Her gaze jerks to mine, her lips parting slightly. “What exactly are you going to stuff in my mouth?”
My smile is wicked. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
She laughs, breaking the tension, and I wonder if she knows how fucking serious I was with that comment.
Because I was dead-ass serious.
“I think I’m going to go,” she announces, grabbing her things and stuffing them back into her bag. “Clearly we’re not going to get any work done here.”
I glance at the clock hanging on the wall. “We still have forty-five minutes.”
“Do you really want to work on your rough draft right now?”
I shake my head. That’s the last thing I want to do. “You have somewhere to be?”
“No.”
“Let’s hang out.” When she frowns, I add, “Not here. Let’s—go grab some coffee or whatever.”
She contemplates me for a moment. I glance down at my groin, thankful my erection is already pretty much gone. Can’t imagine leaving the library with a massive boner. “Just coffee?”
“I’m not going to maul you in the coffee place on campus,” I say wryly.
Her cheeks flush. It’s so easy to embarrass her. “I didn’t think you would.”
“Even though I might want to.” I smile. “Come on. Let me buy you a pumpkin spice latte or whatever it is you chicks seem to dig during fall.”
She rolls her eyes as she closes her book bag, slinging it over her shoulder. “I hate pumpkin spice lattes.”
“Of course you do,” I mutter as I follow her to the door. Every other woman I know seems to love them.
We end up at the coffee place that’s across the way from the library. She orders a nonfat vanilla latte and I get a cup of plain coffee with creamer and sugar because I can’t handle those sweet, flavored drinks. Besides, my coaches would kill me if I wasted calories on sugary beverages.
The shop is small, with only a few tables inside, and every one of them is occupied.
It also feels like every single person is watching us—watching me—most likely wondering who this girl is that I’m with and if we’re actually together. There are a couple of guys who eye Joanna with interest, but I glare at every single one of them, causing them all to look away.
Good. They need to back off.
“Should we sit outside?” she asks, turning to me with both coffees clutched in her hands.
“Yeah, let’s.” I follow her outside, making sure to open the door for her on the way. I walk beside her, liking how short she is, checking out our reflection in the windows as we walk past the buildings. I like how we look together, and I’ve never had that thought about a woman before.
“Thank you for the coffee,” she says after we settle onto a bench that’s under a huge pine tree. She takes a sip from her paper cup. “I rarely get coffee here, but it’s good.”
“You don’t normally like coffee?”
“Oh, I do, but I have one of those Nespresso coffee makers my parents got me for my birthday. I’d rather save money and drink it at home,” she explains.
I can’t help but notice how rigid she is sitting next to me. Nothing like the woman grinding against me only a few minutes ago.
“Are you mostly on your own or do your parents help you?”
“They helped me at first, but now I’m on my own. That’s why I work at the bookstore and do the tutoring thing. My schedule is full, but I manage it pretty well. Plus, I’d be bored if I didn’t stay busy all the time, so I don’t mind,” she explains.
“Yeah, I like to stay busy too.” I glance out at the campus, watching as people walk by on the sidewalk. We’re in a pretty quiet area, but there are still plenty of people milling around. Some of them are looking over at us oddly too. Like they’re not quite sure what the two of us are up to.
“What’s your major?” she asks.