Valentine Next Door Read Free

like a moth to a flame.
    “I’ve always had quite a sweet tooth.” He grinned at her.
    Miranda’s mind flashed to what else he could do with those teeth. Those lips. That mouth.
    “I hope you enjoy it.” She shook her head, attempting to refocus her thoughts to the task at hand instead of the inappropriate direction they’d been wandering. “If you need anything else—”
    “I could use a break from this place,” he interjected with a nod toward the living room behind him. “My mom means well, but it would be great to have some time away from my third grade baseball trophy and talking about all my old friends who have moved away.”
    Miranda paused, unsure what to do. It seemed rude to tell him no, but it had been a long time since she’d had a man in her house, alone. And Jeremy was definitely a man now. Though she doubted the rest of the neighborhood would see it that way. “I don’t…”
    “Please?” He looked down at her, his warm eyes begging for his escape.
    She swallowed beneath his stare. Her throat tightened and her mouth dried up like a desert. No woman could say no to those puppy dog eyes, least of all her.
    “You’d be doing me the biggest favor,” he urged. “I’d owe you.”
    Her heart sped up a bit at his suggestion. Visions formed before her eyes of how she could use that favor. Visions that were far from neighborly and not at all how she should think about little Jeremy next door.
    “Okay,” was all she could think of to say.
    Miranda concentrated on breathing low, and even during the short trip from the Callahans’, she continuingly shifted her gaze to Jeremy, still amazed by the changes she saw in him. And the way those changes affected her! Her palms were covered with sweat and her stomach fluttered just at the sight of him. What is wrong with me?
    They walked without speaking, the only sound between them the thump of Jeremy’s plaster cast against the concrete sidewalk as he hobbled up her front steps. Even with his injury, his stride was graceful and controlled, his thick, long legs moving with power beneath him. She took a deep breath, the cool night feeling a touch too warm. Her fingers shook as she pushed her key into the lock. The door banged against the frame as she threw it open harder than she’d intended, her hands shaking with nervous energy.
    “Do you want something to eat?” She motioned toward the kitchen as she crossed the threshold and held the door open for Jeremy to enter before sliding it shut behind them.
    Jeremy strode toward the couch. His cast wacked across the maple floors with each step. He leaned on the sofa arm, resting his weight against the plushy cranberry pillows. “No, thanks. With all the meatloaf and casseroles my mother has been feeding me, I’m getting a gut.”
    He patted his stomach where the phantom fat sat, and Miranda’s gaze dropped down to the area. She didn’t see any gut beneath his T-shirt. In fact, his stomach looked flat and hard through the cotton, perfect for her fingers—or nails.
    She slid her hand down the side of her skirt, her palm still sweaty. How can I be having these thoughts about Jeremy from next door? He is just a kid. A whole decade stands between us.
    “But I wouldn’t mind some wine. Alcohol seems to be missing from my mother’s nursing regimen.”
    Miranda smiled. “ That I can do.” She dashed to the kitchen. Raising up on her toes, she selected two glasses out of the nearby cabinet. “Is merlot, okay?” she called into the other room as she turned several of the bottles in the wine rack to see what other kinds she had. She hadn’t opened one of these bottles since before Leo’s diagnosis. Alcohol had interfered with his meds.
    “Yeah, that’s fine,” he hollered back. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
    Miranda pulled the closest bottle down. “No, I’ve got it.” She opened the lower drawer and retrieved a corkscrew. Holding the glasses and corkscrew in one hand and the bottle in the