Her neighbor was taller than average. At least a few inches over six feet. She guessed his weight to be about two-forty, possiblytwo-fifty. Not that ten pounds in either direction made that much of a difference.
No matter which way she sliced it, the man was a solid wall of well-defined muscle.
Bringing the warm mug back up to her mouth, Raegan pulled more of the steaming liquid between her lips. When she’d asked the real estate agent about the people living around her, the woman had mentioned something about the guy in the house north of hers being former military.
The possibility had instantly piqued her interest, and seeing him now, he definitely looked the part. But she knew better than most that being part of an honorable group such as the military didn’t automatically make someone a good guy.
One thing Raegandidknow about the mouthwatering blond who’d just reached the top of the ladder…he’d finally returnedhome at two-thirty-four in the morning from wherever he’d been.
You only know that because you were already awake.
Yes, insomnia’s silver lining was that she often noticed things she’d otherwise miss. The occasional hoot of an owl. A nearby dog barking at something in the shadows. Emergency sirens piercing through the night air from somewhere else in the city.
And when the outside world's noises became too loud, she would turn to infomercials and vintage TV shows to occupy her mind. Anything to distract her from the source of her inability to sleep.
Speaking of distractions…
Raegan blinked herself back to the present, her gaze returning to the window facing her new neighbor. While she’d been lost in thought, he’d reached the roof and was now on his knees, facing the front of his house, and searching for something in the small toolbox before him.
Of their own accord, Raegan’s eyes followed the sinewy lines running the length of his bare arms. With a slight shift, her gaze landed on a partially obstructed view of the man’s cut obliques and the eight-pack she’d seen minutes earlier.
It was obvious he put a lot of time and effort into keeping his muscular physique. Because of vanity, perhaps? Or, if he reallywasformer military, perhaps his need to stay fit was simply an old habit he couldn’t seem to break.
It had been three years sinceshe’dbeen discharged from the military, and Raegan was even more dedicated to her time in the gym than ever before. Of course, her motivation for keeping fit was the same as it always was.
To be ready.
I have to be ready.
And she was, too. When the time came for what she had planned, Raegan was more than ready to do what needed to be done.
But something shewasn’tprepared for…
Her handsome neighbor turned his gaze in her direction. His movements were slow, and thankfully, Raegan caught the slight shift in his focus a split second before their gazes would’ve met.
She dropped out of his line of sight, crouching low in front of the cabinet below her sink.
Shit, shit, shit!
Her heart raced, and her fingertips tingled as a shot of adrenaline rushed through her system. With it came a barrage of questions as her mind whirled to figure out what to do next.
Had he seen her? Did she duck too late? And why had he looked over at her in the first place?
Raegan thought about that last unspoken question and wondered if the guy had the same deeply embedded instinct as she did. Maybe he could sense when he was being watched.
I do. I know when eyes are on me.
For months after the attack on the base in Iraq, Raegan had been forced to live with that gnawing, uncomfortable feeling. She remembered the stares of uncertainty as if she were a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. The looks of pity that made her want to freaking scream with frustration and anger.
The expressions of sympathy and sorrow that made her want to kill.
So yeah, if her sexy new neighbor really had served, there was a damn good chance his instincts were also in a constant state of high alert.
You should go over there. Use the opportunity to introduce yourself and see what you can learn.
Yes, because meeting the man after getting caught staring like some creep wasalwaysthe best way to convince someoneto open up to you. Rolling her eyes at the thought, Raegan shook her head and forced herself to come up with a better, more optimal plan.
Her mental brainstorming session was interrupted seconds later when a very unpleasant sound started to bubble up from somewhere inside her sink.