed like a hint of recognition flitted across her face.

  “Um, good evenin’.”

  He stepped up to his box to open it as she closed hers. “I’m Ryan.”

  She bit her lip and gave a slight nod, but avoided making direct eye contact. He resisted the urge to lift his arm for a smell test. Sure, he was fresh from work, but damn, he’d never had a woman avoid looking at him. Normally, it was the opposite, in fact.

  “I’m Masturbating.” She spoke quick, as if politeness dictated rather than an actual want to share the information.

  Ryan did a rapid blink before laughing at the mortified expression that took over her face in slow motion.

  The flustered beauty hid behind her hands. “Oh, shit!”

  “Nice to meet you, Masturbating.”

  “Can the ground swallow me up now?” she mumbled.

  “That would be a shame.”

  She lowered her hands and gave him a shy half grin. “I meant to say horny...shit, no. What the fuck is wrong with me?” She groaned with her eyes shut tight.

  Another deep rumbling laugh overtook Ryan. He felt bad for laughing at her—no, that was a lie, he didn’t feel bad. Not really. She was amusing, hot as hell—with curves in all the right places—and obviously had sex on the brain. A predicament Ryan would be more than happy to help her out with.

  “I... I need to go.” She turned and ran off toward a little white Nissan Sentra.

  Her quick steps translated into extra sway of her hips, and his gaze dropped to the bounce of her luscious ass. A small, pink slip of paper fluttered to the ground as she slammed her door. Ryan chuckled to himself as he grabbed his mail from the box, locked it, then walked over to the postcard. He smiled and tapped it to his chin as he strolled back to his truck.

  Ryan rolled into his driveway and hit the button to open the single-car garage. After parking, he climbed out, grabbing his mail and lunch cooler as he went. He kicked off his dusty work boots and left them by the door, before he hit the button on the wall to close the garage and entered his two-bedroom townhouse.

  The mail got dropped on the counter, the pink mailer on top, along with his keys, and cooler. After a shower, he’d return it to her. That was the neighborly thing to do, after all.

  * * *

  A small snort escaped when he replayed their awkward encounter. Last night he’d thought he’d seen someone outside after he’d finished jacking off—a possibility that gave him a surprising thrill—but hadn’t been sure. Either her fumbling was a strange coincidence, or she had been outside and seen him in action. A sexy little voyeur.

  He’d known the unit behind his was no longer vacant, but he’d not thought much of it. He’d bought his townhouse two years ago and barely saw the people that lived next door to him, let alone anyone in the next building. Not that he blamed them; who wanted to look straight into someone else’s house? Before today, he’d say not him, it’d simply been a tradeoff he’d been willing to make for the cheaper sale price, but after his encounter his mind had changed.

  He went to his patio door and drew back his blinds. The ones directly across the way were open. He squinted and tilted his head at the moving figure, his suspicions confirmed. Through the slats, he could see her walking around the living room while she talked on the phone. Quite animatedly, from her hand gestures. She turned and froze when she saw him. Ryan smiled and waved. She wiggled her fingers in return and moved closer to her door. Propping the phone between her head and shoulder, she tugged the cord of the vertical blinds to move them back, which gave him a clear view.

  He dated all types, but had a serious thing for thick women. He enjoyed having something to hold on to as he pounded them hard. His voluptuous neighbor seemed like the type that could take a good fucking. His cock stirred in his pants.

  With a wicked grin, he yanked his dusty T-shirt over his head. He wiped it down his chest. The corner of his mouth twitched; her eyes were glued in his direction. When he reached to grab his rock hard dick, she pressed the screen of her phone then let it dangle from her hand. He had her full attention.

  He ran his tongue between his lips and winked at her. She sank her teeth into her bottom lip. When he undid the button on his jeans, she stepped closer to the glass. As he unzipped them, she flattened her palm to the window. Ryan grinned; she did like to watch. The knowledge made his cock jump, eager for some attention. His hand would do for now, but what he really wanted was to get to know his new, naughty neighbor better. Much. Much. Better.

  Reaching into his boxer briefs, he freed his throbbing dick and ran his hand down the length. A smile twitched on her mouth. She stepped back, tossed her phone on her sofa before making an X with her arms and lifting her shirt over her head.

  Holy fuck! She wanted to play.

  Those breasts he’d eyed at the mailbox were now semi-revealed to him by way of a pink lace bra. He stroked his dick, and squeezed the head. His thumb circled the slit coating it in his precome. Warm exhales created fog on the glass.

  The sexy minx smiled as she reached behind her back. With one arm across her front, she used th
e other hand to slide the straps off her shoulder. Hell yeah, this day just got better. His hand moved faster in anticipation of seeing those large globes free from their confines and on display for him. The arm across her breast fell away and Ryan sucked in a breath. Even from across a grassy strip of lawn they were fucking magnificent. Titty fuck. That’s what those beauties were made for. He could imagine sliding his thick cock between them as she squeezed them together. His dick jumped at the idea.

  As if reading his mind, the wanton sex kitten pushed them together and ran her tongue across the plumped up flesh.

  “Fuck!” His hand went faster.

  She pinched her nipples and he nearly lost it.

  “Come on, baby. Play with yourself.” He jutted his chin up then let his gaze slide down to her pants.

  Her gaze dropped as she followed his eyes. With lips pressed together, she let one hand roam down across her stomach until she got to the waistband of her shorts. Her mouth opened when her hand disappeared inside.

  “Hell yeah!”

  His breathing hitched, and his hand sped up as he tried to picture if she was natural, bare, or something in between. The idea of her fingers buried deep where he wanted his cock pushed him closer to the end. She rested her head against the glass, her free hand balled into a fist. She had to be close. Rapid thumps of his heart mixed with quick shallow breaths.

  Ryan’s balls tightened and he groaned before the release of his hot come shot out and splattered against the window. He managed to keep his eyes open and on her. She banged her fist against the window and her knees buckled slightly. Fuck, it was an amazing sight. Her mouth opened, and Ryan itched to hear the delectable sounds she might be making.

  Sweat beaded across his brow, he picked up his shirt from the floor, wiped his forehead, cleaned his hands, and then attempted to do the same to the window. Their eyes met, and he grinned at her. She covered her face and turned her back to him. Not the reaction he’d expected, but somehow it fit her. Smile still in place, he put his now limp dick away and headed upstairs. A quick shower and some food, then he’d see if they could step things up.