DomNextDoor by Reese Gabriel Read Free Book Online

Seriously?”
    How could she explain that it wasn’t him she distrusted but
her own libido? “I’m tired,” she said. “It’s late.”
    “It’s not even ten. And you look like you’ve been sleeping
all day.”
    “Stop acting like a know it all,” she snapped. “It’s
annoying.”
    “I don’t know it all. I just know you.”
    “Whatever.”
    “Look, what happened this morning—”
    “Hush, you want the neighbors to hear?”
    “So let me in.”
    “I told you, I’m tired.”
    “What you are is stubborn. I can get a search warrant you
know.”
    She suppressed a smile. “No, you can’t.” He was clearly
teasing and it was not helping her maintain her defensive walls. “Come back in
half an hour,” she said.
    “Why the hell would I do that?” he asked suspiciously.
    “So I have a chance to, you know, get presentable.” Actually
she planned to be long gone.
    “You are plenty presentable to me. Besides it’s not like I
haven’t seen it all before.”
    “I mean it, Grant, give me thirty minutes and don’t you go
cheating by spying on me.”
    He sighed loudly. She could just make out that deliberative
frown of his. Of course he didn’t like the idea but he was a gentleman. “Thirty
minutes, not a minute more.”
    “Fine.”
    Tristy’s heart pounded. A half hour was nothing. How the
hell would she get ready to go clubbing and sneak out of the building by then?
There was one way though. And that would be to call someone up. Invite them
over. A guy maybe.
    That would show Grant.
    Then again given the guys she knew… Yuk. Smart,
Tristy. Real smart. Maybe she could invite a female friend. If she had any.
No, there was only one option.
    Laundry room here I come.
    * * * * *
    Grant knew Tristy was up to something, he just didn’t know
what.
    She might be planning to invite a girlfriend by or maybe she
would try to sneak off to some club. The one thing she would not do would be to
sit quietly by and wait for him to come back and explain himself.
    For whatever reason, she did not want an apology. That was
fine, he was a patient man. They had all the time in the world. The only thing
that really worried him was the prospect of her running off tonight and doing
something she might regret.
    The city was a dangerous place and Tristy had a way of
finding trouble. Maybe it was the cop in him. He was overprotective and more
than a little suspicious of everyone and everything.
    Not that he let it show.
    He had been secretly thankful to find she was still at home
in the first place and he intended to keep it that way. But it would be done on
the down low.
    Changing as quickly as he could into jeans and sneakers and
his favorite gray T-shirt, Grant grabbed the bag he’d been meaning to take
downstairs. It was full by now and what a great excuse to do laundry.
    He had promised not to spy but he’d said nothing about
staying in his apartment. And the great thing about the laundry room was its
location. No one came in or out of the building without passing it. Which made
it the perfect place for a stakeout.
    Grant had gotten as far as putting the quarters in the
washing machine when he heard the elevator beep.
    So soon? He hid behind the door.
    Sure enough there she was, wearing her track suit. The one
she would never wear outside to save her life.
    “You forgot something,” he said.
    Tristy nearly leaped out of her skin.
    He folded his arms.
    She regarded him open mouthed. “You!”
    “Last I looked, yes I am me.”
    “But what are you doing here?”
    “Same as you, I would assume.” He inclined his head to her
empty hands. “Except in my case I actually brought my dirty clothes.”
    “Fine,” she blurted. “I don’t have any laundry, are you
happy? You’re right as usual and you’re superior, etcetera, etcetera. I’m just
Tristy the fuck up and—”
    Next thing he knew, he was holding her in his arms. He
hadn’t expected her to break down so quickly but with Tristy you never quite
knew what to