“No, wait,” Anna-Beth said, stopping him from leaving. “I can see you think we’re crazy people, and maybe we are, but you have got to understand. Elizabeth has lived here for a long time. She has seen people come and go. It is … insane. I didn’t believe it, but the love of my life, he was my neighbor. We moved in roughly at the same time. If not the same day. I can’t remember all the finer details. Have you not felt drawn to your neighbor? Wanting to know what she is doing every single day? Just being close to her? Imagining a future with her?”

  “It’s just a house.”

  “Exactly, it is just that and because of the look on your face, I’m going to assume you do know what I’m talking about and I’m not talking crazy. You’re finding it a little creepy. Trust me though, every single couple that has been in those houses, they have left them together, and are still together. I even heard that a threesome fell in love. Two guys and a girl, and all of that. I’m going to leave that with you. I’ve got to be heading back.”

  Hector watched the woman go.

  The crazy old lady was still watching him.

  He looked down at Cutie, who stared back at him. “What do you think of that? Do you think that is crazy? Yeah, me too. Come on, let’s go back to mommy.”

  He paused as in his mind, he got a flash of something hopeful. Verity, pregnant with his child, and then he saw a couple of kids dancing around his feet.

  He shook his head.

  “No, that’s too crazy. It’s not happening.”

  ****

  Ever since Hector got back from his walk with Cutie, he’d been acting a little strange.

  Verity put her fork down, watching him. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  He looked up with a frown. “Huh?”

  “Did something happen on the walk today? You seem a little distracted.”

  He shook his head then nodded. “It’s not something that … ugh, I don’t know. I bumped into these two women. One of them claimed to live here, and well, they had something crazy to say about the houses.”

  “Do you want to tell me what it is?” Verity asked.

  Hector put down his fork. “Apparently, these houses are cursed.”

  “They are?”

  “Yeah, but not in a mean, haunting-ghost kind of a way.”

  “What way?”

  “The people who are neighbors are real-life soul mates. They fall in love and spend the rest of their lives together,” he said.

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “I am.”

  “And you believe this?”

  “Well, I bought my house from a girl, and she was either married to or going to marry the guy who lived in your house.”

  “Oh,” Verity said. She frowned and recalled the guy who had lived here had said that he’d fallen for his neighbor and they were moving on to a place that was much more suited. It had seemed strange to her. “Okay, but neighbors fall in love all the time, right?” she asked.

  “That’s what I was thinking, but I don’t know. I guess, with us having sex…” he said but didn’t quite finish.

  “Do you think we’re going to fall in love?” she asked. Her heart started to thump inside her chest. Her mouth went dry. She reached for the coffee and took a sip, trying to moisten her mouth.

  He shrugged.

  This was a crazy conversation, and she didn’t like it at all.

  “Don’t worry about what the houses mean, or what they don’t mean. It’s nonsense for us to be in their kind of situation. No houses curse people to fall in love. How can falling in love be a curse, anyway?” She was rambling on.

  Getting to her feet, she picked up her plate and Hector’s. There were only a couple of mushrooms left on his plate.

  She carried them through to the kitchen and put them on the side, gripping the counter, trying to find something to hold everything together.

  Falling in love.

  Hector.

  There was no way she was falling in love with Hector, but even as she thought those very words, her gut started to twist because she knew she was lying.

  The cursed-houses idea was nonsense.

  Hector came into the kitchen. He moved up behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders. She expected him to say something, to bring some calm to her rioting thoughts. But there was nothing he could say.

  He’d dropped this mega bombshell, and now she just had to deal.

  Hector kissed her neck. The touch was featherlight, but she felt an answering pull between her thighs.

  The hands on her shoulders slid down her arms, settling on her waist.

  He lifted beneath the shirt and touched the tender flesh of her stomach before, with light touches, he glided up and cupped her tits. She couldn’t contain her moan as his touch sent a hit of fire coursing through her body.

  “Do you have any idea what you do to me?”

  Did she make him love her?

  That was crazy.

  What he had told her was so stupid.

  She wasn’t going to believe it. There was no room to believe it.

  Hector lifted the shirt right over her head, tossing it across the counter and letting it hit the floor. She didn’t fight him as it fell.

  Verity wasn’t wearing a bra, and a whimper escaped her lips as he stroked her tits. Pinching her nipples.

  He put his hands back on her waist, and this time, he pushed her sweatpants down her thighs until they landed on the floor. She stepped out of them. There was no point in wearing panties around him.

  His hand moved between her thighs, cupping her naked pussy. He slid his fingers between her slit, grazing across her clit before going down to plunge inside her.

  “Hector,” she said.

  “I’ve got you. Let go.”

  She didn’t know if she could. Did he even realize that she was falling for him? Was it such a ridiculous idea?

  This isn’t love, Verity.

  It’s sex.

  Even as she thought it, she couldn’t help but deny it. This wasn’t just sex. Sex had ended a long time ago.

  Pushing all negative thoughts from her mind, she focused on his hand. How good it felt on her pussy.

  “I’ve got to be inside you.”

  She felt him moving, and then he nudged her forward, tilting her hips so she was bent over the counter. His cock slid between her slit, bumping her clit before moving back and going to her entrance.

  The hard length of him filled her.

  She whimpered.

  He grabbed her hips, almost bruising her, he held her that tightly. Pushing all the way inside her until he went to the hilt, but he drew back.

  Hector did this for several thrusts, lighting a fire in her stomach. Then, it was like he was taken over, and he pounded inside her, fucking her harder than ever before.

  She took it, loving it, feeling him bloom within her pussy.

  All of a sudden, he stopped, and then his fingers were between her thighs, stroking her clit. She cried out, gasping as it felt completely different with his cock inside her from this angle.

  “I love your pussy, Verity. I could spend all my life inside of you and I’d be a very happy man.”

  These were not true words of love, but Verity took them.

  She wasn’t going to allow the news of the cursed houses to affect her or them. They didn’t matter.

  Closing her eyes, she gave herself to Hector. With the magic touch of his hands, she gave in to the orgasm slamming through her body.

  He didn’t give her any chance to recover as he stopped touching her pussy while she was still orgasming, grabbed her hips, and fucked her, pounding his way inside her.

  She screamed his name, not wanting it to stop.

  Hector growled, and she felt an answering pulse as he came, filling her pussy with his cum. Neither of them spoke as his orgasm subsided.

  She was once again naked, with this man’s cum deep inside her. The only sounds to be heard in the kitchen were those of their panting. They didn’t even last a long time.

  Slowly, Hector pulled out of her, and as he did, she couldn’t help but feel a coldness settle inside her. She didn’t like it. Standing up, she ignored the mess and stepped toward the doorway of her kitchen.

  “Verity,” Hector said.

  “We need to start using condoms or we’re going to have to stop this.” She didn’t dare look at him. “We’re not going to be victims of the cursed houses. We’re not a love match.” Her jaw clenched, and she counted to five quickly inside her head. “I’m not on anything, and I could get pregnant.” She wasn’t going to tell him that she’d already checked her calendar that morning while he’d been walking Cutie and found she was already late.

  She was never late. The chance of her being pregnant was quite high.

  “I need to go take a shower. Leave the dishes. I’ll deal with them,” Verity said. “I also need to catch up on some work today. Spend the day with Sean. I’m sure he’d like a tour of the town.”

  She stepped out of the room, and not once did Hector call her back.

  This time, when she went to the bathroom, she didn’t wait for the water to heat up, and Hector wasn’t there to stop her. She stepped beneath the cold spray, feeling it cascade around her. A sadness crept upon her, enveloping her. She felt a little sick.

  She washed her hair, then she grabbed the soap, lathering up her body and attempting to miss her stomach, but in the end, she rested her hands there.

  “I’ll take care of us, little one. I know it won’t be easy, but if you are in there, I will take care of it.” She wasn’t going to run away from the responsibility.

  Hector could leave. Her mother had done it alone, and so could she.

  So much for the cursed houses.

  They couldn’t have been further from the truth. Hector wasn’t her soul mate. He was only here for a vacation, and all they were having was a bit of fun.

  Chapter Nine

  “Verity’s avoiding me,” Hector said.

  “I wonder why that is,” Sean said.

  He’d told Sean everything that had happened. His friend, being his friend, was able to find some of the previous owners of the house. He cross-referenced the names and discovered every single person who had lived as neighbors in these two houses had ended up married.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Hector asked.

  “You just found out that out of every single place in the world you could have gone to, something drew you to this place. You’re a guy who loves the sunshine, beaches. Italy, the Mediterranean. They are all logical places for you to want to go. I know you, Hector. That is the place you go to relax. Not in a small town, in the middle of nowhere, in some kind of cul-de-sac. Trust me. When you showed me this place, I was shocked.”

  “Are you saying I’m too good for this place?” Hector asked.

  “You’re a multimillionaire. You’ve worked hard to be where you are. You own a villa in Italy. Your prize and joy. Not to mention the penthouse suite back in the city, and let’s not forget the country estate as well. Yet, you decided to add this place, which is quaint and lovely. Tell me it’s not a little odd for your tastes,” Sean said.

  “I’m not a snob.”

  “I’m not calling you a snob. I’m telling you all things are pointing to the fact that maybe there is some credit in the whole cursed-houses thing.”

  “Work is getting to your head. Maybe you need a vacation. What next? Will you start believing in the tooth fairy again?”

  “Now you’re being mean.”

  “I’m not being mean. I’m being … you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “So you’re not falling in love with Verity? Right this second, you’re not wanting to go and see her? It has been four days since you last saw her, and you spent the night. You love her dog as well, and you’ve been holding the stuffed teddy bear you got that dog at odd times of the day.”

  “I don’t do love.”

  “Maybe not, but you clearly have feelings for Verity.” Sean sighed and put the paper to one side. It wasn’t like he was reading it anyway. “Sit down,” he said.

  Hector wanted to argue with him, but he had nothing to say, and so he sat down on his ass, staring at his friend.

  “If you’re not in love with Verity, then what are you? Don’t go down to the basics either, of it just being about sex. That’s bullshit. You and I know it. You’re not the kind of guy who likes to double dip, as you once called it.”

  He cringed. “I was a dick.”

  “Some would say yes, but you never lured women into a false sense of anything,” Sean said. “You were always upfront with them. There isn’t anything more you can do. Now, back to Verity. What do you think about when I say her name?” Sean held his hands up. “I’m being serious. No joking around.”

  “I’m not that bad. I can talk about serious things without turning everything into a joke.”

  “I’ll believe that when I see it.”

  He rolled his eyes at his friend. Sean was starting to piss him off.

  “I think about her smile. I love making her smile. Her laugh is so infectious. It’s kind of deep and dirty. I like that. I could listen to her laugh for days.”

  “This is good,” Sean said. “Now, I want you to think of six months from now. She’s done her cookbook, and the good doctor has given you a clean bill of health. You don’t have to wait around anymore. You can come back to work, in moderation, and you’re never going to see Verity again. In fact, she moves on. Finds another man. They fall in love and she ends up pregna—”

  “Shut the fuck up,” Hector said, pushing his chair back. “No one is getting Verity pregnant but me. Just me. No one else.”

  Sean sat back, arms folded. “I think you have your answer. If you didn’t have feelings for her, you wouldn’t be acting this way.”

  “That doesn’t … ugh…” He ran his fingers through his hair and looked across the room. “I’m in love with Verity Hill.”

  “Yep.”

  “I can’t live without her.”

  “Yep.”

  “I want to marry her.”

  “Yep.”

  “I want her to have my babies.”

  “Yep.”

  “Will you stop saying yep?” he asked.

  “No,” Sean said. “Are we going to keep doing this?”

  “You’re infuriating. Why did I ever think you were my friend?”

  Sean burst out laughing. “I’m not your problem. Telling Verity how you feel after almost mocking the cursed houses and not coming straight out to her and saying, ‘Hey, Verity, I’m in love with you, like a lot.’”

  “Oh, shut up. It’s so easy for you to say that, but it’s a lot harder.”

  “Yeah, if you’re used to being a dick, that is.”

  “Enough.” He moved toward the front door.

  “What are you doing to do?” Sean asked.

  “Tell Verity that I’m in love with her.”

  “Good luck with that,” Sean said. “I’ll stay here and entertain myself.”

  He wanted to throttle his best friend. “Were you always this annoying?”

  “Being a smartass does that.”

  Hector left his home and stepped over to Verity’s. He raised his hand and knocked on the door.

  It had been four days since they last saw each other. He’d been stalking from his spare bedroom window, kicking Sean out so he could try and keep an eye on her.

  Nothing. He hadn’t seen her.

  She didn’t answer.

  He knocked again. Hector did hear movement from the other side.

  “I’m not opening the door, Hector. I need to be alone.”

  “Verity, I really need to see you. I’ve got to talk to you.”

  “Can we do this another time, please? I just … not today. Okay? I can’t.”

  He heard the pain in her voice and wanted to argue, so he put his hands on the door. Something wasn’t right. “Verity?”

  “Not today. Go away.”

  He stared at her door for several seconds and then, he walked back to his home, letting himself in.

  Sean was carrying a coffee from the kitchen. “What happened?”

  “I don’t know. She’s upset.”

  “What did you do?”

  “Nothing in the last four days. I don’t think this is about me.” Hector rubbed at his temple and glanced toward the calendar, looking at the date, and something just … he knew there was something important happening today.

  Grabbing Sean’s laptop, he found Verity’s channel and typed in the date. It brought up a video that was posted a couple of weeks after, and he pressed play.

  “As many of you know, I haven’t been on here for a few weeks, and there is a reason for that. You know my mom was sick, and well, she … the doctors said it was terminal, and…”

  Her mother had died on this day. That was why Verity was upset.

  “Damn,” Sean said.

  “She won’t let me in. I’ve got to go to her.”

  “Hector, this isn’t a good idea. She wants to be alone.”

  “Yeah, she can be alone in her thoughts, but she has been alone for too long. I’m not going to let her mourn another moment.” He left his home for a second time and went next door to Verity’s.

  Knocking wouldn’t gain him access. No, what he needed was to get inside.

  Didn’t they have spare keys? She had plant pots outside her front door. He lifted them, but that was clearly too obvious because there was no key. He looked around and put his hand beneath the doorstep, where he felt the hard ridge of the key. It had been taped beneath. Tearing it off, he held it in his hand, then let himself into Verity’s house.

  He heard her sobbing, and it broke his heart.

  Cutie came to him, clearly seeing what the noise was. He bent down, stroking behind her ears. “Where is she, sweet girl?” he asked.

  She ran off and he followed her, finding Verity on the sofa, a box of tissues on the coffee table in front of her. With her hands in front of her face, she looked so lost, so broken.

  He couldn’t stand it. There was no way he was going to let her suffer. He went to the sofa and sat down, and Verity gasped.

  “It’s me.”

  “How did you get in?”

  “The key,” he said.

 

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