Routine. Once, that word was a safe haven for me. A sense of stability in an uncertain world. But now? I'd rather chew my arm off than have to live through one more day of its endless monotony.

"Oh, I won't be home for dinner tonight," Phil explained. "Greg and I have a meeting later with some potential clients and we might grab a few drinks afterward depending on how it goes."

I rolled my eyes. Wow. How surprising. Another late meeting.

Why did he even bother to call me about these anymore? I mean, we'd had dinner together maybe what? Three times since last month? I'd be more surprised if he told me that he'd actually be here for once.

"Oh, really..." I said, doing my best to sound disappointed. "Well... I guess it can't be helped. You just do your best to bag those new clients, okay?"

"You know I will. Anyway, I have to get back to work, Mags. I'll see you tomorrow. Love you. Bye."

"Lov-"

The line cut off before I even finished the word. I sighed and stared down at the phone in my hand. Why did I even bother trying? Love. That dream was already dead between us. We'd buried it a long time ago.

But I had to stay with him. For Eli. I didn't have a choice. If it wasn't for that damn prenup...

A sudden beeping cut my moping short. I glanced outside to see a large truck towering over the back fence.

Odd. This was a residential neighborhood. What was a truck doing here? I hopped out of my chair and went out back to take a look.

The words Pearson's Moving Company greeted me as I made my way to the fence. No prizes for guessing what they were here for. Still, it wouldn't hurt to take a peek at the new neighbors.

I'd asked Phil ages ago to fix the loose boards in the fence, but he never did. Much to my annoyance. Although, I guess it worked out in the end. I had a convenient little passageway to the back road whenever I needed it now.

Phil always hated that I used it like that. "Letting every robber in the neighborhood know we were easy pickings" and all that. Not that it ever worried him enough to actually make him fix it though.

I pushed the boards aside and squeezed my way through the gap. Only to find myself face-to-face with a very confused stranger.

He stared at me blankly, as if trying to piece together exactly where I came from. While he was busy doing that, I decided to give him a quick once-over myself.

Baggy sweatpants and a worn-out tank top half-drenched in sweat. A mess of dark, disheveled hair clinging to his neck and forehead. A pair of muscular, tattooed arms gripping a poorly taped box. And, to top it all off, large, dark eyes, still blank with confusion.

I smiled at him warmly as I held out my hand. "Hi! I'm Maggie Henderson. Are you the new neighbor?"

He fumbled with the box for a second as he tried to carefully maneuver it to his side. However, once that obstacle was out of the way, he returned my smile and reached out to shake my hand.

"Ah, sorry about that. I've been cooped up in the car all day. Made my head kind of spacey," he explained. "Yes, I'm the new neighbor. Mason Kendall. Nice to meet you, Maggie."

"You too. And don't worry about it. If I saw some random woman suddenly pop out of the fence, I'd probably be thrown off too."

He laughed and nodded vaguely. "You aren't kidding. You sure it's safe to keep your fence like that though? Seems like an easy place to break into."

"Ugh, you sound like my husband," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

"I should be so lucky," he said with a wink.

Immediately, all the blood in my body rushed to my face. My mind was such a mess that I couldn't even respond. Why was I so flustered though? It wasn't even that suggestive of a comment. God, had it really been that long since a guy had flirted with me?

He backtracked as soon as he saw my face. "Ah, I'm sorry. That was completely inappropriate."

"No, no. It's fine," I reassured him. "Just not used to hearing things like that I guess."

"Well, you should be."

Again, such a little comment, but it threw me off a lot more than it should have. I didn't even notice that he had moved closer to me until he was about an inch away from my face. I could feel my heart racing in my chest. My mind went hazy as he reached towards me.

Only he wasn't. Instead, he reached past me, nudging the boards of the fence. He frowned as he looked at them.

"In all seriousness though, this isn't safe. Not to overstep or anything, but you guys should really get this fixed."

"Ah, well, that's a little difficult actually," I mumbled, avoiding eye contact. "I-I'm no good with tools myself and Phil works all the time. He's too cheap to pay someone else to do it too, so it kind of leaves us without too many options."

Mason stared at the fence. He pushed the boards gently with his fingers a couple more times before finally pulling back. He smiled at me.

"Well, how about I help?" he offered. "I'm no Bob the Builder or anything, but I know my way around a hammer. Why don't I come by tomorrow and fix it for you?"

"What? No," I said immediately. "I-I mean, it's very nice of you to offer, but I couldn't.

"Aside from my husband being a cheapskate, you just moved in. You already have enough on your plate without having to worry about my home repairs too."

"Exactly, I need the distraction," he laughed. "Otherwise, I have to get around to tackling all this mess."

He gestured vaguely to the pile of boxes outside the house. I bit my lip. It was certainly a tempting offer. Aside from finally getting the damn fence fixed, I wouldn't really say I was opposed to the idea of having an attractive, muscular guy hanging around the house either.

I shook my head as if to shake the very idea from it. What the hell was I just thinking? I couldn't just bring some random hot guy in to fix my fence. What would I do if Phil found out?

"Sorry, but it just feels like I'd be taking advantage of your kindness."

He gave a slight nod. Maybe it was just my imagination, but he almost looked disappointed. However, he perked up again just as quickly.

"Alright then, how about a trade?" he suggested.

"A trade?"

"Yup. I fix your fence for you, and in exchange, you help me unpack all this crap. Win-win, right?"

Again, temptation reared its ugly head. I mean, would it really be so bad to let him fix the fence?

At this rate, Phil would never get around to doing it. And if he asked, I could just tell him the "truth" and say a neighbor fixed it. Besides, it was just a fence. It's not like I was going to let him strip me down and fuck me on it afterward or anything. Not that I would be opposed, of course.

I shoved that last thought back where it came from and forced a smile to my face. "You know what? Why not? Sounds good. I'm home all day tomorrow, so you can just drop by whenever works for you."

"Alright, it's a date," he chuckled. "Nice meeting you, Maggie."

He gave a small wave before shifting the box back into his arms and heading toward the truck.

But me? I was frozen in place.

A date. A date. It's a date he said.

The words struck me like a jolt of electricity straight to my spine. Immediately, I scurried between the fence and shoved the boards back into place. My face was so hot that I could have cooked an egg on it. Although, I might as well have had egg on my face with all the crap going through my head.

Come on, Maggie, really? It was just an expression. Hell, I said it to the old man at the pharmacy counter last week. It didn't mean anything. So, what was I doing getting all flustered like this?

I sighed and buried my face in my hands. God, I needed a cold shower or something. I shook my head and started walking back towards the house.

It was getting dark now and the air was a little bit cold, so, in the end, I opted for a hot shower as opposed to a cold one. And I was glad I did. Almost instantly, the steamy waters melted away my troubles and soothed my tired soul. It also helped to clear my head a bit. Which made it all too easy to see what a trainwreck I'd been earlier.

Honestly, looking back, I couldn't even see what the hell I was getting so worked up about in the first place. I mean, no denying that Mason was a snack to end all meals, but it wasn't like he was the only hot guy I'd ever laid eyes on. The way he talked to me didn't really warrant that kind of reaction either. He was a little flirty, sure, but nothing he said exactly crossed a line or anything. He was just a friendly guy. Helpful too. I didn't have any reason to be nervous around him.

Except I did. As much as I might want to deny it, I knew that Mason was dangerous. If not for me, then definitely for Eli.

A small twinge of guilt stabbed at my heart as I thought of him. Eli... My sweet baby brother. My last real blood connection in this dark, lonely world. What was I doing even considering the things I was thinking of earlier?

The love might have died between Phil and me years ago, but the money certainly didn't. And right now, that money was the only thing keeping Eli alive. I needed Phil, whether I liked it or not. If it wasn't for that damn prenup I'd have left him a long time ago. Maybe that made me a gold digger, maybe it made me a bitch, but I didn't care. It wasn't about me. It was about Eli.

Twenty years old. He was just twenty years old. He should be hanging out with friends, making stupid mistakes, experiencing everything this world had to offer him. But where was he instead? Clinging to life each day in a goddamned care facility.

But at least he was cared for. His doctors, medications, and round-the-clock care all set, paid, and taken care of. Phil even had him set up in one of the cushiest facilities in the state. Luxuries I could never afford to give him on my own even if I did have a job.

So, I did what I had to do. I played the part and danced the dance. Bit my tongue, smiled, and nodded along at Phil's side as his "good little housewife." Because as long as I did, I knew that Eli was safe, and that was all that really mattered.

I sighed and shut off the shower, grabbing a towel off the shelf. I guess, if nothing else, dwelling on the hopelessness of my situation did calm me down at least. I walked into the bedroom, toweling off my hair.

As I headed to the dresser, I caught a glance of myself in the mirror. I paused for a second, turning this way and that as I checked out my naked reflection.

Maybe it was vain of me, but I was actually pretty proud of my body. Thirty may not be that old, but it certainly is the age that most women start to worry about their looks fading. I might not have been a teenager anymore, but it was nice to see that I wasn't turning into a saggy old maid either. I think it was fair to say there would be a good amount of guys who would still consider me sexy. Who knew? Maybe Mason would even be one of them.

Thinking of him brought a smile to my lips. After all, there was no harm in just thinking about him, right? I put on my best "fuck me" face and ran my fingers through my wet hair, posing suggestively. I wondered how he would react if he ever saw me like this.

I played around for a while, doing a few more risqué poses in the mirror. But after a minute, I couldn't help but notice that something seemed off about my reflection. I stared into the mirror, trying to figure out what it might be.

I gasped as I finally realized what it was. My curtains. I didn't see my curtains in the background. Apparently, in my horny rush to get into the shower, I'd completely forgotten to close them.

But that wasn't all. Outside. Across the street. In a second-floor window. There was a light. And in that light, was Mason. Staring at me. Mouth agape.

I swear I felt my heart stop in my chest. Judging by the look on his face, it was pretty obvious he had seen me "modeling" for myself a second ago.

God, I just wanted to die. A million emotions seemed to run through my body at once.

Shame. Humiliation. Regret.

Excitement.

As I felt the heat rushing to my face, I was surprised to find it rushing between my legs as well. It was like my entire body was tingling. And that feeling only seemed to increase the longer he stared at me.

Why wasn't he moving? Why was he just standing there, staring at me? I mean, I know I was the one who left my curtains open and all, but what was stopping him from closing his? Or even just looking away?

I wasn't sure, but there was one thing I was sure of. The longer he stared at me, the more the tingling between my legs intensified.

I couldn't remember the last time somebody had looked at me that way. Slack-jawed, eyes filled with hunger and excitement. So entranced that they just couldn't seem to look away. It made me want to give him a reason to stare.

And why not? No one would know. How could they ever know? It was just the two of us here. Even Mason didn't know that I could see him. So, what was the harm in just... continuing? Besides, it's not like I'd be doing anything different than what I'd been doing a minute ago. Just a horny housewife posing for herself in the mirror. What was the harm, really?

I started off moving slowly, doing poses similar to the ones I had been doing a moment ago. After all, the last thing I wanted was for him to catch on and realize that I could see him.

I turned my body towards him but kept my eyes on the mirror. I'm sure to anyone watching, it probably just looked like I was checking myself out from the side. But really, I just wanted to give him a better view.

I trailed my fingertips down my neck slowly, letting them come to rest on my collarbone. Sure enough, I saw as he leaned forward slightly, resting his arms against the windowsill, that same look of entrancement on his face.

Yes, he was definitely watching me right now. I'd kind of already figured as much, but something about confirming it like this sent my heart racing.

I cupped my breasts gently, biting my lip. My entire body was electrified. I never knew I could feel so sensitive. Each brush of my fingers, each water droplet that slid down my skin, each shaky breath that I took created a spark that only helped to feed the growing fire inside of me.

And Mason, sitting there in the window, devouring me hungrily with his eyes. He was exactly what I needed to set it all ablaze.

I spread my legs apart ever so slightly, watching the anticipation build on his face as he followed my fingers with his eyes.

Slow, teasing, I moved them down my body. My breasts. My waist. My hips. And finally, to my-

A loud slam suddenly shattered whatever spell I was under. I was annoyed at first. Until it dawned on me exactly what that sound must be.

A car door. Our car door.

Phil.

In a split second, all my good sense came rushing back to me. I ran to the window immediately and yanked the curtains shut. My legs lost all strength beneath me. I slumped to the floor and hugged my knees to my chest, heart pounding. My entire body was trembling. I couldn't even tell what it was from anymore. Fear? Or excitement?

What the hell did I just do? What the hell did I just do? The question kept repeating over and over again inside my head.

I didn't know, I didn't care, and I didn't want to think about it anymore. I just hope to God that, whatever the hell just happened, it would be enough to make Mason change his mind about coming over tomorrow.