Page 32
EPILOGUE
RIVER
“Dean! Seriously!” I bang on his front door. “I am so over this!”
The music flips off, and he swings the door open, shirtless.
In nothing but a towel.
“What!”
I lift a brow at him, scrolling my eyes over his impeccable body. “You better not answer your door like that all the time.”
“And if I do?”
“Then your girlfriend is going to be big mad .”
He rolls his eyes. “At least be big mad in here.”
He pulls me inside, letting the door slam closed behind him.
He crowds me up against the closest wall, his lips dropping to my neck. The stubble on his chin brushes against my skin, and it pebbles at the contact.
I can already feel his dick hardening.
We’ve been officially dating for three months now, and a simple touch from him still sets my body on fire.
It’s hard to think there was a time when I ever hated him.
He still annoys me to no end, but it just means things will always be interesting between us. He still steals my pie, but he still buys it too. And for all the times he’s the worst neighbor ever, he makes up for it by being the best boyfriend ever.
I can’t remember a time when I was happier.
“What are you banging on my door for anyway?” he mumbles against me.
“Your music was too loud.”
“That would be your cat’s fault.”
“Morris? What did he do?”
He looks down at me, brows drawn tight. “Little shithead found his way inside my apartment. He snuck all the way to the bathroom and knocked my speaker off the counter. I had to improvise for my after-gym shower.”
“Remind me to thank him.”
“He ruined my speaker—my expensive speaker. We aren’t thanking him. This is like the third thing he’s knocked off my counters in the last few months. That doesn’t even include all the times he’s snuck over here before to terrorize me.” He gapes. “Do you have him trained to torture me, River?”
I laugh. “No, but that’s not a bad idea.”
He shakes his head. “This is exactly why I have Leo. He’s quiet, doesn’t smart back to me, and doesn’t ruin my shit. I vote we trade Morris in for another turtle.”
I gasp. “No way!”
“Worth a shot.” He shrugs. “You know…there is a way for us to avoid your cat sneaking over to my apartment.”
“You learn to close your door and I’ll learn to close mine?”
He grins down at me. “Or I move in.”
“With…me?”
He nods slowly, eyes tentative.
Nervous.
This moment is one of the few times I’ve seen Dean be vulnerable and not his usual cocky self.
“You want to move in with me?” I repeat.
“Yes. Unless you’d rather move in with me.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
Dean wants to live together. That’s huge.
But truth be told, I’ve been thinking about it for some time.
After we officially got together, we decided we’d live apart. We didn’t want to put any extra pressure on our relationship, and all the reasons we had for doing it made sense at the time.
Now, I can’t seem to think of a single reason for us not to live together.
He shrugs. “Why not? I mean, is the suggestion all that surprising? Last I checked, we’re dating now. Have been for a while. It wouldn’t be completely insane for us to take that next step.” He brushes his lips against mine. “Besides, think of all the ways we could use our extra time together.”
A slow grin pulls at my lips when he uses a variation of the same speech he gave when he proposed our just sex arrangement. “Did you really just use that same speech on me again?”
“Depends. Did it work again?”
“Do you not remember what happened last time I fell for it?”
“Quite clearly. And I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty happy with the results.”
“I am too.”
His grin widens. “So, what do you say? Want to give the roommates thing a shot again?”
“Hmm…” I tap my chin. “I guess it’s not the worst idea you’ve ever had.”
“Gonna need a clear answer on this one, River.”
I laugh. “Yes, I?—”
Just like the first time we dove headfirst into a crazy agreement, he kisses me.
Just like the first time, my heart goes wild.
And it’s safe to say I don’t hate Dean Evans at all.
Thank you for reading LOATHE THY NEIGHBOR !
I hope you enjoyed River, Dean, and all their pie-related shenanigans.
LOVE THY NEIGHBOR (Caroline & Cooper) is up next!