My Enemy Next Door Read online

  He disposed of the condom and adjusted his pants. And then he stared at me.

  “Can we talk about this when we get back to the hotel?”

  “About the fact that you just fucked me in a high school pool-room or the fact that there’s clearly been some miscommunication on both sides during all these years?”

  “Both, Courtney.”

  “Sure.”

  He reached for my hand, but I didn’t take it. I wanted to hear his logic about me leaving him (I definitely didn’t) first.

  We left the school through the same doors we came through, and he helped me over the fence again.

  In the car, I held my own damn hand, and we rode in silence all the way back to the Embassy Suites.

  When we made it to the elevator bank in the lobby, he looked at his watch. “I’ll come to your room in an hour? Is that a good time to discuss you leaving me?”

  “Sure,” I said. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

  I watched as he stepped onto the elevator, waited until the doors closed and then I took out my phone and called a cab to the airport.

  This is me **really** leaving your ass...

  TWELVE

  Courtney: Present Day

  AT AROUND THREE O’CLOCK in the morning, I sat in my apartment, wrapped in a towel as I watched through a new series of deposition tapes. I’d tried to force myself to go to sleep the second I returned home from the airport, but it was no use. My body was still on a high after the sex with Jace, and my mind wouldn’t stop racing with the thoughts of him insisting that our demise was my fault.

  Turning down my TV’s volume a bit, I hit pause and jotted down a few notes. Then I poured myself a third glass of wine and called Mila.

  “You better be dying or on your way to dying.” She groaned. “What do you want, Court?”

  “I fucked Jace tonight.”

  “Okay. So, you’re clearly drunk, and you’ve skipped out on the business trip with him?” She sighed. “Where are you right now? I can have someone pick you up if you give me fifteen minutes.”

  “No, I really fucked him.”

  “Okay, well...” She paused. “Was it good?”

  “Yes.”

  “So, why are you calling me instead of fucking him again?”

  “Because he pissed me off and I need someone to talk to right now.”

  “I’m listening.” She sighed. “But I’m only giving you five minutes.”

  “What? Why do I only get five minutes?”

  “Three reasons. One, I already know what you’re going to say. Two, it’s three o’clock in the morning. And three, I have to wake up in exactly sixty-five minutes for a Givenchy photoshoot. If I don’t let my coconut pods sit on my eyelids for exactly two hours because I was up rehashing a conversation with you, it’ll show up in all the proof photos, and I’ll never forgive you.”

  I rolled my eyes, but I’d honestly heard one too many conversations between Mila and her friends about the necessity of coconut pods to doubt her right now.

  “Well, to save us some time,” I said, crossing my arms. “What do you think I’m going to say?”

  She cleared her throat. “First, you’ll start with some bullshit. No offense, but ever since this guy came back into your life the first ten minutes of all your explanations are all bullshit. Second, you’ll tell me how hard it is to explain, but you’ll say Jace is the epitome of what a best friend was to you. He was your first everything and you still—all these years later, haven’t recovered because he meant that much to you. Third, you’ll admit—after much prodding on my part, mind you, that you’re not that upset about him claiming that you ruined things. You’re happy that you finally fucked. Hell, I would be too since he looks like he definitely knows how to fuck a woman out of her mind.” She let out a soft sigh. “But anyway, you’re probably more upset about the fact that he didn’t say all the shit you’ve built up in your head over the years.”

  She deepened her voice, attempting to mock Jace. “I missed you, Courtney. I’m sorry we stopped being friends, and I still have feelings for you. I want to make this up to you by sticking my cock inside of you in a very slow way. I also have some gifts for you because I know deep down you’re totally into that romantic bullshit.” She paused and let out a breath. “Am I missing anything?”

  I hung up in her face.

  Within seconds, my phone buzzed with a text message.

  MILA: I’ll call you after my photoshoot. Love you!

  I set my phone down and sighed, pressing play on the deposition tape again. Half an hour later, there was a knock on my door.

  For a moment, I thought it was a sympathetic Mila, but when I opened the door, I immediately lost hope.

  Standing in the hallway with his eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched, Jace looked beyond pissed.

  I started to slam the door in his face, but he wedged his foot between the door and pushed it open.

  “May I help you with something, Mr. Kennedy?”

  “I’m not sure what I should be more pissed about right now,” he said. “The fact that you fucking left without any warning, or the fact that I knew you were going to leave me without warning at some point this weekend and I didn’t try to stop you.”

  “The latter, obviously.” I crossed my arms.

  He stared at me, looking as if he was torn between laughing and continuing his angry rant.

  “You told valet not to give me the rental car keys back until tomorrow. You also told them not to let me know where you’d run off to.”

  “And they clearly broke that promise. The manager will be hearing from me tomorrow.”

  He smiled and pressed a kiss against my forehead. “I’ve missed your sense of humor.”

  “Nothing I’ve said so far has been a joke.”

  He kissed me again and sighed. “I messed up at the pool. I shouldn’t have done that.”

  “You’re saying you didn’t mean to fuck me?”

  “No, I definitely meant to do that,” he said. “But if you’re still anything like the girl I used to know, then I think I should’ve held off on bringing up an argument while I was fucking you.”

  I started to interrupt, and as if he knew that, he pressed a quick kiss against my lips and whispered, “Let me finish.”

  “Okay...”

  “You were my best friend, Courtney,” he said. “My only true friend in a cesspool of assholes. Even all these years later, no one else has ever come close, and I’ve missed you. So, regardless of whatever happened back then, I never stopped having feelings for you.” He pulled me closer. “I’ll always have feelings for you, and I should’ve said that while fucking you. I’m sorry. I’m sorry we ever fell apart, too.”

  Silence.

  “I had a few gifts in my room for you—to make this slightly more romantic but—” He smiled. “You left me, so you’ll have to settle for a New York delivery tomorrow.”

  I blushed, but I didn’t say anything.

  “Anyway...” He ran his fingers through my hair. “It’s going to take more than a few conversations for us to decide if this is something worth salvaging, but I’d like to work on that as much as possible once we’re done with this case. Would you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Yes?” His fingers were still in my hair. “No other sarcastic commentary?”

  “I’m currently processing the ‘I still have feelings for you’ part,” I admitted. “I’m also trying to find something nice to say to you right now.”

  “The words, I still have feelings for you, too, will suffice.”

  He waited for me to say it, but I simply started at him.

  “Courtney...”

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him, catching him off-guard. His arms went around my waist and within seconds, he was lifting me up and carrying me to my bedroom.

  Tossing me onto the bed, he pulled the towel away from my body. He looked me up and down for several seconds without a word, making me blush all over like I was in high
school again.

  “Lay back,” he said, his voice low.

  I obliged and watched him pull his shirt over his head. Taking off his pants, he smirked as I stared at his cock.

  Positioning himself over me, he pressed a brief kiss against my lips and began trailing kisses down my neck and my stomach—stopping once he reached my pussy. He gently pushed my knees up and blew against my clit. Using two fingers, he slipped them deep inside of me and groaned once he felt how wet I was.

  I gripped the sheets as he sucked my swollen clit into his mouth, as he took his time torturing me with his tongue.

  “I missed you so much,” he whispered. “Did you miss me?”

  I didn’t get a chance to answer. Just as I was about to say yes, he buried his head between my legs and devoured my pussy.

  “Ahhh...Fuck, Jace...”

  I clawed at his hair as he fucked me with his mouth. I squirmed each time his tongue lashed against my most sensitive spot, and he kept me pinned to the mattress.

  My toes curled as he darted his tongue in and out of me with the perfect rhythm, and every time I called his name, he slid his hand under my body and squeezed my ass.

  “Oh...Oh, god, Jace...” I tried to move his head away, to give me a chance to control the pleasure, but that only made him pin me down harder.

  My legs trembled with each lick of his tongue, and each time I was seconds away from coming on his lips, he drifted his kisses away from my pussy to my inner thighs. Then he whispered, “I’m not ready for you to come yet...”

  With every kiss, I was torn between sweet misery and pleasure, and my arms were weak from fighting him for control.

  “Jace, please...” I begged as my body arched off the mattress, as he sucked my clit between his lips again. “Please just let me—”

  “Come?”

  I nodded and shut my eyes, but he moved his mouth away from me again.

  Before I could yell at him for putting me through this, he grabbed my ankles and flipped me onto my stomach.

  “Get on all fours,” he whispered.

  I hesitated. My legs were too weak.

  “Courtney.” He slapped my ass. “Get on all fours.”

  I took my time, arching my body up on the bed. I heard him unwrapping a condom behind me.

  Looking straight ahead, I saw our reflection in my headboard’s mirror, saw him kissing my shoulders and pulling my hair to one side.

  His eyes met mine in the mirror, and he smiled. “Do you want me to stop?”

  “Never.”

  Still keeping his eyes on mine in the mirror, he gripped my hips and slowly slid his cock into me, inch by inch.

  “I want this again,” he said, kissing my shoulder. “I want you again.”

  “Can you try to give me that?”

  I nodded, and he gripped my hips a little tighter.

  “Say it.”

  “Yes...” My voice was hoarse. “I can try to give you that.”

  “Good.” He kissed the back of my neck and began slowly making love to me, taking his time as he kept his eyes on mine in the mirror. And this time, he didn’t leave me hanging on the edge when my orgasm began building inside of me. He tightened his grip around me as he reached his release at the same time.

  THIRTEEN

  Jace: Present Day

  TONIGHT WAS THE FIRST time since moving into this building that I appreciated the fact that Courtney lived next door. And it wasn’t just because we’d spent the past four hours fucking on every surface of her apartment. It was because the second we were finished, she insisted on coming next door and sleeping at my place. (“A true truce,” she’d said.)

  Of course, we had yet to get to the “sleep” part. We’d fucked on my couch and my bed first, and now Courtney was resting her head against my chest in my tub.

  “How long do you think Bryson is going to try and extend this trial?” she whispered.

  “If we’re lucky, four to five weeks. If we’re not, eight to ten.”

  “Yeah.” She nodded. “I think that, too. Can I ask you something?”

  “Anything.”

  “What made you switch from wanting to be an actor to a lawyer?”

  “We’ll have to discuss that after the trial?”

  “What?” She narrowed her eyes at me. “We just agreed that we could talk about anything except our breakup whenever we wanted. Or did I hear that wrong when you were fucking me in your kitchen?”

  “I was fucking you on my couch when we came to that agreement.”

  “That’s not the point.”

  “I’m aware.” I kissed her shoulder. “It does deal with our breakup, though, so it’ll have to wait until after the trial.”

  She looked upset, but she didn’t push the subject any further. “For the record, regardless of what happens after we talk things out, I want us to be friends at the very least.”

  “You think you can handle being just friends?”

  She nodded. “It would hurt a little at first, but...Everything was always so easy and perfect with you when we were friends, and a part of me still believes that even after all these years, and despite all the petty shit—”

  “The petty shit you started, Courtney.”

  “Yes, well...” She laughed. “Despite all the petty shit that was continued by both parties, I think you’re still the same guy I used to know.”

  “Hmmm.” I positioned her so she was sitting on my lap and facing me. Then I kissed her lips and looked into her eyes. “Are you still the same girl I used to know?”

  “You tell me.”

  E.N.E.M.Y.

  E is for ERROR

  (It also stands for endless kisses in the back of Jace’s pickup truck)

  Courtney: Back Then

  I’M STANDING IN FRONT of my bathroom mirror re-applying my make-up for the umpteenth time in a row. My parents have (shockingly) agreed to let me go out tonight since they feel bad about me missing out on the first quarter of Blue Harbor High’s social events. Then again, they must not feel too bad because they told me that they expect me to be back home at nine-thirty. (Oh, and they’re still “disappointed” in me for breaking into the school pool.)

  Am I supposed to use bubblegum pink or soft pink to create the natural lip look?

  Frustrated with the lipstick, I picked up my phone and called Genevieve.

  “Hey there, Court!” She answers on the first ring. “Where the hell have you been lately?”

  “Same places as always. School, detention, home, repeat.”

  “You left out all the hanging out with Jace parts.” She laughs. “I’ve seen you with him a lot lately.”

  “Because he’s in detention with me.”

  “Oh, that’s right.” She paused. “So what’s been up?”

  I start to tell her that Jace is taking me out tonight on my first real date, but something tells me not to. Ever since she botched my debate practice notes request, I’ve been keeping her at arm’s length—waiting for the perfect opportunity to talk one-on-one. But between school, detention, and the nonstop hours I spend talking on the phone to Jace every night, there really hasn’t been any time for me to talk to Genevieve.

  She hasn’t really called me that much either...

  “I was calling because I was wondering if you could come over and help me with my make-up,” I say. “And maybe we could catch up for a little bit?”

  “I can’t, Court.” Her voice is suddenly soft. “You haven’t heard?”

  “My parents caught me and my college boyfriend out at the movies the other night. I’m grounded until they can think of a better way they can punish me.”

  “Oh...I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I guess all the trouble I’ve been getting into these past couple of years was bound to catch up to me at some point, right?”

  Even though I absolutely agree, I don’t mention it. Instead, I say, “Well, I’ll stop by after I get out of detention tomorrow. You want me to bring you anything?”

  “N
ot at all, but I’ll definitely help you with your makeup tomorrow.”

  “Okay, great. Bye.”

  “Bye.”

  I end the call and try to finish the make-up the best way I can.

  Just when I’m putting on the last of the mascara, my mom steps into the bathroom.

  “You look pretty.” She smiles. “Are you really going out with your debate team tonight or are you hanging out with Jace?”

  I drop the mascara tube into the sink. “What?”

  “You heard me.” She sips her coffee. “Is tonight’s outing, the one that you begged us for, really with your debate team or Jace?”

  I don’t answer. I haven’t uttered a word about Jace to my mom, and I’m not sure how she even knows his name.

  “Courtney?” She smiles again. “Is tonight about Jace?”

  “We’re not having sex...”

  “What?” She laughs. “That’s not what I asked you, but good to know. Is he taking you out tonight?”

  I nod. “yes.” And then I wait for it—the grand ole take-back, the “you weren’t honest and now you can’t go” speech. Then I mentally prepare myself for another night of watching Law & Order in my room.

  “Well, I’m glad to finally hear about him from you.” She doesn’t look upset at all.

  “Genevieve told you?”

  “No, Jace did.”

  This is a trick. “When was this?”

  “He stopped by yesterday during dinner, while you were out celebrating the final debate match with the team. He introduced himself to your dad and me, and then he insisted that you were the best friend he’s ever had. He said you two have been spending a lot of time studying together on the weekends.”

  So, she doesn’t know he’s been sentenced to Saturday detention as well...

  “He mentioned how you two met in detention, and after seeing his charm for all of an hour—” She smiles, fanning herself. “I can see why you like him. He’s a very attractive young man, and I think his intentions are good. I think it’s also clear that he’s over the moon for you.”