“I prefer your sarcastic expression, but if besotted is where we’re at, I’m not going to argue.” He gestured for me to lead the way out.

I hefted my messenger bag to swing it over my head, but Derrick snatched it out of my hand. “What are you doing?”

“Being a gentleman. Don’t ruin the moment.”

He draped my bag over his shoulder, and I decided to pick a different battle. “Unless you give me a destination, I’m definitely going to lead us to the wrong place.”

“I thought we’d get lunch, and I could explain my afternoon schedule.”

I trailed my eyes up and down his body as he kept pace beside me. “You seem like the type to actually care about what you eat. Is there somewhere in particular you want to go?”

Derrick shoved his free hand in his pocket. “The school provides lunch in the training center for the team. It’s mostly healthy stuff, but it’s pretty good. We’re allowed to bring guests, if you’re interested in that. Otherwise, I’m always up for pizza.”

“We can do pizza next time.” I didn’t make a big deal of my implication, but Derrick’s slow grin said he understood.

“Sounds good. Do you know the way?”

I nodded. “Thanks to an ill-advised semester of tutoring athletes, I was a regular in the main lobby two hellish days a week. No one ever invited me to stay for lunch.”

He chuckled. “Their loss.”

The sentiment warmed me as I pushed out of the psych building and into the overpowering September sunshine. Momentarily blinded, I didn’t see the lady with the roller suitcase trying to enter until she was on top of me. Derrick wrapped his arm around my waist and tugged me sideways into the alcove before I lost any toes. Why was he always rescuing me from disaster?

My hands landed on his chest, and I blinked up at him, pressed closer than we’d been since that first morning. His fingers tightened on my hip, then he released me. Disappointment clawed at me, but hot as fuck eye contact and the occasional fantasy didn’t mean I was going to throw myself at him like one of his groupies.

I dug my sunglasses out of the bag he held and took a deep breath. Derrick Asher was a walking temptation—one I’d be better off avoiding—but I’d already agreed to spend the day with him. Not only that, I was kind of looking forward to it.