Page 14

“Oh, right, yeah. Duh.” Paige hesitated a moment before she spun away. With a quick wave, she offered a final grin. “Have a great night. And welcome again.”

Devon waved before swinging the door closed behind him.

Her hand lingered on the newel post at the corner of the stairs. She squashed her lips together before she forced herself to return to her apartment, slammed the door behind her, and flicked the lock.

She spun to face the interior, leaning against the door. “Well, Dicky, the good news is our new neighbor should be done moving furniture soon.” She stalked across the apartment and collapsed on the couch next to her furry friend. “The other good news is the new neighbor is the gorgeous stranger I literally fell into on my way out of my interview.”

She absentmindedly stroked the cat’s fur as she recalled the incident.

Another loud bang sounded above her. She jumped at the noise, swallowing hard as she relaxed back into the cushions. Another thud sounded overhead, followed by several rapid bumps along the floor.

Paige blew out a long breath. “Maybe I shouldn’t have gone so easy on him.”

After three more thuds, she let her head fall backward and stared at the ceiling, waiting for a crack to appear. “Why did I let him get away with it?”

She righted her view and puckered her lips into a frown.

“Because he was cute, that’s why. Oh, Paige,” she chided herself, “why did you let him sweet-talk you just because he’s handsome?”

She balled her hands into fists and wrinkled her nose. “It was the shirtless chest. That’s what did it.”

Beside her, the cat began to purr as she continued her babbling.

She sighed again. “I suppose I didn’t let him sweet-talk me. He is, after all, moving in. There’s bound to be some noise as he gets his furniture in place.”

Another loud thump, then an earsplitting shriek.

She shot her gaze upward, and she screwed up her face. “Seriously?”

She scrubbed her face with her hands as she waited for the noise to die down. After a few moments, silence filled the room.

“Finally,” she said, breathing a sigh of relief.

She snuggled deeper into the couch cushions, aimed her remote at the television, and pressed play.

“Guess what, Riley,” the on-screen actress exclaimed as the little dog danced at her feet.

The remainder of her words were obscured as a blast of loud heavy metal burst from the apartment above her.

Her features pinched in frustration as she jammed the pause button and glared upwards.

“Are you joking?” she screamed after a few moments of the music.

The music showed no signs of subsiding. Paige leapt from her seat and paced the floor, her fists curling and uncurling.

“I’m going to confront him again,” she shouted to Dickens over the music. She took two steps toward the door before she stopped. With a shake of her head, she let out a muffled scream. “I’ll never be able to do it. He’ll just flash me that grin, and I’ll back down.”

She paced the floor for a few more moments. The music thudded against her ceiling until her head pounded. Dickens glared upward before slinking off the couch and disappearing through the door to the bedroom.

“Maybe you’ve got the right idea,” Paige called after her furry friend.

She followed him into her bedroom. His gray tail disappeared under the bed.

While the music still thumped at only a slightly softer volume, she sighed. “I wish I could crawl under there.”

With another shake of her head, she glanced across the room, spotting her tote bag. She narrowed her eyes at it before she strode toward it and grasped the handles. “I’ve got a better idea.”

She tossed the straps over her shoulder and flicked her ponytail as she flashed a glance at the bed. “I’ll be back later, Dicky! I’ve got some homework to do!”