WE DROPPED OFF CJ at his place and headed back home. I was nervous and excited about my date with Thomas. I wanted to shower and take my time deciding what I was going to wear. It was important.
Caleb opened the door for me with a flirty smile. He noticed he'd provoked a reaction out of me when we arrived at the restaurant earlier, and he seemed proud about it.
Stop! Or don't. It was a fun and innocent little game.
When I stepped out of the car, I saw my neighbor Eric and another guy walking in my direction, carrying beer and a few grocery bags.
"Hey, Billie!" Eric said with a hearty grin. "This is my brother Tobias."
"Nice to meet you, Billie. I'd shake your hand, but ..." Tobias lifted the six-packs to show me his hands were busy. "I've heard so much about you, though."
Eric shoved his shoulder against Tobias's, but he just laughed.
I shook my head with a smile. Eric was cute, but he was a teenager. Tobias seemed a little older than me. He was handsome, with light-brown wavy hair and big blue eyes that could bewitch anyone in his radius. Eric and Tobias had similar features, but Tobias didn't look like a boy. Not one bit.
The three of us strolled inside the lobby as we chatted. Aaron and Caleb followed us inside and stood a casual distance away, talking among themselves.
"So why do you smell so good when you look like you've just exercised?" Tobias asked. "Aren't you curious, Eric?" Eric's pale skin was bright pink, deeply flushed.
Eric stammered, trying to find words to respond, and I could tell all Tobias wanted was to tease his little brother.
"I'm just messing with you, man," Tobias said with a laugh. "But you do smell good."
Aren't you slick?
Smiling, I shook my head at him. "Thanks." I tried changing the subject. "So, what are you guys up to?" I jerked my chin at their groceries. Tobias carried a couple of six-packs, and Eric held a few grocery bags of snacks.
Senad dashed inside the lobby, flew past us, and disappeared into a corridor at the far end past the elevators. The other doorman, Bruce, held the apartment building's door open.
"Billie!" Tobias shouted in my direction. But he was looking behind me and wouldn't yell at me like that when I was standing right in front of him. I glimpsed over my shoulder and saw a black town car parked beside the green shade.
A young driver in a black suit unloaded a couple of suitcases from the trunk while this tall, well-built blond guy strapped a backpack to his shoulder and grabbed a couple of brown paper bags from the back seat.
My eyes widened. I tried to blink away from the scene, but I just couldn't.
Who's that?
Senad rushed out, rolling a service cart to help the blond guy with his luggage.
"That's William," Eric said, "our brother."
Oh, he meant Billy!
"We're just going to have a few beers now that Billy's back," Tobias said, placing the six-packs on the floor. "He's been away for work, so we're going to get him hammered." He laughed.
Reluctant, I took another peek in William's direction.
What the ... heck are kids being fed in Sweden? My God. He was even taller than his brothers. And that velvety sun-kissed skin with the hair spun out of pure gold ... I don't think I've ever seen another human like him ever before. Did I say ever twice?
YOU ARE READING
Moonstruck at Midnight
RomanceMoonstruck at Midnight, the first of 5 books in the Moonstruck Series, was published independently on May 2021. It was later picked up by a major publisher (Grupo Planeta) and is currently being translated to Spanish. My books are available for purc...
