No one takes what belongs to him.

Lance Kilgore did not make friends. With anyone. But especially not with his overly friendly and far too curious new next-door neighbor. It didn't matter that she starred in one or two, or all, of his late night fantasies, love wasn't in the cards for Lance. And Claudia Reynolds had bleeding-heart, head-over-heels romantic written all over her.

Claudia was determined to wear down her chosen neighbor. He came across as abrasive, but any man who took the time to teach a teenager with a black eye how to defend herself was the perfect new neighbor. Lance wouldn't let anyone hurt her. Especially not her ruthless brother.

No matter how much Lance told himself he hated Claudia's interruptions, he missed them when she didn't show for a week. His fantasies weren't enough to keep him going. He needed the real thing.

But Claudia wasn't home. And from the look of her apartment, she didn't leave willingly.