Love Thy Neighbor Read Online Free Page A

the back entrance, she headed to the freight elevator.
    As she was about to close the rickety gate, she heard footsteps, and someone called to her. “Hey, hold the lift, will you?”
    Oh no. She froze. The accent. It was Dallas. Why did she have to run into him now? She was a sweaty mess.
    “Hey there,” he said, flashing her a heart-stopping sexy smile. He wore a pair of jeans that hugged muscular thighs and an expensive-looking black T-shirt that showed off his amazing biceps. His scent drifted to her, spicy and musky. And here she reeked of sweat.
    “Hi, Dallas.” She tried to smooth down her hair, forgetting it was up in a ponytail. Her dream about him came rushing back to her, and she could feel her cheeks getting flushed. Please let him think it’s from my run.
    “Been out for a jog, have you?”
    “Oh, ah, yeah.” Why did this guy make her so nervous? It wasn’t like he’d ever be interested in her. After all, there was somebody he was buying sexy lingerie for. And besides, she still loved Matthew.
    “So where’d you go?”
    “Just up to the lakefront.”
    “Ah, it’s a great place to run. Did you head north or south?”
    “I went north. Up to North Avenue Beach and back.”
    “That’s a good run. You ever head south, toward the Museum Campus?”
    Nikki shook her head, staring at his mouth, loving the way everything sounded coming out of it. Loving the curve of his lips, how full and inviting they were. Jesus—stop it. Just stop it. “You’re a runner?” she managed to ask.
    “When I can find the time. You should really try heading south. On the run back you’ll get the best view of the city.”
    “Really?” Nikki thought she had the best view of the city standing right in front of her. Who could blame her for having an erotic dream about this man?
    “If you want company sometime, let me know. It’s always better when you have someone to run with.”
    “I’m afraid I’m not very fast.”
    “We don’t have to go fast. Sometimes taking it slow is better.” He smiled and pulled the gate closed while he held on to a big sheet of cardboard, which probably explained why he was taking the freight.
    “So tell me about Norris Interiors.”
    “Oh, I do interior design. Residential.”
    “Good for you. I could sure use some design help with my place—”
    There was a sudden thump and a jolt and the entire freight elevator shook, rocking them back and forth. Nikki grabbed his arm for balance as the light overhead began to flicker. The car jerked to a stop.
    “What just happened?” Nikki screeched, her fingers still clutching his forearm. Despite her fear, she couldn’t get over how good and strong he felt.
    “I think we’re stalled. Happens sometimes. Usually it kicks in after a moment or two.”
    Nikki reluctantly let go of his arm and wiped more sweat off her brow, sneaking a quick sniff of her pits. Please dear God, don’t let me stink. But then again, so what if she did? It wasn’t like she cared about what Dallas thought of her. Did she?
    “This usually does the trick.” Dallas checked the gate and pushed the third-floor button again, but to no avail. “You’re not claustrophobic, are you?” he asked.
    “Not that I know of.”
    “Well, that’s good. This could take a while. Sooner or later someone downstairs will figure out we’re in here, but the last time this happened, I was stuck for over an hour.”
    “An hour ?”
    He smiled, and suddenly being stuck looking at him for an hour didn’t seem nearly long enough.
    “Might as well get comfortable,” he said. He set the sheet of cardboard down on the floor and took a seat, patting the spot next to him for Nikki to join him. “So, neighbor, tell me some more about your interior design work.”
    “You don’t really want to hear about it, do you?”
    “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to hear about it.”
    She sat down beside him and crisscrossed her legs. “Well, I’m sort of starting over again. See, I