Love Thy Neighbor by Sophie Wintner Page A

and shooed his crew and the models out of his place, saying he had a meeting at seven. And he did. Nikki was coming over to do the walk-through on his place and take measurements.
    He hadn’t seen her in two days, not since her ex showed up, and he was a little curious to see what had transpired between the two of them after he left her place. A little curious —that was an understatement. He’d been like a teenage boy all day, finding it hard to concentrate on the shots or his models, and instead, he thought about seeing Nikki later.
    What was it about her that tugged at him so? Again, he worried that maybe it was because he knew he couldn’t really have her. Maybe he was no better than her wanker of an ex, only in it for the challenge. For the chase. But in his heart he knew it was more than that. Yes, she was in love with someone else, but still, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
    Dallas headed for the shower to get washed up. He lusted big-time for Nikki, but this desire went beyond his usual flirtatious romps. He didn’t know if it was her innocence, or the curve of her waist when he held her in his arms, or the feel of her skin when he’d touched her firm, smooth thigh the day they’d gone running… Whatever it was, he was definitely hot for her.
    He leaned back into the spray of the shower, breathing hard, still thinking about the way her breasts had pressed up against his chest the night he danced with her. He could tell they were real breasts, too. Soft and supple, not two bags of silicone like most of the women he’d dated. He’d fantasized about touching those perfect breasts, running the tips of his fingers and his tongue over her nipples. He reached for the soap and lathered up. Shit, he was hard again, but vowed that he was not going to make a habit of jerking off in the shower. No, that was pathetic. He blasted the nozzle on cold and tried like hell to get control of himself.
    He was sure he’d gotten a handle on things and gotten his testosterone in check, until Nikki showed up and stepped inside his loft. She must have done some more shopping, because she wore a tight black skirt that hugged her hips, accentuating every curve. And her bare mile-long legs were sporting some serious high heels. This girl was a complete knockout.
    But he was impressed by more than the tight skirt and the heels. She had come armed that evening with rulers, tape measures, a legal pad, and a form that looked like some sort of checklist. She was ready to get down to business.
    “Can we start upstairs?” she asked.
    “After you.”
    He was dying, keeping his eyes on her ass, shifting from left to right as she climbed the spiral staircase. He could only imagine what she had going on underneath that skirt. When they reached the top, she glanced around the sitting area.
    “Okay,” she said, eyeing the space, “do you entertain up here?”
    “Yeah. I have from time to time.”
    She nodded and jotted down some notes. He wasn’t sure, but he swore her brow furrowed at his answer, as if she’d envisioned him having other women up there, which in truth, had been the case. Not that any of them had been all that memorable to him. She made more notes and he realized he probably read too much into it.
    “How do you feel about this sofa?” she asked, leaning over to touch the cushions, giving him a nice shot down her blouse, the lacy edges of her bra cupping her beautiful full breasts. “Are you attached to it?”
    “Attached?” Hell, he couldn’t even remember where he got it or how long he’d had it. “No, definitely not attached.”
    “Good. I think you should go with something overstuffed, comfortable. And you could really use something on the walls in here. It’ll warm the place up. I’d also like to rethink your window treatments.”
    “You’re the boss.”
    She went like that, from room to room, her perfume trailing behind her, driving him crazy. Meanwhile, Nikki asked more questions: “What colors