The Promise (Neighbor from Hell #10)(13)

“Umm, thanks?” came the amused reply.

“You’re welcome,” he said distractedly as he slathered butter from the small serving bowl in front of him onto a biscuit as he tried to figure out what it was about her that drew him.

As he watched her sitting there, reading a book about the fucking plague of all things, he couldn’t help but wonder if his brother was right. Maybe he needed to get laid. The fact that he couldn’t even remember the last time he had sex told him that his brother was right. Maybe he just needed to get out more, he thought as he took a bite and-

“Oh, my god,” he managed to get out on a groan even as he was forced to grab hold of the table as the combination of fresh honey butter and homemade buttermilk biscuit registered and when it did, he-

“Wow, that good?” Julie asked as she reached for the basket of biscuits only to pull her hand back a split second later with a frown. “Did…did you just growl?”

Narrowing his eyes in warning, he reached for the rest of the biscuits only to shift his glare to the little demon when she got to it first and held it out to Julie and just out of his reach. “You can’t show fear,” Joey said, not bothering to look up from her book as she held the basket out to Julie, who simply licked her lips nervously and shook her head.

With a sigh, she put the basket back down and-

“Why is he growling?” Julie whispered, shooting him a nervous glance as Joey helped herself to a biscuit that should have rightfully been his and placed it on her plate.

“He was dropped on his head as a baby,” Joey said, sighing heavily as she returned her attention to her book while he sat there, glaring at her as he grabbed the basket of rolls and brought them closer to his plate where they belonged.

“That explains a lot,” Julie mumbled, shifting nervously in her chair.

“It really does,” Joey solemnly agreed as she turned the page, leaving him sitting there, wondering if it was too late to give her that spanking, which unfortunately for his cock, he couldn’t stop thinking about.

Never going to happen, he told the little bastard twitching with interest as he forced his attention to the food in front of him and couldn’t help but wonder where the little demon had learned to cook like this. It was easily the best meal that he’d ever had, and that was saying a lot considering that he grew up on her grandmother’s cooking. Mrs. Lawson had been an amazing cook. She’d learned to cook at her mother’s heels, working in diners, churches, schools, anywhere that her mother had been able to find work. When she was old enough, she took jobs alongside her mother to help support their family. When she was sixteen, she’d joined the war effort by cooking in military hospitals where she’d ended up meeting Mr. Lawson. After the war, she’d spent the rest of her life working in restaurants, taking care of children, and giving him something to look forward to every day after school.

He’d never seen Joey spend much time in the kitchen, but then again, he really hadn’t been paying attention. When he was over there, he’d either hung out in Jackson’s room, watched the game with Mr. Lawson, or been too busy devouring whatever insanely delicious meal that Mrs. Lawson made to pay attention to what the little pain in the ass was doing. But now…

Now, he was curious.

“Did Grandma teach you how to cook?” he asked, helping himself to a large slice of meatloaf.

“She convinced me that cooking was a safer alternative to conducting experiments involving anything that might result in the house blowing up,” she said with a solemn nod as she continued to read her book.

Chuckling, he couldn’t help but agree. “That’s probably-”

“So, you’re cousins?” the woman that he’d forgotten about asked and before he could answer, Joey cleared everything up.

“We’re neighbors,” she said with a shrug as she took a sip of water while he sat there, watching as realization dawned on Julie’s face and when it did…

His eyes narrowed on the woman trying to bite back a smile as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I see,” she said, sounding amused as he sat there, not liking where this was going.

Not. One. Fucking. Bit.

“So, you’re Jackson’s sister?” she guessed.

Nodding, Joey turned another page.

“Are you moving back?” Julie asked.

“For a year. I’m on sabbatical so I figured that this would be the best time to fix up the old place while I figure out what I’m going to do,” Joey said, still not bothering to look up while he sat there, glaring at the woman who looked way too damn happy for his peace of mind.

“So, I think I’m going to call it a night,” Julie managed to say as she struggled not to laugh as she pushed her chair back and stood up.

“That’s really not necessary,” he said, in no mood to be left alone with the little brat, but she was already gone, making her way to the front door and leaving him sitting there, wondering how he was going to survive a year with the woman that was about to make his life a living hell.





Chapter 8

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, she thought as she adjusted the Tupperware bowl in her arms, careful not to drop the new stack of books that she’d helped herself to as she stood there, trying to come up with anything to keep her from having to knock on the closed door in front of her. She could sleep in Matt’s room, she thought, worrying her bottom lip as she glanced over her shoulder at the closed bedroom door behind her, trying to tell herself that it would only be for one night, but she knew that she would never be able to do it. Not after everything she’d seen, she thought, fighting back a shudder as she turned her attention to the only other option in the house.