Next to You

By Jewel Donovan

Tori Edwards is making a fresh start. The last thing she needs is to run into a blast from her past. But the way her luck runs, of course that’s exactly what happens. Her first day moving into her new apartment, she discovers her neighbour is Connor Morgan, the guy she had a hopeless crush on back in high school. The same guy who was part of a cruel prank she’s never fully forgotten. Though it’s been over a decade, and she may have blossomed physically, inside, she still feels like the same awkward, insecure girl she was back then.

This is Connor Morgan’s lucky day. His new neighbour is a beautiful woman. And she’s single. Except she seems to take an immediate dislike to him, and he can’t figure out why. Nor why there’s something about her that seems familiar, despite the fact that she insists they’ve never met before.

Tori tries to keep her distance from Connor, but it’s difficult when he lives next door. And it doesn’t help that she’s just as attracted to him as she was as a teenager. Maybe even more. As the sparks fly, can Tori learn to trust him? Or is the past too much for them to overcome?

Next to You is a stand-alone novel of approx 50,000 words.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jewel Donovan
• Release date: Jun 25, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463808986

Jewel Donovan

Jewel Donovan is a Canadian author whose love affair with romance novels began in sixth grade, when a friend loaned her a copy of one. She has been constructing stories in her head for as long as she could remember and decided to try writing them down. She is currently hard at work on her next book.Jewel loves to hear from readers. You can contact her via her Facebook page or Twitter, or by emailing [e-mail]

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Next To You

By Jewel Donovan

Copyright 2019 Jewel Donovan

Smashwords Edition

All Rights Reserved

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support. This book is also available in print at most online retailers.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Epilogue

Author’s Note

Chapter One

Connor Morgan walked around the corner of the hallway in his apartment complex and was nearly run down by a bunch of boxes coming the other way.

Or more accurately, by a person carrying a bunch of boxes. They were piled so high, whoever was holding them couldn’t see him until it was almost too late to avoid a collision.

The boxes came to an abrupt halt, and a feminine voice cried out an apology which quickly turned into a curse as the uppermost one wobbled and then slipped off the stack.

Connor had always been blessed with quick reflexes, and he managed to catch the box before it beaned him in the head.

Aw geez, sorry! he heard the woman say again as she shifted the column of boxes and peeked around them, giving him his first glimpse of her.

She had cinnamon-brown hair held back in a ponytail that might have been tidy when she’d first pulled it up, but was now slipping loose of its elastic band. Her cheeks were flushed with a combination of exertion and embarrassment as she asked, Are you okay?

Connor adjusted his hold on the box to keep from dropping it. I’m fine, no harm done.

She gave a relieved smile, sending an instant bolt of attraction through him. She was cute, with freckles scattered across her button nose and eyes that were a striking shade of green.

Thanks for catching that. You saved my bacon. Or my drinking glasses, rather, she quipped.

Moving out, or moving in? he asked, hoping it was the latter.

In.

Excellent. He gave her a smile which made her face flush even more. He was trying to think of something clever to say when he realized he shouldn’t be waylaying her in order to flirt. She was still carrying three boxes, and her arms had to be feeling the strain.

Let me help you with those, he said as he reached for a second box.

Oh, you don’t have to do that, she protested, though she relinquished one of them, her load now only half of what it had been originally. Especially after I nearly gave you a concussion just now.

He laughed. It’s no problem, he assured her as he stacked the second box on top of the one he was already holding.

Why was she trying to carry so much at once? he wondered. Did it mean she had no man helping her? Was she single?

Knowing his luck, probably not. But a guy could hope. He’d been striking out on the dating front for the last six months, and now a beautiful woman had quite literally run into him.

Well, alright. Thanks.

She walked past him, and he followed her, running an appreciative glance from her bobbing ponytail down to her worn sneakers. A grey t-shirt that looked worn soft from many washings clung to her nicely toned body, and black yoga pants hugged her long legs.

She led the way to an apartment and performed a little wiggle as she shifted the weight of her burden onto her hip, holding it with one arm as she worked to unlock the door using a key hanging from a lanyard around her neck. Damned if that move didn’t make his day a little better. She had a nicely rounded ass to go with those legs, he thought, as he followed her inside.

She set her boxes down on the floor, saying, You can put those anywhere. Thanks. She straightened up, dusting off her hands. Hands bare of an engagement or wedding ring, he observed.

He hoped that was a good sign, but he knew it was no guarantee she was single. Not everyone wore a ring, even when they were attached. You stuck doing all this moving by yourself? he asked as he placed the boxes he was carrying down next to hers. Your boyfriend isn’t helping you?

As soon as the words left his mouth, he cringed inwardly. Real smooth, a voice in his head jeered. That was as subtle as a sledgehammer.

Her eyes twinkled and the corner of her mouth twitched, although she had enough politeness and self-control to keep from actually laughing as she said, Nope. No boyfriend.

She was probably used to guys tripping over their words around her. She was a mixture of cute and stunning, with a freckled face that almost seemed out-of-place with her knockout body. With nothing to obstruct his view, Connor could see she was nicely curved all over. And taller than average, only a couple of inches shorter than his height of six feet. His last girlfriend had been so much shorter than him, it had sometimes made things awkward.

Woah. He was getting way ahead of himself. He didn’t even know her name. And while he was feeling sparks, he couldn’t be certain she was.

I guess maybe we should introduce ourselves, since I’m no longer trying to crush you by dropping things on your head, she joked as she extended a hand. I’m Tori. Tori Edwards.

He took her hand in his, feeling an immediate tingle in response. And if he was reading the soft catch of her breath and slight widening of those pretty green eyes correctly, she felt it too. So he wasn’t imagining the sparks. Connor Morgan.

Her expression suddenly changed, going from open and friendly to wary and closed-off in an instant.

What had he said? Did his name mean something to her? He couldn’t fathom why it would. He’d never had his fifteen minutes of fame. Maybe five, back in high school, when he’d been one of the stars of the basketball team and there’d been a chance of him going pro. Until he’d blown out his knee during a championship game.

Surely they didn’t know each other. He’d have remembered someone like her. And yet, as he looked at her face, he felt a twinge of familiarity. Have we met before? he asked, then inwardly cringed again. That had to be up there on the list of pathetic lines, along with, Do you come here often? and Are you tired? Because you’ve been running through my head all day.

Her expression now blank, she tugged her fingers free of his, grasped her hand with the other, rubbing at it as if trying to erase his touch. I don’t think so.

The longer he looked at her, the more the sense of familiarity nagged at him. You sure? What high school did you graduate from?

I—I was homeschooled, she answered, then bit her lip.

So he couldn’t have recognized her from there. But Connor could have sworn he knew her somehow.

Before he could inquire further, she said, I must have one of those faces.

That must be it, he agreed, although he wasn’t entirely convinced. Her face was far from ordinary, not someone he could imagine blending into a crowd. And that body, well…she could stop traffic.

She looked almost nervous for some reason, so he decided to drop the subject. Do you need any more help bringing stuff up?

No, thank you. This was the last load, which is why I was carrying too much at once. She laughed a little, but her attempt at humour sounded a bit less genuine than it had earlier, when she’d joked about almost giving him a head injury.

Anyway, thanks for your help. I can take if from here, she added in a clear attempt to get rid of him.

What had changed? A minute ago, he’d been certain she was interested, maybe even flirting with him. Now the sparkle in her eyes was gone, and not a hint of a smile played at her lips.

It had happened as soon as he’d said his name, yet she claimed they had never met before.

Okay, he said. Well, let me know if you ever need help. I live in the apartment next door, so I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.

She made a small noise that might have been a groan before she covered it with a cough. I guess so.

Don’t sound too thrilled, he thought, still wondering what he’d done to offend her. It was nice meeting you.

Interesting, anyways, she said. I’ll try not to drop anything on your head next time.

He chuckled, glad to have a reason to do so and dispel the tension a little.

Thanks for your help, she added in an obvious dismissal.

You’re welcome. Taking the hint, he left, curious as to why she’d gone from friendly and flirty to stiff and inhospitable simply from hearing his name. If they hadn’t met before, why such a reaction?

***

Tori closed the door behind Connor, then sagged against it, just barely suppressing the urge to bang her head on it a few times. Of all the people to have as a neighbour, why did it have to be him?

She should have recognized him right away. He hadn’t changed much since high school. He’d been all tall and blond and handsome back then, too. Maybe he was a little more filled out now, (he’d been wiry as a teen), but that tended to happen in twelve years, right?

She’d told him she’d been homeschooled, and it was at least partially true. She hadn’t graduated with the rest of her peers, had dropped out mid-senior year to finish her studies online.

Because of him.

She doubted he remembered it. Remembered her. Why would he? She’d been a nobody, someone with few friends, a ton of brains, and very little beauty. Whereas he’d been popular, and gorgeous, the kind of person who took their good looks for granted because they’d never been through an awkward phase. They’d run in very different circles for most of high school, until a fateful few weeks had culminated in a day that changed everything.

Changed everything for her, at least. For him, it had no doubt been an incident he’d forgotten almost as soon as it had happened.

So much for a fresh start since breaking up with her fiancé—now she was stuck living next to someone from her past. Someone she’d tried very hard to forget. And had succeeded for the most part. Until now.

Had Connor actually recognized her when he’d asked if they’d met before, or had it been a line?

It would be surprising if he had recalled her. She’d gone by Vickie, a shortened form of her legal name, Victoria, when he’d known her before, rather than the nickname she used now. And she’d looked totally different. Back then, she’d been all gangly and awkward, trying to hide her body under baggy sweatshirts. The body she’d felt would never leave childhood behind.

It had finally happened—after she’d left high school. Puberty had hit her like a ton of bricks just before she turned eighteen. She’d suddenly grown into her long legs and stopped tripping over everything quite so often. Her period had started, and she’d developed breasts so fast Tori sometimes wondered how she didn’t have stretch marks on them.

It had been years, and by now, she should be used to guys checking her out the way Connor had earlier. But somewhere inside of her was still the misfit teenager who could hear the bullies all calling her ‘Icky Vickie’ while she’d tried to walk with her head held high, acting as if she didn’t care.

And now her new neighbour was the guy she’d had a hopeless crush on way back when. The guy she’d made a fool of herself over. Such a fool of herself, she’d had to leave school to escape the humiliation of it all.

Oh, what the hell. Maybe banging her head on the door would help. Just a little. Or perhaps it would have been better if that falling box had hit her on the head and put her into a coma, so she didn’t have to face him again.

She’d joked about not causing him physical injury, but a part of her that was still hurt over old wounds wanted to smack him upside the head. Even if she abhorred violence.

Ah well. This was Vancouver, not a small town. Most people didn’t know their neighbours beyond saying hello in passing. She was certain she could keep her distance from him.

***

After so many years of embarrassment from walking into walls and tripping over things (sometimes things that weren’t even there), one would think Tori would have developed the habit of looking where she was going, but no.

Out for a jog on a crisp spring morning, Tori was searching on her smartphone to queue up the next episode of her favorite podcast when she turned the corner of the jogging trail and ran smack-dab into a man coming the other way.

The air left his chest with a grunt she could hear over the podcast playing through her earbuds. She stumbled back, trying to keep from falling or launching her phone into the bushes as she swung her arms to keep her balance. Her headphones pulled free of her ears. Unfortunately, whoever she’d run into was as solid as a wall, and she rebounded off him like a dodgeball and ended up flat on her ass.

And to make her humiliation worse, the person she’d run into was Connor, she realized as she gazed up at him.

He was looking every bit as handsome as he had the other day. Maybe even more. Dressed in athletic gear, it appeared he was out for a jog as well.

Of course, he was perfectly steady on his feet, unlike her.

Geez, I’m sorry, he said. I didn’t mean to run you down.

Tori felt as if she should be the one apologizing. Their collision had been more her fault than his. He hadn’t been looking at his phone, or lost in another world with headphones on.

Are you okay? he asked.

Her tailbone was throbbing, but she wasn’t about to say so. I’m fine, she answered, and then tried to get to her feet, only to discover her legs had gone temporarily numb from the impact.

Let me help you up. He extended a hand.

As much as she wanted to refuse, Tori took it. It was either that or stay sprawled inelegantly on the ground.

His grip was warm and strong. She’d tried to write off the tingles she’d felt when they’d touched a few days ago as nothing more