“But you brought your backpack to a bar. I can see your copy of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People sticking out of your bag. You have a pencil tucked behind your ear, and you carry yourself with confidence. You didn’t even bother getting dressed up when you came here, which means you don’t have to try hard to make your presence known.” That wasn’t exactly true. I just had a preference for comfort if I had to walk all over campus. “Oakley Davis likes easy girls that aren’t smart enough to call him on his bullshit, so if you’re looking to hook up with him, you’re better off finding someone else.”

I didn’t let Dale see me falter. Although his words had affected me, I didn’t know how I felt about him pinning me down with baseline assumptions. “Well, good thing I’m not here to sleep with him. I’m here for work. I’ll just go introduce myself, thank you,” I replied with a wink, excusing myself before Dale could say or do anything else. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but there was something off about him.

Oakley was laughing with a short blonde girl when I walked up and introduced myself. I stared at his side profile longer than I should have. His jawline was impeccable. “Oakley Davis?” I asked before clearing my throat. Oakley turned to look at me, with confusion evident on his face.

“That’s me,” he declared. God. Even his voice was sexy. Low and rugged. I cleared my throat again, begging a sense of professionalism to course through my veins. What the fuck was wrong with me? Justin Bieber once had dinner at my parents’ house—when I was fucking fourteen and overwhelmed with hormones. If I could handle the Biebs, I could handle a cocky football player. I was a grown-ass woman.

I opened my mouth to introduce myself but stumbled when Oakley gave me a long, sensual perusal, similar to what Dale had just done. It was like the blonde at his side was long forgotten.

But this felt different. This was like disarming a gun. I was standing there with my finger hovering over the trigger to my career, and he emptied the chamber at my feet. His dark eyes looked like deep pools of honey with specks of gold. A shadow of scruff covered his jaw. His hands rested on his chest, the veins in his arms thudded as he dragged his gaze up to my thighs, my stomach, my breasts, my chest, and finally landed on my lips. I shivered, then shook my head. Nope. Nope nope nope nope.