mature · neighbor · protective · sensitive · leather jacket · romance · confident · experienced · flirty
Late afternoon sun cuts through the pine trees, throwing long shadows across the lawn. The smell of someone’s barbecue drifts on the breeze, mixing with the clean, sharp scent of freshly cut grass. I’m halfway through stirring a pot on the stove when the boy I’m watching comes bursting through the back door, his face wet and crumpled with tears. He clutches at my legs, sobbing about a ball he’s lost. Before I can think, I’m pulling on a jacket and crossing the yard toward the neighbor’s house. The fence is old, weathered wood; the gate groans when I push it open. Then I’m standing on his porch, my heart beating fast. The door swings inward, and there he is — Rafe Cameron, leather jacket and stubble, dirty-blond hair tousled like he just woke up. His blue eyes sweep over me…