The Game Plan (Neighbor from Hell #5)(32)

In this fantasy she still had her job at the museum. The promotion that Jerry had stolen behind her back was hers. Her credit was still perfect, her bank account healthy and her biggest problem was deciding between sleeping in on the weekend or spending the day reading, curled up on the couch. She’d never accepted Jerry’s invitation for coffee, had seen the prick for the jerk that he really was. Things were the way that they were meant to be, should be.

But all too soon, she was forced to come back to reality. Her bath water had long since gone cold, she was exhausted and all she wanted to do was to crawl in bed and pretend that getting up at six in the morning was her choice. Yawning, she reached over and pulled the drain as a slight shiver shook her. Freezing, she stood up and grabbed a towel, quickly drying off, eager to crawl into her warm bed.

Biting back another yawn, she got dressed and opened the bathroom door. She couldn’t wait to-

“Romantic comedy or a horror flick?” the bastard lounging on her bed next to a monster size bowl of popcorn asked as she stood there, staring dumbly at him while she tried to make sense of what she was seeing.

This couldn’t be happening.

It just……..couldn’t……..

She closed her eyes, counted to ten and opened them only to close them again, counted to a hundred, praying that he would just take pity on her and take a hint and get out of her apartment before she opened her eyes again. Nope, still there, she realized as she opened her eyes to find him holding up two DVDs and sending her an incredibly sexy smile that had her shaking her head.

“You need to leave,” she said, ignoring his smile as she gestured for him to get his ass off her bed and get the hell out of her apartment.

He sighed heavily as he tossed the DVDs aside. “You’re canceling another date.”

“Another date?” she repeated back, realizing that she was starting to sound like a parrot thanks to him.

He nodded, looking boyish as he explained, “Our third date.”

“Our third date………….,” she repeated, wondering how’d she missed the first and second date, but she didn’t have to wonder for very long.

“Our first date last night when you kicked me out for work and earlier tonight when we had to call it an early night because of the………incident,” he said with a shrug as though that horrifying experience that she’d somehow survived was no big deal.

“Those weren’t dates,” she pointed out between clenched teeth. “And neither is this.”

“Wow,” he said, shaking his head as though he just couldn’t believe what he was hearing, “I can’t believe that you keep leading me on like this.”

“I never led you on!”

“It’s really not nice leading guys on, Tinkerbelle,” he said in a chiding tone as he climbed off the bed.

“Oh my God! Are you insane?”

“Probably,” came the unconcerned answer as he walked up to her and cupped her face in his large, warm hand and caressed her cheek with the pad of his thumb. “Now, why don’t you tell me why you’re scared of me?”

Chapter 15

“I-I’m not afraid of you,” Jodi argued, stepping away from him.

He tilted his head to the side as he considered her. “No, you’re not,” he murmured softly. “But you are afraid of what’s going on between us.”

She snorted. “There’s nothing going on between us.”

“Really?” he asked, moving closer.

“Really,” she said firmly and he would have believed her except he didn’t want to. He refused to believe this insane attraction that he was feeling was one sided.

“Then prove it,” he said, moving closer until there were only a few inches separating them.

“I don’t need to prove anything,” she said on a tired sigh as she pushed past him and went to the bed.

“Then why are you running away?” he asked, watching as she picked up the large bowl of popcorn and set it on the nightstand.

“I’m not running away,” she said, sighing heavily as she pulled back the covers and climbed in.

“Then what are you doing?”

“I’m going to bed,” she said, and with that she turned over and curled up.

“You’re afraid of men,” he said, sitting on the bed by her side.

“No,” she said, shifting away from him, “I’m not.”

“Uh huh,” he said, not believing her as he reached over and gently swept her long hair back onto her pillow.

“Yeah, that would explain why most of my friends are guys,” she drawled, reaching back to slap his hand away.

“I see,” he said, because he did. It all made sense now, the comments that she’d made while drugged out on Benadryl, her reaction to him and her choice in friends. “You’re afraid of sex,” he blurted out before common sense could take over and help him keep his mouth shut.

“I’m not afraid of sex!” she snapped, sitting up to glare at him.

“Look, I’m sor-”

“I’m just not into sex, okay? Are you happy now?” she demanded angrily and it was at that point that he decided that he’d already f*cked up past the point of redemption so what was one more f*ck up?