STay

One

ur four o'cl

a calculus book, I murmur,

the doorway for a few moments until I'm

e's soooo hot." As if to add

r emphasis. Lisa thinks most guys are soooo hot. I'll a

very

r...or something like that. Not that Lisa usually drinks o

. A few seconds later, the smile falls off my face as Cole strolls into the room. As soon as he sees me, he stops,

hat shit

atch a break wher

glare. "You keep turnin

at this very moment, rolling throug

if I can't stop thinking about one tiny, insign

it is so o

. His tall frame makes the room shrink around us. His golden gaze doesn't relinquish mine, which on

this was more serendipi

s me sn

pitous

important I maintain a professional manner. Eyeing him, I realize that's going to be impossible and wonder if a

sition that has me saying, "Maybe it would

doesn't remember the stalker accusations I recently hu

o do that? Don't yo

ck before thinking better of

impressed. You're obviously a math genius. I only made it through p

conversation has backfired on

ent, he asks, "Wh

lip before reluctantly

er to mention is that I should really be

shman taking

ps upward. The way his dimples wink from across the small table that separates us, sets off a

ying-to-make-you-uncomfortable-so-that-you

minal messages I'm directing his wa

for

d Calc II. I could pro

h a ninety-ei

ool?" His br

Leaving and never coming back doesn

interviewing several potential candidates

my lower lip. It would seem like

o we can get this over with as qu

calculus book and notepad. It's enough to make my belly hollow out. Honestly, you'd t

e is Cass

don't bother dignifying th

having trouble with." I need to get this show on the r

en possibl

mbles its way through my head for probably the hundredth

til I'm able to see the problems. After a few moments, he gets up and resettles on the chair next to me so

hich is a challenge because he smells damn near edible. It's a potent con

I do my best to re-explain parametric equations in a way that makes sense. By the time

cused. He grasps complicated concepts easily when they're

g

ything else to

we both sit back in our plastic chairs

other. "Thanks. That makes so much more sense now. I wish Pro

es to understand the concepts. I could easily get through the book on my own. But most people don't grasp mathematics like I do, which is why tutoring in my spar

locked on mine, Cole asks,

e my own studies to get through. When his knee brushes against mine, my thoughts arrow straight back to him and those pesky butterflies in the p

l space. Now I'm able to see the ridiculous amount o

don't like the ef

All this calculus has made me wo

ortunity to embarrass me

s into a knowing grin. "Sh

arefully forged over the previous hour dissolv

my backpack. I need to head over to t

he cajoles, dimples

sound of my name rolling off his lips does funny things to my insides.

bright neon sign in my brain. I'm smart en

a." In fact, spending more time alone with Cole is a dis

kicked in a y

e. Which it's not. I have nothing to prove to this guy. My gaze unconsciously drops to his well-defined pecs. Even through a tight

me is a kn

orking relationship, I shouldn't be hanging out with you." I wave m

ies written down that state this? If t

bbornly silent, h

e

oring oath regarding your fraternization wit

ecause now he's ju

r size-I don't want to encourage someone who might b

e. But still, we both know I'm not stalking you." His expression tur

s. "And what if I don't wan

om his face as our