Love Thy Neighbor Read Online Free PDF Page B

crawl out and go get help.”
    She eyed the ceiling, thinking there’s no way in hell my ass is going to fit through that opening . “I don’t—”
    “I think it’s worth a try. What do you say?”
    She bit her lip. “I guess.”
    He stood up and held out his hands to her, helping her to her feet. When they touched, an electrical current rushed through her. He was inches away from her as he placed his strong hands along her waist, shooting more currents through her body. He let out a grunt as he lifted her up.
    Her tank top came untucked from her running shorts, exposing her belly, and she wanted to yank it back into place to cover herself. The heat of his firm hands was on her naked skin as he raised her up higher and higher.
    “Can you reach the trapdoor?”
    “Almost.” She couldn’t believe that a man—even a man as tall and strong as Dallas—was able to effortlessly lift her up.
    As he hoisted her up higher, she nearly gasped when his hands moved up her torso. She couldn’t believe it—he was getting her wet.
    “Okay, I’m gonna lift you up higher. You ready?”
    “Uh-huh.” She could barely speak and suddenly yelped when she felt his chin and mouth pressed right up against her crotch. He let out a deep breath as a shiver ran through her body.
    “This isn’t working,” he said as he slowly lowered her down his body. His fingers closed in on her rib cage; his thumbs skimmed the underside of her breasts.
    She thought he hadn’t noticed that his hands had lightly brushed against her nipples until she slid down the rest of the way and felt the bulge in his jeans. Was he turned on, too? Her panties were sopping wet as she melted into the heat pouring off his body. When her feet finally touched the floor, his hands were still on her hips, hers resting on his shoulders, and she was pressed up against him with her heart hammering.
    Surely this was just a physical reaction. Her body was on autopilot, and judging by his growing hard-on pressing into her thigh, so was his.
    For what felt like an eternity they stared into each other’s eyes, and Nikki had no idea what he was thinking. The intensity of his gaze was too much, and finally she broke away.
    “Okay then.” Dallas rubbed a hand over jaw. “What if we try hoisting you up by your foot?”
    “My foot?”
    He dropped down to one knee and laced his fingers together, making a cradle for her running shoe. “Step right here.” He gestured toward his hands.
    She gingerly stepped into his hands and placed her fingertips on his shoulder.
    “Now hold on to me and I’m going to slowly stand up. You ready?”
    “Ready. I think.” She was still trembling from their last attempt.
    As he began to lift her up, he gave off a subtle groan. She was so heavy, she was afraid she was going to give him a hernia. He groaned again, his breath riding along her leg from her knee, up her inner thigh. Nikki was dying, straining to stay focused as she reached with her fingertips and finally tripped the top of the trapdoor. “Got—got it.”
    She managed to leverage herself up against the opening and nudge it aside. She pushed herself up farther still and felt her limbs slither up the length of his arms until she was standing up. Luckily the top of their car was only about two feet from the next higher floor.
    “Okay, I can get up to the next floor,” she called down to him. “Just sit tight and I’ll go get help.”
    “You promise you won’t leave me here all night, right?” He looked up at her and smiled.
    “Oh, I promise.”
    Nikki’s legs were wobbly as she made it from the elevator shaft to the floor. She wasn’t taking chances with the passenger elevator and opted for the stairwell, racing down to the basement level, where she found the handyman working on a pipe. She told him about the freight elevator, and when he couldn’t fix it, he telephoned the fire department. Twenty minutes later, Dallas was freed from captivity.
    They were still laughing about