Free PosterBoyForAverage by Sommer Marsden Page B

pretty. And he’s not fourteen years old! He’s a man!”
    Aubrey couldn’t help but laugh. “I take it that means you
wouldn’t mind seeing him on a Checkered Horse cover?”
    “One or…seven. You know, I’m easy.” She winked at Aubrey.
“And you, lucky thing, living next door to him. How do you keep your hands off?
A single, pretty woman like you.”
    I don’t…
    “Not easy, but you know, we’re neighbors. Things could get
sticky. The next book I think you were interested in was—”
    “ City Lights, Broken Hearts . I think he’d be perfect
for it. Maybe black and white. But you know,“ Gail waved her hand dismissively,
“you don’t need me weighing in. You know what you’re doing and you always do
great for us. It’s why we’re always so happy to work with you. Can I get you
lunch? We were just about to order. I can tell you all the office gossip and
you can tell me some more about your amazingly buff, extremely hot neighbor.”
    Aubrey opened her mouth to decline and realized, sadly, that
she had no real reason to. Nothing to rush back home for. Nothing that was so
pressing she couldn’t spend an hour or two shooting the shit, gossiping and
eating a decadent sub from the local sub joint.
    “Sure,” she said. “Why not?”
    * * * * *
    “Hey there, stranger.”
    Aubrey jumped and nearly dropped her paper in the grass
along with the coffee cup she was clutching. She hadn’t heard him sneak up.
Weren’t roofers gone by this hour of the morning?
    When she glanced up at Mike, he looked tired. Not just
tired. He made tired look good. What he looked was damn fucking drained. His
tan seemed to have faded a bit and dark circles had taken up residence beneath
his bright eyes. Which weren’t looking so bright, now that she thought about
it.
    Concern overshadowed any other feeling she might have for
him at the moment. “Are you okay?” She stood, closing her robe where it had
fallen open. His eyes had danced briefly over her cleavage. She had a mole just
above her right breast and she felt his gaze as strongly as if he’d run his
tongue over it. The phantom sensation forced a shiver to skip up her spine.
    “I’m fine.”
    “You’re a terrible liar,” she said, smiling. “Can I buy you
a coffee?”
    “I can’t—” But then he shook his head, looked at his watch
and said, “I mean, sure. Why not? I’m a cheap date.” He grinned and it was so
much less than his normal smile that her concern dropped to a cold, low-level
fear.
    “Come on in,” Aubrey said, leading the way. “You look like a
man who could use a double shot of java in his java.” She was supremely aware
of him being right behind her as she walked. She wondered if he was watching
her ass. And found that she hoped he was.
    She held the door open and let him squeeze past her. Having
him that close as he entered her house stole her breath. And Aubrey realized
she was very grateful she’d brushed her teeth. The urge to kiss him and erase
that exhausted, haunted look from his face was nearly irresistible.
    Somehow she managed to keep her hands to herself.
    “I haven’t seen you—” She realized the best way to end that
was since we nearly had sex in my basement . So she quickly rerouted her
mouth. “In a few days. Everything okay?”
    He put his head in his hands, resting his elbows on her
breakfast bar. Aubrey poured hot water over grounds, slid him a mug and the
sugar bowl. She dug out a spoon and handed that over too. “Mike?” she said when
he didn’t answer.
    “Everything is normal is all,” he said with a bitter laugh.
He quickly dumped two teaspoons of raw sugar in his cup and Aubrey followed
suit. When the timer went off, she poured their extra-strong coffee from the
French press.
    “Normal must be exhausting,” she said softly. “Because you
look whooped.”
    He stirred and waved off her offer of cream. “Chuck’s…” He
sighed and Aubrey felt her stomach drop out. Chuck his youngest. Chuck with