CHAPTER ONE
All he wanted was one fucking night of sleep. One. Single. Night. But the girl who lived upstairs seemed intent on tormenting him. She was playing that god-awful electronic music again. The throbbing, thumping base rattled his brain and left him wincing.
At least she wasn't exercising. Those midnight cardio circuits she did drove him insane. It sounded like an elephant was doing jumping jacks when she did her late-night workouts. Stunning, really, considering he'd met her in real life a couple of times and she couldn't possibly weigh more than one hundred and twenty pounds.
Jamie wiped a hand down his tired face and glared at the ceiling. How the hell had his life come to this? Forty-three years old and recently divorced, he'd been hosed in the proceedings and now found himself living in an apartment complex that catered to college kids. Oh, it was a nice place and had great amenities—but the neighbors? Sweet Jesus! He was going to lose it one of these nights.
Maybe tonight
. Thinking mean thoughts, he shoved out of bed and stared at the locked box on his dresser. He'd never been more tempted to use his badge and gun to intimidate someone into behaving decently in his entire life. Though it was fun to entertain the idea, he quickly batted it out of his mind. There were better ways to go about this.
He slipped into the t-shirt he'd left on the bench at the end of his bed. He stuffed his feet into sneakers, snatched up his keys and left his bedroom. Out in the muggy East Texas night, he locked his door behind him and headed for the staircase. He mounted the stairs two at a time. The higher he climbed, the louder the music became. The muffled sounds of a blaring television carried across the breezeway. On all sides, he was surrounded by inconsiderate jerkoffs.
At the girl's door, he hesitated before knocking. What the hell was her name? He blanked. Even though he'd spoken to her a couple of times he couldn't remember it. He doubted she'd remember his. Anyone so self-centered that she'd torment her neighbor all hours of the night probably wouldn't take the time to memorize a name.
He used a loud, heavy knock, rapping his knuckles against the door hard enough to penetrate the pounding thud of music. A few seconds later, he heard the music volume fall. He stepped back from the door so she could see him through the peep hole and waited. The deadbolt clicked and the door swung open to reveal a sight he hadn't been expecting.
Standing just an inch or two over five feet, the petite beauty with dark hair and pale brown eyes wore the tiniest grey shorts he'd ever seen and a paint-splattered blue camisole. Brightly colored specks of paint dotted her arms and hands.
It was abundantly clear to him that she wore no bra or panties under her skimpy getup. There wasn't enough fabric in those shorts to hide panties. Her nipples poked against the thin cotton of her paint-stained camisole. Either she kept her apartment very cool or she was aroused by the sight of him. He figured he wasn't lucky enough for it to be the latter.
His gaze lingered on her bare feet and happy rainbow-colored manicure before moving to her face. She looked annoyed. Her delicately shaped eyebrows were arched in an expression of frustration. "Can I help you, officer?"
"Detective," he corrected and hid his surprise that she'd remembered he was in law enforcement.
She pursed her lips. "Can I help you,
detective
?"
He decided to get right to the point. "Your music is too loud."
"Is it?" She glanced over her shoulder toward what looked to be a makeshift studio space and then shrugged. "It didn't seem that loud to me."
"Well it did to me and I have to get up early."
"And that's my problem how?"
Jamie couldn't believe her rudeness. "You should learn to show some respect for your neighbors."
"Or what? You'll spank my ass,
Grandpa
?" Her eyes glinted with a spark of mischief. Jamie wasn't sure whether to take the insult about his age seriously or
All he wanted was one fucking night of sleep. One. Single. Night. But the girl who lived upstairs seemed intent on tormenting him. She was playing that god-awful electronic music again. The throbbing, thumping base rattled his brain and left him wincing.
At least she wasn't exercising. Those midnight cardio circuits she did drove him insane. It sounded like an elephant was doing jumping jacks when she did her late-night workouts. Stunning, really, considering he'd met her in real life a couple of times and she couldn't possibly weigh more than one hundred and twenty pounds.
Jamie wiped a hand down his tired face and glared at the ceiling. How the hell had his life come to this? Forty-three years old and recently divorced, he'd been hosed in the proceedings and now found himself living in an apartment complex that catered to college kids. Oh, it was a nice place and had great amenities—but the neighbors? Sweet Jesus! He was going to lose it one of these nights.
Maybe tonight
. Thinking mean thoughts, he shoved out of bed and stared at the locked box on his dresser. He'd never been more tempted to use his badge and gun to intimidate someone into behaving decently in his entire life. Though it was fun to entertain the idea, he quickly batted it out of his mind. There were better ways to go about this.
He slipped into the t-shirt he'd left on the bench at the end of his bed. He stuffed his feet into sneakers, snatched up his keys and left his bedroom. Out in the muggy East Texas night, he locked his door behind him and headed for the staircase. He mounted the stairs two at a time. The higher he climbed, the louder the music became. The muffled sounds of a blaring television carried across the breezeway. On all sides, he was surrounded by inconsiderate jerkoffs.
At the girl's door, he hesitated before knocking. What the hell was her name? He blanked. Even though he'd spoken to her a couple of times he couldn't remember it. He doubted she'd remember his. Anyone so self-centered that she'd torment her neighbor all hours of the night probably wouldn't take the time to memorize a name.
He used a loud, heavy knock, rapping his knuckles against the door hard enough to penetrate the pounding thud of music. A few seconds later, he heard the music volume fall. He stepped back from the door so she could see him through the peep hole and waited. The deadbolt clicked and the door swung open to reveal a sight he hadn't been expecting.
Standing just an inch or two over five feet, the petite beauty with dark hair and pale brown eyes wore the tiniest grey shorts he'd ever seen and a paint-splattered blue camisole. Brightly colored specks of paint dotted her arms and hands.
It was abundantly clear to him that she wore no bra or panties under her skimpy getup. There wasn't enough fabric in those shorts to hide panties. Her nipples poked against the thin cotton of her paint-stained camisole. Either she kept her apartment very cool or she was aroused by the sight of him. He figured he wasn't lucky enough for it to be the latter.
His gaze lingered on her bare feet and happy rainbow-colored manicure before moving to her face. She looked annoyed. Her delicately shaped eyebrows were arched in an expression of frustration. "Can I help you, officer?"
"Detective," he corrected and hid his surprise that she'd remembered he was in law enforcement.
She pursed her lips. "Can I help you,
detective
?"
He decided to get right to the point. "Your music is too loud."
"Is it?" She glanced over her shoulder toward what looked to be a makeshift studio space and then shrugged. "It didn't seem that loud to me."
"Well it did to me and I have to get up early."
"And that's my problem how?"
Jamie couldn't believe her rudeness. "You should learn to show some respect for your neighbors."
"Or what? You'll spank my ass,
Grandpa
?" Her eyes glinted with a spark of mischief. Jamie wasn't sure whether to take the insult about his age seriously or
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