I thought back to the ice cream shop. There was no doubt Violin Girl had been angry with me when she stomped out. The question was—why? Was it because she was attracted to me and was jealous of Blair? Like me, did she feel the current between us—as if some invisible, electric wire connected us? I shoved a hand through my hair.

Did I want her or her music? I didn’t know.

The sound of music caught my ears, and I immediately shot out of bed and headed for the window and pulled back the curtains. I opened the window. Shit. Had she been playing late at night so I wouldn’t see her?

I picked up the binoculars from my nightstand and put them to my face.

What I saw made me groan.

Bathed in moonlight, she stood with her violin in hand. Her red robe swished around her body as she manipulated the strings with her bow. Staccato yet delicate notes reached my ears, the sound heartbreakingly beautiful as if an ethereal creature was whispering in my ear. Inhaling sharply, I strained forward, recognizing Verve’s “Bitter Sweet Symphony”, one of my all-time favorite songs. Her music captured me, wrapped me up, and I stood there wishing she were in front of me, wishing I could just touch her.

She angled her body to face my house, the small part in her robe teasing me. Her pale skin gleamed, the soft rise of her breasts visible. I immediately took a step back from the window. Dammit. I’d been deluding myself. This may have started out as music, but I realized it was so much more. Cloaked in her dark sounds, she was everything I never knew I wanted, but I didn’t like how it made me feel.

Out of control. Yearning for something that wasn’t safe.

Yet, as if my feet had a life of their own, they took me back to the window where I watched her end the piece with a long slow note.

She took her bow.

She flourished her hands.

I held my breath, waiting to see what was next.

She didn’t tease me. She threw her shoulders back and dropped the robe, letting it pool at her feet as blood rushed through my veins. Like a beautiful, life-sized alabaster statue, she was fucking mesmerizing. My eyes went over every inch of her skin, imagining the cool air hitting her nipples, imagining that she said my name, even though she didn’t even know it.

I clutched the binoculars so tight I was afraid they’d snap in two.

Naked.

Without boundaries. Without shame.

With my necklace on.

Beautiful. Defiant.

She’d wanted me to see her. And part of me thrilled at this little game we played.

Then she raised her head and stared across the shrubs, straight into the darkness where I waited.

She’d set out to torture me. Her breasts looked heavy as she cupped them, her fingers drifting over her tits. She tossed her head back and in my head, she moaned, imagining me with my fingers between her legs, entering her, teasing her. Lust hammered into me at the image, and I growled in my throat, hard, ready for her. I shoved my hands in my underwear and fisted my cock, but the action was cold. Empty. I wanted nothing but the kind of release that came from driving into her.

That’s it. Enough.

I tossed down the binoculars and grabbed my jeans and slid them on, dashing out of the room without a shirt, although I did put my feet in flip-flops.

I ran out the back patio door and made it halfway to her house before it hit me.

What made me think she wanted to see me?

Better yet, what was I going to do with her after I coaxed her into my bed? There’d be a fallout because she was my neighbor; there’d be no walking away from her the next day, and the scary part was I didn’t know if I’d want to.

Even though being with her might be the end of me.

I came to a stop, indecision riding me as I battled myself. Images of her flitted through my head, the arch of her neck, the curve of her waist, the way her hands had moved over her body—

But she was a fantasy. She could practically be in another dimension for all it mattered. Sure I wanted to have the soulmate kind of love that Leo and Nora had—that was part of the reason I wanted a real home—but my dreams came first. Not this need for a girl.

With a groan and a few choice curse words, I spun around and headed back to the house.

I came to a surprised halt when I found Spider and Mila sitting out on lounge chairs, dressed in swimming clothes. I guess they’d come out after I left.

“Kinda late for a swim, isn’t it?” I snapped.

They both startled, eyes big as I strode over and plopped down next to them. Monster immediately jumped up to lay on my chest. I scratched her on the head and sighed heavily. Maybe I needed to jump in the water. Cool off my libido.

“Never too late to hang with friends,” Mila said in a cheery tone, eyeing me warily.

Spider just shrugged at me and set down his Jack and Coke, his eyes glued to the pink one-piece swimsuit Mila was sporting.

Whoa. I sat up straighter. It’s like this. Mila’s a straight-as-an-arrow-never-said-the-word-fuck kind of girl. She was not my style—and definitely not Spider’s. She’s our employee and friend, and we’d agreed a long time ago that she was off limits. In fact, Nora had promised she’d kick me in the nuts if Mila got her heart broken out here.

So why was Spider picking her up and tossing her in the pool with his hands all over her ass? She certainly seemed to enjoy it, shrieking and squirming with her arms wrapped around his neck.

My eyes darted between the two of them. Were they—? Nah. That was impossible. Because if he was messing with her—I’d fucking kill him, and he knew it.

They continued to frolic like two school kids, and I got antsy. I needed to get out of here. Get a breather. “Wanna go for a walk, baby girl?” I cooed at Monster, who’d been nipping at my fingers for attention. She gave me a doggy grin and yipped a yes.