Thin Walls Read online

  THIN

  WALLS

  Cassandra Lawson

  Copyright ©2019 Cassandra Lawson

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover designed by Cassy Roop of Pink Ink Designs

  Proofreading by Kendra’s Editing and Book Services

  This book is a work of fiction. All characters and events are creations of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual people or events is purely coincidental.

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by federal law enforcement agencies and is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Also by Cassandra Lawson

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Author’s Note

  About the Author

  Also by Cassandra Lawson

  Love Without Batteries Series

  Dirty at 30

  Naughty at 30

  Sultry at 30

  Moon Virus Series

  Raven’s Blood

  Embrace the Heat

  Seducing Death

  Shattered Restraint

  Impulsive Destiny

  Untamed Winter

  Inevitable Darkness

  Psy-Vamp Series

  Vampires and Vixens

  Safe Hex With a Vampire

  Vampires Prefer Blondes

  The Vampire Will See You Now

  Wanton with a Vampire

  Vampire in Geek’s Clothing

  Wicked Crazy Vampire Love

  A Vampire Christmas

  Reckless Release Series

  Rocking Standby

  Rock & Regrets

  Rocking Perfection

  Spells That Bind Series

  Sinfully Spellbound

  Shamelessly Spellbound

  Seductively Spellbound

  Undeniably Hellbound

  Inescapably Hellbound

  Reluctantly Hellbound

  Acknowledgments

  I want to send out a special thanks to my daughters, Seramina and Jilliana, who are always patient with me when I need some time to write. They are also my biggest cheerleaders. I could not do any of this without the support of my amazing beta readers, April, Kari, Ria, and Yvonne.

  Chapter 1

  Spencer

  There was a naked woman in my kitchen.

  I’ve had women in my kitchen before—naked women even. This particular woman had been naked in my kitchen on several occasions. The problem with the situation was that I hadn’t invited her into my home this time.

  Crossing my arms in front of my bare chest, I glared as she bent over my center island. I was glad I’d decided to slip on boxers before heading out to the kitchen for coffee. Had we both been naked, the conversation would have been even more strange, especially since my morning erection hadn’t completely taken the hint that his services weren’t needed.

  “What the bloody hell are you doing here?” I demanded.

  “I missed you,” Suri replied with a pout.

  Suri was beautiful, with long auburn hair, full lips, and large green eyes. She had an athletic build and the flexibility that came from hours of yoga. She’d told me up front that I could ask her for anything. As it had turned out, I could ask Suri to do anything except to not sleep with my best friend. Needless to say, our relationship hadn’t ended on a happy note, and her presence within my home made no sense.

  “I’m not playing this game with you,” I told her in a bored tone. “If you don’t leave, I’m calling the police.”

  “The police?” she shouted. “Why would you call the police?” That was the other issue I had with Suri; with her mercurial temperament, she often started yelling when things didn’t go her way.

  “You broke into my house,” I pointed out.

  “Because I love you, and I’m willing to put in the effort to make us work.” Suri slammed her palms down on the kitchen island for emphasis. She took several deep breaths to get her temper under control. When she continued, her voice was cajoling. “I know you were angry with me, but we’re good together. Let me remind you how good we are.”

  She moved toward me with her hips swaying. When she reached out to touch me, I caught both of her arms to hold her back.

  “We are over, and I want you to leave. Now.”

  A sane person would have put her clothes on and go home, but Suri’s not known for her stability. Instead, she started hurling insults at me.

  Had I not been holding her arms, she’d have hit me or thrown anything she could get her hands on at me. “You fucking ungrateful bastard! I hate you! You’re not even a real man. I’ve had much better men since you. Asshole! Fucking British prick!”

  “I’m getting my phone and calling the police.” When I released her, she launched herself at me, wrapping her arms around my waist.

  “I’m sorry, Spency Wency,” she cooed. “I miss you so much. Let me make it up to you. Do you want to spank me for being such a bad girl? I know how much you like spanking me when I’m bad.”

  “Suri, get off of me,” I snapped. “Can you leave without me having to call the police? I have plans today, and I don’t have time for your games.”

  “You’re cheating on me, aren’t you?” she asked as she stepped away from me.

  Few women could pull off indignant while naked like Suri could.

  I grabbed her clothes and tossed them at her. “Get dressed and go home.” My order set off another round of screamed insults as she threw three coffee mugs on the floor. I cursed myself for not having a landline to call the police. I’d need to go back to my bedroom to grab my phone.

  Suri continued screaming insults at me as I backed away toward my bedroom. I wasn’t about to turn my back on her. With the noise she was making, it came as no surprise when someone started pounding on my front door.

  “Great,” I muttered on my way to the door. “Now, you’ve irritated my neighbors.” With any luck, they’d called the police for me. Who could blame them when my crazy ex-girlfriend was screaming at me at eight in the morning on a Sunday?

  I don’t often answer my front door in boxers, but I figured the person poundi
ng on it didn’t want to wait for me to get dressed. I also didn’t want to have Suri follow me into my bedroom.

  When I opened the door, I was ready to begin with an apology. My words died on my lips when I saw the blonde glaring at me. She was gorgeous and seriously pissed. I didn’t recognize her, but I’d only had a chance to meet a few of my neighbors since moving in. Her long blonde hair was a mess like she’d just woken up, and her blue eyes were narrowed. As for her body? Dressed in nothing but sleep shorts and a tank top, I could tell she had the build of a pinup girl. I would have much preferred meeting her under better circumstances.

  “Now, I see why you’re no longer watching porn in your bedroom at all hours,” she began as she gestured to Suri who had moved to stand behind me, still naked. “While it’s nice that you’ve stopped keeping decent people awake with the fake screams, I would appreciate it if you could keep your fighting down. Perhaps, your girlfriend could speak in a volume lower than screeching banshee.”

  Her comment about keeping decent people awake clued me in to who she was. She had to be the daughter, or possibly the granddaughter of my elderly neighbor. The best response was to apologize and assure her this wouldn’t happen again. After that, I needed to get Suri out of my apartment. Later, I would go over to my neighbor’s place and apologize again, perhaps invite the woman on my front porch out for coffee.

  Instead, I said, “I don’t watch pornography in my bedroom. I watch it on my computer in the den.”

  Fuck. My. Life.

  Chapter 2

  Mercy

  I had to be hearing things. My hot neighbor in the boxers with the naked woman standing behind him could not have possibly told me he watches porn in his den. I might have been too caught up in checking out his well-defined abdominal muscles, his messy black hair, or maybe it was his whiskey-colored eyes. Quickly playing the conversation over in my head, I realized I wasn’t mistaken.

  “Have you lost your mind?” I asked.

  “It seems I have,” he muttered.

  “Darling,” the naked woman interrupted as she ran a fingernail along his back. “I’m sorry we fought. Let’s go back to bed and make up like we always do.”

  I decided then and there that I didn’t like her, and based on the way my hot neighbor jerked away from her touch, he didn’t have any warm fuzzy feelings for her either.

  “You broke into my condo, Suri,” he ground out. “You forced my neighbor to send her granddaughter over to complain. This isn’t a fight—it’s breaking and entering.”

  “Granddaughter?” I asked.

  “Sorry,” he told me. “I assumed you were my neighbor’s granddaughter. Her daughter?”

  That was interesting. I didn’t correct him, not wanting to get to know my noisy neighbor who watched porn in his den and had a crazy naked woman break into his home. No matter how hot he looked in boxers, I didn’t need that kind of drama. Instead of answering, I smiled and nodded. I was going to walk away and avoid getting any more involved in his drama.

  At least, I planned to walk away until the naked bitch muttered, “She should have seen a better plastic surgeon. Her boob job looks tacky and fake.”

  I’d been turning away when she made that dig. I faced her with a smile. “Oh, honey, these are all mine.” I ran my hands over my breasts for emphasis. “I know you think it’s sexy when you stand like that, but I can see the scars from your boob job in that position.”

  Without waiting for a response, I turned and walked down the stairs, ignoring the insults from the naked woman and the laughter from my hot, but extremely annoying, neighbor. The woman wasn’t happy with my neighbor’s laughter and started shrieking at him. That’s when it hit me.

  I stopped at the foot of the stairs and pointed a finger at the banshee. “You’re the one with the fake screams!”

  “Whore!” the banshee screamed at me.

  “Deal with that problem, or I’m calling the police and reporting you to the HOA,” I warned my neighbor before walking the rest of the way to my condo.

  Unbelievable! That word described my morning perfectly. I’d slept longer than I had in months, possibly years, only to be awakened by my neighbor’s unwanted guest. At first, in my groggy state, I’d assumed the marathon porn sessions were back on. I’d been about to beat on the wall when I realized the sounds had nothing to do with sex, so I’d headed over to tell my neighbor to keep it down. I was tired of pounding on the wall, and with my recently rediscovered spunk, I’d intended to give him a piece of my mind.

  After stepping into my condo, I closed the door, leaned against the wall, and fanned myself. My libido had recently returned, and holy hot British sex god! It wasn’t the first time I’d seen my neighbor, but I’d never seen him up close, and I certainly hadn’t seen him in only boxers before. He looked very good in boxers.

  “No!” I told myself as I headed into the kitchen. “No way am I turning Mr. Watches Porn in the Den into fantasy material.”

  After starting the coffee, I dressed and went over my list for the day. I was meeting my sister and cousin for lunch at one, and I needed to finish typing up a project before then. I also planned to try out a new recipe when I got back home.

  Once my coffee was ready, I grabbed a banana and headed to my office to work. I’ve always been a workaholic. Even in school, I did every assignment, including extra credit. I’m not sure what it says about me that people weren’t surprised when I purchased The Frisky Beaver, the club where I’d tended bar in college. I’d transformed it from a seedy dive into a successful club. Yes, it was still a strip club, but I was proud of my work there. I’d decided to open a new club, Euphoria, which had been an enormous success. Thanks to the help of the great manager I’d hired, I no longer had to work twenty-four hours a day.

  The shooting on Valentine’s day changed nearly everything. I remained a workaholic, taking on a bunch of side jobs I could do at home, but I’d sold my two clubs. With the money from the sales, I could have afforded to take time off. My condo was paid off, and I had a tidy sum in savings. Time off isn’t in my nature. I might have turned into a shut-in for the past several months, but I’d been a busy shut-in.

  With my typing finished, I quickly showered and hurried out to meet my sister and cousin. We were having lunch at the small café in Hayward where my cousin, Delaney, had met her husband. She had a soft spot for the place—a soft spot based mainly on the fact that they served fantastic cake. I’m generally not a cake person, but I always have a slice there.

  “You’re late,” Bentley accused as I walked in the door to find her seated at a table by the window. We didn’t look much alike. She had more of a girl-next-door look with wavy brown hair and freckles, though we shared the same green eyes and were both blessed with ample curves.

  “Sorry, but I needed to finish up a typing project before I headed over here,” I explained. “Laney’s not here, so at least I’m not the one holding up ordering.”

  “Laney’s not going to make it,” Bennie replied with a sigh. “She’s puking her guts out.”

  “Again?” I asked. My cousin was about four months pregnant with her second child. “Shouldn’t she be past the morning sickness stage?”

  “Sebastian insists this one is a girl because Delaney is sicker than last time,” Bennie replied.

  “Is that what he’s hoping for?” I asked.

  Bentley shrugged. “I’m not sure. He hasn’t said anything either way. Ever since she told me she’s pregnant again, I’ve been hoping for a girl.”

  “It would be fun to shop for cute girl clothes this time,” I agreed.

  “This is great!” Bentley said with a grin.

  “Laney being pregnant?” I asked.

  “You coming out to meet me for lunch,” she clarified. “I’ve been worried about you since you normally turn down my invitations or cancel after you’ve agreed to go out. Each time you canceled, I worried you’d decide to stop going out again.”

  “I needed some time to come to grips w
ith everything that happened,” I explained as if she didn’t already know that. It had taken months to get past being shot, and I still shuddered when I looked at the scars. There would be no more crop tops or bikinis in my future, but I was okay with that. I’d survived. “I’m ready to rejoin the world.”

  “What are your plans for the future?” she asked. “Are you going to get a job outside of your home? Maybe start a new business?”

  “For now, I’m going to continue with what I’ve been doing,” I replied. “When I go home today, I’m baking cinnamon cupcakes.”

  “For your cookbook?” she asked.

  “That and I’m thinking about starting a YouTube channel to show people how to make some of my recipes,” I explained. “It could be fun. I may even start a bartending channel.”

  Bentley grinned. “You always have so much planned.”

  “I like to keep busy,” I replied. “So, how are things going with Gage?”

  My sister had recently married Gage Addison, the lead guitarist for Reckless Release, and she’d also started working with the band. It was good for her since she got to travel with the band, but bad for me since it kept her away for months. Reckless Release had a tour starting up in a couple of months, and Bentley was busy with preparations. My sister was also a workaholic, though not usually as bad as me.

  “Gage has been busy recording, and the band is going to be in LA most of this week,” she replied. “I can’t imagine how little I’d see of Gage if I didn’t work with him.”

  “It’s not easy being with a successful musician,” I remarked as if I had any experience in that area.

  “Any chance you’ll start dating again now that you’re leaving the house?” she asked.

  “I wasn’t dating all that much when I was out of the house,” I reminded her. “If I meet a guy I’m attracted to, who doesn’t have a crazy naked woman screaming at him, I might consider dating again.”

  “That was oddly specific,” Bentley replied with a laugh. “Is there a story behind this?”

  I gave her the highlights of my morning encounter with my neighbor and his crazy girlfriend.

  “What a bitch,” Bentley muttered. “And I can’t believe your neighbor told you he watches porn in his office.”