The Next-Door Kiss

Hunter
I moved to #1 Love Place for peace, quiet, and absolutely zero drama. At thirty-six, my knees crack when I stand up, I own three different types of heating pads, and I’ve accepted my destiny as the neighborhood grouch. I fight fires for a living; I don’t need to start any in my personal life.
Then there’s Iris. My twenty-four-year-old neighbor is a walking glitter bomb of sunshine and chaos. She has curves that should be illegal, a smile that blinds me, and the ability to talk at the speed of light. I try to scare her off with my best glare, but she just waves at me like we’re best friends. I tell myself she needs someone her own age—someone who understands TikTok trends and stays up past 10 PM—but every time she knocks on my door, my resistance crumbles a little more.

Iris
Okay, so maybe my crush on the guy next door isn’t exactly subtle. But have you seen Hunter Hartwell? He’s big, brooding, and smoking hot. Sure, he communicates primarily in grunts, frowns, and heavy sighs, but I know there’s a soft gooey center under that rock-hard exterior.
I’ve been trying to wear him down with cookies and relentless cheerfulness for months, but the man is stubborn. When I get myself into a ridiculous jam in the middle of the night (don’t ask), Hunter is the one who comes running to save me. And suddenly, the line between “annoying neighbor” and “something more” gets very blurry. Now I just have to convince this grumpy hero that he’s not too old, I’m not too much, and that we might just be perfect for each other.

In a town fueled by gossip and nosey neighbors, can a grumpy firefighter and a chatterbox secretary survive falling in love? Spoiler alert: It’s going to get hot.