Unexpected Packages Read online

  Unexpected Packages

  The Unexpected Series, Book 1

  Stacy Eaton

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Unexpected Arrivals, The Unexpected Series, Book 2

  About the Author

  Also by Stacy Eaton

  Chapter One

  Lexi

  “Hold on!” I growled into the phone. “I told you my eyeballs were floating! As soon as I finish going to the bathroom, I’ll go look for it.”

  My best friend, Clare, was not a patient person, and sometimes it rubbed me the wrong way. Like now, as she insisted that I go check for a package that she had sent for my birthday.

  That rubbed me the wrong way, too; I was not a fan of celebrating my birthday, especially this year as I was turning thirty-three. With the way I looked at it, my life was practically half over, and what the hell did I have to show for it? Fine, I had a decent career and a lovely apartment within walking distance of everything, but when I was younger, I’d had a fun and exciting life. I also had thought that I would be married and have children by this time in my life.

  “You take forever,” she groaned into the phone that I had tucked into the crook of my neck.

  “Oh, hold on, man, you are impatient! Let me wash my hands.” I pulled up my pants and set the phone down on the vanity before I washed my hands. I was just finishing when a knock sounded on my front door. I shook my hands, turned to the towel rack and saw it empty, then dried them on my pants as I grabbed the phone and headed toward the door. “Someone is here; let me answer the door.”

  “Maybe it’s the delivery man,” she replied with an excited voice.

  I yanked the door open and jerked back. A man was bent down, putting something on the ground, but he wasn’t wearing a delivery uniform. “Excuse me? Can I help you?”

  He jerked upright like a jack-in-the-box, a cardboard box in his hands, and our eyes locked. My mind instantly began to take it all in. Holy smokes, his gray eyes were incredible—plus one. He was tall, like over six feet with broad shoulders—another plus. His clean-shaven jaw was practically chiseled to perfection—plus one more—and his short dark hair was almost regulation military—eh, minus one.

  “What is it?” Clare asked and snapped me back to my senses.

  “Hold on,” I told her before lowering the phone and glancing at the brown box in his hands.

  Wherever his mind had been, he seemed to return to the present at the same time. “Are you Alex?” he asked in a deeper voice than I had anticipated—add another one to the plus column.

  “Yes,” I replied.

  He held the box out in front of him. “I believe this is for you.”

  I took the package, almost dropping my phone in the process, and then set it on top of the parcel as I stared at the top. “Why is it open? Did you open my package?” Oh boy, if he opened it, that was a minus ten.

  “Um, well, yeah,” he stammered, and suddenly Clare’s voice rang out in the hall.

  “Oh, my god! He opened the package!” She immediately went into hysterical laughter, and I frowned at the phone as I tried to get her off the speaker. I must have hit the button when I almost dropped my phone. Even off the speaker, you could still hear her chortling.

  I lifted my confused gaze back to the man in front of me and found a smirk on his face. “It wasn’t on purpose. I swear.” He held his hand up as if he were pledging something. “I get a lot of packages, and it was outside my door when I got home.”

  I glanced at the label. “But it’s not addressed to you, it says Alex Miller right on the label.” Should I make it minus twenty? I bet he didn’t read instructions either.

  He laughed slightly. “Would you believe me if I told you my name was Alex Miller, too?”

  I frowned at him. “No, I would not.” This dude with the sexy eyes was about to put himself so far in the negative he’d never be able to get out.

  “Well, it is.” He reached toward his back pocket. “I can show you my license if you don’t believe me.”

  I hiked a brow, thinking how unlikely it was that there was another Alex Miller in the building. He pulled his wallet out and removed his license, along with another card, handing both to me.

  I took them, noting the face in the picture of his license was indeed him, only his hair was even shorter. The name on the license read Alexander Miller, and the address was the same as mine, only with a different apartment number. The other card was from Safety Zone Security that also had his name on it.

  Fine, strike those negatives. I handed the items back to him. “Okay, so you’re Alex Miller.”

  “And you are Alex Miller,” he replied.

  “Yes, but my friends call me Lexi,” I stated, not sure why I was telling him that because he was not my friend, and this man would probably never measure up.

  “Okay, Lexi,” he said with a nod. “It’s nice to meet you.” He gestured toward the box. “And sorry again for opening it. I’ll make sure to check return address information in the future.” He started to back away. “Enjoy that.” He motioned toward the box again, grinning. “Let me know if you need any help.”

  I rolled my eyes and stepped back, closing the door after I muttered thanks and set the box on the counter, picking the phone up again. “You still there?”

  “Yes,” she said on a snicker. “Did you look in the box yet?”

  “No,” I told her as I went into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water.

  “Well, open it. Wait, is he still there?”

  “No, he left.”

  She started laughing again. “I’m so sorry. I just have to tell you that now.”

  “Why? What did you do?” I eyed the box suspiciously. “Clare, what’s in the box?”

  “Go look.” She chuckled.

  “I’m afraid to now.”

  “Come on, just go look already! I’m dying over here. In fact, when I heard he had opened the package, I almost peed my pants, I laughed so hard.”

  “Why are we friends?”

  “Oh, stop, you love me, and you know it. Now open your gift.”

  I went back around the counter. “Why did you mail it to me? I’m going to see you tomorrow night. You could have given it to me then. Or do you plan to bail?”

  “No, I’ll be there. When is the last time I missed our Tuesday night happy hour?” It was a rhetorical question, and I knew it. “I mailed it to you because I could just imagine what you would do if I gave this to you in public.”

  “Holy crap, Clare, what the hell did you send me?” I peeled back the top flaps and then the inside ones. My eyes landed on the bright pink item in the package, and my jaw dropped. “You bought me a vibrator!”

  She started cackling over the phone.

  “Clare, I can’t believe you! You bought me a vibrator, and what the hell is this?” I pulled out a smaller package. “An anal plug? An anal plug! Are you insane?”

  “Hey, you need to live a little.”

  Suddenly, mortification rushed through me; my handsome neighbor Alex had opened the package. He knew what was inside. I wanted to melt into the rug. “I can’t believe you did this!�
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  “What? It would have been a great surprise if your neighbor hadn’t opened it first. By the way, was he cute? I heard him say to let him know if you needed help.”

  “I do not need help, Clare! He must think I am some pervert! Why would you get me a butt plug?”

  “Calm down, woman. Everyone uses them now; it helps enhance pleasure.”

  I snorted. “Yeah, like I even remember what pleasure is.”

  “Well, duh! Why do you think I bought those for you? It’s been years since you had sex; your orifices are going to grow shut.”

  “That’s gross, and you know they are not.”

  “You need a little fun. You’ve been so busy at work, and you never get out. You’re stressed all the time; this will help you relieve that tension.”

  “Do you know how long it has been since I used one of these things?”

  “Years—”

  “Yeah, years,” I muttered as I stared at the packaging. The image of my neighbor rushed back into my mind. “You know that I’m going to have to move now.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he opened the package! What if I run into him in the hallway? Holy crap! I won’t ever be able to face him again.”

  “Come on, Lexi, you’re a grown woman. Women use these things nowadays. It’s just proof that we really don’t need a man in our life. We can take care of ourselves.”

  “Says the woman who is never without a man in her bed.”

  “Hey, I still bring out my toys when I’m alone, and sometimes with a partner.”

  “You do not.”

  “Are you kidding? Of course, I do. You are missing out, Lexi.”

  I clamped my eyes closed and shook my head. “I can’t believe you bought me these.”

  “Now, you take them out of the package and use them. There should be cleaner in there, along with lube.”

  “Lube? You’re joking.”

  “Makes insertion easier.”

  “I am not using that thing.”

  “Try it, you might like it.” She paused and then chuckled. “Or go knock on Alex’s door and ask him to help.”

  “You are incorrigible.”

  “You love me, and you never told me if he was cute.”

  I shrugged, although she couldn’t see it. “He’s totally in the negative column, not my type at all.”

  “Since when do you have a type? And you just met the guy; how can he be in the negative column?”

  “Trust me, he has a long way to go to break even.” I sighed. “And there is no way I will ever speak to that man again. I swear if I ever see him, the ground better open and swallow me.”

  “You are making more out of this than you need to. I bet he thought it was sexy. Men love that shit!”

  “They love butt plugs?”

  “Well, some do, but that’s a pleasure for you, not them. But guys love to watch a woman get off.”

  I picked up the vibrator. “Why do they call it a rabbit?”

  She giggled. “Because the little ears hit all the right spots. Try it, I promise you will love it.”

  I dropped the thing back into the box. “You’ve officially lost your mind.”

  “Don’t be a prude, Lex! God, when did you turn into an old woman?”

  “I’m thirty-three next week, Clare. I’m practically middle-aged now.” I turned away from the box and plopped on the couch. “How did I get so old?”

  “Hey, you are not old. You are in the prime of your life. Besides, if you say you’re old, then so am I, and I know I’m not old.”

  “Whatever,” I muttered as I stared at the ceiling.

  “Stop thinking about your age and live your life, dammit!”

  “What life? All I do is work and work and then come home and watch a movie, sleep, and go back to work.”

  “Hey, what about me? We hang out.”

  “Yeah, on Tuesday nights when you are in the city.”

  “It’s only for a couple more months, then I’ll be able to move back. My training is almost finished out here, and I’ll be there before you know it.” She paused. “You do know that you could leave your house once in a while and meet other people.”

  “I’m not interested.”

  “Seriously, Lex, you have to get over this and get a life. I swear when I get back there, I am not going to let you sit in your apartment any longer. I’m going to drag you out every night so that you are doing things.”

  I sighed, not having any words to explain just how frustrated and bored I was with my life. “Look, I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Aren’t you going to thank me for your gifts?”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “Spoilsport! I’ll see you tomorrow night, and I want to know what you thought of them. Take them out of the package and use them.”

  “Goodbye, Clare.”

  She said goodbye, and we hung up. I sat for a while staring at the wall. Maybe she was right, and I needed to get out of the house and do something. My eyes slipped over to the box on the counter, and the scene outside my apartment door came back to me.

  What were the odds that two Alex Millers lived in the same building? As I got up and went back to the box, I was glad that it hadn’t been opened by my elderly neighbor. Oh, poor Connie would have probably had a heart attack if she even knew what they were.

  I stared into the box and pulled out the rabbit slowly. Damn, the sucker was bright pink and huge. I retrieved scissors from the kitchen and cut the clear packaging away. After I pulled it out, I hit the power button, and a little orange light came on. I pushed one of the buttons, and it began to vibrate wildly in my hands.

  I hurriedly tried to turn it off but hit it to the next level. “Holy crap!” I finally got it turned off and tossed it like a hot potato into the box. “There is no way I am going to use that thing!”

  Chapter Two

  Alex

  Since I worked from home most of the time, I was used to getting deliveries. In fact, today, three packages had been delivered, and I opened the two priority mail envelopes first. I’d been expecting the contracts and was glad they had arrived. Everything was right on schedule.

  I stared at the box for a moment, wondering what I’d ordered. It wasn’t the first time I’d forgotten something that I’d purchased and had an ‘oh yeah’ moment once I opened the box. Using the pocketknife that I always carried with me, I sliced the tape and peeled back the flaps.

  I stared down at the contents and started to chuckle. “Well, damn, someone is going to have a rocking night.” I lifted each item and read the package, grinning more and more. “Fun times,” I said as I put them all back into the box and then looked at the label.

  My name was on the label, but this was not for me. Was it prank from one of my buddies? I didn’t think so. I looked at the return address, and it wasn’t familiar. I did a quick search for it on the internet and came across a company that sold an enormous collection of sex toys. “Hmm,” I grunted and saved the link to my bookmarks. Never hurts to look later.

  I tapped my thumb on the table for a moment, then slipped my knife back into my pocket. I took the box with me back out to the hall and returned to the mailboxes, scanning the faded name tags. “Bingo,” I said softly when I saw that there was indeed another A. Miller in the building on the third floor.

  Taking the steps up to the third floor, I found apartment 303. I rapped lightly on the door and then thought I should just leave it and go. The door opened as I was setting the box on the ground, and I picked it back up as my eyes ran the length of the tan slacks in front of me.

  Why I had thought that the owner of this box might have been a man was beyond me, but as my eyes got a look at the curves on the body in front of me, I knew it was most definitely not a man. I locked on to the questioning, big brown eyes that were watching me, and I froze.

  Holy crap, this was Alex Miller? I’d seen her coming and going from the building a few times, and I never missed a chance to check her out. Her face
was heart-shaped, and her long dark hair hung in waves over her shoulders. I’d hoped that eventually I’d get a chance to introduce myself to her, maybe ask her out for a drink, but I’d never gotten the chance—until now.

  She was obviously miffed that I had opened her package, and when the female laugh exploded from the phone speaker, I had a feeling that the person on the other end of the line knew exactly what was inside. After explaining what had happened and proving I was who I said I was, I stepped farther back. The urge to ask her out was on the tip of my tongue, but then she was gone, and I frowned and returned to my apartment.

  At least I knew her name now, and what apartment she lived in. I grinned. I also knew she liked to have fun. Now that was a girl that I would enjoy getting to know.

  The next afternoon, I was leaving my apartment when I heard someone at the mailboxes and was happily surprised to see it was Lexi. She peered my way and quickly snapped her gaze back to the key that she was either trying to put in or get out. Were her cheeks turning pink? I chuckled to myself as I approached her.

  “Hello, Lexi. How are you today?”

  “Fine, thank you,” she replied softly. “Damn key!” she hissed as she tried to pull on it.

  “Here, let me get that for you.” I stepped into her personal space, and she about jumped out of her skin. I held the door closed with one hand and turned the key. “You need to make sure the door is closed all the way.” I turned to her, and she was looking everywhere but at me.

  “Yes, I know that,” she replied to my shoes.

  I held her keys out, and she snatched them and began to step around me, her cheeks bright red. “Hey, Lexi.” She stopped but didn’t turn around. “I have some carrots in my fridge if you need them.”