Kristi shuddered and turned away. This hanging out in her apartment was a little awkward. And already one person had found out they were lovers. In the past, while she and Jay had dated, they’d never lived together, so this morning was a little difficult to handle. She didn’t really know how this relationship, if that’s what you’d call it, might or might not develop.

“I’m going to shower. I’ve got a lot of things to do today, which, unfortunately includes work.”

He nodded. “Me, too. At the house.” He brushed his hands together and Bruno sniffed for crumbs on the floor. “Then I have to answer some e-mails and grade some papers, including yours.”

“Be kind.”

“After last night I’ll be harder on you than anyone just so no one can claim I’m biased.”

“Don’t get crazy. And no one’s going to know about this, remember?” she reminded him, though she doubted Mai would keep her mouth shut.

“I’m free for dinner.”

She gave him a look. “Are you asking me out on a date?”

“My turn.” He crumpled the tin foil and tossed it into the trash, then located a paper towel to wipe the grease from his fingers. “You’ve been doing all the asking lately.”

“The other night, when I smoked you at darts, that was not a date.”

“Right.” His eyes, no longer puffy from sleep, glittered a deep amber at her obvious irritation. “So I’ll meet you back here. When do you get off work?”

“Two-thirty or three, I’ve got lunch today. Depends on the crowd or lack of it. But then I’ve got to finish a couple of assignments, and I want to go online and check out the chat rooms later.”

“So call me and we’ll hook up.” He walked into the living area, grabbing his jeans off the floor as he passed them.

And just like that they were a couple? She wondered at the wisdom of rekindling their romance, but decided, for the moment, to go with it. “Okay.”

“I want to see what goes on in the chat rooms as well. And Wagner House.”

“Yeah, me, too.”

He scrounged on the floor for his clothes, then shook out his shirt. She dragged her gaze from his bare legs, all sinewy muscle, taut skin, and curling dark hair as he stepped into his Levis. Just seeing him dress did strange things to her insides, and the simple fact that he seemed oblivious to his effect on her made him more fascinating. God, what was wrong with her? Surreptitiously she watched as he threw his shirt over his head, stuck his arms through, and stretched slightly, lengthening the flat of his abdomen as he pulled the shirt over his shoulders.

Lord in heaven, he looked good. Too good.