Behind the Walls of Desire

Novel Summary While sleepwalking in just my sexy pajamas, I accidentally wandered into my neighbor's house. That handsome man managed to smooth over all the awkwardness. 'Oh no, I think I might be falling for him.' But then, a murder occurred in the community, and all the evidence pointed to him. 'This jerk even used me to create an alibi? It turns out the wonderful moments we shared were all an illusion!' Then, we met again in prison. I was the guard, and he was the inmate. His flirty attitude hadn't changed a bit. Gradually, I started to notice that something was off. Could he really be the killer? Or was there more to the story than I first thought? In the dimly lit cell, the heat between us made the air heavy with tension. Desire was blooming... "Let go! I can't breathe!" Nicole jolted awake, ripped from her haunting nightmare, only to find herself straddling a stranger! 'What the hell?' Her hands were clamped tightly around his neck, and he was gripping her wrists, trying to pry her off. Shocked, Nicole scrambled back, releasing him. The man gasped for air, rubbing the bruises already forming on his throat. Nicole's shock turned to suspicion. "Who are you? What are you doing in my house?!" "Your house?" He let out a bitter laugh when he saw Nicole's victim-like expression, rubbing his sore neck. "Lady, seriously? This is my house! You're the one who broke in here in the middle of the night and attacked me!" Nicole looked around, realizing with a sinking feeling that she was in a completely unfamiliar place. And she wasn't just anywhere. She and this stranger were by the pool in his backyard. "I... How did I get here?" Nicole's voice faltered. "No, how did I get in?" She could already guess she didn't use the front door, but his next words made her want to crawl into a hole and disappear. The man, oddly calm, didn't seem in a hurry to point out that she was still straddling him. "So, about ten minutes ago, I was chilling in my pool, enjoying a nice whiskey on ice..." He began casually, "I heard a sound, like someone was approaching my house. So I got out of the pool immediately and saw you in your lil' white slip dress. After fumbling around my yard's fence for a while, you actually climbed over it." "But hey, miss, this is my house, " he continued, "What’s even weirder, you walked to me as if you were holding a gun. At that moment, I thought, oh my God! This is so mysterious—who are you? Am I in some kind of movie?" "You know?" His voice dropped into a teasing lilt. "It was hilarious, really. I just moved in, and already I've got a sleepwalking beauty sneaking into my yard, though you looked pretty confused, like you were half-asleep." Just hearing his description made Nicole groan, burying her face in her hands. 'Dear God, let a meteor fall from the sky and hit us both right now!' He didn't stop, though, still grinning as he spoke, "I figured something was off. I wasn't sure if you were sleepwalking or pulling some kind of prank, so I threw an ice cube to see how you'd react." Pointing to the ice in his glass, he continued, "I threw an ice cube in your direction, and you reacted! "And guess what? You reacted just like you were shooting a gun. Bang! Just like that." He burst out laughing, the sound making Nicole flush with embarrassment. She couldn't take it anymore and slapped her hands over his mouth. "Stop! I... I just..." She was so mortified she could barely form words. The more he described it, the more she could picture just how ridiculous she must've looked. 'But how did it turn into a fight?' "I noticed you weren't a threat," he explained, still grinning. "But you weren't exactly acting normal either. I thought you might fall in the pool, so I got closer to stop you. "Who knew that as soon as you saw me, you'd pounce like you were facing an enemy? "Gotta say, you've got some pretty decent moves." He gave her an appraising look, his gaze traveling over her body slowly. "And a pretty killer body too." "Ah!" Nicole squealed. She finally realized she was still wearing her skimpy nightgown, and worse, she had been sitting on his very toned abs this entire time! Her pale skin was stark against his tanned, muscular torso. He was just in athletic shorts, his strong abs serving as her seat cushion. Their positions were undeniably intimate. Nicole shot up, retreating several steps, her face burning with shame, wishing she could vanish right then. The man suddenly fell silent, his expression as if he was recalling the details. Then, he gestured around, "Look at these wrecked tables and chairs. They're the result of what almost turned into a hand-to-hand combat between us. You're pretty skilled—almost had me gasping for air." "So, miss, what's your deal?" He finally asked, his tone curious. Nicole was still blushed with embarrassment, staring at her feet, her voice tinged with bitterness. "I... I'm sorry. I must have been sleepwalking again. I didn't mean to break in." "Sleepwalking?" He raised an eyebrow. "Well, you definitely don't look like a burglar. If you had, I would've called the cops by now." "Please don't," Nicole begged, utterly humiliated. "I swear, I didn't do it on purpose. I'll leave right now. If I broke anything, just send me the bill." He stood up too, and Nicole was suddenly struck by how tall he was, easily six feet three inches. 'Thank God I hadn't done anything worse while sleepwalking. If this guy had fought back, I could've been in real trouble, no matter how well-trained I was.' "I'm Ben Trias," he said, finally introducing himself. "Just moved in." Ben was incredibly built, and as he stood up, Nicole felt the pressure of his commanding presence. "Your address is?" Ben leaned in closer, his eyes narrowing with playful curiosity. Nicole felt a flicker of caution but quickly rattled off her address. To her surprise, Ben simply pointed across the street. Following his gesture, Nicole turned her head and saw her own house. "Then you could just pick it up yourself, neighbor," Ben said with a smile.