Page 10 of Boxer Next Door

I’d avoided looking at it. I didn’t want to know just how bad it looked because I could imagine it wasn’t pretty. I didn’t go out there much to begin with, so it wasn’t well groomed. I’d left that up to my husband before, so I didn’t want to see the pathetic state it was probably in.

I moved to look through the window, then sighed.

“It looks terrible,” I said out loud. Fuck, it’s so damn ugly, I thought to myself.

The fence was down, and I could see his well-kept yard with a neat pile of chopped wood. In comparison, even though there was nothing in my yard, the grass was a little more grown, along with some weeds and wildflowers, that I would have to cut down.

“You know what? I need a drink,” I said. “I haven’t worked on that yard in a while, and before we go out there, I’d like something. Would you like anything?”

I didn’t spare him a look as I moved to the counter. The counter was just below another window in the kitchen, and now that I was looking outside, I almost felt ashamed of myself. I’d done my best, but there was a lot I wasn’t doing for my home. There was silence behind me as I busied myself.

Then, I heard the floorboards creak as Ken walked up behind me, so close I felt his body heat. My body tensed, and I realized I’d failed in trying to keep myself relaxed.

I’d thought I had control of my thoughts, my nervousness, but I was wrong. With him right behind me, it was just so much more noticeable to me.

5

Lydia

Oh, fuck…

What the hell is he doing?

I wanted to turn around and tell Ken to move. I couldn’t handle having him this close, not after my dreams last night! I might not have remembered the naughtier bits where we were both naked and tumbling around on my bed, but I could imagine it just fine.

If he moved a step… just a single step closer, he would be pressed against my back…

The height difference between us was maybe a couple of inches. I didn’t have to tilt my head too far to meet his gaze. But thinking about the size difference made me think about what it would feel like to have him pressed against me. His muscled chest against my back, those impressive arms and biceps wrapping around me. And as his hips pressed against mine, the feeling of his cock against my ass…

Stop it, I thought, letting out a gasp.

He heard it. I didn’t want to risk embarrassing myself, so I opened my mouth to tell him to move back a little, but no words came. Instead, my breathing was picking up, and I caught a scent I realized was his. I wondered if he was wearing cologne, maybe a light mix of that and his natural scent? He smelled so good…

My mind drifted a little. If he was close enough that I was catching his scent, then I could just lean back, and we would be touching. I was far too aware of him and the temptation was great. Just a little bit of a lean back, but no, I reminded myself, he’s too young for you. But…

This man… everything about him attracted me to him. I wanted him, and something about that scared me. In the years since I’d been married, the only man I’d ever looked at was Mike. It had been a while since anyone else had caught my attention like this.

“I’m sorry,” Ken said behind me, making me jump. “I was cutting up some wood, and I just tossed it. I didn’t see where it was going, but I didn’t expect your fence to just drop like that, either.”

“Um…” I floundered. I blinked at my hands. I had two glasses on the counter, and I remembered I was supposed to be doing something. Fixing us drinks. Wait… what was I even going to make again, lemonade? Ice tea? The weather wasn’t warm enough for that! And it was too damn early for alcohol…

Then I remembered that Ken was still waiting for an answer from me. Lydia, stop talking to yourself!

I cleared my throat. “You don’t need to apologize,” I said quickly, hands fumbling awkwardly with the glasses. “Accidents happen, I understand that. I’m just glad no one got hurt.”

“I still insist on taking care of the damages and repair,” he was saying, but I couldn’t help but notice that he was still standing right behind me!

My body wouldn’t stop shivering. Every time he said anything, with his voice so close to my ear, a shiver would roll down my spine. I was an adult, a mature woman, not some horny teenager. This was enough to have me squeezing my thighs together and squirming, hoping he wouldn’t notice. Ken babbled on, his breath feathering at the back of my neck enough to make me tremble just that little bit more.

“I don’t have everything I need to fix the fence. I might need to purchase a few things, but I promise I’ll be paying for that, too. We’re going to need plenty of wood, some nails…”

He was talking but I could barely hear him, because I was standing there trying to control my body, trying to remind myself of my real age. Even harder was trying to control my thoughts. Ken, probably unknowingly, was making it harder for me. After a minute where he didn’t stop, though, I’d had enough.

I needed some space.

I took a couple of deep, relaxing breaths, letting them out slowly and imagining I was letting out the tension with every breath. I repeated it about four times before I could feel my shoulders loosen the slightest bit. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be anything weird in my expression, either.

Without thinking, I turned around. But Ken was even closer than I thought, and I’d thought he was pretty close already. He was distracted, looking out the window into my yard, so he didn’t move as I did, and I bumped into his chest.