Then she opens her eyes and glares at me. I'm sure she thinks she looks fierce, but everything she does is so damn cute that I can't help smiling.
"What am I getting told off for this time?" I ask. "And why do I make you nervous?"
"Stop grinning at me like that! Put the dimples away!" Her scowl slips a little as she hiccups again. "The Saturday morning mowing has to stop. I swear to Jesus, if you wake me up with that thing one more time, I'll put sugar in its gas tank."
"Threatening my lawnmower?" I tsk as I step down onto the porch. "Not very neighborly of you, Pickles."
Lilah closes the distance between us and pokes me in the chest, craning her neck back to look up at me. "Listen here, you big beefcake, you've woken me up two Saturdays in a row! Where do you get off?!"
"In bed, usually. I'm not averse to the shower, though. How about you?" I choose to take the beef cake thing as a compliment. I'd be her beefcake anytime she wants. I shouldn't push her buttons, but the color rising in her cheeks as I rile her up is sexy as hell. She's a spitfire and I have to admit, I love it.
Lilah's face blushes all the way up into her hairline and she sputters, "Wha- No! That's not what I meant! I--"
"Relax, princess," I say, holding my hands out to calm her down. "I promise I'll let you sleep this one off tomorrow morning." Lilah takes a deep breath, and she's standing so close that her breasts brush against my bare chest. Her breath hitches as she stares into my eyes, body frozen for a couple seconds before smacking me on the arm and letting out a sound halfway between a growl and a scream of frustration.
She turns on her heel and marches across my yard toward her own. I watch her until she makes it back to her house. "Don't forget to lock your door!" I call out. She doesn't look back, but she does flip me off as she opens the front door. I stand still on my porch as I strain to hear the clunk of the deadbolt in the quiet night. If I don’t hear it, I’ll go do it myself.
A loud but satisfying clunk echoes on the quiet street. I can only imagine how hard she had to turn it to make that much noise. I watch for a minute to make sure she stays inside, then head back to bed.