Such a shame.

From the little I can see, she has potential. She wouldn’t be half bad if she ever bothered to dress up. It was the same when I met her in the library. I wonder if she has any idea how frumpy she dresses.

Probably not.

This girl is beyond clueless.

She’s frozen in the doorway, death grip on the doorknob, her petite body managing to block most of the entrance to her apartment. The only part of her moving are those chocolate eyes that keep getting wider. Her chest stops moving. I don’t think she’s breathing.

The way her mouth drops open makes me think she didn’t believe I’d actually show up, though her five grand has already posted to my account. Who pays upfront? She’s too damn trusting. Lucky for her, I keep my promises.

We can’t stand here all night. I’ve got a job to do.

With a smirk, I wrap my arms around her waist, lift her and push us both into the apartment. I plant a kiss right on her pouty lips as I set her down. It’s pretty tame, no tongue, but her hand shoots up to her mouth in disbelief. Those big brown eyes of hers get wider. Didn’t think that was possible.

She’s kind of adorable, in a lost-puppy sort of way.

“Mind if I grab a shower? I came straight from practice,” I call back to her.

She doesn’t say anything. I’m halfway down the hallway where I assume the bathroom is when I glance back at her. She’s hovering near the door, a dreamy expression on her face. I must be a better kisser than I thought.

I don’t take long in the shower, but I take a little extra care in scrubbing all the bits I might be using tonight. I’m a gentleman, after all. By the time I finish, she seems to have recovered from my friendly greeting and is banging around in the kitchen.

“Holy shit!” she screams when she sees me walk into the living room in nothing but my tight boxer briefs. She knocks over a cup of noodles on the counter and manages to burn herself splashing the near-boiling water.

“Ouch! Damn it, that hurts.” She jumps around, shaking her hand in the air like a five-year-old.

This girl is absolutely ridiculous.

“Run it under cool water!” I holler at her.

She doesn’t listen.

I cross over to her and take matters into my own hands. And by matters, I mean her body.

I come up behind her, grab both her wrists and push her over to the sink. I turn on the water and push her reddening fingers underneath it. She’s caged in my arms and I have her body pinned against the counter. Her heart is beating fast enough that her pulse races in her wrist. She’s taking deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.

She isn’t worked up because of the burn. It’s because of me.

“Does that feel better?” I ask, leaning down to her ear.