Chapter 2

Killian's POV**

I shouldn’t have texted her. That much, I knew.

But watching her push those blinds close with a sheen of sweat on her face, and knowing fully well what she was doing right on that stool, I just couldn’t resist.

I was in my kitchen now, my half-naked frame leaning against the counter, my phone in my hand. The apartment was quiet now that Mandy had left, and I couldn’t say I missed the noise. She’d been mad when I told her she had to leave, muttering something about me being distracted lately.

Mandy wasn’t totally wrong.

My phone buzzed in my hand. The smirk on my lips was easy.

“Who is this?”

I expected that, but at the same time, I knew so well that my naughty neighbour knew the answer to that. She’d taken longer than expected to respond. Most women would have texted back immediately, either furious or flirting.

But I had a huge feeling that the woman across the street wasn’t like most women. I noticed that a lot the day she moved in three months ago.

I sent her my next text, my finger hovering over the send button before hitting it. Three dots appeared on the tab, and then disappeared in a second, only to reappear.

I smiled again. My little mouse was typing, deleting, and typing again. Good. I wanted her flustered.

But instead of a text, the shrill sound of my phone reverberated around the kitchen walls. I leaned away from the counter and waited for the second ring before answering.

“I didn’t expect a call.”

Silence.

I would have thought she’d hung up if I couldn’t hear the silent intake of breath. And then, her voice came through, almost breathless. “How did you get my number?”

God! Even when angry, she sounded sexy. There was a slight rasp in her tone, like she’d just gotten out of bed. Or had been screaming. I definitely could imagine the latter.

“It was easy, Daisy,” I murmured. “Maybe you are not as anonymous as you think you are.”

“Don’t call me that.”

I arched my brow. “Call me what?”

“My name. You are a stranger.”

“I wouldn’t consider myself that, seeing as you have a clear view into my apartment, but let’s humor ourselves, shall we?” I pad over to the sink and turn the faucet on for no reason. I needed to keep my hands busy.

“What should I call you then? Miss Macklin? The woman who likes to touch herself while listening to strangers fuck?”

Another silence.

“You’re an asshole!”

“And you’re a voyeur.” I don’t miss a beat. “I guess we both have our flaws.”

The dead click of the line rang in my ear, and I pulled it away from me, laughing heartily. I’d moved into this building without thinking it through six months ago. It was a good decision at the time. Good security, a nice view, and a perfect proximity to work.

The fact that my neighbour turned out to be a stunning brunette who wrote erotica for a living?

That was just my plain luck.

And then, coupled with what I caught her doing this morning? Damn lucky.

Moving to the window, I looked over to hers. Her blinds were still closed, and there was a chance they would stay that way for a while. But that was fine. I’d seen enough to keep me entertained for days.

God! The way her head had rolled back when she touched herself, that perfect arch, the shiver in her thighs as she’d parted them wider, completely lost in her own pleasure.

And her eyes when she looked up and saw me watching? Every shade of her arousal had been visible. Every bit of her shame. I wasn’t a sadist, but I had to admit that it’d given me a hard on.

My phone vibrated from the sink. “Why did you make me leave? I wanted to stay.”

The frown on my face was immediate. Mandy needs to leave me the fuck alone.

“I had things to do,” I replied, hitting the send button.

Hers came a second later. “Things? Did it include that bitch across the street?”

Mandy and I had an arrangement that worked for both of us. What we had was casual. No feelings involved. But lately, she had been doing more than what we agreed on. I would need to have a conversation with her soon about boundaries.

Another buzz, but a different number.

Daisy.

“Stop texting me.”

I grinned. “I can’t, little mouse. You are way too interesting.”

“I’m blocking this number.”

I crossed the space into my living room. “Go ahead. I have others.”

She didn’t respond, but my message was delivered rather than bouncing back. Daisy didn’t block me. What a good girl.

I sent one more message. “For what it’s worth, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. That was by far the hottest thing I’ve seen in years.”

Still no response.

She was toying with me. I liked her already.

“Next time you want to put on a show,” I typed. “Leave the blinds out of this. I’ll do the same, although I have to admit that I don’t think closing our blinds works well for either of us.”

This time, she did block me.

Laughing, I tossed my phone next to me on the couch. It felt great. The first time I’d heard the sound of my own laughter in weeks.

On the day she moved in, I thought she was an intriguing piece of work. Petite, pretty, always carrying stacks of books and that laptop of hers. She rarely had visitors, other than this one guy who came by a few times.

Her boyfriend, maybe?

But they never seemed romantic when I saw them together. Or was she bored with him?

Out of curiosity, I googled her. D.R. Macklin, bestselling erotic fiction author. The initials were so she could stay anonymous, and it was working well for her. She had a decent following online, but her personal life was totally away from the internet.

Very smart.

I hadn’t planned on having the slightest interaction with her, but then, this morning happened, and now, I couldn’t stop thinking about how far I could push that button.

The most exhilarating thought.

I returned to the window with my phone, narrowing my gaze when I picked up the movement behind the closed blinds. She was pacing, probably freaking out about what I’d seen.

My screen light came on. A message from a new number. “If you ever text me again from ANY number, I’ll call the cops. And I don’t make empty threats.”

Feisty.

I responded with the number she blocked earlier, as she’d unblocked it to send her threat. “No, you won’t. Because you want to know where this leads as much as I do.”

I thought she’d decided to ignore me when her message didn’t come in. But after ten minutes, I saw movements again across the street.

Her blinds parted slightly, just enough for her to peek through. When our eyes met through the glass, I winked at her, enjoying the heat that crept up her face.

She slammed the blinds shut again, but this time, I saw something different. The ghost of a smile. Daisy was intrigued and maybe even curious. I had no idea where this was going, but I was damn sure I was going to enjoy finding out.

My work phone rang from the couch. I glanced at the screen before answering. “Darth.”

“Mr. Darth, we have a new client inquiry. High profile. They are requesting personal protection or a family member, and they specifically asked for you.”

A small frown settled on my face. I was the CEO of the company, and that meant that I didn’t take personal assignments anymore. My employees did the fieldwork.

“Forward it to Richards or Chen,” I murmured, wondering why he didn’t just do that. “They’re both great at…”

“Sir, the client insisted on you personally.”

“Do I want to know who it is?”

“General Richard Macklin.”

I stopped at once. That name sounded eerily familiar.

“Which family member of his is the protection for?”

“His daughter,” he replied in a clipped tone. “She has been receiving threats from an unknown source for a while now. The General wants someone living close by, available around the clock. And he’s willing to pay premium rates.”

We both fucking knew it was not about the money for me. Yet, my eyes strayed back to the apartment across the street. No. There was no way in hell it could be.

“What is the daughter’s name?”

A slight paper rustle on the other end took over before his voice came up again. “Daisy Macklin.”

The air got knocked out of my chest. “She’s a writer living in Manhattan. The general wants to keep it discreet. She doesn’t know about this.”

I angled my head, still staring at the apartment.

This was unbelievable. I was going to be the bodyguard of the woman I’d just watched fuck herself to the sound of my voice.

“Tell the General I’ll take the case personally,” I said slowly, not sure if that was exactly a great decision.

“Great. He wants to meet with you tomorrow to…”

“Send me the details.”

I hung up and brought my bottom lip under my teeth. This just got a lot more interesting.