Her arms wrap around herself, but her eyes convey the vulnerability her posture denies. “When she hit on you, you didn’t even think about it? I don’t blame you if you did.”
My head shakes. “She was a kid.”
“And what am I?”
The order to my chaos.
The face of my downfall.
The cause of my fucking heartbeat in my chest.
“A woman who’s lived more than she pretends.”
A flush crawls up her cheeks.
I can’t help threading a hand in her hair as I draw her against me, all of her soft curves lining up with my hard edges.
We make out like teenagers.
Eventually, she pulls back. “We can’t do this all day,” she murmurs against my mouth.
“We absolutely can.”
But she grins, and I readjust my cock in my jeans.
We pad downstairs, and the sound of two sets of footsteps has me happier than any noise has a right to make a man.
In the living room she trips on a box. “What’s this?”
“Telescope. I was cleaning out his things.”
She bends over the dark, smooth metal. “Then why does it have your name etched into it? In very awkward writing, I might add.” Her lips twitch.
I groan. “It might have been mine. I can hardly remember.”
“Where are these boxes going for the open house?”
I blink at her. “They don’t have to go anywhere.”
She looks around the living room at the stacks of boxes, sighing. “Tell you what. You make coffee, I’ll start a list of what needs to be done.” She reaches into her bag and pulls out a pink pen.
“What needs to be done is you have to study,” I remind her. “I’ll move these boxes after you go.”
“And what will be left after that? How will you arrange things?” I meet her question with a blank stare. “Studying can wait a few hours. This is important.”
“School is important.”
“Sawyer, this place is a dump. Coffee.” Olivia points to the kitchen.
My gaze narrows but I turn and start to do as she asks, my chest expanding for no good reason.
“We need something for the table in the foyer,” she calls after me. “A focal point. Got anything for me?”
I’m not about to tell her it’s cute how she takes charge. Cute and hot.
Like last night, she was sexy as hell. Watching her seduce me, I noticed her confidence rise with every sinful sway of her hips.
I enjoyed letting her have the upper hand.
It’ll be that much more fun to go back the other way.
Daniel: You’re joining me this afternoon at a house down the street.
Sawyer: For what?
Daniel: Integration into the local society.
Sawyer: We’re too old to join a frat.
Daniel: If my sparkling conversation isn’t enough, a few other faculty will be there.
It would take my mind off selling this house and my other issues.
I never invested much time in trying to make friends in a place because I was always leaving. But when Olivia texts to ask how the cleaning is going, I text back.
Sawyer: All done. I’m going to someone else’s house tonight.
Cherry: Better not be that realtor.
Sawyer: Hah. No, friends of Daniel’s. Some guys have a kind of club.
The next second, my phone rings.
“What are you bringing?” Her breathy voice improves my mood immediately.
“Myself.” I catch sight of myself in the mirror by the door. My hair’s stuck to my face, there’s dirt on my rolled-up shirtsleeves. “I might even shower and change.”
“That’s not enough.”
“Wow. Way to cut a guy’s ego.”
Her laughter makes me smile, too. “Not what I meant. Bring food. Wine.”
“Nope.”
“Sawyer…” God, I love the way she says my name, like I’m a lost cause but she’s not willing to give up anyway.
I head down the hall, taking in the work she helped me do to tidy the space. On the kitchen counter, just visible from the hallway, there’s a round pencil holder, with the pink pen she left here after making her list to help prioritize organizing.
But my favorite is the centerpiece on the foyer table: a dull metal bowl, full of apples.
“Why should I?” I tease, taking the stairs two at a time. “Because it’s this unspoken rule? We’ve established I’m not much for rules.”
“It has nothing to do with rules. It shows you care.”
“It’s transactional. I bring a fifty-dollar bottle so they let me in the door.”
“It’s not about the price. Bring a ten-dollar bottle if you like. Pick a label with a funny name. The intention matters as much as the execution.”
“You’re going to be a terrible engineer.”
“Hey!”
“Kidding. It’s like you and Daniel both want me to make friends here.”
“Maybe I do.”
Halfway to the top of the stairs, I stop. “Why is that?”
Because she doesn’t want me to leave.
I’ve been getting those vibes from her, but dammit, I want her to say it.
She hesitates. “It helps having people on your side.”
“You’re on my side.”
“Of course. But Daniel and I can’t be the only ones. Making new friends is an important skill anywhere.”
Right. My little do-gooder doesn’t want me to be alone. It’s not for any other reason.
“Just take wine,” she pleads.
In my room, I yank the shirt over my head, the fabric sticking to my chest. “No promises.”
I show up with wine.
Daniel’s been a friend, because he knows my damage. Other people aren’t nearly as cool with it. I’m not going to be friends with these people.
But when the door opens, the guy inside makes my brows rise.
He’s tattooed. “New guy. And he brought wine. Cute. Come on in.”
“Sawyer.”
“Zander.”
“You teach here?”
“Yeah. Literature.” He sees me noticing all the ink. “And yes, it was a fun job talk. All the old white guys stared a lot longer than you are.”
I follow him down the hall. Inside the kitchen, Daniel’s standing with another guy who introduces himself as Ricardo and explains he’s in the fine arts department.
“Now before we start, you gotta swear a vow of secrecy about what’s going down here tonight.”
“You want a blood oath, you’re asking the wrong guy. My palms are cut up enough from working on the house.”
Zander tosses the wine in the fridge and pulls out a cold beer, holding it up. I shrug and he opens it, handing it over. Daniel and Ricardo already have them, and Zander takes another for himself and opens it.
“Mostly we keep it secret from Ric’s wife.”
“You’re married.”
Ricardo holds up a hand. “Happily.”
“They’re newlyweds. Wait until it wears off,” Zander replies, and Ricardo throws a light punch at his shoulder that makes him wince, still grinning.