The Girl Next Door: Forrester Brothers, #2

By C. Jordan

When an old friend asks ex-Navy SEAL Derek Forrester for a favor, there’s no way he can say no. He has to spend a week working security at a local science fiction convention. The catch? He has to blend into the crowd, and that means he’s wearing costumes. Great.

The only good thing about this week is that he keeps running in to his next door neighbor, who’s at the event selling her handmade jewelry. Katie Jones is the type who screams good girl, which means she’s not Derek’s type at all. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t fantasized about getting his hands on her. And the fantasy just gets harder to resist when she shows up in racy costumes.

Katie is used to men ignoring her, and the gorgeous SEAL next door is no exception. She gets it though—she’s shy, geeky, plump and, well, average. The only time she comes out of her shell is when she’s cosplaying at conventions. She can become a different woman for just a little while, a sexy and confident woman. A woman with the confidence to get her flirt on with Derek Forrester.

When her ex-fiancé starts hanging around her booth, demanding she give him a second chance, she’s getting attention from the one guy she wishes would ignore her. But Derek seems more than willing to help her convince her ex that she’s burning up the sheets with someone new.

Now that’s the kind of male attention the girl next door could get used to.

• Language: English
• Publisher: CJ Books
• Release date: Jun 15, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386229575

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The Girl Next Door

Forrester Brothers, Book 2

by

C. Jordan

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The Girl Next Door

Copyright 2017 C. Jordan

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

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Table of Contents

Author’s Note

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

More from C. Jordan

Author’s Note

Welcome back to the Forrester Brothers series! I fell in love with Derek Forrester, the tough ex-Navy SEAL youngest brother, while writing the first book in this series. I knew he needed someone to lighten up his dark and damaged life, and Katie Jones fit the bill. She was a bit shy, a bit geeky, and I knew she was going to come out of her shell in a big way. The SEAL next door met the geek next door—and unlikely sparks started flying! As soon as Katie hit the page, she drove Derek insane in the best possible way.

I hope you enjoy reading their story as much as I enjoyed writing it!

~C. Jordan

Chapter 1

Sacramento, California

Thanks for going to water aerobics with me, Katie. It’s tough to get around town while Esteban’s recovering from his bunion surgery.

Katie Jones smiled down at the old woman who leaned on her arm. She ignored the fact that her wet hair was creating an uncomfortably moist patch on the back of her shirt, and that she’d forgotten to bring a change of clothes with her to the YWCA, so she’d had to put her shorts and top on over her damp bathing suit. Though it was a balmy afternoon, every time the breeze kicked up, it sent a cold chill over her skin.

She patted the other woman’s hand. Of course, Mrs. Gomez. I’m sure your husband will be driving again soon.

I just hate taking the bus. Mrs. Gomez wrinkled her nose. The drivers are maniacs.

Since the elderly lady said that about anyone who didn’t come to a complete stop at every intersection and drive at least five miles under the speed limit, Katie decided to steer the conversation away from driving. Yeah, I’m not a fan of the bus either. The one thing I don’t love about these condos is they’re too far away from the light rail.

Other than that, this complex was perfect. Built in the 1920s, it was classic Spanish Colonial Revival in design. She liked that the building was just one story tall and only had about ten units, so she didn’t feel crammed in amongst other people. Each condo faced a beautiful inner courtyard filled with lush greenery and a central fountain. She loved the red tiled roof, the thick, white stucco walls, the carved wooden panels on everyone’s front door, and the huge windows that let her look at the courtyard when she was working at her desk. On many evenings, all her neighbors came out to sit on their small terra-cotta-tiled patios to enjoy the courtyard and the warm California weather.

Good afternoon, ladies.

The deep voice snapped Katie back to the present. She turned to find three large men approaching, but her attention focused on the one speaking.

Derek Forrester. Ex-Navy SEAL, current next-door neighbor, and the star of her midnight fantasies. Not that anything would ever come of those fantasies. He was drop-dead gorgeous. She’d seen a handful of the dates he’d brought home since he moved in a little over a year ago, and they were every bit as gorgeous as he was. A guy like Derek didn’t go for too-tall, too-plump, too-shy girls like Katie. It was just a fact of the universe, like the sky was blue and two plus two equaled four. Simple, obvious, no need for further explanation.

Right now, though, she had six feet, three inches of long, lean muscle coming her way and she let herself enjoy the view. Even with a basketball propped on his hip, the man managed to look graceful and predatory at the same time, like a stalking panther. Just watching him walk across the courtyard was enough to make Katie’s brain short circuit and her tongue stick to the roof of her mouth. It didn’t help that all he wore was a pair of clingy mesh basketball shorts that left little to the imagination and sweat slipped in slow beads down the hard angles of his bare chest.

Sweet baby Jesus, she was going to have premature hot flashes any minute now.

She flushed and jerked her gaze up from his chest to his face. He had a short goatee, and she’d wondered far too often how it would feel against her skin. His eyes were a startling pale blue that contrasted with his deep brown skin, and she always felt pierced to the core whenever he looked at her.

Clearing her throat, she ducked her head. Hi.

Who do you have there? Mrs. Gomez lifted her cane to point at Derek’s companions. "They’re almost as pretty as you. She jabbed her walking stick at the man on the left. That one even looks like you."

Derek’s eyebrows arched while the men one either side of him made scoffing noises. Yes, he does. Mrs. Gomez, this is my less-pretty cousin, Trevor, and my friend, Rob.

Nice to meet you. The old woman gave them a flirtatious grin.

Rob had auburn hair, pale skin, and a multitude of freckles that made him appear sweet and innocent. But one look in his eyes, and Katie saw the same dangerous glint that Derek had—like he’d seen too much in his life to be anything but jaded, and he was more than ready to handle any situation, no matter how hazardous. Trevor looked a bit younger than the other two, but he also had a world-weary air about him. He had similar features as his cousin—same sharp cheekbones and square jaw, same dark skin, but his eyes were a hazel green-gold instead of blue. Less pretty or not, Katie doubted anyone had ever kicked this man out of bed for his looks. Or at all.

His gaze focused on her and he smiled. I don’t think we caught your name.

Katie Jones. I live next door to Derek. And she didn’t normally wear her hair in a wet, tangled mat around her head, but she didn’t make excuses for her bedraggled appearance. These men didn’t care. She reached out and shook Trevor’s hand, then did the same with Rob.

Not a single smidgeon of interest went through her at touching them, when all Derek had to do was look at her to make her tingle. Then again, he’d barely glanced at her today. As usual.

She really needed to get out there and start dating again, or she was going to die alone with her cat, Beru.

The men said their farewells and strode off to Derek’s condo while Katie and Mrs. Gomez continued their slow shuffle toward the Gomez’s unit.

He’s sexy. If I were fifty years younger… The elderly lady sighed.

I’m telling Esteban you said that, Katie teased.

Mrs. Gomez snorted. He’s got a nurse coming twice a week to give me some time off, and you know he ogles her butt every time she bends over. He gets the nurse, I get the sailor. Fair is fair.

Sure. Fair is fair. Katie wasn’t ever going to get the sailor in anything other than her wildest dreams, and she had serious doubts he even remembered her name.

But, hey, there was a nice trade-off for being the girl next door. She might slide under the radar, especially when it came to men, but that meant it didn’t matter if her hair was a mess or she was wearing a granny bathing suit under a T-shirt worn so thin it had a few holes in it. No one noticed anyway, and she didn’t mind not being noticed when she looked like hell.

*

Trevor took a quick peek over his shoulder at the retreating women, then slanted a look at Derek. You were looking at that woman like you wanted to eat her up.

The smooth lilt in Trevor’s voice made the muscles tense in Derek’s shoulders, and he gritted his teeth, fighting the urge to throttle his favorite cousin.

Of course, the next words out of Trevor’s mouth did nothing to improve the outlook on his health. She kind of shrinks into the background—so not your type, man. But you could see right through that wet shirt she had on. Excellent rack.

Yeah, Derek had noticed. He’d tried to talk himself out of being attracted to Katie, but it wasn’t working. He pivoted to face his cousin, stabbing a finger into the younger man’s chest. Hit on her and I’ll kill you.

Cocking a brow, Trevor’s grin faded to an expression of surprise. It’s like that, huh?

It wasn’t like anything, damn it. Derek didn’t bother making that protest. Instead, he stuck to plain facts. She’s a nice girl. You’re not a nice man.

His cousin snorted. Neither are you.

True enough. Trevor was a police detective and Derek was an ex-Navy SEAL who now worked as a security consultant. Neither of them were nice men. Nice men didn’t survive in their lines of work. Why do you think I haven’t asked her out?

Rob stepped into the conversation at that point. When has that ever stopped you?

I have to live next door to her. Derek took the single step up onto his patio and strode across the tiles to open his front door. He waved the other guys inside and locked up behind them.

Right. Rob nodded sagely. Don’t crap where you eat.

There was an attractive description of Derek trying to do the right thing and leave a nice woman alone. He’d seen the interest in her gaze, and had avoided her like the plague to stop himself from giving into the temptation. She was sweetness and light, and he was damaged goods dragging around the kind of emotional baggage that would screw up her rosy life. Because she was the type who’d try to save a man she cared about, and he was way beyond saving. Best to run like hell, for her sake.

His mother would probably say he could use a bit of sweetness and sunshine in his life, but he ignored the internal maternal voice.

He dropped the basketball in his hall closet and shut the door. Then he went to open his front windows to let the breeze in. "You had a