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He shrugged. “I just can’t remember the last time someone has called me sweet,” he said and then shook his head. “I’m not sure anyone ever has.”

Well, that was a goddamn crime because Zach had done nothing but make me feel comfortable from the moment I met him. “Well, you are,” I said. “You’ve been nothing but sweet to me.”

He grinned and beckoned me over to the couch. “I’ve got flashcards, pizza, and beer,” he said.

“Case in point,” I said with a smile and settled myself on his sofa. I watched as he brought us two beers and slices of pizza on plates that were far too nice for pizza before he sat down beside me. “Pizza and beer on the couch seems a little too normal for you,” I said and folded my first slice in half.

He raised an eyebrow at me. “You thought I’d be all into fancy restaurants and good wine, right?” I nodded, and Zach shrugged. “I like simpler things.” A sudden shy look overcame him. “I hope that’s okay with you.”

If my heart could fly, we would have had to bat it down from the ceiling. “It’s perfect,” I said. “It’s exactly my speed.”

We ate our dinner, and Zach held up flashcards for me. When I didn’t know something, we talked it out, and the concepts began to click in a way that they hadn’t in the classroom. “Are you sure you’ve never taught before? Because you’re really great at it,” I said, taking a sip from my second beer.

“My professors used to tell me the same thing,” he said, “that I could have a splendid career in the academic side of law.”

There was something about the tone in his voice that was tight and brittle. “I’m going to guess that when they said it, they weren’t complimenting you.”

His jaw clenched. “Not entirely,” he said. His brown eyes had a faraway look to them, like he was remembering something he’d rather forget. I was about to suggest that we go back to studying when he started talking again. “My professor wasn’t trying to be a dick, but he told me that he didn’t think I had the constitution for the courtroom.”

It made me think back to what Zach had told me before I confessed my attraction. “You’ve got one of the best lawyer faces I know,” I told him. I had seen it with clients and with the other associates. Zach could throw it on and take it off like a coat.

“I cultivated itafterthat conversation,” he said. “I wanted to show him that he was wrong about me, and I have about a hundred times over, but—”

“It still stings,” I said, and he nodded. I reached over and squeezed his arm. “You’re an amazing lawyer, Zach. I cannot wait to watch you in a courtroom.” It was something that I had thought more and more about—watching my men in their element. Paralegals didn’t really get to spend much time in courtrooms. Our job was more on the paperwork side of things, after all. But surely, they would take me with them if I asked?

“You want to see me work?” he asked, something sparking in his dark eyes.

I nodded. “Absolutely.” It was probably weird to admit, but it would behotto see them in a courtroom.

Zach seemed to know what I was thinking because he smirked and held up the flashcards. “Enough of that,” he said. “Let’s get back to studying.”

Ugh. “Fine,” I sighed.

After an hour of flashcards, I was fairly certain that my brain was going to fall out through my nose. “Do you need a break?” Zach asked.

I did, but I shook my head. “This is helping,” I said.

“Might be helpful,” Zach said, “but you can still need a break.” A smile quirked at the corner of his lips. “Or, do you maybe need a little more encouragement?”

The words were teasing, a touch flirtatious, and a shiver ran through me. “Encouragement could be nice,” I said.

Zach counted how many flashcards he had left in his hand. “There’s twelve more cards here,” he said. “For every one you get right, I’ll kiss you.”

I grinned. “Sounds fun,” I said as he held up a card. It was an easy definition that I rattled off without having to think about it.

“Smart girls are so hot,” he praised and leaned across the couch to press his lips against mine. He kept it whisper soft, but he pulled away before I could get closer to him. “Eleven more,” he said.

Zach held up the next card, and it was harder than the first. I had to think about it for longer than was comfortable. My answer wasn’t nearly as confident, but Zach’s smile afterward was bright. He kissed me again, drawing my lower lip between his for just a moment. A sigh crawled up my throat, but then he was moving away.

“Tease,” I murmured, and he laughed at me, low and wholly masculine.

“Just a few more,” he cajoled. “You can make it.”

For the next twenty minutes, we went through the remaining flashcards, and with every right answer, Zach kissed me a little more. By the end, we were trading deep, drugging kisses that made the blood sing in my veins.

The last flashcard was the most difficult, and my brain and my body had long since stopped talking to each other. After answering the question correctly—as keyed up as I was, I was going toacethis quiz tomorrow—he reached for me, but I stood, trembling.

“Are you okay?” he asked. I grabbed his hand and pulled him off the couch and headed toward where I assumed the bedroom was located. “What are we doing?”


Tags: Ajme Williams Erotic