A Lesson in Temptation

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright © 2014 by Audra North. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Publisher.

Entangled Publishing, LLC

2614 South Timberline Road

Suite 109

Fort Collins, CO 80525

Visit our website at www.entangledpublishing.com.

Select Contemporary is an imprint of Entangled Publishing, LLC.

Edited by Tahra Seplowin and Wendy Chen

ISBN 978-1-63375-032-6

Manufactured in the United States of America

First Edition July 2013

For A.B.

Chapter One

Did standing in the hallway, looking at the paper sign taped to the doorframe, count as attending this class?

Adam grimaced. No doubt many of his students felt the same way whenever they had to attend his Financial Markets lectures. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his navy-blue trousers and let out a long-suffering sigh, silently reminding himself that Naomi and Victor had given him this class because they cared about him. Not because they wanted to torture him.

But for God’s sake, did they have to choose Tango for Beginners?

Victor and I took this course last year and it was amazing. Naomi had been practically gushing last week when she handed him the gift certificate for the class. We didn’t just learn how to dance. We gained a whole new perspective on life!

Adam had been at a loss. What does one say to a colleague and friend who means well, but somehow manages to find the most ill-fitting present possible?

Wow, thanks, was what he’d gone with, fully intending to toss the paper into the wastebasket without a second thought. But Adam started feeling guilty. Naomi was one of his few friends in New York, and her husband had become one by association. He knew they were worried about how stressed he was about getting his next publication out the door. They were trying to help distract him, and he owed it to them to go to at least one lesson.

Of course, he might have felt somewhat more charitable if Naomi hadn’t added, You could stand to loosen up a little, maybe even meet a woman…

He snorted. As though he could be anything less than laser focused right now. Being hired on at Columbia, one of the top universities in the world, was certainly an honor, but it didn’t mean that he could afford to rest on his laurels. He definitely couldn’t afford to waste any time on dating.

A young man walked past Adam, striding confidently into the classroom. Good-looking kid, maybe a handful of years younger than Adam. Years that shouldn’t feel like lifetimes, but the weight of work and worries about money made him feel old. He would be thirty-one in a matter of weeks, and he couldn’t figure out where the time had gone.

To work, he supposed. He’d only finished his PhD last year and had jumped straight from classroom to classroom, with only a slight difference in pay grade and a much bigger difference in workload.

Publish or perish. He needed to work every waking moment—and sometimes even in his dreams—to succeed. And now he was about to walk into a room full of people who were probably all there because they knew how to have fun, and they would know that he didn’t belong.

He checked his watch. Two minutes to seven o’clock. Definitely time to go inside. He knew how annoying it was when students were late for his classes. But when he stepped over the threshold, into the wood-floored studio with floor-to-ceiling mirrors along one adjacent wall, he froze at the sight of a beautiful woman, smiling at the confident young man whom Adam had just seen walking in.

It was her.

More than three years ago, Julie Stanton had been all of twenty-one years old when she had sat in the class he TA’d, and she’d been the only student who had ever tempted him to do anything more than grade papers and answer questions about finance. She’d tempted him to do a hell of a lot more than that, in fact. But even though he’d been a grad student and not a professor, he’d still considered her his student, not to mention nearly seven years his junior. There was no way he’d ever go there.

Except he almost had.

She’d shown up in his office one day, looking for help on an assignment. There had been only fifteen minutes left in the tutorial period, but he’d spent half an hour with her, going over the work. By the time they were finished, they had been sitting so close together that her hair kept brushing his elbow, and he hadn’t been able to keep from reaching out and winding the ends of those long, silky strands around his finger.

She’d leaned forward as though expecting him to kiss her—of course she had, since he’d tugged her closer by her hair, for chrissake! He’d nearly closed the distance between their lips—could feel her breath on his skin—when she’d sighed.

She’d sighed like a young girl with a first crush. Like someone with expectations and hopes for something more than just making out in a cramped campus office. It had jarred him so hard into reality that he’d jumped away from her as though he’d been burned. She’d snapped up her things and run out the door.

They’d barely spoken after that, and two weeks later the course had ended. He’d told himself it had been the right thing to do. She’d been his student, no matter that they were both still in school. And she’d been young in years and mind-set. Thank God she hadn’t reported him for that advance, for taking advantage of her. His entire career would have been over before it began.

After that, he’d promised himself that he would never lose sight of what was most important again.

But she’s not a student anymore, a little voice nudged at him. And she’s older now.

Of course, he was older, too.

She’d grown even more beautiful in the past few years, though he wouldn’t have believed such a thing was possible. Dark brown hair fell to just past her shoulders, shining in the reflection of lights in the wall mirror. Eyes the color of new pennies were set wide in a perfectly oval face, with a sweet little nose and full, lush lips that bordered on obscene.

He shook himself. He shouldn’t be noticing things like that. Just because she was no longer his student didn’t mean that his career goals had changed. If anything, he was working even harder, pushing himself to even greater heights.

Which meant that if he messed it up, he’d have even further to fall.

…

Julie had been quietly waiting for the class to begin when a sexy young guy entered the room, sauntered over, and started chatting her up. He had introduced himself as Trent, then told her that he hadn’t even been sure about coming to this class until he’d walked in and seen her.

“I had to come over and talk to you,” he was saying, leaning toward her in that earnest way of guys who were good at picking up women.

She just smiled politely. Lily had once told her that she just had that je ne sais quoi that attracted strange men like bees to honey.

“Bees make honey, Lily. They don’t go searching for it. They’re attracted to pollen,” Julie had told her older sister.

But Lily had only waved her hand in dismissal. “Fine. Bees to pollen. Either way, you’ve got what they want.”

Whether that was actually true didn’t really matter, though, since the guys she’d dated so far didn’t have what Julie wanted. And she certainly wasn’t actively looking for a boyfriend in this class.

Not that she would say no to a fling, though. Something fun and easy. That was why she was here, after all—to get back to having fun. She’d promised herself years ago that she would live her life to the fullest, but lately she’d been practically living in her office eighty hours a week. That was also why she was letting Trent flirt with her. He was a good-looking guy with a great smile and a lot of charm. It wouldn’t be a hardship for her to ease back into enjoying life by hooking up with him.

Trent had just asked her whether she lived nearby when a tingling sensation shot up her spine. Someone was looking at her. She could feel it. She turned her head toward the door and her heart skipped a beat.

Adam Hotness.

Julie blushed even at the thought of the nickname that she and Frannie had given their finance TA when they’d taken an advanced-level class in their junior year. The nickname had stuck so well that Julie had been afraid to talk to him the entire semester lest she mess up and call him “Adam Hotness” to his face. His burnished gold hair was always cut short, accentuating the angular lines of his face. High cheekbones, strong nose, and eyebrows with only a subtle arch above deep-sea-blue eyes. The only soft part of his face was his mouth, marked by pale pink lips that became more noticeable whenever he didn’t shave for a day or two.

Not that she had studied him that closely. At least, not more closely than any of the other girls—and probably a few of the guys—had.

He was Adam Hotness, after all.

Adam Harkness, she corrected herself. Harkness.

Oh, God. He was looking right at her! Did he recognize her? Did he remember that afternoon in his office? Or had he put it out of his mind and just thought she looked familiar, not actually memorable…or—oh, goodness—did she just happen to be in his line of sight and he was actually looking behind her?

Calm down. You’re not his student anymore. Say hello like a normal person. And definitely put that afternoon in his office out of your mind before you start blushing.

She summoned up every bit of courage she had. “Adam,” she called, waving him over.

To her surprise, he actually started walking in her direction.

Next to her, Trent cleared his throat.

Oh, crap. She’d completely forgotten about him. She turned to Trent to apologize. “Excuse me, I—”

But he cut her off with a smile. “It’s cool. I shouldn’t be surprised that the prettiest girl in the room is also the most popular.”

He winked, then immediately turned his attention to the woman to his right. Adam was only a few steps away from her now, and Julie could feel her heart beating practically into her throat. She hadn’t seen him since graduation, when he had been at the School of Finance and Economics reception for parents. She’d accepted his congratulatory handshake, sliding her hand into his big, warm palm. Those long fingers had grasped hers for too short a time before he was called away by one of the professors.

And now he was standing right next to her. She stared at him for a second, taking in the small changes that three years had wrought. His hair was shorter, his frame a little leaner. There were a few tiny lines at the corners of his eyes, and instead of the ragged jacket he’d always worn back then, today he had on perfectly tailored dark pants and a light sweater with the sleeves bunched up to his elbows, exposing well-muscled forearms covered with dark gold hairs.

He looked delicious.

“Julie Stanton,” came his smooth tenor voice, which she and Frannie had loved to listen to during their tutorial section.

He’d remembered her. She felt heat climb up her neck. Did he also remember that time in his office, when they’d been so close to something more than just TA and student?

“Adam,” she breathed. Her pulse was practically beating out of her mouth. “What a surprise.”

He put out a hand in greeting. “I might say the same thing,” he replied, then added, “A pleasant one, of course.”

He was giving her a small smile, but the way he was standing gave Julie pause. His back was so straight, he resembled a statue more than a man, all straight-backed and rigid-armed. He’d always been a bit formal, but never this tense.

Was his discomfort because of her, then? Was it because he was thinking of that almost-kiss they’d shared three years ago, and it made him uncomfortable? She’d practically thrown herself at him in a tutorial session, purposely moving so close that he’d had no option but to brush her hair away from where it kept bothering his hand. She’d mistaken it for an opportunity to lean in close…at which point he’d completely shut her down.

God. Just thinking about it made her cheeks heat with embarrassment. They’d never talked after that day, even though he’d never made it feel like he was avoiding her. If anything, she’d avoided him, too humiliated by his rejection to face him.

He’d probably only come to talk to her just now because she practically shouted at him and flagged him down when he’d walked in. He was simply being a gentleman. She fought a flash of disappointment.

But before she could think of something to say that would release him from her company, a middle-aged woman with graying dark brown hair entered the room, clapping her hands as she walked.

“Attention! Atención, class!” The woman’s full pink skirt swirled around her legs as she strode to the center of the room. Julie enjoyed watching the fluid way the woman walked, as though she were gliding into the room, rather than stepping.

“I am Ivana, your maestra. Welcome to Tango for Beginners.”

Julie smiled. Ivana had a Russian accent. Who would have thought that she would be learning Argentinian tango from a Russian woman?

The diversity here was one of the reasons why she loved New York and had decided to stay in the city after graduating from Columbia, instead of returning home to North Carolina. The other reasons happened to be named Andrew, Greg, and Lily—her siblings, who had also ended up here for various reasons. In the past two years, their family had grown to include her siblings’ spouses: Meredith, Carrie, and Bruno. And in just few more months, Lily would deliver another addition.

Julie turned and looked at Adam. He was still wearing that little smile, but he hadn’t relaxed at all.

“Everyone, spread out into a circle,” Ivana called, gesturing with her arms around her body. “Spread, spread, spread!”

Next to her, Adam groaned quietly. “Not only is this a dance class, it‘s a cheerful dance class.”

She grinned in response. “I assume this is the first time you’ve taken dance?”

He looked confused for a second, as though he hadn’t realized he said that out loud, then shrugged. “This kind of thing isn’t really my cup of tea.”

True. A dance class was the last place she would have expected to see him. Maybe he was trying the same thing she was—to get out a little more and remind himself what life was really about. He’d been a workaholic even when she was in college, after all.

But before she could ask him why he was here, the instructor clapped her hands again. “Now, gentlemen! Turn to your right and face the lady closest to you. Ladies, turn to your left and face the gentleman closest to you.”

Their eyes met and held, and for a moment, everything else fell away as she and Adam looked at each other. It was like the past few years hadn’t even happened. That same intense attraction she’d always had toward him was still there, pulling her forward. It was too much, all of a sudden, and she had to look away before she did something stupid, like throw her arms around his neck and try to kiss him.

No way was she going to get into a situation where she’d only be rejected again. This class was supposed to be fun.

Maybe once it started, she could politely excuse herself and go flirt with Trent again.

At that moment, Ivana announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, the person you are now facing will be your primary partner for the next six weeks.”

Chapter Two

Ivana walked around the room, rearranging a few people before returning to the center of the circle. “Wonderful,” she called out. “You will, of course, switch partners occasionally during class, but you will always start and end with the person you are paired with right now.”

Adam nearly growled aloud with frustration. He remembered this feeling from the months that Julie had sat in his tutorial sessions. She’d always been smiling and laughing at one thing or another. There was something about the way she was so effortlessly happy that was impossible to resist, and he’d lusted after her constantly.

Guess that hadn’t changed in the past three years. He was already having a hard time controlling his thoughts just from standing so close to her. Dancing with her would be an exceptionally bad idea.

Besides, you’re only planning to be here for one week. It wouldn’t be fair to leave her without a partner for the rest of the class.

At least, that’s what he told himself. He looked around, hoping that there might be an unpaired guy, but no luck. No doubt the class had been specifically arranged to have an equal number of men and women, and the realization made him feel even more guilty about not planning to come back after this class. But damn it, he needed every precious hour of the next few months to build his career. He wouldn’t—couldn’t—rest until he was more secure. Now that Dad was gone, his sisters and mom needed him more than ever.

Julie tipped her head up to look him in the eye. “You okay?” Her voice was low and soft, and the seductive pull of it practically reached out and caressed him, sending a shiver down his spine. He had to move away from her.

“Now that we know who our partners are, let’s start with some walking. Ladies, on that side of the room. Gentlemen, the other.”

Thank God.

They divided up on opposite sides, and Ivana demonstrated how to move during the dance. Her feet slid across the floor, ankles locking together at the completion of every step. It was fluid and graceful, and Adam was pretty sure it would be impossible for him. A guy who grew up on a North Dakota wheat farm, where the work was literally backbreaking, didn’t do things like ballroom dance. When he wasn’t working the fields or tending to the livestock, he’d been reading his way through the Bismarck Public Library. Apart from the rare barn dance that his parents forced him to attend in the hopes that he would make some friends and, later, meet a girl, there had been no dancing in his life.

“When we move, we must lead—and follow—with the center of our body,” Ivana told the class, pointing to a place just beneath her breasts and gliding backward. “If your center does not come first, you will find it difficult to dance tango. That means straight backs, don’t let your arms flop all about, and don’t tiptoe around and lose your balance. Now, all of you, face your partner, and walk toward each other with your center leading. When you reach each other, walk backward to your starting place. With intention!”

Christ. First he was paired with the sexiest woman he’d ever known, and now he had to walk toward her with intention. If he intended anything more toward her, he’d be thrusting into her by the end of the class. Couldn’t he walk toward her with a vague interest instead?

Ivana moved to the side of the room and pressed the play button on a stereo. The strains of a violin filled the air, and Adam was surprised to find that his body was responding, starting to move to the beat of the music.

“Go!” Ivana yelled, clapping her hands again. “Walk!”

Before he could process what was happening, his body was moving, responding to Ivana’s order without hesitation. Julie started walking toward him, too—no, slinking, more like it. Adam could feel himself speeding up, wanting to reach her as fast as possible.

Ivana walked by and tapped him on the shoulder. “Relax. Dancing should not be such a trial. Drop your shoulders. Relax.”

Adam frowned, frustrated. Why was everyone so hell-bent on getting him to relax? He glanced up at Julie, who was barely two feet away from him now. She was still doing that swishing thing with her hips, sliding her feet along the floor as she came forward. It made his fingers twitch with the desire to reach out and touch her.

This class had been a terrible, wonderful idea. But mostly terrible.

She was right next to him now. “Do we have to tag in, or high-five or whatever, before we walk backward?”

“Walk!” Ivana’s voice filled the room, and Julie grinned. “Guess not.” She shrugged and started moving away, and he forced himself to move then, too, feeling like a complete dumbass. He must have looked like an idiot, standing there while she spoke, not saying a word in reply.

Ivana walked by again. “Relax,” she murmured, then moved to the next student. He suppressed a growl of annoyance. At least this class would be over in fifty more minutes. And then he wouldn’t have to embarrass himself in front of Julie Stanton again. Ever.

…

After they’d practiced walking, Ivana started teaching them how to hold each other when they were dancing in pairs. The frame, she called it. When Adam’s hand had landed on Julie’s back, just above the place where her spine began curving toward her bottom, she tensed, trying to resist the urge to melt into him.

He’d tensed in response, and Julie blurted out the first thing she could think of to keep him from taking his hand away from her body.

“So should I call you Professor Hotness now?” Except instead of Professor Harkness, like she’d meant to ask, she’d said Professor Hotness. Just as she’d always feared doing.

Humiliation complete.

He gave her a strange look. “I don’t follow.”

Before she could correct herself, Ivana walked by, catching Adam’s words, and clapped him on the shoulder. “Of course you don’t follow. You lead. Now go! Walk! Walk!”

Julie felt him moving forward, and she had no choice but to step backward, to avoid him stumbling over her. Slowly, they walked the way that they’d learned earlier in class, moving in a circle around the room.

After a minute, she cleared her throat. “What I meant to say was, I heard you’d been hired on at Columbia as a professor.”

The quick glance he gave her was skeptical, but thankfully he didn’t study her for too long.

“Yes.”

That was it. That was all he said. God, why had she been such an idiot and called him Professor Hotness, like she was living some kind of student-teacher fantasy? Things were already awkward enough with the memory of that not-quite kiss between them.

Did he even remember that?

She wasn’t sure which would be worse—if he remembered, and was making an effort to pretend it had never happened, or if he didn’t remember at all. But then he spoke again, surprising her.

“I almost didn’t apply for the position, to be honest.”

She waited for him to say more, but nothing came. They just kept dance-walking in a slow rhythm.

“Why not?”

Another long pause went by. What was up with him? He wasn’t a slow thinker. How come he kept drawing out his responses like this?

He huffed in what sounded like amusement. “Sorry, I—navigating us so that we don’t run into anyone else is taking too much concentration. Told you this wasn’t my cup of tea.” His forehead was furrowed, and his eyes were focused on the space behind her.

So he hadn’t been ignoring her. Well, on purpose, at least. She should have realized he would put the same intensity behind learning how to dance as he did into his work, even if this wasn’t really his thing. Wasn’t that part of what she’d found so sexy about him in the first place? Not that it mattered, really—he hadn’t acted at all interested in her, either back then or in the past half hour of tango class. But still, it made her feel marginally better. This was supposed to be a fun night out, after all, and having him ignore her would have made it hard to even pretend that she’d had a good time.

Her shoulders relaxed, a change that he must have felt in his own body, because he stopped for a second to look at her questioningly.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah.” She nodded and gently squeezed his hand. “I’m fine.”

But instead of picking up the dance again, he studied her for a long moment. “When the position opened up, I’d still been expecting to work as a postdoc for a couple of years and then start looking for professorships. I thought it would diverge too much from my plan and saw it as a risk, rather than an opportunity.”

I saw it as a risk, rather than an opportunity. For the first time, she wondered whether she’d misinterpreted that afternoon in his office. She’d known plenty of other undergrads who had hooked up with their TAs, but Adam had never been that kind of guy. Had he wanted her, but hadn’t been willing to take the risk?

The possibility buoyed her spirits and gave her confidence enough to curl her lips upward in a seductive smile. “Congratulations. I’ve always thought there was something extra special about the times when opportunity just lays itself out right in front of you.”

She was talking about herself, of course, throwing a suggestive note into her voice, and he didn’t miss it. His eyes snapped to hers, his color came up, and he made a rough sound deep in his throat. She stroked his shoulder, almost imperceptibly, where her left hand rested, and quirked a brow at him.

“I’m ready whenever you are,” she purred.

She felt him suck in a sharp breath, and in the next instant, they were dancing again.

Chapter Three

Only ten minutes left.

What the hell had happened earlier? Adam was still running his mind over that exchange with Julie. He could have sworn it all started with her calling him Professor Hotness, but he hadn’t been listening closely enough to be sure. And then he’d had a moment of…well, something. Almost like a realization, but he wasn’t quite sure what it was. He’d been talking about risk and opportunity and when he’d said the words, they’d come out sounding like he actually thought that diverging from his plan was a good thing.

But that wasn’t right. He’d done it once, and it happened to have worked out, but that meant nothing. He of all people knew that the higher the risk factor, the less chance one has of success.

And then Julie had said something about opportunity laying itself out in front of him, in a way that made him think of her, lying naked on his bed, legs spread and arms beckoning and—

Dancing while trying to suppress an erection was about as fun as it sounded.

They were still walking together, all the couples moving in a big circle. He had one hand just along Julie’s rib cage, and the other was pressed against her palm. His mind would not let go of that image of her open and ready—for him, and the contact was killing him. This close, he could see how perfect her skin was, and she smelled so good—

“Oops!” Another couple bumped into him from behind. He tripped forward into Julie. For a brief moment, they were pressed full-body against each other, breasts to chest, hip to hip, and…his cock almost jumped with relief at the feel of being pushed against her sweet, soft heat.

“Oh!” Her eyes flew wide and he jumped away, bringing them both to a full stop while the offending couple danced around them, completely unaware of the awkwardness that they’d left behind.

Just act like nothing happened.

He nearly laughed out loud. Julie Stanton had just felt his erection and his advice to himself was to feign ignorance? Moments like these made him question how he’d ever won that Fulbright Scholarship.

His muscles drew tight, and he realized with a jolt of surprise that somehow over the past almost-hour, he’d managed to do as Ivana had instructed and relax. At least a little. But he shook off the thought, focusing instead on the matter at hand. “Julie. I’m sorry about that. It was—”

Lovely, deep pink lips curved upward. “I didn’t mind at all.”

He gaped at her.

She shrugged. “These things happen. Why don’t we just keep dancing?”

He nodded, but her response threw him off. She didn’t mind? Did that mean it was no big deal, or that she liked it? And how often did these things happen to her, for God’s sake, that she would be so sanguine about it?

Somewhere inside of him, jealousy was blooming, fueling the desire he felt for her. He hadn’t felt this unsure of himself since he was the scholarship kid at Harvard, plodding to his part-time job every weekend while his fellow students went to parties and slept in. But the same argument he used back then still applied, he supposed. Doing frivolous things might be rewarding in the moment, but they didn’t do anything for you in the long run. Doing frivolous things was a risk, not an opportunity.

He took up their dancing position again, but avoided Julie’s eyes. Walk, Adam! Walk!

He walked like his life depended on it, moving way too fast, he was sure. But she didn’t stumble or stutter, just adjusted so fluidly that every step they took together felt as natural as when he walked alone. She moved with him so perfectly, he couldn’t help but think that sex with her would be practically transcendental.

And…thoughts like this were a perfect example of why he shouldn’t be here. This was risky.

“You’ll have to find another partner.” He didn’t look at her when he said it.

He felt her side tense up under his fingers. “What? Why? You mean because of what just happened? Look, I’m not offended. It was obviously an accident and—”

His cheeks flamed, but he shook his head, cutting her off. “That’s not it. I never planned to take more than one lesson to begin with.”

She blinked at him. “Why did you bother signing up in the first place?”

He slowed down a bit to avoid running into the couple of front of them. “Because these lessons were a gift and I didn’t want to be completely churlish about it.” He flicked his eyes to her, then back to the space behind her shoulder, leading her in the circle. “Why are you here?”

Julie shrugged. “I imagine for the same reason as most of the other people in this class, Professor. You know, fun?”

He tried not to feel aroused by the way she called him by his title. But it was the other part that stopped him from focusing too much on the idea of sex with Julie. Like she said, this class was supposed to be fun, and that was exactly the problem. He might have become a professor sooner than he’d expected to, but if anything, that brought even more pressure into his life. Pressure to publish, to excel, to get tenure. Security is what he needed, not risk. Fun was a risk.

Meanwhile, he should stop looking at her. Standing—no, moving—this close together was hard enough. Turning his head to look at her face brought his lips dangerously close to hers every time—and brought back every naughty fantasy he’d ever had about her when she’d been in his class.

“I can’t afford to have fun,” he said, too sharply.

“Okayyyy.” Now she was looking at him like he was crazy.

But damn it. Now it was even worse. Now he was actively thinking about intense, sweating, grinding fantasies that ended in her screaming his name in pleasure.

Stop it. She’s a distraction. Not to mention vibrant, and beautiful, and fun. Everything he wasn’t.

She blew out a breath. “Goodness, are you truly that stiff?”

Come a couple inches closer and have a better feel this time, he wanted to tell her.

But then the question sank in, and he scowled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

At least Julie had the courtesy to blush. “Reserved, I mean. I always thought you were reserved, but only because you had to maintain some kind of authority as a TA. I never thought it extended to life outside of school. But then, you’re here, which tells me that you’re open to some stuff, at least.”

“I’m not reserved. Or stiff.” More like at half mast, now.

“Then why don’t you stay in the class?”

He guided her around another couple that had stopped and were arguing over the steps. He looked over at the guy he’d seen chatting up Julie earlier, who was now dancing across the circle with a woman around Adam’s age. He looked like he had been tangoing since he was in the cradle.

Adam sighed.

“I’m not like that guy.”

“Which guy?”

“The one you were talking to before class.”

“Trent? Do you know him?”

“No, but I know his type. Easygoing, good-looking. Good at everything. Gets any girl he wants and is probably taking this class just to pick up women.”

She frowned. “You divined all of this from seeing him in this class for a few minutes? You’re a professor at a top university. Practically famous already. How could you stereotype like that?”

She thought he was famous? Had she been following his work that closely? His ego swelled. “You have no idea how many students have come through my course and shared every detail of their lives with me. I probably know more about what people are like from a single glance than any psych major.”

“Oh, really?”

Her tone was mild. Indifferent, even. But somehow, he got the feeling that she’d been insulted. For a while, she was silent, but with every step she grew more rigid, to the point where he was practically having to carry her just to get her to move. Finally, she sighed, and he felt some of that graceful fluidity return to her body.

“If you can really decide all of those things about people from a single glance, what must you think of me?”

What did he think of her? She was the kind of woman who could relax with just a sigh. She was a woman who was captivating and bright and lovely, and she took dance lessons for fun, not because she felt guilted into it. She didn’t have a publication deadline looming over her, nor a mother and siblings to support.

She was the most lovely, engaging woman he’d ever known, and he wanted to take her home and climb on top of her and stay there all night.

But he couldn’t tell her any of that. Even if she had been flirting with him earlier, if she got a glimpse into what he was thinking now, she would run out of the class and not return. Instead, he made sure there wouldn’t be anyone in their path for a few seconds, then turned his head to look right into those gorgeous, fantasy-fueling eyes.

“You don’t want to know.”

He hadn’t wanted to scare her with his perverted thoughts. But neither had he intended the effect his words did seem to have. If he hadn’t been watching her at that exact second, he would have missed it. Hurt. Disbelief. Anger. All over her face.

He’d never seen her look like that. She’d always been so cheerful that it threw him for a minute. He opened his mouth to apologize, even though he wasn’t sure for what, but in the next moment, that look was gone, along with whatever version of Julie he’d been dancing with all evening. Whereas before she was sociable and warm, now she rivaled the polar ice caps with her brittle chill.

“Given your deep insight into human behavior, Professor Harkness, I find myself agreeing that it’s for the best that you don’t continue with this course.” Somehow, she managed to look down her nose at him, even though she was at least half a foot shorter.

He should have been relieved. But instead, he found himself wanting to justify himself to her, to make up for that look that had just crossed her face. He hadn’t meant to hurt her feelings.

“Listen…it doesn’t matter what I think of anyone in the class. The truth is that I simply can’t afford to spend time taking these lessons. I have a deadline coming up for my book. The only way I can get that done is by sticking to a consistent schedule of edits and writing.”

The music was slowing down, coming to a finish. This was the last dance before class ended.

She raised a brow at him as they began one more slow loop around the room. “What happens if you don’t finish the book?”

He huffed. “I always finish what I start.”

“Oh?” Her mouth twisted in a saccharine smile. “Like you’re doing with this class?”

The music stopped, leaving him gaping at her in silence. He didn’t ignore his commitments. But this class wasn’t anything he had promised to do.

“Look. I’m sorry you won’t have a partner, but I can’t risk falling behind on this book. I need to stay on track with my publications if I want tenure and that’s not going to happen if I keep shirking my duties.”

She snorted. “An hour a week is shirking your duties?”

Part of him wanted to relax and smile and laugh along with her, to say that she was right, it was nothing, and of course he could come back next week. Another part of him was disappointed, though. He wasn’t sure why he’d hoped that she, of all people, could understand that he couldn’t rest until his position was secure. How could she understand? She’d always been too bubbly and optimistic to have experienced anything like his past. She’d probably never suffered any hardship more grueling than a B on a test or a boring date. But before he could tell her no, once and for all, her face softened and she slumped a bit.

“I’m sorry. I know you’re really into your work. I mean, you were like that before, anyway. I know you’re not that kind of guy.”

What kind of guy? The way she said it made that weird feeling come back—the one he’d had when he’d been telling her about taking the job. He didn’t like the way he came across to a woman like Julie.

No. Not a woman like Julie. To Julie herself.

Damn it.

Maybe he would be coming back next week.

Chapter Four

“Frannie, you will never guess who was in my tango class last night!” Julie was trying not to shout into the phone, but she was still thrown off by what had happened between her and Adam. He’d gone from politely reserved to bumping her with his erection to acting all superior and cold again. And then, at the end of class, he’d surprised her by agreeing to come again.

She didn’t think she was making up the way he ran hot and cold. And despite his odd behavior, she was still impossibly attracted to him. More, in fact, than she had been when she was in college.

Her best friend’s voice crackled through the receiver. “You’re right. I’ll never guess. So just tell me.”

Julie smiled. Adam and Frannie had remarkably similar tendencies toward being too serious. “Adam Hotness!”

On the other end, Frannie screeched, “What? He teaches tango, too? He seemed way too uptight for that. I can’t believe he changed so much. Or maybe he just puts on a really good show for his students.”

Julie laughed. “Sometimes I can’t believe you graduated with a perfect GPA. He was taking the class, not teaching it. And he is still uptight, which is why his being there at all was completely weird.”

“Did he remember you?”

If it had been anyone else, Julie would have said yes, of course. He’d recognized her. Remembered her name. But this was Frannie asking. Frannie, who was the only person who knew about that afternoon when Julie and Adam had almost been, well, something. Frannie was wondering whether Adam had remembered that.

“I think so.” She closed her eyes for a second, picturing the way he’d looked when she talked about opportunity being laid out in front of him. Damn, that man was sexy. “In fact, I’m sure he did. But it’s not like we talked about it.”

“Huh. Too bad.” There was a beat of silence, and then Frannie laughed. “He’s still completely hot, though, right?”

Julie thought about the way his body had felt when he had bumped into her for that fraction of a second last night. Long legs sliding against hers. The firmness of his chest and shoulders even through his clothes. His thick, hard cock pressing into her belly, just above the juncture of her thighs.

She still couldn’t believe that part.

“Hotter,” she sighed, then snapped out of her lust-induced daydream. “But even though he’s a shockingly great dancer, he’s even more of a stick-in-the-mud now that he’s a professor.”

Frannie huffed. “Oh, you poor thing. Your first step toward putting fun back into your life and you ended up having to deal with that.”

Julie knew she’d pretty much implied that, but that wasn’t what she’d meant. If she thought about it, she’d really enjoyed herself during that hour she’d spent with Adam. Just not the way she’d been expecting.

“Well, actually…”

“What?”

“I had a really good time with him. Like even though he’s kind of uptight still, we had—I don’t know. A connection, maybe.” She paused for a minute, thinking about the end of the class. “And I think he felt it, too, because one minute, he was telling me that he wasn’t going to come to any more classes and then the next minute, he said he would come to one more and that he’d see me next week.”

“And what did you say between those minutes to make him change his mind?”

Julie blushed. Frannie knew her too well. “I miiiiight have implied that he wasn’t following through on a commitment.”

Her friend practically wailed, “How is it that men practically flock to you in droves, and yet you have almost no knowledge of how to handle them?”

“Why do you and Lily both insist on comparing my interaction with men to groupings of animals? And your collective nouns are mismatched. Flock is for birds and drove is for beasts.”

“And you’re calling Professor Hotness uptight.”

Julie laughed. “I never said I wasn’t. But to be fair, there’s something about Adam that makes me think he could really enjoy the class with just a little persuading.”

“What kind of persuading are you talking about, exactly?”

Julie blushed, thankful that Frannie couldn’t see her through the phone. Unlike her older sister, Lily, who had their mother’s honey-colored skin tone, Julie had inherited their father’s pale, sensitive skin. It showed every flush, blush, and day in the sun in the same hue—bright pink.

“It’s not like that, Frannie. He wasn’t interested in me three years ago and he’s not interested now.” Even though parts of his body had seemed to be, his mind didn’t seem to agree.

The thought was more than a little depressing.

“Uh-huh. But you say his name like it’s a magical incantation, you danced together, and he didn’t plan to come back to the class until you goaded him into doing it. Did I get that right?”

“Well, not quite like—”

“You realize the poor guy probably wants you, right?”

“No, he doesn’t.” But maybe he does. Except she couldn’t tell Frannie about that. It didn’t feel right, exposing him in that way.

Frannie snorted. “Well, do you want him?”

Did she?

Sure, he was a bit standoffish, but she’d never been as turned on by another man as she had by Adam.

“Yes. I definitely want him.”

“Well, you’ve already said that you think he would loosen up a bit with just a little effort. Why don’t you go for it? For all your smarts and your fancy job, you’ve never had a problem letting loose and playing a little. Of course, you’ve also never done anything like this before.”

Julie shook her head, even though she knew Frannie couldn’t see her. “Adam is not a ‘this.’ And how did this go from a conversation about how he is in my class to me attempting to seduce him?”

“What happened to getting back to fun? I know your high school years were rough, and for all that you give me grief about my good grades, you graduated with highest honors. It’s not like you were out partying it up every weekend. You knew how to have a good time, but you kept things balanced. What makes you worried that you can’t handle yourself with Adam Hotness?”

Julie closed her eyes for a moment, fighting the pain in her stomach every time she thought of how she had been bullied so much in her sophomore year of high school—the year after her dad died—that she’d had to transfer to a private academy to finish her degree. That year before the transfer had been awful, but now that she was on the other side of it, she actually felt grateful for how much she had grown as a person because of her experience.

Dork. Loser. She sometimes still thought about those names that shouldn’t have been so hurtful, thrown at her by girls who’d hated her back in high school. They had usually been accompanied by shoves or some other kind of humiliation. Those memories had kept her down for too long.

By the time she entered college, she had made a promise to herself that she wouldn’t allow anyone to take away her right to enjoy everything that life had to offer. She vowed to stay happy and positive and not let others get her down. She hadn’t given anyone have that kind of power over her again.

Still, she’d struggled to make friends in college. Saying she was going to open up and live freely was different from actually doing it. Being happy—putting herself out there and making an effort to have fun—took work.

But she’d met Frannie, and the two had become best friends. They’d gone to parties together, bitched about difficult classes to each other, and cried into each other’s arms over breakups. And Frannie had helped Julie fulfill her promise to herself.

Last month, though, when Julie had been told that she was not only being retained, but promoted to senior analyst, she realized she’d lost track of that promise. After graduation, instead of putting herself out there and meeting people, trying new things, and having fun, she’d gotten so wrapped up in her demanding job that she’d forgotten that having a good time took at least some effort. So she’d signed up for the tango class.

Still… “I don’t know, Frannie. I’m supposed to be having fun. It’s one thing to flirt and maybe hook up with someone I don’t have any history with. Adam would be—I don’t know—different, somehow.”

“Okay, sure. I can see that. Besides, it would be awkward if he’s really bad at it.”

Something in her balked, and Julie found herself protesting. “I don’t think he’d be bad. I think he’d be incredible.” She felt her body heat just thinking about it.

She had been with a couple other guys before, and they had been a disappointment in both size and skill. At least she knew Adam had an advantage in one of those areas. She’d felt it against her body.

Was it really out of the question? Adam seemed pretty opposed to doing anything that was too—in his words—frivolous. And the idea of falling into bed with him felt pretty serious. But maybe she needed to reevaluate the way she thought about him, as part of her resolution to have a little more fun in life, in general.

Frannie whistled. “Listen to you, already defending his sexual prowess. But go ahead, pretend all you like that you haven’t already made up your mind. Just remember to wear sexy underwear next Thursday. You know, in case all your clothes just happen to fall off at some point in the evening.”

“You’re ridiculous.” Julie tried to sound casual, but she made a mental note to dig through her lingerie for something cute that she could wear to class. His body was into her, after all. Maybe, with a temporary adjustment to both their mind-sets, she might end up getting her fling after all.

“I’ve been called worse. I have to run, though. Lunch break is almost over.”

Frannie had moved home to Georgia immediately after college to work in the governor’s office. Julie sometimes missed her friend so much, she joked about moving to Atlanta just so they could be near each other again. But they made do with calls and the occasional long weekend visit.

“Well, thanks for talking. I’ll call you soon. Bye, Frannie.”

“By, Jules. Good luck with His Royal Hotness. And wear the blue set!” she shouted, before disconnecting the line.

Julie laughed. She did rather like that navy-blue demi-bra with white polka dots and the matching sheer panties.

Maybe Frannie was right. What was the harm in seeing just how far Adam was willing to open up? In finding out for sure? She’d thought about him often enough since she’d graduated, even tracked his career through her sister-in-law Meredith, who also knew Adam through the small world of finance.

Most importantly, he had already agreed to come to another class. She’d already faced his rejection once before. If she asked him whether he wanted to see her outside of class and he said no, it wouldn’t be the worst thing that had ever happened to her. She’d look on the bright side and be glad to finally put that attraction to rest.

And if he said yes…well. She’d definitely wear the blue set next week.

…

“How was your first class?” Naomi wandered into Adam’s office and plopped into one of the vintage sixties chairs next to his desk. When Adam had started working at Columbia, the department chairman had offered to refurbish his office, but Adam refused. It seemed so wasteful to spend money on new things when the old ones were still perfectly functional. Besides, it was still newer than what his mother had at home.

“And when are you going to get rid of these ugly chairs?”

She never missed a chance to give him grief for that decision.

But he just smiled. When he’d first met her, he’d been more than a little intimidated. Not because she tall and long-legged, with skin the color of espresso and killer looks that turned any guy’s head. Mostly, it had been because Naomi Franklin happened to be one of the most brilliant economists in the world.

A couple years after their first meeting, she was one of his best friends.

“They’re comfortable enough.” He shrugged, avoiding her other question.

She pulled a face at him. “You are really the most uptight person I know. I mean, I can identify…” Naomi had grown up in the Baltimore projects and, like him, understood the importance of working hard. But unlike him, she actually enjoyed doing things like dancing. “But this mustard-yellow vinyl upholstery is bordering on masochism.”

He snorted. Victor, Naomi’s husband, was one of Manhattan’s most sought-after interior designers. They lived with their two daughters in a lovely large home in New Jersey that had once been featured in Architectural Digest. Of course she would make a comparison like that.

“Show me the math that proves that throwing out something perfectly functional in favor of something pretty is a net positive.”

She pffed and deflected. “You never answered my question.”

He feigned ignorance. “And which question would that be?”

“Oh, Adam.” She gave an exasperated sigh, then sat up straight and leaned forward, pinning him with a no-nonsense look. “You really don’t want to play that game with me, honey. I have two teenage daughters, remember?” She arched a brow. “I could make you cry for mercy if I tried even a little.”

He didn’t dare laugh. Instead, he looked down at the papers on his desk. “It was nice. Thanks again to you and Victor for thinking of me.”

She made a sound of disgust and cocked her head to the side, studying him. “You’re lying.”

“What? No, I’m not. It was nice. And I really do appreciate it!”

She shook her head. “No, I mean, you’re hiding something. There’s something different about you.” She was silent for a moment. “You’ve lost a little of your intensity.”

He debated whether he could slide under his desk and hide from those uncannily perceptive eyes. He’d been feeling it all day. Exactly what he’d dreaded. Thoughts of Julie Stanton were making him lose focus.

Suddenly, Naomi gasped. “You met a woman, didn’t you?!”

What the hell? He did not envy her daughters one bit.

He crossed his arms, feeling way too vulnerable. There was no use denying it, though. Naomi would flay him alive. “She’s not a woman.” She’s too young. Too…frivolous. And she’s wreaking havoc on my work.

Naomi grinned like the Cheshire Cat. “So you met a lovely android. That’s cool. I don’t care who loosens you up as long as it happens. You’re gonna kill yourself working so hard otherwise.”

He scowled and dropped his arms. So much for his defense mechanisms. They’d had this conversation before. Naomi had earned her stripes and was sitting in a full professorship now. She didn’t have to struggle like he did. “Forget I said anything. Can we please talk about something else?”

She was silent for a moment, watching him for a long time, and just as he started to wonder if she was going to end up making him cry, after all, she turned her attention to the open books and stacks of paper on his desk. “How is the editing going? Are you on track to meet your deadline?”

He ran a hand through his hair. “I haven’t made any progress today. I gave my lecture this morning and came back here to work, but I can’t concentrate. I think I’m just too nervous about this book. Nailing this one will mean my contract will get renewed next year and the prospect…it’s distracting.”

He couldn’t tell her that it was actually because he’d spent way too much time daydreaming about Julie. He’d thought about what would happen if he really did get her undressed and on his bed, like he’d thought about last night. He’d wondered what she would look like wearing only one of his button-down shirts, how her lips would feel, whether she slept on her back or her stomach…and he’d daydreamed about waking up with her and having someone to talk to who would understand his life, just a little.

That one had surprised him the most, not just because he’d thought it, but because it had left him wanting things that he’d never really considered before.

That’s what happens when you let go even a little. Your whole life shuts down.

Naomi rose and looked down at him from the other side of the desk. “I know you, Adam. You work like a dog. But sometimes, it pays to take a step back, let go of any preconceived notions you’ve got about how things should be, and then just be open to opportunity.”

There it was again, that uncomfortable echo of the conversation he’d had last night with Julie. He got the distinct feeling that Naomi wasn’t just talking about the book edits, either. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, uh. Well. Thanks for the advice. I’ll try to follow it.”

She laughed. “I can’t say that I believe you. I think that relaxing is the only thing you haven’t yet managed to excel at.”

He frowned, but before he could say anything further, she turned, tossing words back over her shoulder as she walked to the door. “Good luck with your edits. And good luck with that tangoing android.”

“Sometimes I don’t know why we’re friends!” he shouted after her, but by then she was already gone.

Chapter Five

Adam was annoyed. He was struggling through every last revision on his book, spending way too much mental energy thinking about Julie Stanton. He kept wavering on whether returning for the second class was a good idea.

Then he checked his email right after office hours and his heart practically stopped in his chest when he saw an email from Julie.

To: Harkness, Adam

From: Julie Stanton

Adam, I got your email address from the school website. Last week, you said you liked to stick to a consistent schedule. Consider this your reminder that our scheduled tango class is tonight. I’ll see you there.

-j

Naomi’s words popped into his mind.

Just be open to opportunity.

Julie’s email wasn’t flirty, exactly. But there was something about it—a sort of teasing vibe—that made him think that there might be an opportunity for something with her. He wasn’t sure what it was, or even if it was merely one-sided, but…

No. Don’t even think about it. Whatever this was between them, it was only temporary. He wasn’t looking for sighs and crushes, and he didn’t take dance lessons for fun, and “opportunity” could be applied only to his career at the moment. Which he needed to get back on track, immediately. Daydreaming about Julie all week was not helping him get things done.

At the end of the day he headed downtown.

One more hour. When you see her again, you’ll realize she’s just a passing infatuation brought on by a spark of nostalgia. After this class, you’ll walk away and be back to working at your usual pace in no time.

But when he stepped inside the room and saw her standing in a cluster of other students and chatting happily, and he could see her eyes twinkling even from this distance, his breath actually caught in his chest. And he couldn’t seem to bring himself to think anything other than that she was the most special person he’d ever met.

Christ. Most special person, really? Are you a girl? He was losing his mind.

As though Julie had read his thoughts, her head jerked up and her eyes met his from across the room. He forced himself not to grin like an idiot at her. It was most likely that she felt nothing for him but the innocent affection one usually has for the general over-thirty population.

Never mind that he was still just thirty—not quite “over” it yet.

“You are so fucked,” he muttered to himself under his breath.

“I beg your pardon?”

He jumped and whipped his head around to stare at the woman who had appeared on his right. “Ivana. I-I apologize. That was not—I didn’t intend for anyone to hear that.”

Ivana laughed and touched him lightly on the shoulder. “Relax. I am only teasing you. You are Adam, right?”

He nodded, still struggling with the feeling that he was a schoolboy who had been caught doing something naughty. He wasn’t used to these casual, playful interactions any more than he was used to feeling so in lust with a woman that he couldn’t even keep his mind on his work.

Ivana smiled and tipped her chin toward Julie. “Your girlfriend is such a beautiful young woman. I’ve never had another student who clearly enjoys life as much as she does. In that sense, she very much reminds me of my husband.”

Before he could protest that Julie wasn’t his girlfriend, Ivana sighed. “He used to look at me the way you look at her. He died two years ago, but I still miss him like it was yesterday.”

For a brief moment, he panicked, uncertain what one said in a situation like this. But that fraction of a second was enough to rattle him to his core. Had he really become so absorbed in work and achievements that he’d forgotten how to express basic feelings? Compassion, worry, joy? He scrambled for the right thing to say, finally seizing on an image that flashed, of his mother’s face at his grandfather’s funeral, and the words sort of tumbled from his mouth. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Ivana didn’t seem to notice his struggle, though. She clucked her tongue at herself. “Oh, shame on me for bringing down the mood. In truth, it was not completely unexpected. He was twenty-five years older than I am, after all, and we made a point of enjoying the time we did have together.”

Twenty-five years? He’d just been thinking he was too old for Julie, even if it was more in personality than actual age. Not that it mattered. He wasn’t going to marry her, much less have a relationship with her. He was here to get his focus back. His career depended on it.

Ivana looked at the wall clock. “Well, I’d better get our class under way. I’m glad you’re back, Adam. You did so well last week.”

He tried not to snort in disbelief, and Ivana began clapping her hands, like she’d done the week before, walking toward the center of the room.

“Good evening, class! Everyone, find your partner and stand in a circle, please.”

He started walking toward Julie at the same time that she headed in his direction, and within seconds they were at each other’s side.

“I wasn’t sure you were going to come this week.” She sounded breathless, even though she’d walked at a sedate pace across the room, and his body responded immediately to the sound. Not exactly doing much for the hope that his attraction to Julie was just a passing thing. He gave her a tight nod, feeling the tension in his muscles rising, but didn’t have time to respond before Ivana started the music and announced the first exercise.

Julie slid into his arms and all he could think about was how good it felt. Better than any daydream.

This was going to be the most difficult hour he’d had all week.

…

Julie kept a smile on her face, but inside she was frowning. Adam had seemed pretty relaxed when he’d first entered the class, but the second she had stepped into his embrace, his shoulders had gone all bunched and tense.

It was hard not to take it personally. They had switched partners a couple of times during the class, and she’d seen him caught up in conversation with Mona, a leggy blond German woman with a dazzling smile, and later, nodding and grinning at something that a beautiful older woman named Nyala had said.

Clearly, Julie wasn’t going to be the one to seize his interest. She’d hoped her attempt at a playful email earlier today would make him smile and look forward to class tonight, but he didn’t even seem to enjoy dancing with her.

So much for wearing the nice lingerie.

On the other hand, maybe it was just the dancing he didn’t like. He had been pretty tense last week, too. Maybe he just needed some encouragement.

“You really are quite good at this, you know,” she offered.

He grunted and practiced sideways walking, moving her a bit out of the circle, away from the other couples.

She sighed. “And yet, why do I get the feeling that you’re not enjoying any of it?”

Great. Now his arms were so tight, they felt like they would simply snap off if he so much as raised his hand in the air. He slid one step backward and she followed. He had walked them into the corner of the room now, letting the other couples stumble past them in the main circle. She could feel him shrugging.

“I shouldn’t be here. I have a book to finish. ”

Then why had he stuck around? God. She hoped not for her. She’d wanted him to come to class tonight, yes, but not like this. But she forced her voice to stay pleasant. “No one is forcing you to be here.” She paused and considered that for a second. “You’re not being blackmailed, are you?”

For the first time that evening, he smiled.

And somehow, it felt like the greatest achievement of her life. She moved her left hand slightly up, until her fingers curled gently over the thick cords of muscle where his neck met his shoulder, and rubbed at the tension there. “How about you tell me something that’s not about your book.”

He grunted as she massaged a little more firmly. “Like what?”

“Like…” She thought for a second. “What’s the most ridiculous article of clothing you own?”

He rolled his eyes as if to say that her question wasn’t worth answering, but his smile got bigger. “How do you do it?”

“Do what? No—wait.” She stopped him just as he was about to answer. “I asked you first.”

He raised an eyebrow, but he wasn’t facing her—he was watching the dance floor—and she giggled at the way the expression looked from the side. Finally. She was having fun. With Adam.

She let out a small sigh of pleasure, letting her body relax until her breasts grazed his chest.

“A top hat.”

Was it just her, or had his voice deepened? She was so turned on by the way the words had rumbled out of him that it took her a second to register what he’d said.

“You own a top hat? That is pretty ridiculous. Why?”

This time, though, he shook his head. “Nope, I’m not answering that. It’s my turn, remember?”

He led her through another move, concentrating on that before he asked, “How do you make me forget about all the things hanging over my head?”

She’d made him forget? She’d made Adam Harkness, workaholic extraordinaire, take his mind off his work? The feeling of satisfaction was so intense that she couldn’t stop a blush from rising in her cheeks.

“I’m sure that happens every time you’re out having fun.”

He shook his head, studying the room as he figured out his next move. “No. I mean, I don’t know. This is the first time in my adult life that I’ve done something simply for the sheer pleasure of it.”

She gaped at him. Was he being serious? He couldn’t be. Could he? But as she contemplated it, he chose that moment to push forward in a strong, unexpected motion, accidentally tripping her backward. To compensate, he pulled up hard, yanking her to him. Her breasts landed against his chest, his right arm drawn tight around her back, both of them breathing fast.

Oh. Goodness. His chest was firm and muscled. His arms were strong, bracketing her. She shuddered. Pressed against him like this, she felt just wild enough to bring her lips to his ear and whisper the question that had popped into her mind as soon as he’d said the words “sheer pleasure.”

“You’ve never done anything solely for pleasure? Then what about sex?”

Chapter Six

Julie felt Adam’s breath hitch in his chest, felt something hard and insistent rise against her thigh. He turned his head to look at her, his ocean-blue eyes deepened to a rich sapphire.

Oh my God. Oh my God he’s going to kiss—

But the loud clap of hands interrupted her thought, and abruptly he let her go, then backed away blinking. Ivana’s voice grew louder as the rush of blood left Julie’s head, and her heartbeat slowly calmed.

“Lovely dancing, everyone! Come back into the circle now. I have one last thing to show you before we go. It’s time for the next step.”

Julie couldn’t help but think that truer words had never been spoken.

They watched as Ivana demonstrated a move and asked them to practice it at home just before class ended. Julie hesitated for just a second. His body had responded. Could she maybe see if she could change his mind, even a little?

She hadn’t wanted something this badly for so long…

Just go for it!

“Do you want to get a drink?” She blurted the words before she could overthink it. There. Done. Extending the invitation had been almost painful, but she was not about to turn tail and run from a little discomfort. She’d been there, done that, and she was through with it.

He stared at her for a second, then said slowly, “I should really get home.”

She tried not to sigh with disappointment. “No problem. It was good to see you tonight, anyway.”

She didn’t want to ask him whether he’d be here next week. More than likely, his answer wouldn’t be what she wanted to hear. She might not mind a little discomfort, but there was such a thing as being just plain stupid.

But before she could tell him good-bye, Adam shrugged. “Actually, yeah. I’d like to come with you.”

…

Adam grinned when Julie blushed at his words. I’d like to come with you. He hadn’t thought about the double meaning until after he’d said it. Apparently, though, she had gotten it immediately. After a moment, the pink flush on her cheeks faded, her lips curved up in a sly smile, and she fixed him with a mock-stern look. “Thanks, Adam. But no pulling out early, okay?”

And then she winked at him.

Fuck. He grunted as though she’d punched him in the gut. Except that this hit had left him clasping his hands in front of his crotch to hide the growing bulge in his pants. Seeing her tonight had not helped him get over her at all. What he now realized had been a little infatuation had turned into full-on, gnawing want. How was he going to finish his book now? Not to mention that he had a lecture to give tomorrow morning, and having a wild sex dream about Julie was probably not going to help him feel rested.

He shouldn’t have accepted the invitation. He should have gone home and simply dealt with this infatuation by ignoring it. Time would have erased memories of Julie, and he’d go back to focusing on his work.

Except…time hadn’t rid him of that memory of her from three years before, looking lush and eager and like everything he’d wanted.

He must have been lost in his thoughts for too long, because she gave a low laugh and grabbed his hand.

He barely resisted the urge to stroke her arm.

“Come on. There’s a bar just across the street.”

They walked out into the night. The temperature had dropped since the beginning of class, and she gave a little shiver. April had a way of teasing Manhattan with the promise of spring, but it was often too cold in the early weeks, despite the sun.

“Here.” He shrugged out of his jacket and placed it around her shoulders. She shivered again when his hands slid over her shoulders.

“Thanks.” She didn’t take his hand again.

They crossed the street and walked halfway down the block before stopping in front of a small sports bar. She gave a small laugh. “I feel like an idiot for taking your jacket to walk less than a block.”

“Don’t apologize on my account. I grew up in North Dakota. This is like summer for me.” He pulled open the door and gestured for her to enter the bar.

“North Dakota? I’m surprised.” The fabric of the too-big jacket brushed his shirt as she passed him, and he was glad his hands were too busy holding the door. He wanted to grab her, slip his fingers inside the jacket and feel his palms around her waist. Not like in class. Not the forced, choreographed moves with what felt like endless distance between them. He wanted her naked and close.

But he didn’t do any of that, just waited for her to enter, then followed her inside. The place was only half full tonight, and for a second he faltered, the relative emptiness making him feel strangely exposed.

“Is this place okay?” Julie cocked her head and looked at him like she knew how awkward he felt. He could count on one hand the number of times he’d gone out for a casual drink, and this didn’t even feel that casual. Not after the way she’d been constantly in his thoughts this past week.

“Yeah. It’s good.” He shrugged, trying for nonchalant, but just ended up doing a stiff, jerky movement.

Instead of laughing at him and teasing him like he expected her to, she slid one arm around his waist and pressed her side close against his, like they were a real couple who decided to stop for a drink on the way home together.

That same image of Julie, in his bed, that he’d been carrying around for the past few days, popped into his mind. His nerves eased a bit, and he turned his head to look down at her.

She grinned that full, vivacious smile that he realized he’d always associated with something uniquely her. “Great. Then let’s just…walk, shall we?”

He laughed at the reference to their dance class, and the last coils of tension faded away. They found two barstools and sat down. The bartender approached and took their order, and then they were alone again.

She leaned on the bar and twisted to face him, looking relaxed and natural, but he didn’t follow her lead—he’d probably end up looking like he’d pulled a muscle or something. Instead, he stayed upright on his stool, hands clasped on the bar in front of him.

“So. Why are you surprised that I’m from North Dakota?”

She shrugged. “Well, you don’t have an accent, for one.”

Only because he’d worked so hard to get rid of it. It had taken all four of his undergrad years, but he’d done it.

The bartender set their drinks on the bar.

Julie reached for her bag, but Adam put his hand on hers. “I got it.”

A brief hesitation, and then she nodded. He dug out his wallet, setting the cash down on the bar before picking up his drink.

“Cheers. Here’s to having fun.”

She grabbed her glass and raised it. Their eyes locked. “To doing something for the sheer pleasure of it.” She tipped her glass forward and clinked it to his.

His blood surged as he remembered her whispered words in class tonight. What about sex? He’d almost kissed her then, with her body soft and pliant against his, her eyes dark and seductive. He’d wanted her so badly he’d almost forgotten where they were. But that had been nothing compared to how much he wanted her now.

Maybe that was the answer. Maybe he needed to sleep with her and get it over with. Maybe all this thinking about her was because she was like any other goal he’d ever gone after, and once he reached it, he could move on to the next thing.

Adam shook his head at his own callous thoughts. Maybe it would work, maybe it wouldn’t. But regardless, she wasn’t a prize to be won, despite how much he wanted her.

He should leave now, before he did something he regretted. “Julie,” he began.

“You’re supposed to take a sip, Adam.” She was still watching him, her glass poised in front of her lips, which were parted slightly.

Right.

He sipped, barely tasting his drink, his senses were so overwhelmed. Would it be so bad to take her home and strip her, spread her open on his bed, and come for her?

No. It wouldn’t be bad. It would be ecstasy.

He’d worked nonstop since he was twelve years old, clawing his way out of poverty with the determination to become something—someone—important. And now this woman was making him wonder whether he actually had any willpower at all to walk away from her after this drink.

Jesus. He took a deep gulp, draining half the glass. She eyed him strangely. “What did you mean earlier, when you said you’d never had fun before?”

He looked down at the beer in his hand. “I meant exactly that.”

She let out an exasperated breath. He ran a hand through his hair and looked at her through his lashes. “I spent most of my time working on our farm to help my parents make ends meet. When I left for college, I had to do well or I’d lose my scholarship, which was my only hope of getting out of the life that I’d left back in North Dakota. And ‘fun’ to my friends in college meant drinking, parties, and girls. Things that would have jeopardized everything I’d worked for.”

He traced one finger around the rim of his glass. “After college, it was grad school, and on top of TA’ing, I spent a lot of time taking what I learned and building my savings. It happened pretty slowly, given my paltry grad student salary, but I did it. After I got my doctorate last year, I was offered a job by my adviser, I took on consulting projects in addition to my research, and everything in life exploded. I’ve never had time for hobbies. Unless you count going to the gym.”

She made a soft sound of dismay. “You weren’t exaggerating, then. And it makes sense that someone bought you this class as a gift.” She brought one hand forward and patted his leg. “Who was it?”

Such an innocent touch, and yet Adam’s blood fired at the feel of her fingers on his thigh. He wondered what they would feel like if there were no clothes between them, whether she would pat him in such a friendly way, or whether she would stroke gently, her nails scraping over the hair there. Or maybe she would massage him, knead all the way up to his ass and push his cock against—

“I understand if you prefer not to tell me.” Her voice cut into his thoughts, making him jump at getting caught daydreaming about being naked with her.

He cleared his throat, trying to focus. “I apologize. My mind wandered. And it was a friend of mine, Naomi Franklin.”

“Professor Franklin?” Her voice squeaked, and he tensed at the reminder of who they really were. His position, his age, and the general impropriety of his thoughts just a moment ago.

He nodded tightly. “Yeah. You took her class?”

“The class took me, more like it.”

I’d like to take you. Hard.

He took another deep sip.

She quirked an eyebrow at him. Great. Now he looked like he had a drinking problem. And it’s your turn to say something. Make it not creepy.

“How’d you end up doing in her class, anyway?”

She shrugged. “I made an A.”

He nearly dropped his beer. Naomi was famous for her tough grading. Even he would have had a hard time getting such a good grade from her. Making an A in her class was impressive, to say the least.

“How did you manage that?”

He hadn’t meant for it to come out sounding so disbelieving. He remembered Julie as extremely bright, and she’d aced the course he had TA’d.

“I studied, Professor Harkness.” He didn’t miss the annoyance in her voice, nor the way she called him by his title. But of course, she made it sound ironic.

“I apologize, Miss Stanton.” He mimicked her formal address, and to her credit, she gave a small laugh. “I didn’t intend to insult your intelligence. In fact, I know from experience that you’re incredibly smart. But I also remember that many diligent students came out of her class with a B-plus, at most. You don’t strike me as someone who would have holed up in the library and studied as much as one would have needed to earn such a high grade.”

“Appearances can be deceiving, I guess. I got out enough in college, but only because I made it a specific goal to enjoy my life. Have fun.”

Another surprise. He thought her fun-loving personality was natural. “Why?”

But she just said, “Priorities,” her mouth drawing tight and her face shuttering, clearly ending that topic of conversation. Interesting. She raised her glass again, and this time, he watched her lips close around the rim, her throat work delicately as she swallowed, her tongue dart out to lick away any lingering drops. He drained his beer and nearly slammed it back down on the bar. When he looked back at her, she was frowning.

“Wow, that was the fastest ‘one drink’ I’ve ever seen.” She paused for a second, her finger tracing a pattern on the bar. “Does this mean you’re going home now?”

He stood up slowly, searching for a way to explain, to offer some excuse, but nothing would come. All he could do was nod. She set her own glass back on the bar, slowly. Then she took a deep breath, and the words she spoke next managed to intoxicate him more than the alcohol he’d just drunk.

“Want some company?”

Chapter Seven

Adam was staring at her like she’d just admitted to murder, or something equally heinous. Julie tried not to cover her face and run away, but she desperately wanted to fall through the floor right now. Even though she wasn’t inexperienced with guys, she’d never been the one to make the first move. And especially not when she had a history with the guy.

But something about Adam made her feel reckless enough to take a chance, it seemed. She reached out to pick up her drink again, trying to cover her embarrassment, but before her fingers could close around the glass, Adam’s hand was on her wrist, tugging her upright until her face was only inches from his.

“I’d love some.” His breathing was coming fast, and she had a sudden image of bare skin, his body working over hers, his face exactly like this as he neared his climax.

Oh, wow. Wow wow wow. Thank God she’d worn the blue set.

Within a couple of minutes, they were pushing out of the bar, Adam grabbing her hand and leading her to the edge of the street to hail a cab.

A taxi pulled up and he opened the door for her, ushering her inside before settling in himself. She was still wearing his jacket, though she no longer needed it. She’d never felt hotter in her life.

“Hundred-twelfth and Amsterdam,” he told the driver, and as the car sped away from the curb, his hand settled on her knee, gently squeezing. She nearly moaned at that relatively innocent touch, she was so desperate for him.

By the time the cab stopped, her control was nearly gone. And all he had done was keep his hand on her knee during the ride. She jumped out and waited on the sidewalk while he paid the driver. But when he stepped out and joined her, his face had lost that intense, predatory look that he’d worn at the bar. His mouth was drawn tight, as though he had made a decision he didn’t like, but was determined to go through with it.

Her heart sank as he stopped a foot away from her. “Julie—”

But before he could say anything more, she made her own choice. She stepped forward and slid her arms around his waist, tipped her head up to his, and kissed him.

…

Convictions officially shot to hell.

As the cab had sped through the street of Manhattan, Adam had gripped Julie’s knee and wondered what the fuck he had been thinking. It was one thing to imagine having sex with her just to get past the infatuation stage and back to his work, and another thing to actually go through with it. Because he knew what would happen. He’d sleep with her, and then he’d have had her, and he’d walk away. There was too much risk in that. She might get hurt. That had been enough to convince him, and he’d been about to tell her that he’d made a mistake.

Until she’d pushed up on her toes and licked at his lips, and his cock had immediately grown hard and heavy, crowding out his more rational thoughts. He looped an arm around her waist and hitched her higher against him, letting her play in his mouth for a bit before he took over the kiss, thrusting his tongue into her sweet, wet heat until she moaned and arched against him.

The sound of a car horn beeping at a red light had him pulling his lips away. He’d completely lost himself in her, forgetting that they were standing on a public street corner.

There was no way he could not have her. But she had to know what she was getting, first.

“Listen, Julie.” He forced his breathing to even out. “Before we do this, I need you to know that I can’t—this can’t be more than one night.”

Her face fell. Damn it.

“It’s just that I have a lot on my plate. I can’t slow down, even for a minute, and I’ve already spent too much time away from my work because of the tango class and—”

“Fine.” She pushed through his explanation with a single word.

“Did you say—”

She nodded. “One night. That’s fine. I just want you.”

He stared at her for a moment, but then his body took over and he reached out his hand, taking hers and turning toward the entrance of his apartment building. “Let’s go up, then.”

He practically hauled her inside, but she rushed along with him, laughing, and pressed her breasts against his back as he unlocked the door. They stumbled into his foyer, drunk on desire, pushing and pulling at each other in a frenzied dance toward the bedroom.

God, this woman made him crazy.

His jacket fell from her shoulders, and she pulled her own shirt off, discarding it on the floor in front of his bed where, finally, he paused, chest heaving, cock throbbing. He must look like a wild man. He could feel his hair sticking up in some places where she was running her fingers through it, tugging gently when he kissed her neck near her ear.

“You’re so beautiful,” he breathed, and it pained him that he couldn’t think of anything more poetic to describe just how awe-inspiring she was, but what he had said was the truth. She was beautiful. Creamy, flawless skin, flat stomach, and full breasts plumped up in a blue silky something that made her look like a pinup girl. She blushed, and he felt a thrill at the sight of that pink wash spreading over her body. He had wondered about this, whether she blushed everywhere.

It made something mad and animal rise in him, something he never even knew he was capable of. She reached for him and he was on her in seconds, turning her, lowering her to the platform bed before taking her mouth again. Her hands slid up his body, pushing his shirt up, and even though he hated the vanity of the thought, he breathed a sigh of relief that he went to the gym regularly. He was fit enough to at least hold his own against the kind of guys that she was probably used to.

But that made him think of her with other guys, and a hot wave of jealousy rushed through him, suddenly, unexpectedly, and it made his fingers rough when he reached behind her back to unclasp her bra, bumping her forward, putting her mouth only a hairbreadth away from his jeans zipper even as her bra slipped down, her breasts spilling free.

His cock pulsed at the sight. Her lips were deep pink and puffy, her nipples hard and pointing upward, two dots of color on perfect, pale skin. She leaned forward, closing that small space between lips and fabric, and pressed her open mouth against the placket of his jeans.

He groaned and slid his hand into her hair. “Julie. God, baby. I wasn’t trying to …”

But he trailed off, because now she had her hand at his waistband and was working it open, unbuttoning and unzipping and pushing his pants down until his erection sprang free, standing almost level with his navel.

“Oh.” Her mouth was rounded with surprise as she tried to palm his length but only managed to fit part of him in her curling fingers. His cock was so hard, her touch almost hurt, and he sucked in a breath through his teeth when she ran one finger over the bead of moisture at the tip, spreading it over the wide head before slowly pulling him to her mouth. God, yes.

Except… “Julie.” He was trying again to tell her that she didn’t have to do this, but the rest died in a harsh grunt as her lips closed over him.

The pleasure was so intense now that he was reduced to nothing but pure feeling, all concentrated in his cock. There was no way he was going to last. He drew out of her mouth with a groan, pulling her up off the bed and yanking her jeans down before pushing her back again, rolling them the rest of the way off her legs. And then she was lying on his bed, her hair spread about her, naked except for a scrap of blue silk across her sex.

“Adam.” His name came out of her on a sigh. She lifted her hips in invitation and that was all he needed. He stripped completely, not taking his eyes off of her for a moment, before bending down to slide those pretty blue panties off her body. Her legs parted, leaving him staring glassy-eyed at the sweet pink cleft between her soft thighs.

“Yeah.” He could only grunt basic sounds now, he was so lost in the intense, burning need to have her just take her. He put his hands beneath her thighs to pull her body to the edge of the bed. This time, the kiss they shared was hot, dirty, and wet, and he couldn’t help stroking himself as their tongues slid over each other, fucking each other’s mouth.

Insane. This was insane. He’d never done something this wildly reckless in his life, and certainly never with someone like her. A faint memory flashed of being so close to her lips, three years ago, before he’d pulled away out of fear. Had he known even then that it would be like this? Is that why he’d drawn away?

He moved back a step, but stayed hunched over, his cock so painfully hard now that it was pulling him into a crouch. “Julie. Do you—” Adam shut his eyes against the vision of her swollen lips, her bare body, flushed with desire. “I don’t think I can wait.”

She sank backward and looked up at him. “Then don’t.”

He yanked open the drawer of his nightstand and pulled out the box of condoms. There was a moment of frustration when he realized he still hadn’t opened the box since he’d bought it last year, but he still managed to rip into it and draw a condom on in record time.

Now. He was going to have her now. He’d lost any finesse completely, long ago. All he knew now was the need to be deep inside her. He took himself in hand, positioned himself at her entrance, and pushed.

“Oh my God.” She gasped, jerking in response as his head breached her entrance.

Holy fuck, she was so small and hot and wet. He shut his eyes for a moment and pushed deeper. Her legs tightened around his hips, and she made a small sound of discomfort. His eyes snapped open and his hips froze in place.

“You okay?” he could barely get the words out, her passage was squeezing him so hard, but he forced himself to wait, bringing one hand around to gently stroke her clit. He felt her relaxing, just slightly, and after what seemed like an eternity, she finally nodded, spreading her legs a little wider.

He pushed again, just another inch, and this time she moaned, “Ohhhh, Adam.”

Fuck, yeah. The sound of his name, just like that. Another push. This thrust was harder, and a couple more inches slipped inside. She groaned and bucked, and he massaged her body, working her open by degrees. She writhed beneath him all the while, squeezing and pulsing around him until, after what seemed like an eternity, the base of his cock met the tight ring of her entrance, and both of them let out heavy sounds of satisfaction. They were both breathing hard, and his forehead was damp with perspiration

He couldn’t imagine anything better.

But it was getting harder to stave off his release, and the urge to move, to thrust blindly, was spreading like wildfire through his limbs.

“Please, Adam. I’m so close.” She pushed her swollen bud against his fingers. “Please.”

Oh, thank God.

He pulled out slowly, pushing the heel of his hand against her clit, and her breathing grew faster. “Yes. Yes, like that.”

He could feel his climax approaching, and he thrust back in hard, fast, unable to hold back anymore. He kept his hand against her for one thrust, two, in rapid succession, and that was all it took. She gasped and bowed off the bed, arching those beautiful breasts toward him, and he felt her channel contract tightly just before she screamed his name, spasming around him, pulling his own orgasm from his body in shuddering waves.

…

I just had the best sex of my life with Adam Hotness.

Julie had never felt anything like this. Her former boyfriends had never been able to get her so hot, so fast, and the sex had been more like a chore than anything. She was holding Adam after he’d practically collapsed atop her, completely spent, and sifted her fingers through his hair. His weight was pleasantly heavy, and she widened her legs to let him sink into her body, running her hands over the hard muscles of his back, the firmness of his ass, before pressing a kiss to his cheek.

This can’t be more than one night.

Strange, when he’d said that—she’d felt a sense of regret and they hadn’t even done anything yet, really. Hadn’t she wanted a fling in the first place? When class had started just a week ago, that’s what she’d been thinking about. But hearing Adam confirm that a fling was all this was…

It didn’t feel right.

But then she’d looked at him, at the way his expression was worried and hopeful at the same time, and she’d realized that when it came to him, she wasn’t going to turn down any opportunity. She’d thought about him for years. Wanted him for years. And she’d promised herself long ago that she wasn’t going to waste her life. She was going to enjoy everything it had to offer.

Even if it was one night at a time.

Adam propped himself up with one hand and reached the other between them to grab the condom before pulling out. She winced as it pulled her sensitive tissues, feeling how swollen and tender she was even without looking. He settled alongside her, propped up on one elbow.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so rough.”

She lifted a finger to his lips and smiled. “That was amazing.”

He didn’t say anything, but she could tell he was pleased. His shoulders pulled back, and he reached out a hand to squeeze her hip, then trailed his fingers along her body before sliding over her, pressing a kiss to her lips.

“I’ve got to take care of the condom. I’ll be right back.”

Julie nodded, and Adam rose from the bed and disappeared into the hall. She stretched on his bed, taking in her surroundings. They’d been so frantic when they’d first come in that she hadn’t had a chance to see where he lived.

The bedroom was sparsely furnished, just the bed and a small table along one wall, and a highboy dresser along the other. Books were stacked nearly two feet high on the floor in several places, and she could make out a few titles that she’d used in college. She grinned. He even took his work into the room where he slept. Why was that not surprising? The man was driven.

And given what he’d told her about his background, it made sense. It must be hard to let go of that driving determination that had pulled him out of poverty, even after he’d clearly succeeded. In fact, she imagined he would always carry with him the fear of slipping back into that life. She had come to terms already with the knowledge that she would never fully leave behind what the bullying in high school had made her feel. The fear of not being seen as a person, but rather as a means to an end.

Maybe that’s what drew her to him. He looked at her with so much intensity, made love to her with it, too, that she couldn’t help but feel like she was someone who mattered.

But while she’d made the effort to combat her worries, he didn’t seem like someone who even could do that.

That’s probably why only one night was for the best.

Even though, right now, it didn’t feel like it.

She heard his footsteps in the hallway, and Julie lifted herself up on her elbows, watching him as he walked through the door. She hummed in appreciation, and he stopped before the bed, staring down at her.

“What was that for?”

He looked so stern, like he often had back when he was assisting in lectures, but without any clothes to cover his broad shoulders and muscled stomach, she had no trouble imagining what it would be like if she were to show up in his office one day to play professor and co-ed.

She shook the fantasy away. Adam didn’t seem the type to go for spontaneous, illicit sex on campus. Besides, he’d made his intentions clear.

This can’t be more than one night.

She wondered if she’d even ever see him again. But instead of rolling over and burying her face in the pillow like she wanted to, she grinned. “You have a great body.”

He didn’t answer, just gave her a half smile and sank down on the bed, stretching alongside her and pulling her close. Did the man never receive compliments? Even from his parents?

She frowned.

“What’s that look for?” His finger traced the notch that had appeared between her brows.

“I was just wondering, how did a farm boy from North Dakota get interested in finance?”

A strange look skittered over his face, but he didn’t turn away. Still, his next words were chilling in their detachment. “When I was growing up, the farm was actually doing well enough that we could have afforded to live a decent life. Nothing fancy, but at least there would be food on the table and warm clothes in the winters.”

She could only imagine. “But?”

He lay back, pulling her with him so that she nestled against his chest, her hand skimming over his side. It felt so good to lie here with him, as though they’d been doing it for years. She tried to commit every last second to memory. Tomorrow, when she was alone with no promise of being with him again, she’d want to remember.

“My dad had dreams of grandeur. Every year, there was a new scheme, a promise of some big return on a too-large investment. We ended up barely scraping by. Year after year. And there were some bad harvests that made things even worse. Watching that—well, let’s just say that I knew I could do better.”

“So you decided to learn about managing money.”

It wasn’t a question, but he nodded. “It was a good decision. My dad died a couple of years ago and left my mom and sisters with nothing. Having a job like mine meant I could help support them.” He let out a small laugh, his mouth turning up and his eyes crinkling attractively. “Funny. I’ve never told anyone except Naomi why I got into finance. I guess no one has ever asked.”

That made Julie frown again. How could he have lived this way and not be starved for simple friendship? Or did he prefer not to get involved with people, and she was just a way to pass the time between work projects? The back of her neck tightened at the thought. It was one thing to agree to only one night together with the knowledge that she’d wanted him for so long and would finally have her desires fulfilled. It was another to feel like he wouldn’t have cared who she was, as long as she was in the right place at the right time.

She pushed the thought away. Focus on the positive. Enjoy what you have now.

“You have a great smile, you know.” She traced a finger over his lips, and his mouth relaxed, but his eyes were still bright with amusement.

“That’s definitely something no one has ever said to me.”

“Really? Because it’s pretty damn sexy.” She hummed when his tongue darted out and licked her fingertip. “You should show it off more often. Maybe even in your classes from time to time. You never used to smile when I was in your section.”

“Now you’re exaggerating.”

“I’m not! You had a reputation for being the most serious TA.”

He frowned a bit at that, but nipped playfully at her finger before grabbing her hand and moving it to his chest, holding it there. “What about you—didn’t you major in economics?” He shook his head. “I don’t even know what you do now.”

Let it go. She was letting her past color her view. He was asking about her as though he really wanted to know her, after all. Surely that was a sign that he actually cared about who she was and not just what was between her legs. She took a deep breath.

“I work at Carter Allen.” The prestigious investment banking firm was well-known for only hiring the best.

His chest fell with his hard laugh. “I won’t make the mistake again of saying that I’m surprised. But I am certainly impressed.”

She smiled and tipped her head back to kiss him. “Speaking of work, I should probably get going since I have to get up early tomorrow.”

She could feel his breath catch, but after a moment, he nodded. “Sure. Okay. I understand. I have an eight a.m. lecture, too.”

That made her laugh. “God, I remember that. That was the class that I took that you were the TA for, and the only morning class I was excited to get out of bed for.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really? You thought it was that interesting?”

Was he being obtuse on purpose? She blushed. “I thought it was obvious what I found interesting. Especially after that afternoon I came to your office hours and—”

“I remember. But I didn’t think it meant anything to you.” His voice was low.

For a moment, she was stunned. “I thought I’d done something terrible so I avoided you. But I thought about you a lot since then. How could you think it didn’t mean anything?” She gulped. “I never stopped wanting you.”

Under her palm, she could feel his heartbeat speeding up, and she wondered whether she’d said too much. But in the next moment, he pulled her to him. “You were always so easygoing. So happy. I thought I was just a passing attraction. But I thought about you, too,” he murmured against her lips, and she shivered with pleasure at the words. He nibbled a trail along her jaw and stroked her back, massaging his way downward until she was straining against him.

She arched and gasped. She wanted to tell him that being easygoing wasn’t as easy as it looked. That she had to make a choice to get out and have a good time. But the way he was touching her was making her thoughts break apart. “You weren’t just a passing attraction.”

He brought her legs over his and she felt his cock against her body, hard again, hot and ready. “I wanted you then. And I want you now.”

She sighed and pushed against him, making him groan and squeeze her hips. One night. One night. Make it count. Live it, completely. Fully.

“I guess I could stay a little while longer,” she whispered, and those were the last words they spoke for quite some time.

Chapter Eight

“Did you solve all the world’s financial problems or something?”

Adam shut his laptop on the lectern as Naomi walked toward him. The room was almost empty now, the few students who had stopped to ask him questions after class having just shuffled out.

“What do you mean?” he asked innocently, but he already knew. He hadn’t stopped smiling since he’d dragged himself awake at six o’clock this morning. Julie’s ‘a little while longer” had turned into several hours of the hottest sex he’d had in his life. Around 3:00 a.m., they were finally exhausted and she was practically falling asleep on top of him. He’d told her that she could stay, but she’d insisted on going home.

Neither of them had wanted to say good-bye, though. Despite his earlier protest that it would be just one night, he’d had a hard time walking her out the door. Just before she’d climbed into the cab, she had given him a lingering kiss and asked, “Will I see you at our class next Thursday?”

He’d seen so much hope in her eyes, and even though his brain had protested, he’d already known there was no way he was going to skip class next week.

“I’ll be there,” he’d told her, before kissing her good-bye.

He was in so much trouble.

“You’re wearing the sloppiest grin I’ve ever seen.” Naomi laughed, and he immediately snapped out of his musings over the way her body had felt under his, the way she had panted and shouted when he pulled her atop him and bucked up into her hot, clinging heat—

“Earth to Adam!”

Shit. He shook his head, forcing himself to focus on Naomi, who was smirking at him in an I-know-what-you’ve-been-up-to kind of way.

“I take it that you had a nice evening yesterday?”

He shrugged, trying to contain the frenetic energy he felt whenever he thought about Julie. “Yes, it was quite pleasant.”

Naomi gave a loud laugh. “Quite pleasant,” she mimicked him in a British accent. “Well, whatever you did, it certainly shows. Your class today was practically inspired. I only caught the last ten minutes, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen your students this engaged.”

At that, he frowned. “It’s the same material as always.”

She tsked at him. “I know. But you’re putting a different energy into it. Just because your students are young doesn’t mean they can’t pick up on it. It’s attractive.” She waved her hand. “I say that from a purely observational point of view, mind you.”

He was feeling pretty good, like nothing could go wrong today. He’d realized this morning, on his commute to campus, that his desire for Julie had certainly not gone away after he’d slept with her. If anything, it had gotten stronger. Not to mention that her suggestion to him last night, about smiling more, had been at the forefront of his mind all during class this morning, and he’d found himself doing just that.

But he hadn’t made any promises beyond going to the next dance class. Julie hadn’t pushed him on it, either. In fact, before she’d left this morning, she’d said she was looking forward to doing this with him again. It seemed pretty clear she wanted a no-strings-attached kind of relationship, and he realized that sex with her once a week might be exactly what he needed. The benefits were already showing up in his work, apparently, and when he returned to his office now, he expected he’d be able to churn out a whole section of edits.

It was the perfect arrangement.

“I guess I’m just feeling inspired today,” he offered. That was the truth, after all. He’d certainly been inspired last night to try a lot of things with Julie that he’d never done before.

“So? Who is she? And do I get to meet her?”

There was no use hiding from Naomi. He had to at least admit he was seeing someone. “It’s nothing serious. Just a girl I met in the tango class.”

Naomi rubbed her hands together, following him as he carried his laptop to a nearby table and slid the computer inside his bag.

“A girl, eh? So that’s what you meant last week when you said she wasn’t a woman? And you’re avoiding a direct answer again. I do love a good mystery.”

Damn it, Naomi was perceptive. He turned and shook his head at her. “You’re a sick woman. Who would have guessed that a top econ professor would be so interested in my sex life?”

She practically cackled at that. “Ha! So, it’s just sex?”

“You’re impossible. And it’s not like that.” He didn’t like hearing that about Julie from someone else, even if Julie herself had said more or less the same thing this morning.

“But you said it wasn’t serious.”

He blew out a frustrated breath. “Only because it can’t be!” Damn, he had just shouted.

Naomi stopped laughing at him and was looking at him warily. “I’m sorry, Adam, I didn’t realize.”

He dropped his shoulders, feeling deflated. “No. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have reacted that way. It’s just that, I have my career to focus on. I can’t afford anything serious right now…”

Naomi furrowed her brow. “Then I hope you’ve told her that you’re not looking for a commitment.”

“Actually, Julie’s the one who brought it up first.”

“Her name is Julie?”

Crap. He hadn’t intended to say her name. Given that Julie had been in Naomi’s class, Naomi might even remember her. At the same time, it felt good to be able to talk to someone about this…he glanced at her sideways. “Yeah. Julie Stanton. Does that name ring a bell?”

Naomi’s jaw dropped.

Looks like it does.

“Julie Stanton? You just said you can’t afford anything serious, but that girl is the definition of serious, Adam. Either she has drastically changed her personality since she took my course, or something else is off.”

He paused. “What do you mean?”

“Do you even know anything about her?” She looked shocked. “This isn’t like you at all, Adam. You’re usually really meticulous about everything…” She stopped and whistled. “I think you’re fooling yourself, my friend.”

“Again, I ask, what do you mean?”

She looked up as a few students entered the lecture hall for the next class. “Come on, let’s move to your office.”

They headed into the corridor.

“I mean I would caution you to tread lightly when it comes to messing around with her.”

“Why, does she have ties to the mob or something? Come on, don’t you think that’s a little dramatic?”

They went up the stairs to his office above the classrooms. Naomi entered first, but she didn’t sit down. Instead, she crossed her arms and leaned against his bookshelf, looking down at him with disapproval.

What the hell?

“She made an A in my class. There are so few students who manage to do that that I remember every single one of them. She comes across as all happy-go-lucky, but she is laser focused when it comes to work. She was actively pursued by Carter Allen, did you know that? She even authored a couple of papers with Cole Ryan her senior year.”

“What?” He was shouting again. Ryan was an NYU economics professor with whom Naomi shared a friendly rivalry—and Ryan also happened to be not much older than Adam, though not as good-looking. Or maybe it was jealousy that made him think so.

She nodded. “I introduced them because Julie told me she wanted more real-world experience. She spent most of her senior year working on market research with Ryan. They published two articles and were invited to present their work at several conferences. It seems off that a girl who could be that mature in her academic life would want just a fling.”

“Look, I appreciate your concern, but I don’t think it’s like that. As you’ve already realized, Julie hasn’t told me these things herself. Besides, maybe she is driven when it comes to her work life, but she made it pretty clear that she didn’t want anything serious when it came to—” He stopped, not liking the feeling he got when he thought about how his involvement with Julie was coming across. This might be casual, but it was more than a one-night stand. He shrugged. “I think you’re getting professional and personal confused.”

Naomi gave him a skeptical look, but she uncrossed her arms and sighed. “If you say so. But even if you’re right, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re already acting differently because of her. You say you can’t afford anything serious right now, but I still say it’s more serious than you’re willing to admit.”

She pushed away from the bookshelves and walked toward his office door, turning at the threshold. “I told you last week to be open to possibility, but it sounds to me like you’ve already decided how things should be.” She sighed when she saw him scowl. “I think you’re a great academic and a wonderful friend. So please know that I am saying this because I care about you and want you to be happy. But if this blows up in your face, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

…

“So, was Operation Hotness successful?”

Julie couldn’t keep from grinning at Frannie’s question. “It was—” She stopped short, not sure how to describe what had happened last night, because “successful” didn’t even begin to cover it. Mind-blowing, yes. Hot, definitely. But there had been more to it than just sex. Getting to know some of Adam’s history had only made Julie appreciate him more.

Frannie whistled. “Good enough that you don’t even have the words, eh?”

Julie laughed. “You know me too well.”

“Are you going to see him again?”

“Of course I’m going to see him again!” Julie tried not to sound too indignant, given that she practically jumped into bed with him after he’d told her he only wanted one night. But something had changed during those hours, and she hadn’t wanted to push it by asking him why.

There was a moment of silence on the other end, and then Frannie asked, calmly, “Are you getting serious with him?”

Julie sighed. No. Except she wanted to. Except he’d said he didn’t want anything serious. But then, he hadn’t stuck to his “one night” plan.

God this was complicated. “I think I could.” She realized even as she said the words that she hoped he felt the same way.

“If you guys get married, may I call him Professor Hotness?”

“You’re getting a little ahead of yourself, Frannie. But, yes, you may.”

“What about when I come up there in a couple of weeks?”

“You’re coming to visit?” Julie squealed into the phone. “You’d better be staying with me.”

Frannie laughed. “Of course I’m staying with you, Miss Rockefeller. Your place is nicer than any four-star hotel. I’m flying in the Thursday after next for an all-day training on Friday, then I fly back on Sunday morning.”

Julie hesitated for a moment, trying to fight the disappointment that she wouldn’t be able to see Adam after their class the night that Frannie arrived, but her friend immediately followed up with, “And don’t stay away from Professor Hotness on my account. In fact, I insist that you go home with him again. I arrive really late, so I’ll just use the spare key you gave me.”

“You’re talking like it’s a sure thing, Frannie.”

“Well, didn’t you just say you wanted it to be?”

Yes. But it takes two to tango. Julie laughed at her own pun. “I guess I did. I don’t know. I want it to be more than just sex, though. And I think it might be.”

“I should have known you’d be just as intense about this whole thing with Professor Hotness as you are about the rest of your life. I guess when you resolved to live and round out your personal life, you didn’t want it to be the only thing you’ve ever put a half-assed effort into.”

“I’m not sure whether that was a compliment or an insult.”

“Since you’re letting me stay in your fabulous apartment for the weekend, it was definitely a compliment.”

“You’re impossible.”

“You love me.”

“True.” Julie nodded to herself. “And I’ll see you in two weeks.”

Chapter Nine

He never thought he’d enjoy just walking. Adam stepped Julie backward in time to the music, moving in the circle of dancers. She had a small smile on her face, and every once in a while, her hand would caress his shoulder as if to remind him of her touch.

Like he needed reminding. He’d thought of her too much this week already, but the thoughts hadn’t distracted him like before. They were almost like rewards—a way to lose himself a little at the end of a particularly grueling class, or after rewriting entire sections of his book to reflect new studies in the field. Thinking of Julie was surprisingly…fun.

Even more amazing was, once he stopped fighting thoughts of her, his work got easier, too. He’d been looking forward to tonight’s lesson so much that he hadn’t even minded leaving behind a stack of papers to grade before tomorrow afternoon. Of course, that meant he had to reserve the late-night hours tonight for that. But maybe he could convince Julie to go back to his place for an hour or—

The thought made him cringe. There was no nice way to ask a girl to come home with you for an hour of sex before you rolled out of bed and started grading papers.

It’s just…he wanted to be with her.

Fuck, he was turning sappy. He didn’t need to be with her. He needed to get his act together and do some work.

“Very nice, Adam.” Ivana appeared next to his shoulder, walking in time with him and Julie. “You’ve really found your style in this class. And you’ve certainly relaxed a great deal since the first lesson. You look like a natural now.”

With that, she walked away, leaving him reeling and Julie grinning. A natural? Him?

“I knew you could move.” Julie leaned in and murmured the words. She was teasing him, but there was a promise behind it.

Too bad he couldn’t see it fulfilled tonight.

“Listen…” He had to pause to guide them around a couple who had stopped and were arguing over who had caused the guy to step on his girlfriend’s foot. “I’m kind of in a crunch period right now. I have to leave and get back home right after class tonight.”

Her fingers curled tight around his for a moment, but quickly released. Damn it. She’d been expecting to be with him. He felt like an asshole. Still, it’s not like he’d been leading her on. He’d told her he would come to the class tonight, and he had. Surely she didn’t expect a relationship, did she? She was a young, beautiful, pleasure-seeking woman who would want to do things like dance lessons on a regular basis. He…was not.

“No problem.” Her tone was casual, but her shoulders were tight. He could feel it as they moved through the dance.

Which was a surprise. He’d never been particularly good at anything that required relaxed grace, easy fluidity. But he could actually sense Julie’s mood just by holding her in a dance form.

“Um…maybe…” She drew his attention back to her, and he was surprised to see her worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. What was she nervous about? “Would you—that is, um, are you doing anything on Saturday evening?”

Ah.

He did have plans to work. But the things he needed to get done weren’t as important as his grading tonight. He shook his head. “No. I’m not. What did you have in mind?” He’d had such a productive week, after all. Surely he could spare one evening. Once this dance course ended, he would be nose to the grindstone again, anyway.

Besides, after last week, when she hadn’t protested at his warning that their involvement was only for one night, he figured she was exactly what he’d thought—carefree and out to have a good time. No strings attached.

“Maybe dinner? Seven o’clock? I could meet you at your place and we could eat somewhere close by.”

He nodded. “Yeah, okay. Sounds good. Sounds…fun.”

She smiled, and on they walked.

…

“Can I ask you something?”

Adam set down his fork and nodded at Julie. “Go for it.”

They were sitting at a small place near his apartment, having a leisurely dinner. They’d been talking about Adam’s sisters—two of them had young children whom he’d met only once—and the entire time, Julie couldn’t stop wondering something.

“Why are you so against having a good time? I mean, I know you said that right now you’re under pressure to finish your book, and I get that you had too much work when you were in school, but wasn’t there ever a time when you just…you know, kicked back?”

He blew out a breath, then picked up his wineglass and took a sip. She wondered what he was thinking about, whether she’d offended him, because it took him a long time to answer.

And when he did, it was with a casual dismissal. “Even if I could afford the time, I’m not like you. Fun doesn’t come easily to me.”

He’d said something like that before. Didn’t he realize?

“It doesn’t come easily to me, either. I mean, I am happy. But only because I make an effort to be. It’s not as easy as it looks. It takes work, and it takes away from work, and sometimes I’d rather just sit around in my pajamas and eat ice cream than dress up and go out to something like a tango class.”

He leaned forward, clearly puzzled. “Then why do you do it?”

Should she tell him? Should she share her unhappy high school experience and the reason why she made her promise to always live life to the fullest? It felt a little intense. Intimate. Not something she would tell just a fling.

And yet she wanted to tell him. She took a deep breath. “I had a hard time in high school. A bad experience with some other girls who weren’t very nice to me and—well, it went on for a year before I even worked up the courage to tell my mom about it.”

He reached his hand across the table and took hers. The contact made her relax a little, and she smiled at him. “I transferred to another school for my senior year and had a much better experience. I worked really hard, got a lot of my confidence back. But I realized that I hadn’t done a great job of putting myself out there and being social. I was too afraid still. That’s when I swore to start making an effort to have fun. To smile and to laugh and to dance—not just bury myself in my work. It never stops requiring an effort, but it’s important. I don’t want to lose that kind of joy again.”

His fingers stroked hers. “I’m sorry, Julie. I didn’t realize…”

“How could you have?” But did he realize what she was saying about him? How the risk in his life wasn’t having fun, but rather missing out on so much because he was giving in to his fear of not being able to provide for his family?

She cocked her head to one side and looked at him, wondering whether she should say what was on her mind now. But just then, the waitress stopped by and dropped off their bill, interrupting the moment.

As though through some unspoken agreement, they exchanged only a few words while he paid and they walked out, heading the few blocks to his apartment building. Adam hit the call button for the elevator, then leaned over to kiss her, hot and sweet at the same time.

He softened the kiss and whispered against her lips, “I should have asked whether you were planning to come up.”

She nodded, her nose bumping his. “I’d love to.”

The elevator arrived and they took it up to his floor, then headed down the hall to his place. He spoke to her over his shoulder as he unlocked the door. “You said earlier that you weren’t sure whether you’d work at Carter long-term, but we got off topic after that. I never asked you why that was.”

Usually, she felt somewhat awkward, talking about her work to anyone who wasn’t in finance, since most found it pretty boring. She rarely had a chance to share what she was working on unless she was talking to Frannie or her sister-in-law Meredith. It made her heart skip a beat to realize that he would not only understand, but possibly even think that what she had to say was interesting.

“I like working there. I was promoted to senior analyst recently, and they want me to start managing a few more analysts next year. But I’ve had an offer recently from a hedge fund to move over and manage that.”

“Wow, are you going to take it?” He pushed his door open and gestured for her to step inside.

“I’m not sure,” she began, feeling suddenly very self-conscious. Even though she was usually confident in her work, sharing her ambitions with Adam made her nervous. She wanted him to think well of her. In every way. “I’ve learned a lot at Carter. Enough to, um, develop my own model for emerging markets.”

She cringed, bracing herself for his laughter at her amateurish meddling around.

But he didn’t laugh. In fact, he looked pretty impressed. And—interested. He stepped in to kiss her, a slow, sensuous pull of lips. “You have no idea how turned on I am right now. Tell me more about your model.”

She had to struggle to focus. It was hard to think about anything right now except the wet heat gathering between her legs. The way he nibbled at her jaw, scraping his teeth lightly over her earlobe—

“Tell me,” he repeated, pushing his hand beneath the light sweater she wore and gently palming her breasts over her bra. She arched into his hand, desperate for skin-on-skin contact, but he didn’t give her what she wanted. Just continued to stroke and squeeze her. Waiting.

“M-most of the work so far focuses on adapting existing, proven models to scale up or down so that they fit these middle markets. But—oh my God.”

She panted as he pushed his hands under her bra and lightly pinched her nipples, rolling them between his strong fingers. She looped her arms around his neck and arched back, pushing her hips into him. Wow, he wasn’t kidding. He was very, very turned on.

“What else?”

“Most also don’t take into account—fuck, Adam. Is this necessary?”

He had pushed her clothes out of the way and was now sucking on one breast, and she brought one hand to his hair to tug gently in encouragement. But as soon as she stopped talking, his mouth moved off of her, making her whimper with need. She looked down at the pale, damp skin, topped with the soft pink circle of her areola, and his mouth only an inch away. A soft moan pushed out of her.

He laughed, low and seductive. “No, it’s not necessary. But humor me.” And then, as she watched, he ran his tongue in a tight circle around her nipple.

She nearly exploded. Yes. That was so good. She brought her hand downward and took hold of his belt loops, pulling him forward against her until she could open his pants and slide her hand into his boxers to stroke his thick, hard flesh. He groaned and thrust into the circle of her fingers.

“Micro-microfinancing activity is often significant enough to a developing economy that it needs to be given equal, if not more, weight than traditional financing avenues.” She purred the words at him, and he broke, taking her mouth hard, almost brutally, as they worked at each other’s clothes. Within seconds, they were completely naked.

She’d never be able to read The Economist again without getting turned on.

He walked her to the nearby couch, giving her one last hard kiss before turning her around and bending her over the back of it, leaning over her body and stroking his tongue from her neck to the base of her spine. She shuddered and moaned and writhed against him.

Before she could register what he was doing, he knelt down, dipped his head between her legs, and licked between her folds.

“Oh!” She jerked upward, but his hand was on her back, holding her against the couch as he ran his tongue over her, teasing at her clit with his mouth, until she was practically begging for him to fill her, to make her come. No other man had ever made her feel so needy, so fast.

“Adam. Oh. I want you.” She was panting, frantic, scratching at the cushions of his couch. And when he didn’t respond, just continued to suck and nibble her swollen, hot flesh, she rose, pushing at his head. “Adam!”

The man actually had the nerve to grin up at her. But when she dropped to her knees on the floor next to him and pressed her mouth to his in a heavy, open kiss, he dropped the grin and pulled her flush against him, rubbing his hard cock against her lower belly until the abrasion of his wiry hair against her sensitive skin became too much for her to bear.

“Now, Adam. I need you now,” she insisted, and this time he complied, pulling her up and leading her to the bedroom, sitting her on the bed before grabbing a condom and rolling it on in record time. But instead of lying back and letting him thrust into her, she pulled him down to lean against the headboard.

“Like this.” The commanding tone in her voice surprised her, but she found herself unwilling to have it any other way. She straddled his hips, positioned him, and took him halfway in one hard stroke.

He let out a groan, digging his fingers into her hips as she lowered herself again, this time sliding down his entire length. “God, Julie. You feel so good.”

She brought her hands up to the headboard behind him, steadying herself as she moved her body up and down again, slowly, loving the feel of him trembling beneath her. His eyelids were lowered, his mouth slightly parted, and it floored her to realize just how much she enjoyed giving this man pleasure, not because he seemed to have had so little in his life, but because she wanted to. She wanted to do it for herself as much as for him. For Adam.

She increased her pace, pushing her hips forward against him each time, and he opened those gorgeous, glinting blue eyes to look into hers before pulling her forward for a kiss, just as he bucked up into her. On a gasp, she began to move even faster on him, his body pushing up into hers each time, hitting her in just the right spot, until she was so close that she was grabbing at his hair, his back, trying to take hold of her climax and drive it home.

He grunted, bracing his weight on his hands and driving deep, once, twice, and she felt it then, racing up her fingertips and down her legs. She moaned and curled into him as her passage pulsed around his cock, milking his own release from his body in long, trembling shudders.

…

A little while later, they were lying on Adam’s bed, Julie’s back nestled against his chest. She gave a little hum of satisfaction before saying lazily, “I didn’t realize financial models were one of your erogenous zones.”

He gave a weak laugh and sifted his fingers through her hair. “I didn’t, either.” With his other hand, he stroked down her side and laced his fingers through hers. “But that was way better than porn.”

She giggled. “Now I know what to invest in over naughty lingerie. Finance books.”

“I have plenty of finance books.” He kissed her neck. “Maybe I’ll get you to read them aloud while wearing naughty lingerie.”

“Next time.” She picked up her hand above their bodies, staring at their joined fingers. The sight filled her with a strange sense of satisfaction. Despite the fact that his hand was so much larger and rougher than hers, they fit just right. She turned and dropped a kiss on his shoulder.

Next time. It sounded so good.

Chapter Ten

“I think we’re getting pretty good,” Julie whispered as Adam led her in a move called an ocho. She’d been thrilled to see him waiting in the classroom when she arrived today. On Sunday, after they’d woken up and had slow, leisurely sex, he’d told her he had to go to campus to get some work done on his book, but he’d promised to see her for their tango lesson.

They hadn’t been in touch since she’d left his apartment early Sunday morning, and as Thursday had neared, she’d found herself growing nervous that he might not show up.

It hadn’t bothered her at the time. She’d laughed, in fact. But in the days since, she’d thought about it more. He hadn’t asked for her phone number or where she lived. He kept talking about work being important to him, and even after their conversation over dinner on Saturday, he hadn’t seemed to want to admit that he was having fun, or that he was good at something that required relaxing and letting go. He hadn’t seemed to realize that the lesson she learned about living fully was one that he might benefit from, too.

Then again, they’d agreed that this was just a fling. Maybe this temporary thing they had going was his fun. Either way, she didn’t know why she found herself almost expecting more. In these three short weeks, she had come to care for him. The attraction she’d had for him for years, which had been merely banked all this time, was only a part of what she felt for him.

But he didn’t seem to feel the same way.

“We’d be better if we were allowed to take this class naked.” He walked her backward, making her swivel her hips in time to the music.

She moved closer, dropping her voice as a pulse of arousal shot through her. “Are you kidding? We wouldn’t learn a thing.” Thinking of him all week long without being able to talk to him or see him without doing something crazy, like stalking him at his apartment, had been nothing short of torture. She felt ready to explode just from dancing with him.

He raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know about that. I distinctly remember you teaching me a couple of things on Saturday.”

Her cheeks flushed at the reminder, but she laughed, pressing her body into his. “Too bad our lesson was cut short. I can offer you a makeup class tonight, though.”

His hand dropped down her back. “You’re such a generous instructor.” He leaned his head forward just as Ivana walked by.

“Posture! And put some distance between you. I don’t teach close embrace in the beginners class.” Ivana smiled, righting their arms as she spoke. “Although it is nice to see how in love you are.”

In the next instant, Ivana had already moved on, and they were left standing there, staring at each other nervously.

Was she really that obvious?

But the way he was looking at her, with a hint of fear behind a mask of discomfort, made her think of all the times he’d mentioned having a good time being detrimental to his work. A risk.

She was a liability.

He gave a tight laugh, and she could feel that the tension had returned to his body. It was hard not to feel like she was fifteen again, being made to feel less than human by the girls who had bullied her. Like she didn’t matter at all.

She gasped in a breath. Adam faltered in his steps and she forced herself to relax.

Don’t jump to conclusions. Maybe he just feels uncomfortable at having displayed so much in public, instead of at hearing Ivana’s words.

She forced herself to ignore his sudden tension. Over the next twenty minutes of the class, he slowly relaxed, throwing her increasingly heated looks as time went on. By the Ivana announced that they were finished for the evening, they were again dancing much too closely and Julie felt a bit better. Better enough to turn to him and ask suggestively, “Do you have any papers to grade tonight?”

He grinned. “No. Does that mean you’ll come home with me?”

She liked him so much.

She liked that he didn’t mind her dorky finance talk. She liked that he was driven, just like she was. She grinned and nodded. Frannie wouldn’t arrive for hours. They could catch up tomorrow. Right now, Adam was eager to be with her, and she wanted him.

She waved to some of the other students and grabbed the backpack she’d left along the wall, again with her toiletries and clothes for the next day. She’d been hopeful. “Let’s go, then.”

In the taxi on the way to his apartment, he kissed her. Small, sweet kisses, as if to reassure her that he was with her. When they got out in front of his building, there was no rush upstairs, just an easy attraction that floated between them as they stepped into the lobby.

Once upstairs, she pushed him down on the bed and undressed him, slowly, licking every inch of his body before he rolled her to her back and slid between her legs, moving in and out of her in leisurely thrusts that had her begging, crying for him to fuck her faster, harder. When he finally gave in and began to pump in and out of her in fast, rough strokes, her climax was the most intense one she’d ever experienced.

They collapsed onto the bed, sweaty and spent. He lay on his back and she snuggled against his side, one hand on his chest in a now-oddly-familiar way.

“Um, Adam?”

“Yes?” His voice was gravelly. He was falling asleep.

“Well…I was wondering…there’s a concert on Sunday in Central Park. My brother and his wife are going. I thought it might be fun if you came along, too.”

Beneath her, he stiffened. Not falling asleep anymore, it seemed.

Why was he reacting like this? Was he too ashamed to be seen with her? Or if not ashamed, was he—well, he certainly didn’t seem to value whatever she thought they’d had.

No. We have something more than just a fling. I know it. Please don’t back away from this. Before he could protest about it being too late or taking too much away from his work, she hastened to add, “It’s in the afternoon, so you could take a little time out and meet us, then get plenty of sleep that night. Andrew and Meredith are pretty low-key, anyway, since they run two big companies between them. And my friend Frannie is in town, so I’ll welcome an early night as well.”

Adam pulled his hand from hers, and she felt suddenly unmoored. “Wait. Frannie, as in, Frances Kramer, the girl you always sat next to in my class? And your brother, Andrew Stanton?”

“Yes, and yes. Do you know Andrew?”

He shook his head. “I know of him. He’s the CEO of Harbor Technologies and famous for his philanthropy. But I do know his wife. She used to be Meredith Klaus, right?”

The conversation was one that any new couple might have had, a way to discover relationships that made them feel even closer, but something about this exchange felt very unpleasant to Julie. He wasn’t snapping at her, exactly, but his words were definitely clipped, as though he were annoyed instead of pleasantly surprised.

But at least he hadn’t rejected her. Was there hope after all? She nodded, slowly, feeling unsure of where he was taking this. “Yes, Meredith Klaus. She kept her name when they got married.” She waited, but he didn’t say anything else.

Just ask. Don’t be afraid. Take a chance. Be bold.

“What do you think? Will you come?”

His sharp exhale said everything. Even before he spoke, she knew the answer.

“I’m sorry, Julie, but I can’t. I have to get my edits done, and I’m already on a tight schedule because they’re taking longer than I’d planned.”

Although his excuse was reasonable, it still hurt. The way they’d been these past couple of weeks, it was impossible now to deny that they were more than just a temporary thing. He enjoyed being with her, and she…well, she definitely cared about him. More than any guy she’d been with before.

“Of course. I understand.” She hesitated, worried, wondering whether she should push it. But part of her had to know. “Maybe we could do lunch during the week, then? If you’re already on campus for a class, I could meet you there.”

Silence. She could hear her heart beating, a slow, heavy pulse that felt like dread.

Finally, he sighed. “Julie—”

Oh, no. She did not like the sound of his voice.

“I really appreciate what you’re trying to do. I’m flattered, in fact. But there are only two more weeks in our dance class. We talked about this. You wanted something with no strings attached. Don’t let yourself get carried away by a couple of nice evenings and start thinking this means more than what it really is.”

Carried away?

She sat up and clutched the sheet over her body. She wished she had clothes on because right now she felt overexposed, raw, and the beat of dread inside of her had grown louder. “What do you mean? I’m not suggesting these things as a favor to you. I like you. I want to see more of you. I thought you felt the same way.”

He reached for her, but she pulled back. “Are you really trying to tell me that even after tonight, you didn’t see us going anywhere past these six weeks of dance lessons? Just like that, the bell rings on the last class and you walk out?” She searched his face, eyes roaming from the strong, set jaw to the little furrow between his eyes.

She could already tell what his answer was. He was retreating into that stupid fear of his, of losing control of his career, or—or something like that. Whatever fear of financial failure he’d been carrying around for so long was taking over now, and it was like he’d thrown a wall up between them so thick that, even if she put her hand out and touched him right now, she wouldn’t be able to reach him.

He rose and strode to the bureau, pulling out a pair of shorts and yanking them on, then stayed standing on the other side of the room. She hated the way he was just looking at her, sitting naked and alone in the bed. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this vulnerable.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “I haven’t—I didn’t expect to get involved with you, you know. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to. But I didn’t plan for this to happen. I wasn’t supposed to get involved with anyone, at least not until I get tenure.”

What the hell? Tenure could take years. He’d seriously planned his life to that degree and expected it to just go according to his preset notions?

“Besides, you’re not looking for a guy like me. I’m too serious. You want to have fun and be free. Things that I don’t do. I’ve never done.”

She stared at him in disbelief. “After what I told you, you really think that all I want is to be free? When I have to work hard at getting out and making sure I’m not missing what’s truly important?” She huffed out a breath. “I don’t understand why you think having fun is a risk. The risk is in not having fun. It means living in fear. And that’s what you’re doing. It’s not about not having the time for me, or anything that might take you away from work. It’s about you running scared. How long are you going to be able to keep that up?”

He was quiet for a moment. “I don’t know,” he finally admitted. “But I do know that I have things to do. I haven’t gotten where I need to be yet, and where I need to be takes work and focus and—” He let out a growl of frustration. “I didn’t want to be in that class in the first place, but you did. What happens when you want me to take time off my work to go out and do fun things with you? I won’t be able to, and you’ll only end up hating me. A relationship between us at this point isn’t a sound investment. You don’t want this.”

She sucked in a sharp breath, feeling like he’d just punched her in the gut. She threw the sheet aside and stood up, so irate now that she didn’t even care about covering herself. If he read sex or shame into her stance now, it was his problem. She walked toward him, radiating anger.

“How dare you? How dare you treat me so coldly, like some kind of scientific curiosity? How can you tell me what I think and what I want even after I’ve made it clear otherwise? Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised, since you’ve planned your life so perfectly that you’re trying to plan mine, too, but I am surprised. I’ve enjoyed being with you. I enjoyed our time together. I didn’t expect you to act like this.”

He gave her a look of stark confusion. “What do you mean? I’m trying to be honest.”

She huffed. “No, you’re not. Not about yourself and not about me. You’re making assumptions about who I am and what I want and—” She broke off. Took a deep breath. “When I was in high school, I was bullied for an entire year by girls who just decided that they didn’t like me. They tried to make me believe that I was worthless. They tried to make me think that I wanted things and thought things that were wrong, or even different from what I actually wanted and thought. For a while, they even succeeded. But even when I was dealing with their horrible treatment, I didn’t feel so dismissed as a person as you just made me feel.”

Damn it. Now that her anger was burning off, the tears were starting, and she felt the familiar panic rising, the one she felt every time those girls in high school did something terrible and she had to deal with the aftermath of everyone laughing at her, taunting her.

“Fuck you” was all she could finish with, before she turned and fled.

Chapter Eleven

“I’m so sorry, Julie,” Frannie said again. They were lying side by side on Julie’s couch, drinking wine directly from the bottle while watching Pretty Woman for probably the hundredth time.

Frannie had already been asleep when Julie got home from Adam’s the night before, and—according to the note she left—was gone for an all-day business meeting by the time Julie woke up after a fitful night. It had been a struggle just to get through the workday, and the moment Frannie had walked through the door just an hour ago, Julie had practically jumped on her, spilling everything and crying as she rehashed the entire evening.

Now they were halfway through a bottle of Shiraz and Julie was feeling limp from exhaustion and wine.

“It’s okay, Frannie. I’ll get over it. I feel like such a fool for hoping for more and letting myself get carried away. I made an idiot of myself.”

Frannie grabbed the bottle from her and took a drink. “It sounds like you guys had more than just sex. If you ask me, there is something more between you, and it’s Professor Dumbass who is misinterpreting his own feelings.”

“He’s not a dumbass, no matter what he did.” Julie slumped. “But it still means I wasn’t enough for him. Why couldn’t I inspire a gesture like that?” She pointed to the television screen, where Richard Gere was scaling the fire escape with flowers to win back Julia Roberts.

Frannie pffed at her. “Because the only thing Adam has in common with Richard Gere is the good looks. Which are significantly marred by his shitty behavior, I might add.”

Julie slid sideways and leaned against Frannie’s shoulder. “You’re such a good friend.” She gave a heavy sigh and stuck out her hand. “Now pass me the bottle.”

…

“So? I take it the tango class didn’t change your life.” Naomi frowned at him from across the table, where Adam had just sat down to dinner with the Franklins—Naomi, Victor, and their two daughters, Carmen and Jeanette—at their house.

It had been six days, nineteen hours, and forty-seven minutes since Julie had run out of his room, shoved her clothes on, and slammed out of his apartment.

Not that he was counting.

But it was hard to pay attention to anything else. Especially his work.

And for some reason, he couldn’t seem to care about that. All he wanted was Julie, and he’d lost her. He poured himself another glass of wine. How many glasses had he drunk already? Two? Three? He didn’t usually drink much, but he’d gulped down the first one within minutes after Naomi handed it to him when he arrived, and hadn’t slowed down much after that.

“Actually, it changed it rather drastically,” he drawled.

Naomi eyed him. “That doesn’t sound particularly positive.”

“It wasn’t. It was awful. It made every day complete worthless.”

Carmen snorted water out her nose. Naomi gave her daughter a look.

“What? That was ridiculous.” Carmen crossed her skinny teenager arms over her chest and smirked at Adam. “You sound like a bad romantic comedy.”

“Hey!” Naomi turned to Carmen. “Completely unacceptable behavior, Carmen. Not only have you insulted a guest, but someone who has never been anything but nice to you. You may go to your room now.”

“But—”

“I don’t think so.” Naomi’s tone brooked no arguments. Carmen flounced off. Naomi turned to Jeanette. “You may stay for now, though we might need to take a break for some adult talk.” She gave Adam a look.

“I’m sorry,” he managed to get out, feeling ashamed. “I’m clearly not fit for company. To be company. Three’s company?” His mind felt hazy. Jeanette giggled.

Even Victor was having a hard time not smiling.

“Go on, laugh at me.” Adam sighed, flopping back into his chair. “I’m an idiot.”

“What happened?” Victor asked.

Naomi shook her head. “You messed things up with Julie, didn’t you?”

“Who’s Julie?” Jeanette was leaning in, viciously curious.

“A student,” Adam slurred, thinking of how they had met in the tango class.

Jeanette gasped, Victor tsked, and Naomi laughed. “God, Adam, you’re wasted.” She slid his wineglass away and pushed his water goblet toward him. “Drink this. And Julie was a student in one of the lectures that Adam TA’d several years ago. But she graduated a while back. They happened to end up in the tango class together,” Naomi explained.

Jeanette looked disappointed. Naomi and Victor exchanged a meaningful glance.

“There’s something about that class,” Victor murmured, and Naomi dipped her head shyly.

Adam hated how watching their interaction made him think of Julie. Everything made him think of Julie.

“So, what happened?” Victor looked down the table at Adam. “Because the way you’re behaving, it seems like this Julie person treated you ill.”

Adam thought about what Julie had said. He’d never considered he might find something serious with Julie. Naomi had told him something similar, that he needed to be open to that possibility.

He could see that now, in hindsight. Julie was a brilliant woman who drew him out of his shell and made him laugh. She was a woman who turned him on with talk of dry subjects, just because she was the one talking. She was a woman who knew how to live life fully, who was afraid but recognized it enough to get over it, and despite that he was older and supposedly more established, he was the one who had learned from her.

He’d been afraid for too long, and he’d let that fear destroy something amazing.

Adam shook his head. “I might have done something that your wife warned me not to do. Or failed to do something that she told me to do. Either way, Naomi was right and I messed up. I was so hell-bent on working hard to succeed because that’s how I even got this far. I didn’t realize that I was so close to burnout until seeing Julie made work a little easier.”

He dropped his head. “Now she hates me. I was so focused on how having fun might ruin my life that I missed seeing how much she added to my life.” He huffed out a laugh. “And I didn’t get anything done this week.”

The table was silent long enough for the truth to really sink in. I’ve been an idiot.

Adam stood up so fast that he jostled the table, rattling the glassware. “I have to go.”

“Of course you do. You have to go see Julie.” Naomi glanced at Adam sideways as she calmly served herself some brussels sprouts, then placed several on Victor’s plate, as well. Victor made a face, but didn’t argue.

No one argued with Naomi. Adam should have known that. She was too scary to disobey.

But that wasn’t why he was going after Julie. For once, he wasn’t doing something big out of fear. In fact, going after Julie felt like the bravest thing he’d done in his life.

Chapter Twelve

Julie was trying to follow along with the music, but her feet kept dragging. Tonight she was dancing with Trent, since neither of their partners had bothered to show up. She and Adam were over, and there was no reason now for him to come and torture himself with fun.

Stop thinking about him. It was a fling and it’s done. Move on.

She’d been trying to move on all week, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Adam. At times, she found herself wondering if it would have been better for her to never get involved with him in the first place. Wanting him from afar and not being able to have him had been so much less painful than this.

She let out a heavy sigh.

“You doing okay, gorgeous?”

Trent was looking at her with concern.

She gave him a halfhearted smile, feeling bad for being such a depressing partner. “Yeah, just tired, I guess.”

He frowned. “Does this have something to do with your missing man?”

“He’s not my man.”

“Oh, it’s definitely about him.”

For the first time since she left Adam’s apartment the week before, she laughed.

Trent grinned. “See? I’m always right about things like this. That’s why the ladies love me.”

She laughed again, about to tell him that she’d certainly loved him—as a friend—but his eyes snapped to something just behind her and the smile on his face died away just as he came to an abrupt stop.

She tensed. “What is it?”

Before Trent could answer, a voice sounded from just over her shoulder. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I believe that’s my partner you’re dancing with.”

Adam.

She whirled around on a rush of excitement, before she could remember that Adam had hurt her and she was supposed to be angry with him. But when she saw him, she pulled up short and gasped. “You look awful.”

His eyes were a little bloodshot, and his hair was sticking up in places, like he’d run his hand through it about a thousand times. His chin and cheeks were stubbled, lending to his scraggly look. And he smelled like wine. A lot of wine.

She had never been so happy to see him.

He chuckled. “I guess I deserved that.”

Then, she did remember that she was angry at how he’d treated her, and she crossed her arms and frowned. “What are you doing here?”

He met her gaze, his tired eyes looking sad and apologetic. “I wish I could say something more romantic.” He shook his head and smiled wryly. “But I’m here because I’m sorry, Julie. I’m so sorry.”

Someone gave a sigh of appreciation, and she realized that the room had gone silent, watching the exchange.

But she wasn’t going to let him off the hook just yet. He’d hurt her, and she needed more than an apology. She needed something to believe in.

“Thanks for letting me know.” She kept her voice neutral and her arms crossed. Between that and the expectant look she was giving him, he must have realized that he needed to give her more than that, because the next thing he said nearly took her breath away.

“I didn’t even realize how much of me already belonged to you until I lost you. I acted like a jerk last week and made you leave. And when you did, you took a vital piece of me with you. You took my heart.”

Oh my God. His words nearly killed her with feeling. She uncrossed her arms and stepped toward him, just a little closer. “That was pretty romantic, actually.”

“Don’t let him off so easily, Julie,” Trent piped in, and she laughed at Adam’s frustrated look.

“Julie.” He lifted a hand toward her, as though he wanted to touch her, but stopped himself, dropped his arm back to his side. “I am sorry. I made so many assumptions about us, about me, that I didn’t realize until it was too late just how much I was enjoying being with you. I used work as an excuse, when all along you were right. I was afraid of putting myself out there. Of risking not just my job, but my heart.”

This time, she was the one to reach out. She closed the remaining distance between them and looped her arms around his neck. “Go on,” she whispered, looking up at him.

“I thought I wasn’t able to concentrate because you were a distraction. But after you left, it was even worse. This past week, I couldn’t do much more than sit around my apartment and mope. I finally realized tonight that meant so much more than I was willing to admit.”

She tsked at him. “I wouldn’t believe you capable of just sitting around.”

He smiled at that. “I’m sorry it took me longer to realize than it should have. But once I did, I didn’t want anything to get in the way of me and you. I rushed right here as soon as I figured out what an idiot I’d been.”

She melted against him. “Oh, Adam.”

He pressed his forehead to hers. “From here on forward, I want not only to enjoy my life, but I want to enjoy it with you, to take us seriously.”

“Really?” Her heart was bursting with happiness.

He nodded. “Really.” He kissed her gently, and a chorus of sighs erupted from the rest of the class.

She could feel herself blushing hotly, but she didn’t pull out of his arms. He tightened them around her. “What do you say?”

“I’d say that I have some thoughts about game theory that I’d like to discuss with you tonight.” She looked up at him through her lashes and felt a thrill roll through him. “Later, though.” She slipped back and put her arms in their dance position. “First, let’s take a walk.”

Did you love this Entangled Select Contemporary? Check out more of our titles here!

And for exclusive sneak peeks at our upcoming books, excerpts, contests, chats with our authors and editors, and more…

Sign up for our Newsletter

Be sure to like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Acknowledgments

As always, huge thanks to my husband for loving me enough to give me time and space to write. I see it as the mark of a true partnership and abiding respect that he has enabled me to have A Room of My Own.

To my children, thank you for being the most wonderful parts of my day, every day.

Tahra Seplowin and Wendy Chen, you two are so much fun and very talented editors. Thanks for making this book so much better, like you always do. I’m so impressed by your insight and all-around smarts!

To AnaLinda, Steve, and all the partners at practicas and milongas that I’ve had the joy of dancing with over the years, thank you for tangoing with me.

To my friends at Wonkomance and on Twitter, my writing partners, and those who have invited me into your writing lives and become friends because of it, thank you. I didn’t realize how much I needed you until you were there.

My readers are some of the most amazing people on the planet. Thanks to all of you for loving love like I do!

About the Author

Audra North fell in love with romance at age thirteen and spent the next twenty years reading as many romance novels as she could. Even now, after having read over one thousand of them, Audra still can’t resist the lure of a happily ever after, and her collection continues to grow. She lives near Boston with her husband, three young children, and a lot of books. Visit her website at audranorth.com or find her (way too frequently) on Twitter @AudraNorth.

Sign up for our Romance Steals newsletter and be the first to hear about new releases from Audra North and other fantastic Entangled authors!

Reviews help other readers find books. We appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative. Thank you for reading!

Also by Audra North...

Composing Love

When composer Minh Jackson finally gets her big break, it should be the best day ever. But one look at film studio owner Chris Reichert—a blond, tattooed hunkity hunk—Minh’s dream suddenly feels distinctly off-key. Secretly, Chris is completely attracted to—and distracted by—Minh. And it’s not long before their initial physical attraction comes blazing to life. But all it takes is one small mistake to not only end this precarious new relationship, but bring their careers to a crashing finale…

Discover more Entangled Select Contemporary titles…

Snowbound Seduction

a novella by Melissa Schroeder

Trevor MacMillian is the tart and incredibly sexy executive chef who’s made pastry chef Elaine Masterson’s life a living hell. But when she catches him in nothing but a tiny little towel, it’s almost enough to make her forget they’re stranded in a luxurious mountain cabin together—or that she hates him almost as much as she craves him like a sinfully forbidden dessert. Then an intense and unexpected kiss turns their hostility into insatiable hunger. And with this much heat, the snowstorm outside doesn’t stand a chance…

How to Fall

a novel by Rebecca Brooks

Julia Evans puts everyone else first—but all that is about to change, starting with a spontaneous trip to Brazil. Now Julia can be anyone she wants. Like someone who’s willing to have a wickedly hot hook-up with the sexy Aussie at her hotel. Except, Blake Williams may not be what he seems. Julia and Blake will have to decide if they’re jumping into the biggest adventure of all or playing it safe.

His Temporary Fix

a Love at the Beach novella by Sofia Grey

Zack Winter is on short-term leave to attend a funeral, and he’s walking a fine line. The loss is unbearable…and he’ll do whatever it takes to distract himself from it. Especially if it means a night of searingly-hot sex with Holly Jacobs. Only his brilliant idea isn’t exactly going according to plan. One night isn’t nearly enough. This sexy little fix might be what they’ve both been waiting for, but it might just end in broken hearts…

Lost in Geeklandia

a novel by E.J. Russell

Introverted computer engineer Charlie Forrester has coded an algorithm for love, a nearly flawless matchmaking program. But then she’s challenged to prove its accuracy – on herself. With her dream job on the line, Charlie has thirty days to forge a romantic relationship with her “perfect” match…her ex-friend and now-nemesis, Daniel Shawn. And when fake romance crosses into real chemistry, Charlie’s formula for love might just be the perfect formula for disaster…