Ohh thank you for the quick reviews and adding my story to your alerts! I'm glad you like! Here's the chapter you guys have all been waiting for. Lily meets Jerry! Hope you like!
The song lyrics to Eyes of a Stranger are by the Payolas from the album "Between a Rock & A Hyde Place". They don't belong to me.
After her morning tea with Jane, Lily felt slightly inspired to go for a walk. It had been ages since she took time for herself and did something different. Albeit, a walk was pretty tame by anyone's standards, but it was a baby step in the right direction.
Seeing that the bratty twosome weren't in their front yard, she decided to leave the house. Packing up her sketch book, she locked the door behind her, putting the keys to her house in her messenger bag. Although the day was still overcast, she relished in the temporary tranquility.
She walked slowly, seeing some of her other neighbours cautiously coming out of their houses.
"It's so ridiculous" she said, shaking her head ruefully "A neighbourhood of adults controlled by 8 year old twins"
It had been so long since this neighbourhood had been this quiet. Lily wished it would remain that way but it was more than likely all in vain. She resumed her peaceful stroll, heading to a small park at the end of the neighbourhood.
It was small in size but was beautiful. It had a small, sparkling blue man-made pond and several trees. Such a rare thing to see in the middle of the Nevada desert but she loved it. Even after all this time, it was a little slice of paradise for her.
She sat in front of the pond and revelled in the tranquility...
... She didn't mean to stay there for so long but she had no deadlines to meet or people to see. The only thing that compelled her to go home was a sudden spring of ideas for a new song. Everything seemed to be looking up.
Lily strolled back to her home, not minding the small sprinkle of rain coming down. She loved how rain washed away the world and made it clean again. It reminded her of new beginnings. She hoped her life would have a new chapter to begin as she silently mulled over what Jane was telling her about their new neighbour.
'Maybe I will pop by later and introduce myself' she thought, feeling unusually bold 'Jane's right...I need to go out more and live a little...Buck made his own bed and now he has to lie in it...I'm free to do what I want'
Feeling further inspired, she walked happily down the street, unaware of the ambush waiting for her.
She didn't hear the giggles that followed her, nor the childish whispering that plotted against her. Blissfully unaware, she had little time to react as a water balloon was hurled at her back, soaking her on impact.
Letting out a startled yelp, she turned around to see the Emerson twins standing in the distance behind her, laughing like hyenas at her sopping wet form. She shot a glare in their direction.
"Just you wait, you little brats!" she yelled at them, brushing wet strands of hair from her face "I'm going to go talk to your mother right now"
Laughing at Lily's threat, Eden picked up a stone from the streets and hurled it at Lily's head. It struck her forehead with surprising impact. Her brother followed suit, throwing another stone at her neck.
'Good Lord!' Lily thought, backing away from the advancing terrors 'They're monsters. How can their parents condone this behaviour?'
She turned and began to walk away from the bratty twosome. She felt another sting as a rock hit her back and she began to run with the children in hot pursuit.
Every few seconds, she'd turn to see the children getting closer and closer. This was madness...a grown woman in her late twenties running from eight year old children. Evil eight year old children at that.
As she got closer and closer to her house, Lily sped up, hoping to get into her house before the children could pelt her with another stone. She was just at the corner of her new neighbour's front yard when she heard the children shrieking. They were getting too close.
She looked behind her one last time, letting out a startled yelp as she collided with a solid form and fell to the ground. Her breath rapidly hitching in her throat, Lily slowly looked up to see whatever she had bumped into. She gave a small start when she realized she collided with a man.
'Wow' she thought as she let her eyes roam up and down his impeccably sculpted body. Tight jeans slung low on his slender hips, revealing the teasing outline of well defined lower abdominal muscles underneath the tight grey t-shirt he wore. She was tempted to follow the trail of the outline to where they disappeared in his jeans.
Lily heard a low chuckle escape his throat and immediately sprung into action, mentally berating herself for her childish display of ogling. She hastily jumped up, smoothing back her short auburn hair.
Standing before him, Lily slowly raised her eyes to meet his. Golden brown met reddish brown and Lily felt the heat from his penetrating stare. She was rendered speechless by his rakish grin and stood there stupidly.
Can I touch you to see if you're real? 'Cause nothing is something I feel.
Realizing she was ogling again, she mentally berated herself again.
"I'm sorry about that" she finally managed to say after they stared at each other in silence. She stole a quick glance behind her to see the twins terrorizing another one of her neighbours with their water balloons before focusing on the man again.
Another low chuckle escaped his lips.
"No problem" he replied in a low sensual voice "It's not every day a beautiful girl crashes into me"
Can my heart take the strain? Or will it break down again?
Lily caught the mischievous look in his eyes, feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment.
"I was being pursued-"
"By those insolent children?" he finished for her, his sensual lips curving into an amused smile.
Lily's eyes locked onto the facile mouth, noticing a small trickle of blood escape a cut on his lower lip. She fleetingly considered licking it off of him.
In your lips I sense a danger.
"Um yes" she replied distractedly as he moved closer to her...so close that the scent of sandalwood and his manly musk invaded her nostrils pleasantly.
'Shit!' she scolded herself as she found his closeness intoxicating 'You're 26, not 13!'
He stood so close to her now that there was only about a millimetre of space between them.
"It's funny how two small children can wreak such havoc on a neighbourhood full of adults" he commented, glancing behind her momentarily before bending his head down to look into her eyes again.
You've got the eyes of a stranger
"How do you?-"
"I've seen them running amok all over the place" he said simply, giving her another penetrating stare "Even at night"
He saw the confusion wash over her face and smirked briefly.
"My name is Jerry Dandridge. I'm your new neighbour"
"Oh" was all she could say in reply as she fell under the trance of his fathomless eyes.
After realizing how stupid she sounded, she mentally kicked herself.
Have I been sleeping for all these years? Is it magic that makes you appear?
"I'm Lily Azzuro" she said quickly, wishing she could sound just a little more intelligent around him.
In the meantime, she didn't realize that he was even closer to her now. All she heard was his deep inhaling...it almost sounded like he was taking in her scent.
"I'm at your disposal, Lily" Jerry said, his lips almost caressing her ear "Let me know if you ever need anything."
Lily licked her lips nervously as she backed away a little to get some distance in between them. Her body cried out at the denial of remaining so close to the devilishly handsome man.
"Thank you, Jerry" she said breathlessly as she picked up her messenger bag from the ground. She didn't remember seeing it fall.
She felt a heated sensation as she bent over and caught him staring at her with an intense expression in his eyes...she couldn't put her finger on it but it almost looked like hunger...or lust...
You walked in the room...I felt my heart race...Then you let me through with that look on your face.
Averting her eyes, Lily stood up and started to walk past him. She gasped when he grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him.
"Can I at least escort you to your front door?" he whispered, his warm caressing the nape of her neck.
A deliciously erotic shiver crept up her spine at his cool touch and she sighed softly.
'Wow' she thought, feeling dizzy 'If he keeps touching me like that, I'll give him the key to my front door. I don't want him to stop!'
She turned to look at him, feeling some sort of magnetic pull.
In your lips, I sense a danger. You've got the eyes of a stranger.
"Mmm, why not?" she murmured, hearing a low rumble escape his throat as she was under his spell.
He let go of her arm and the dizziness faded away. Lily turned back towards her house and walked across the lawn to her walkway with Jerry right behind her.
"So, how do you like our neighbourhood so far?" Lily asked, trying to distract herself with polite conversation.
"It's uh, very tranquil" he remarked, his breath caressing her neck again as he followed her closely "I'm sure it will get better soon, though"
"Here we are" she announced, taking her keys out of her messenger bag "Thank you again, Jerry. I hope to see you soon"
"Yeah" he quietly replied as she unlocked her front door "I'll definitely be seeing you soon"
He disappeared before she turned around to reply. Bewildered at his sudden departure, she shook her head and went inside the house, locking the door behind her.