He gave her another look and this time there was no doubt of the frank male interest in his gaze. She was surprised by the way her throat seized. Belle never had a problem talking and male interest was something she’d been dealing with since she was fifteen. If anything, she usually couldn’t shut up. Right now she couldn’t formulate anything coherent. She was too caught up in the blue storm of his eyes.
When he cleared his throat she was able to break contact. Even so, that deep voice of his sent a shiver twining through her when he said, “Do you want something to drink? I’m sorry I didn’t offer you anything before. I’ve got beer and…water.” He grimaced slightly, the action softening his features even as the scars on the side of his face pulled tight. It also highlighted his lips. A man should not have such soft, inviting lips. They seemed so out of place with his harsh, almost sharp features and large build.
And there went that strange flip-flop sensation in her belly. It was so easy to fantasize what it would feel like to have those strong hands and very kissable lips on her. What was wrong with her? She couldn’t be having sexual thoughts about her neighbor. “Beer sounds great.” It was Friday, why not?
When he opened a door on the right side of the grill underneath a long, flat surface likely used for preparing food, she was surprised to see a mini-fridge. Yeah, her brothers would totally kill for this thing. After popping the top, he handed her a Corona and when their fingers brushed, she felt a little spark arc between them. Forcing herself to ignore the heat working its way down her body to the juncture between her thighs she said, “So how long have you lived here?”
“Few years. It’s a nice area, quiet for the most part.”
She snorted. “Until I disturbed your peace.”
Grinning in that sexy way she was coming to enjoy watching, he sat across from her. “Who was that guy and why was he grabbing you like that?” There was no joking in his voice now. Just a serious, deadly calm.
Okay then. He wasn’t going to be polite and ignore what he’d seen and that made her respect him more. Even if it also made her uncomfortable. Clasping the cold beer in her hands, she balanced it on her bare leg. She cleared her throat as she picked at the label. “Are you sure you want to hear all this?”
“Yes.” No room for argument in that deep voice.
Damn.
She was hoping he’d let it go and she could just pretend to be his normal neighbor. Under any other circumstances she wouldn’t tell a virtual stranger anything about her family or personal life, but Grant had put himself in between her and Paulos without her having to ask—not that she ever would have intentionally involved him. She felt like she owed him an explanation. “My family and Paulos’s parents—the Balis’s—have been friends forever. Our grandparents actually came over from Greece together. I…I don’t even know how to explain it really because it’s so stupid. Our parents have joked since we were kids that once he and I got married our two families will finally be related. I don’t know what his deal is but it’s like he’s gotten it into his head that we
are
supposed to be together regardless of what
I
want. He took me off guard this morning but I’m not stupid. I’m not going to ignore this but I’m also not involving the police or anything. I’m going to talk to my mom about it and she’ll talk to my dad and…his family will take care of him.”
Grant was silent, those fathomless blue eyes looking at her. It was as if he could see inside her, see every little thing she was thinking. That was slightly terrifying. Finally he spoke again. “Do you have a security system?”
She shook her head. Belle had lived with her family for so long, even through college, because that’s just the way things were done in her family. She’d never thought about things like security systems.
“I can get someone to install one—top of the line—at a deep discount.” For some reason, it didn’t really sound like he was asking. Though it wasn’t exactly a command either.
She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. What she did know was that she liked the way his voice sent pleasurable shivers spiraling through her body. And she was so thankful she had a bra on. Her nipples ached and seemed to flare to life every time he spoke. “Thanks.”
He just nodded in acknowledgment and made a sort of grunting sound. Silence stretched between them and she couldn’t seem to tear her gaze away from his. The way he watched her was almost curious but she couldn’t miss the hint of lust there. Worse, she very much reciprocated. Which was stupid considering she barely knew him. But God, the man just exuded a raw power that turned her on. She knew it was purely physical. The guy was huge with incredibly broad shoulders and a muscled chest that couldn’t be hidden under his shirt. She might have been in a slight state of shock earlier, but she hadn’t missed all the ridges and planes of his body.
Even thinking about seeing him half-dressed again—or completely undressed—was stupid. The couple she’d bought the house from told her everyone in the neighborhood owned. No renters. Clearly he didn’t plan on leaving anytime soon and neither did she. Being attracted to the brooding man next door? That was okay. Acting on it? Most definitely not.
When he finally tore his gaze away and headed for the grill she let out a pent up breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Taking a long swig of her beer, she forced herself not to look at Grant’s very firm ass. Or how big his hands were as he picked up a grilling utensil.
Shutting her eyes, she tried to banish the image of those hands and force herself to stop imagining what it would feel like to have them stroking her naked skin, but it was no use. Belle wanted her neighbor and now that she was finally out from the ridiculously overprotective tendencies of her brothers and parents, she
really
wanted to go for it. Even if it would come back to bite her in the ass later.
Using the shadows as cover, he grasped the top of the seven foot privacy fence and pulled himself up. Propelling himself over, he landed in Belle Manikas’s backyard with a soft thud.
He waited a moment. A dog barked a few houses away, though he wasn’t sure of the direction. Must be damn annoying for the neighbors at three in the morning. Other than that sound, there were a few crickets but nothing else in the immediate vicinity.
Her house was almost completely dark except for a dim light in one of the upstairs bedrooms. Her room, he figured, since he hadn’t actually been in the house.
Yet.
But there was no visible movement in the room. Not that it mattered. He loved it when his victims struggled. He planned to make this kill quicker than normal. After having his fun with her, he’d strangle and leave her naked and splayed out in her backyard for her neighbor to find.
Normally he liked to take his dates back to his soundproofed playroom. But not this one. She was special.
She was a message to someone.
The overgrown rosebushes and untrimmed hedge cloaked him as he crept silently along the edge of the fence until he was close to the corner of her house. He’d loosened the floodlights on her back porch the day before because breaking them would have been too obvious. It had been a risk doing it during the daytime but she was worth it. Still, he wanted to test them before moving any closer.
With gloved hands, he pulled out a small, newly planted hydrangea bush. The root was thick with soil. Tossing it at the porch, he smiled when it hit the stone patio with a thud. The soil scattered everywhere but no flood of light.
Perfect.
Sticking to the shadows, he crept closer until he stood right at the French doors that led into the kitchen. Belle could have a security system, but he hadn’t seen any signs on the doors or windows broadcasting that the house was protected. The last time he’d peeked through her windows, he hadn’t seen any sensors either. He’d find out soon enough if he was right. Pulling out his lock pick kit, he made quick work of the pathetic barrier.
His heart pounded wildly against his chest and his palms were damp inside his gloves. He always got like this before a kill. Watching the life drain out of someone at his own hands was the best thrill. He’d tried to find a substitute, something else to fill the dark void inside him, but nothing worked.
Hand on the slim nickel colored door handle, he froze when a bright light hit him in the side of the face.
Blind with panic, he let go of the handle when he heard
him
.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Grant
fucking
Caldwell shouted as he flashed the brightest damn flashlight in his face from over the fence.
Without pausing or answering, he turned and sprinted back the way he’d come. He knew the former detective was still recovering and suffered from a limp. The man wouldn’t be able to follow him and that was his only saving grace.
He raced across the yard, his heart pounding against his ribcage. The beam from the flashlight bounced off him and the fence he was narrowing in on, but he forced himself to funnel out the shouting behind him.
Once he cleared the fence he didn’t stop running. He just kept on until he reached the vehicle he’d stashed two blocks over. Sparing a glance behind him, he let out a shaky breath as he started the engine.
He’d stolen the older model truck, but he’d still ditch it as soon as he was in the heart of Miami. Just in case that bastard had somehow scaled the fence and followed after him, he couldn’t risk Caldwell calling in the license plate.
He’d been too careful to get caught now. Toying with the former detective would just have to wait. He’d been fucking with Caldwell for a while now. Just because the detective thought he could retire didn’t mean
he
was done playing.
* * * * *
Belle raced down her stairs, uncaring about her state of undress. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she’d seen Grant chasing after a masked man in her backyard. Adrenaline punched through her, like an actual physical blow to her body.
Hurrying through the house and flipping on lights as she went, she stopped only after realizing one of the French doors in her kitchen was slightly ajar.
Panic gripped her heart in a tight fist. She could see the light from a flashlight dancing across her fence, but for some reason her floodlights weren’t on. She tried the switch by the door, but it didn’t help. When the flashlight suddenly turned off, she had to fight back full blown terror. Was the intruder coming back for her?
Taking a tentative step outside, she blinked, trying to adjust to the darkness. A few neighbors had lights on in their backyards—including Grant’s house—but her backyard was filled with trees and bushes, eclipsing everything in darkness.
“Grant?” she called out, fearful for him.
“I’m here.” His deep voice soothed her even though she couldn’t see him.
A few seconds later his large, broad form emerged from the shadows near her back fence. He wore a long-sleeved black T-shirt and loose black sweatpants. Well, they weren’t so loose as to hide his ridiculously muscular thighs. Her eyes traveled over his body, drinking in all that power before reality slapped her hard in the face. “What the hell is going on?”
Grant determinedly strode toward her, his slight limp emphasized. When he was only a few feet away she was able to see what she’d been missing before. He had a flashlight in one hand and a gun in the other.
Her eyes widened and she automatically took a step back. Not because she was afraid of him, but because clearly whatever was going on warranted a weapon. And why hadn’t her motion-sensor lights gone off? “Are you okay?” she whispered.
Jaw tight, he nodded as he assessed her from head to foot. His look was completely non-sexual, almost clinical even, but her nipples strained against her thin tank top nonetheless. “I should be asking you that.”
“Who was that?” She wasn’t sure why she asked. There was no way he could know. The question just popped out from sheer nervousness.
Grant looked over his shoulder into the inky darkness then back at her. He motioned with his hand toward her house. “Come on. Let’s get inside first.”
Not seeing a point in arguing, she stepped back and turned the dimmer switch in her kitchen so that it wasn’t so bright. It was too early and she was too shaken for the full bright lights of the room.
Wrapping her arms around herself, she waited until Grant closed and locked her door. He casually tucked his gun in the back of his pants then laid his flashlight on the small wood and tile-topped island in the middle of her kitchen. A few copper pots hung above it and he was so tall, his head cleared some of them. His face was grim when he looked at her. “Someone tried to break into your house tonight. Maybe you should tell me a little more about this Paulos.” There was such a deadly edge to Grant’s voice, she shivered.
The moment she did, he took a step forward, quickly covering the distance between them. His hand rested on her arm though he didn’t completely pull her into a full embrace. Just lightly held her and watched her with those dark indigo eyes.
She blinked, trying to gather her wits. “My back door was open. Someone
did
break in,” she said quietly.
When Grant’s eyes narrowed, she felt the full impact of what he must have been like as a detective. He probably scared confessions out of people with just one look. She understood on an intellectual level that the anger on his face wasn’t directed at her, but unable to stop herself, she turned away. Looking toward her now locked back door, she realized the flimsy lock was useless.