Innocent Next Door (Military Men Book 1) Read online

  INNOCENT NEXT DOOR

  Book 1, Military Men

  Shelley Munro

  Table of Contents

  Blurb

  Note to Readers

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Afterword

  Excerpt – Soldier With Benefits

  About Shelley Munro

  Other Works

  Copyright Page

  Blurb

  Adventure is Summer William's mission!

  Life in a small town is comfortable, but living with her loving and overprotective family means it lacks adventure. And forget romance with two interfering army brothers around. It's time to leave the cozy nest. Her grandiose plans come to a grinding halt when she becomes innocently involved with a crime boss, then she bumps heads and lips with her uncle's sexy but very bossy neighbor.

  Special Air Services soldier Nikolai Tarei owes his neighbor a favor, but looking out for his twenty-two year old niece is stretching friendship too far. She’s a virgin and her sex appeal, sassiness and brazen disregard for safety have Nikolai scrambling to protect both her and his battered heart.

  Summer is a librarian who's a whiz at research. Now she's ready to try out the sex toys and sexual positions she's researched. The woman is tying Nikolai in sensual knots and driving him crazy—in and out of bed. But he’s enjoying the journey, and suddenly he's thinking about making his Summer babysitting assignment a full time commitment—if only he can persuade her to see things his way.

  Warning: Contains an alpha army hero intent on offering protection and a virgin, BBW heroine craving action and adventure. Mix and see the hot sparks fly!

  Note to Readers

  I wrote this story early in my writing career, and I’m excited to offer this new, updated version as the lead story in my Military Men series. Summer, the heroine, is a delight, and most of us probably wish we possessed half her confidence and sassy attitude. One thing is certain—Nikolai’s life will never be the same.

  If you enjoy this story, I hope you’ll join my readers’ group. The perks? Well, first off, you’ll receive two free books—one contemporary and the other a paranormal romance. You’ll get previews of new stories and see my covers first. I’m a big reader, and I like to recommend the books I’ve enjoyed plus there are contests, and going forward, there will be access to short stories and ARCs. So, what are you waiting for? Join my readers’ group today.

  Happy reading,

  Shelley

  Chapter One

  “I’m not telling him. You tell him.”

  “It was your fault. You left the book in the taxi,” Marty snarled back at Ross. His hands curled to fists, and it looked as if he’d straighten the kink in his brother’s nose with a hairsbreadth more provocation.

  Dare Martin had heard enough of their crap. He strode into his Auckland office and shut the door behind him. The soft thud of wood sliding home muted the chatter from the early dinner crowd in his restaurant and acted like a bomb explosion on his cousins. They whirled to face him, their familiar features bearing uneasiness and trepidation and a smidge of outright fear. He stepped away to halt his urge to grab their dumb-ass heads and bang them together.

  “I hope you’re fooling around.” Dare growled, not bothering to hide his irritation, the reaction mild, considering the touchy subject. He dropped into the high-tech leather chair that sat behind the rimu-veneer desk and leaned back. They’d better be kidding, or he’d give them old-fashioned cement boots and drop them in the blue waters of the Hauraki Gulf. The book held an important place in his plans to take over the Ngataki family business, or a good portion of their trade. Their main competition when it came to profiting from drugs, the Ngataki men—especially Josiah—liked to mess with him and turn his life to chaos. Time for payback.

  Hell, important be damned.

  The book was bloody essential. Josiah had stolen his girlfriend—a woman he’d genuinely liked. He didn’t intend to lose out to Josiah again.

  “Where’s the book?” His normal lazy drawl flattened to crisp and no-nonsense.

  Marty backed up and edged to the door, his chubby face paling to reveal a mug full of freckles. “Ross left it in the cab. We realized we’d lost…ah…left it and grabbed another taxi to follow. When we caught up with the driver, he said there was nothing left on his backseat.”

  Ross nodded in emphasis, reminding Dare of a wooden puppet. “Yeah, it wasn’t there.”

  Marty glared at his brother then continued. “We’d followed the vehicle and saw him drop off at the library on Wellesley Street. A woman got out with a loada parcels. I think she thought our package belonged to her and took it with her.”

  Pissed yielded swiftly to fury, but apart from lifting his hands to grip the edge of the desk, Dare kept his expression impassive. “I want that book.”

  Marty scratched his head. “We couldn’t find her in the library, but turns out the bird works there. We saw her leave and followed her home to Bottle Top Bay, boss.”

  “Yeah, young bird. Nice tits.” Ross’ brows waggled up and down, and he smirked the dopey grin that never failed to prod Dare’s temper.

  “If you know where she lives, then get the friggin’ book back!” Dare roared, letting rip with his frustration. Goddamn bloody relatives. “I don’t give a rat’s arse how you do it. Just get it back.”

  “Sure, boss.” Marty’s beefy hand reached for the wooden doorknob. “The house is isolated—just the one next door. Breaking in won’t be a problem.” His words ran together, a sure sign he sensed how close they stepped to bodily harm.

  “Yeah, no problem, boss,” Ross said, stroking his bearded chin.

  Dare sucked in a deep breath. A bloody farce, that was what this was. No wonder he’d discovered a gray hair this morning. After another calming inhalation, he flipped a red hardbound book open and reached for his engraved silver pen to add a notation to the margin. A soft shuffle of shoes made his head jerk up. “You still here?”

  “Need a car,” Ross muttered.

  “Steal one.” Dare seethed as he delivered the obvious answer. The blow his cousin had copped during that brawl last year had left him two sandwiches short of a picnic. “And don’t get caught because I won’t bail you out.”

  Dare gripped his pen and concentrated on his coded notes. Lumbering footsteps followed by a click as the door shut indicated his cousins’ departure. Dare tossed the pen down in disgust and leaned back. His chair slid smoothly into a reclining position.

  He had a goal, a vision of power and his future.

  Nothing would derail his dream.

  Chapter Two

  “I want you to look after Summer.”

  Summer’s bare feet froze outside the door to her Uncle Henry’s study. Her hand slid from the brass doorknob. A babysitter? Indignation stabbed her mind, robbing her of the sense of accomplishment she’d experienced seconds earlier.

  At age twenty-two, why did they think she needed a babysitter? Her eyes narrowed as she placed her package on a wooden pedestal table and pressed closer to eavesdrop.

  “Do I look like a babysitter?” a masculine voice snapped. “Try the yellow pages.” />
  Summer nodded emphatically, giving a silent cheer for the owner of the low, husky voice. Way to go, mister. But while she waited for Uncle Henry’s comeback, she fumed.

  She knew exactly where the idea had originated—her family, or more specifically, her mother who thought danger lurked behind every corner in sinful Auckland City.

  After weeks of discussion, her mother had reluctantly agreed to her departure on the stipulation that she stay with Henry, her mother’s younger brother, while she attended her course.

  “Think of it as a favor.”

  “No.”

  The blunt, uncompromising answer pushed a smile to the surface. She liked this man. And she agreed with him one hundred percent. Yes, she’d been a sickly child, but she’d outgrown the bad asthma attacks. As long as she used her preventer, there was nothing wrong with her health. She glanced down at her bust and hips, her expression turning rueful. Thanks to her mother’s excellent cooking, her body—well, the polite word was “curvaceous”.

  “Nikolai.” Uncle Henry gave a heartfelt groan—one designed to raise sympathy. “My sister will make my life miserable. She’ll hunt me down on my honeymoon.”

  Summer suppressed a snort as she flipped the end of her French braid over her shoulder. Why did Uncle Henry think she’d come to Auckland? Although her mother meant well, she was overprotective when it came to the baby of the family. And now she was doing the smothering thing by remote control, all the way from Eketahuna.

  If she allowed this, her bid for freedom would end before it started. It was time her family let her make her own mistakes, let her fix any stuff-ups by herself. Let her live.

  When her boss at the Eketahuna Library had suggested further training in Auckland, the possibilities had made her breathless. Eager. At last, a chance to spread her fledgling wings. Despite her parents’ protests, she’d seized the opportunity with both hands.

  And she wasn’t about to allow anyone to take away the experience.

  “Tell someone who cares. With my track record, I’m the last person you should ask.”

  A shiver goose-stepped down her spine. That voice… His decisive tone did things to her. She considered easing the door open a little farther to check out the body that matched the sexy rumble. Meeting men was high on her to-do list. No time like the present.

  “I hate to do this,” Uncle Henry said, “but I’m a desperate man. You owe me. That time I saved you from the broad in—”

  The heartfelt curse lifted Summer’s brows toward her hairline. She hadn’t heard her brothers use that oath before, and they spilled some original ones if they thought they were alone.

  “All right, dammit. I’ll check on her now and then, but if I see one girly tear, I’m outta there. And our debt is square once you get back.”

  “That should do it,” Uncle Henry hastily agreed. “Just check to make sure her car is there and get a visual every couple of days.”

  Get a visual? Good grief. Nikolai was one of Uncle Henry’s military friends. He’d take his duties seriously. This was not good.

  “All I want is a peaceful honeymoon.”

  “All you want is to get laid,” Nikolai muttered.

  Uncle Henry chuckled—a smug masculine sound that made Summer ache to deck him on Veronica’s behalf. “Yeah, that too.”

  Right, that did it. If she allowed this, she’d never escape her family’s well-meaning influence. Yeah, she loved them, knew they loved her in return, but enough was enough.

  Summer shoved the door open and strode through. “I’m back. Oh—” She stopped in front of her uncle’s large wooden desk. Her hand fluttered to her left breast in pretend surprise while she studied her uncle’s tan face. Handsome and burly, his recent happiness seemed dimmed by a hint of guilt or maybe that was her imagination. “You have a visitor.”

  “Summer, this is Nikolai Tarei. He’s my closest neighbor.”

  Summer’s gaze had already snapped to the man with the sexy voice. Physical awareness floored her, made her tongue stick to the roof of her mouth. Luckily, her brain continued to function and nothing impaired her twenty-twenty vision. Oh, boy. Tall, dark and sinfully sexy was welcome to guard her body any time.

  Her uncle stood and rounded the desk to stand at her side. “Nikolai, my niece Summer. She’s up in Auckland to do a six-month course at the Central Library.”

  Nikolai shoved away from the wall and stepped across the faded blue carpet. “Pleased to meet you.” He held out his hand in greeting.

  Summer realized her mouth gaped and snapped it shut. She stuck out her hand, and instantly it was engulfed in his warm grasp. Her heart tap-danced, did a jig—the whole works. She fought the urge to jerk from the contact. One thing stood out in her mind. Miranda’s Tips to Flirting could come in handy with him around.

  He released her hand and stepped back. Summer’s avid gaze followed as if attached by an umbilical cord. Big. Actually, make that huge. He towered over her by a good six inches. Broad shoulders gave his black T-shirt quite a workout. She took in his ruffled black hair, the stubble shading his jaw, his sensual mouth. Under no circumstances would she call him tame. Dark eyes that reminded her of the richest, most expensive chocolate skimmed her face, her body, then settled back on her uncle.

  Stupidly, Summer felt the sting of rejection, but she told herself it didn’t matter. Nikolai Tarei reminded her of her two brothers—extremely capable and overprotective. And one look told her it was likely he bore the bossy gene. She didn’t require another brother-figure looking over her shoulder, vetting boyfriends, putting a dampener on her quest for independence. Not when she intended to let loose and live a little.

  “I wanted you to meet Nikolai before I left. If you have any problems, you can call on him.”

  Uncle Henry’s cheerful, gruff voice made her stiffen. Trying too hard. Did they think she was stupid?

  “Most people would call that babysitting.” She bared her teeth in a smile and intercepted the brief glance the two men exchanged—the quirk of brow, the silent grimace that said, “You deal with her”.

  Oh, for goodness sake. “I’m not expecting any problems. I’ll be too busy.” She paused a beat. “Going out on the town.”

  Uncle Henry spluttered. His mouth opened and closed several times.

  “I have to go. I’m expecting a call,” Nikolai said.

  Summer choked back a laugh. In military terms that qualified as a strategic retreat. Wise man. She watched him saunter to the door and frowned. What should have been a loose-limbed stride had a distinct hitch, but his black jeans covered any evidence of an injury.

  “Coward,” Uncle Henry muttered.

  Summer turned her gaze on her uncle. “Did you say something?”

  “No.”

  Summer heard a distinct snicker and whipped her head around.

  Nikolai’s face displayed polite farewell. “Henry, see you when you get back. Give my love to Veronica.”

  “Right.” The two men shook hands. “Thanks.”

  The silent communication thing again. She watched Nikolai exit and limp down the passage. Appreciation bloomed along with a grin at his mighty fine rear end. He might be her babysitter, her jailer, but she still appreciated the view.

  She turned to her uncle. “What’s wrong with Nikolai’s leg?”

  “Knee injury.”

  “On active duty?”

  “Yeah.”

  Suspicion made her narrow her eyes. “Do Dillon and Josh know him?”

  “Your brothers? Maybe.”

  A tight sensation gripped her chest. “Don’t tell me he’s Special Air Service.”

  “Okay.” Uncle Henry blinked, his steady blue gaze not fooling her one bit. “I won’t.”

  * * * * *

  Nikolai limped down the uneven front path, heading for the gate in the boundary fence between his and Henry’s property. He would’ve stomped if not for his blasted knee.

  A babysitter.

  Hell, he didn’t need that sort of responsibi
lity.

  His foot skidded on a pile of damp grass clippings. Pain, sharp and jagged, lanced from his knee up his thigh. Nikolai glared at the green hose that spurted water into Henry’s rose garden. He sucked in a pained breath, cursed and staggered to the gate, leaning his weight against it while he rode out the discomfort.

  Babysitting. Hell, Henry should know better. Incapacitated the way he was now, he was about as useful as a gun without bullets.

  Nikolai tested a little weight on his knee and decided he could make his kitchen without keeling over. The gate creaked open. He should have taken that damn painkiller before he went to Henry’s. At least then, he might have an excuse for agreeing to Henry’s blackmail. But no, he’d been drug-free, clear of mind and in total control, yet he’d still managed to find himself looking after a green country girl just out of high school.

  He gritted his teeth as he hobbled the last few steps to his front door. Nikolai shouldered it open and headed straight for the kitchen and the bottle of pills. Five minutes later, he dropped into his recliner chair and stared out at his overgrown garden, past the knee-high grass and the scraggy shrubs.

  He watched Henry carry a suitcase from the house and toss it into the rear of the car. Summer followed with a smaller bag and a suit in a protective cover. Nikolai saw her say something, heard Henry’s booming laugh through the open window. His throat constricted with a feeling he hated to analyze as Henry swept his niece into a bone-crushing hug.

  Hard to believe his friend and mentor was married after years of the single life. Nikolai snorted. That was the kicker. Henry had sworn to remain a bachelor then taken one look at Veronica and fallen hard. They’d married quietly yesterday and were off on a cruise this evening, leaving from Veronica’s apartment in the city. Hopefully, marriage would work for Henry. It sure as hell hadn’t for him.

  Nikolai thrust aside bitter memories to study Summer. Average height, long brown hair in a plait, on the chubby side, and a dazzling smile that made a man look twice despite the god-awful gray sack thing she was wearing.

  His charge until Henry returned. Nikolai leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. Hopefully, once a week would work. It couldn’t be that bad.