Unexpected Love: A Steamy Standalone Instalove Romance Read online

  Unexpected Love

  AN OLDER MAN YOUNGER WOMAN ROMANCE

  _______________________

  A MAN WHO KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS, 274

  FLORA FERRARI

  Copyright © 2021 by Flora Ferrari

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The following story contains mature themes, strong language and sexual situations. It is intended for mature readers.

  Contents

  NEWSLETTER

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Epilogue

  Extended Epilogue

  Extended Epilogue

  NEWSLETTER

  A MAN WHO KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS

  BRATVA BEAR SHIFTERS

  LAIRDS & LADIES

  RUSSIAN UNDERWORLD

  IRISH WOLF SHIFTERS

  Collaborations

  About the Author

  Unexpected Love

  Elle

  My dad and I have never been close, but when he asks me to house sit for him I jump at the chance to help out.

  Spending a few days away sounds like fun but the noise from the apartment next door is driving me crazy.

  How can one person make so much noise?

  I am curious to know what is making all that banging and scratching.

  But what I find when I come knocking on the neighbor’s door is not what I was expecting.

  Tall, handsome, and at least twenty years older than me.

  No way would a man like him even look twice at a curvy girl like me. Right?

  Will

  At forty-two years old I don’t expect to find love.

  If it hasn’t happened yet then chances are it’s not happening.

  So when a knock comes at my door I’m not expecting something life changing.

  I definitely don’t expect my next door neighbor's daughter to come demanding to know what all the noise is about.

  I wasn’t expecting her but now that she’s at my doorstep I don’t plan on lettering her go.

  Her dad is my neighbor and friend but the moment I lay eyes on her that all goes out the window.

  But would a young gorgeous woman like her ever go for an older man like me?

  I’m about to find out because I’ve sent my sights on her and she will be mine. There’s no other way about it.

  * Unexpected Love is an insta-everything standalone instalove romance with a HEA, no cheating, and no cliffhanger.

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  Chapter One

  Elle

  It feels strange, being at my dad’s place and trying to make it feel like home. My parents split when I was a kid and I hardly ever spent time with him growing up. Now, I’m spending a week at his place, taking care of his apartment while he’s on vacation, and I feel like a stranger breaking in. Even though he’s catered the spare room to my needs, putting in a desk so I can study, and decorated it to my tastes, it still feels like I shouldn’t be here at all.

  And that’s not the only reason I feel out of place here. I’m not used to being in an apartment. I feel like I can hear everyone in the building.

  It’s like I have a window into the lives of the people around me. I can hear the couple upstairs arguing, the baby down the hall crying, and whatever the neighbor next door is up to, making a constant racket. It’s driving me crazy.

  I mean, I guess I should be grateful.

  This kind of humanity should inspire my stories. It’s raw and real, being able to see how people’s lives unfold naturally when they think no one is listening.

  But it’s all too much.

  Even with my headphones in right now, I feel like I can hear everything that’s going on. All I want is a little peace and quiet so that I can get back to writing my final story for my college class. I’ve been studying creative writing, and this final piece has to be emotive, provocative, and exciting. Yet so far, all I’ve done is stare at a blank screen, hoping the story will write itself.

  But I can’t help honing in on the sounds next door.

  There’s some kind of scratching on the walls, and it’s making me uneasy. I wonder if maybe it’s mice in the walls or something, but this is a nice building and it doesn’t seem likely. I can hear something whining too, a high-pitched noise that is making me even more uncomfortable. I have no idea what it is, but I just wish it would stop.

  I sigh.

  I know deep down that my inability to write has nothing to do with the noisy neighbors, though they’re certainly not helping. My problem is that I’m lacking a muse.

  In my first year, I wrote about my grandparents, which earned me a top grade in my class. But last year, while everyone in my class was writing odes to their lovers, I felt stuck on what I wanted to write about. I ended up writing a story about divorce and the effect it has on family, but that only served to make me feel incredibly lonely. It made me feel like all I’ll ever have in my life is the dregs of broken relationships.

  I’m a realist in many ways. My parents getting divorced drummed it into me from a young age how easy it is for love to fall apart.

  But it also made me desperate for something different. It made me want what they never had together. True love. Because really, if they loved each other enough, it would’ve worked out. And since then, my mom has remarried and found someone that she truly wants to spend the rest of her life with.

  That’s what I crave more than anything. A man who will stick by me through thick and thin, and not just because he has to. I want a man who is obsessed with me, a man who makes me feel special like no other woman exists. But whether a man like that exists, I have no clue.

  I think of that ideal man in my head, and he has no face.

  The thing is, as much as I’m desperate to fall in love, I’ve yet to feel even a glimmer of attraction to a man. Men my own age seem so immature, so unable to dig deep, and have the same feelings that I desire. I feel like when I find the man I want, it’ll all fall into place so easily. Both of us will know it’s right from the moment we lay eyes on one another. Maybe I just need to be patient, wait for all the young men to grow up a little and get a grip. Then maybe one of them will be right for me.

  Or perhaps I’m too picky, but I don’t want to settle for someone who isn’t right for me. Why should I? I know my worth. I know that even though plenty of men would turn their noses up at me, a curvy, shapely woman, there is a man out there who would fall on their knees for me…

  I shudder when I remember the one man who truly obsessed over me, and not in a good way. I was working at a diner last year to mak
e a little money when a customer got overly attached. He started coming around the diner every day, trying to make conversation with me. He told me that his name was Matt, that he was thirty years old and he loved to read. On the surface, maybe he seemed like a nice guy, but something about him made me uncomfortable. After I quit my job there, I would get the feeling that someone was following me. Watching me.

  I soon discovered that it was him. He followed me everywhere I went, would show up in the craziest places.

  There wasn’t much I could do about it, even after I reported him to the police, but because he usually kept his distance there wasn’t any way to press charges. A few times, he tried to ask me out, but usually, he just watched me. I feel sick just thinking about him. It’s been a while since I last saw him, but I know he’ll show up again at some point. I can feel it in my bones. I haven’t seen the last of my stalker.

  There’s a fine line between pure obsession and love. I want a man who thinks of nothing but me, but I guess if I love him back equally then the unhealthiest desires don’t matter so much. It doesn’t matter if we’re codependent so long as it’s what we both want. But whatever it is that Matt wants from me, I can’t provide. I’ll never love him. Never want a man who has nothing better to do than follow me around, hoping I’ll fall for him.

  I shudder again and try not to think about him.

  I don’t want any reason to have him on my mind when I’ve tried so hard to escape him. I need to get back to thinking about my story. I stare at the blank screen. How can I write about love when I’ve never experienced it? Maybe I should give up on that concept and write about my stalker instead. At least I can say I’m writing what I know.

  I hear another whine from next door, followed by scratching on the walls. I take off my headphones, feeling huffy. I might be overreacting, but how am I supposed to study when there’s so much noise going on around me?

  Can I really go over there and give this person a piece of my mind?

  I’m not an overly confident person, but I’m also not the kind of person who just lets others walk all over me. It’s becoming a real inconvenience. Since I got here yesterday, the noise has been almost non-stop. I could hear it last night when I was trying to sleep. I can’t take too much more of this. My dad didn’t mention how noisy it would be here…

  I know that this is becoming an excuse not to sit down and write, but I need to stretch my legs for a while anyway. I’ve barely left my chair all day and I’ve not written a single word. Days like this are for getting other things done. Starting with confronting the neighbor.

  I make sure I look presentable in the mirror, smoothing out my auburn hair and fixing my dress. I’m pretty sure that dad wouldn’t be happy if he knew I’m about to go and stir up trouble with his neighbor.

  In fact, I’m pretty sure that he told me that he’s pretty good friends with the neighbor. But enough is enough. If I don’t do something about it it’ll drive me insane.

  I square my shoulders and walk out of the apartment, standing outside the neighbor’s door for a long moment before knocking.

  I almost immediately regret my decision. What on earth am I going to say? I’m going to sound like an utter idiot. But if I don’t say anything at all, then I’ll just have to suffer in silence.

  I chew my lip, hoping I don’t look like some dumb, spoiled child right now. I just need some peace and quiet for a while.

  I can hear movement inside the apartment and something scurrying around. Whatever it is is what’s making the noise, I’m sure of it. The scurrying is followed by footsteps and I hold my breath, feeling a little sick. There’s still time to run back into the apartment and pretend nothing happened. Yet I’m glued to the ground. There’s no chance I’m leaving now, even if I wanted to.

  I hear the doorknob rattle and then turn. As the door opens, I hold my breath and let my eyes drift up to the person standing in the doorway…

  And my heart stops entirely.

  The neighbor, whoever he is, is so goddamn attractive I’m sure I feel my jaw hit the floor.

  He’s at least twice my age, but that doesn’t bother me one bit. Not when his steely blue eyes are on mine. Not when his gray-streaked hair looks like something I want to run my finger through.

  My heart is racing just at the straight of him.

  He’s wearing a tight shirt that shows off the muscles in his arms, his broad shoulders, and chiseled chest. I never expected to be so attracted to an older man, but now, as I look at him, it seems impossible that I’d ever want anyone else.

  And all of a sudden, I have something to write about. I have a man to make my muse. I want him impossibly and completely. I stare him down, wondering why I can’t remember what life was like before this moment. Before I saw him. Before I knew he existed. Because now that I know he exists, I can never unknow it. I can never be the same again.

  We stare at one another and I completely forget that there’s a reason I’m here.

  I forget that I was so annoyed a minute ago, ready to confront him about something that doesn’t even seem to matter anymore. I forget that I don’t know this man at all. I don’t even know his name, but I want him more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life.

  I need him.

  Chapter Two

  Will

  I can’t stop staring at the beautiful young woman in my doorway.

  I feel like the entire world has shifted beneath my feet. Is she the one I’ve been waiting for all this time? The woman I’ve craved in my dreams, loved from afar? I never knew who she was before, but now, the woman of my dreams has a face, a body…a body so fucking sexy that I feel my cock rising in my pants and my heart kicking in my chest. She’s so damn curvy, her chest so full, her ass so round and beautiful.

  And she’s at least half my age.

  I need to stop staring at her. Whoever she is, she’s clearly off-limits.

  She’s so young. What would she want with a middle-aged man like me? But I can’t tear my eyes away from her. I want her so badly it hurts. I’m craving her like a drug. I’ve gone from feeling nothing to feeling everything in one go and it’s throwing me off balance in ways I never expected. I had no time to prepare myself for this craziness, but this is happening.

  “Hello,” I manage to say, but it comes out as more of a growl. A primal, sexy growl that only reflects just how much I want her right now.

  I wonder if she sees it in my eyes, hears it in my tone? She swallows, staring at me nervously.

  “Hi,” she says quietly in response.

  I fold my arms over my chest. I’m not sure why she’s here. I’ve never met her in my life, never seen her before. So why is she showing up on my doorstep, gracing me with her presence? Not that I’m complaining, but a little context would be nice.

  “Can I help you?” I say voice sharp.

  There it is again. That aggressive growl coming out of me before I can help it.

  She’s changing me already, turning on my animal instincts, taking me back to the basics. Soon enough I’ll be more beast than man, unable to control the urges that she’s brought to the surface. My cock is throbbing and all I want to do is pounce on her, fuck her hard, and make her mine.

  What is happening to me?

  The woman in the doorway clears her throat. I let my eyes roam over her as she shifts on feet pressing her legs together. She has long auburn hair, startling blue eyes, and pale creamy skin. And those curves. God, those endless curves.

  What I’d do to get my hands on those curves.

  I never even realized that was something I was looking for in a woman, but seeing the contours of her body makes me realize that only she can make me feel this way. It’s been over forty years and she’s the first woman to light this fire inside me.

  I look deep into her eyes, waiting for her response. She seems as lost as I do. Like she’s not quite sure why she’s here in the first place.

  She clears her throat again.

  “Um…I’m Elle,” she sa
ys, sticking out her delicate hand for me to shake.

  I take her hand, amused by the formality, but my smile soon disappears when I feel how soft her skin is as electricity ripples between us as we touch. Driving me wild with just the touch of her hand I think what else can she do to me?

  “I’m Will,” I respond. “Do you live in the building?”

  “No, actually. I’m just taking care of the apartment next door for my dad,” she admits. I cock an eyebrow.

  “For Steve?” I ask.

  Man, that complicates things somewhat. Steve has long been a good friend of mine, ever since we moved into this place on the same day some years ago. And now, I’ve got my eye on his daughter. There’s no chance he’ll ever approve of us, hell I know the man he can be quite the stubborn. But I want her. I need her.

  Looking at her now, it’s taking everything I have in me to hold myself back. I need to know how it feels to be deep inside her, fucking the life out of her, feeling her clutch onto my cock and scream my name.

  I blink twice, trying to rid myself of my spiraling thoughts. How do I keep going down that road without meaning to?

  “Yeah,” Elle replies, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger, her hip jutted to the side. Somehow, that simple gesture is so sexy to me too. I guess I’m learning today that when you find the woman of your dreams, everything she does is attractive. “Just for this week while he’s on vacation.”