The Promise (Neighbor from Hell, #10)(69)

“It was just a stupid keychain,” she tried to tell herself as she pulled her clothes off and stepped into the shower, but she knew better.

It was-

“Everything okay?” Reed asked as he wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss against her neck, instantly making everything better.

“Everything’s fine,” she managed as she reached over and turned the hot water on.

“I saw Julie on the way over here. She said you lost your keychain,” he said, resting his chin on top of her head.

“It will probably turn up tomorrow,” she said, placing her hands over his as she closed her eyes and dropped her head back against his chest.

“Probably,” he murmured. “If we can’t find it, I’ll buy you a new one.”

“It’s just a keychain,” she said, wondering how long it would be before she believed it herself.

“You’ve had it since you were little,” he said, making her smile.

“Jackson got it for me the first time you went to Disneyworld,” she said, turning her head so that she could kiss his chin.

“He dragged me to ten different stores looking for that damn thing,” he said, chuckling as he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers.

“Were you able to talk any sense into your cousin?” she asked, turning around in his arms so that she could wrap her arms around him.

“No, but we did manage to get the heat working and the water turned on,” he said, gently caressing her back.

“Any idea why he couldn’t stop glaring at the house across the street?” she asked, pressing a kiss against his chest as she closed her eyes and decided to forget about everything else.

“No, but I have a feeling that it had something to do with him quitting his job and suddenly deciding to move to the other side of the state,” Reed said on a groan as he ran his hands down her back and over her bottom.

“He quit his job?” Joey asked, trying to stay focused but it was becoming increasingly difficult with the way he was touching her.

“Mmmhmm, he probably would have made partner in another year,” he said, kissing his way down to her neck.

“All of a sudden?” she asked, frowning only to moan when he found that spot on her neck that drove her crazy.

“Mmmhmm,” he murmured as he reached up and cupped her breast.

“Why?”

“He wouldn’t say,” Reed said, giving her breast one last squeeze before he reached down and picked her up.

“And you didn’t ask,” she guessed as she wrapped her legs around him.

“No,” he said, moving towards the wall as he kissed her

“Why not?” she asked, threading her fingers through his hair as she kissed the man that made everything better.

“Because all I cared about was getting back to you.”





Chapter 41

Tuesday

“The alarm’s going off.”

“I know,” the small woman sprawled out on top of him mumbled before releasing another one of those sad little sighs that had his lips twitching.

“We need to go to work,” he said as he continued to slowly run his fingertips up and down her spine.

“I know,” she mumbled sadly.

“Are you planning on getting up this morning?” he asked, reaching over to push the hair out of her face so that he could see that cute little pout that he loved so much.

“I’m getting up right now,” she mumbled even as she continued laying there, looking adorably pathetic.

“I can see that,” he murmured, more than fine with laying here with her in his arms, but when several minutes went by, and she still hadn’t moved he decided that it was time to do the one thing that he hadn’t done in five years.

He was going to call in sick.

Keeping one arm around her, he grabbed his phone off the nightstand and sent a text to Mrs. MacArthur and Erin, his vice principal, and let them know that he wouldn’t be coming in today. He also let them know that Dr. Lawson sent him an email telling him that she was taking a sick day as well. When he was done, he tossed his phone aside and resumed tracing her spine with his fingertips.

“We have to get up,” she mumbled on a groan, sounding so damn miserable that he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“No, we don’t,” he said, kissing her forehead.

Frowning, she looked up at him. “We don’t?”

“I called in sick so that you could stay home and be miserable.”

“Really?” she asked, blinking up at him.

“Mmmhmm,” he murmured as he closed his eyes and-

“What exactly does one do during a sick day?” she asked, looking adorably confused.

“Well,” Reed said, brushing her hair back over her ear, “normally you’d spend the day sipping ginger ale and watching bad daytime television, but since we’re not actually sick, we can do whatever we want.”

“I see,” she murmured, looking thoughtful as she considered his words.

“When’s the last time you took a sick day?” he asked, watching as the furry little bastard that had attacked his feet all night jumped back onto the bed and curled up on the pillow Joey only used when she was reading and narrowed his eyes on Reed.