It took all his self-control not to physically shiver under her touch or kiss her. But he opened his eyes slowly and didn’t hide the desire he felt from her. He bit his lip and let Deja see just how much he wanted her, even if he wouldn’t act on it just yet.

Her eyelashes fluttered, and her lips parted on a soft pant.

“Better?” he whispered.

The left side of her mouth lifted into a grin, and she nodded as her eyes dipped to his mouth.

His hands clenched at his sides.

Just then, the café’s front door opened. Deja pulled her hand from him, and the cold air from the open door only accentuated the loss.

“You want to go find a table?” he said, straightening. “I’ll get your drink.”

“You don’t have to,” she said, eyes darting side to side, and her hands clutched over her stomach.

He sighed and smiled at her calmly, hoping it would put her at ease. “This again?”

“I don’t want anyone to think, you know…”

“That I might buy a friend a cup of coffee?”

“You know what I mean,” she said.

“I do, and I think you’re worried about nothing. But if you’re really worried about people noticing that we’re…you know,” he said with lifted eyebrows and a wink. She rolled her eyes but chuckled lightly. “Then maybe you shouldn’t run your fingers through my hair like that. Very unprofessional.”

She licked her lips.

“Or look at me like that,” he added.

“Like what?”

“Like you want me to kiss you.”

She licked her lips again. “I’ll go find a table,” she said and then rushed away.

Alejandro smiled and watched her walk away.

For the past fifteen minutes, Deja had been trying not to yawn and failing.

“Alright,” Alejandro said, closing his book, “let’s get out of here.”

She shook her head. “No, I can’t. I only have two more essays to read, and then I’m done,” she frowned at her laptop screen, “with that batch.”

“Do them tomorrow,” he said.

“I have a whole different stack of essays to start tomorrow. If I don’t finish these today, I’ll be behind.”

Alejandro looked at her with soft, warm eyes. “Deja,” he said, and she knew she wasn’t going to love what he said next. “I know you have a schedule, and you’re terrified about falling behind, but I promise you that working yourself to exhaustion is not the way to stay on track. Isn’t that basically what you told Jerome?”

“I know, but I—”

Alejandro shook his head. “You work too much. You need to give yourself a break.”

Deja’s face warmed, and she slumped in her chair.