Out of Line (Out of Line #1)(36)
Author: Jen McLaughlin

“I hope that’s a promise.”

She rolled her eyes. “So is this the surprise? I already knew you had an apartment.”

I chuckled and nuzzled her neck. “That’s not the surprise.”

“Then what is?”

She arched her neck to allow me better access. Nice. I nibbled some more. “You’ll have to go in and find out.”

She hopped off my lap and practically ran up to the door. Note to self: she likes surprises. I followed her more slowly, grinning at her exuberance. When she turned to me impatiently, her hand out, I set the key in her hand. She burst inside the door—and then stopped.

She scanned the room, looking for any signs of something different. Turning to me, she cocked a brow. “Uh, where’s the surprise?”

“Right here.”

She eyed me, her eyes dancing. “Is it you?”

“I wrapped something with a bow.”

Her gaze dropped to my cock, and her voice came out breathy. “Seriously?”

I burst into laughter. “Nope.”

“Darn, that would’ve been fun.”

I made a mental note to remember the idea. “It’s better than that.” I reached into her bag and retrieved the item I needed. I brandished her anatomy book with more flair than I knew I had in me. All for the greater good, of course. “We’re spending the night…studying!”

“Studying. Really,” she said dryly. “I can hardly contain my excitement.”

“I see that,” I said, laughing. “But that’s not all.”

She perked up. “Oh? What else?”

“Every time you get an answer right, I get to kiss you anywhere I want.” I let my gaze dip down low. “And I’ve got a few ideas where I’d like to start.”

Her cheeks flushed and she licked her lips. “And if I get it wrong?”

“Then you don’t get kisses and you go home with Cory to study.”

“I thought you hated him.”

I gently shoved her down on the couch and laid my body on top of hers. “I do.” I nibbled on her ear, biting a little bit harder than necessary. “So you better get the answers right.”

She dug her nails into my shoulders. “Fine, but I need time to study.”

“Time granted.” I gave her a long, searching kiss, my tongue circling hers. When she kissed me back without hesitation, her body melding into mine more completely than her mouth, I almost forgot her need to study. Almost forgot part of my job was to make sure she didn’t get distracted from her duties.

I was distracting her, and I had to stop.

With a groan, I pulled back and ended the kiss. “No more of that until our studying session starts.” Hopping to my feet, I handed her the textbook and headed for the kitchen. “I’ll be out on the patio, cooking you dinner.”

She blinked up at me. “You cook?”

“Hell yeah, I cook. Better than that, I grill. I have one on the back porch.” I gave her a cocky grin. “I’m more than a pretty face, Ginger.”

“I already knew that,” she said gently, meeting my eyes. “In fact, I knew it as soon as you opened your mouth and told me about yourself.”

I froze. I had been mostly joking, but I’d dealt with the assumptions I was nothing more than a pretty boy with no goals all my life. Hell, right now I was playing the part of that exact type of person. She saw the real me? Knew I had goals and aspirations?

I cleared my throat and forced myself to stop standing there like an idiot. “Uh, good. Now off I go. Study hard, woman. I don’t want you hanging out with Cory.”

She laughed and cracked open the book while I set about getting ready to grill some burgers outside. But first, I pulled the vanilla ice cream out of the freezer and grabbed some milk. I scooped half the container into the blender, added milk, then threw in some Oreos for good measure. I had promised her a milkshake before realizing she had to study, and she’d damn well get it.

I switched the blender on, and she looked up at me. When she saw what I was making, her eyes went wide. After I switched off the blender, she said, “You make milkshakes too?”

“Yep.” I pulled two red cups out of the cabinet. “And they’re the best you’ll ever have.”

“Really?”

I emptied the contents of the blender into the glasses and stuck two straws into the cups. “See for yourself.”

I crossed the room and gave her the glass with more in it. She took it from my hand, her fingers brushing mine as she did so. She wrapped her perfect lips around the straw and closed her eyes. And I was jealous of a f**king straw. “Holy crap, you’re right.”

“I know I am.” I grinned. “Now get back to studying, or I’m taking it back.”

She hugged it to her chest. “Never.”

Her phone rang and she dug it out. “Hello?” Silence. “Yeah, of course I can help you. How about tomorrow after class?” More silence. “Sure. I’ll see you then, Keith.”

Keith. Who the hell was Keith?

She hung up and smiled at me. I arched a brow. “Should I be worried about this Keith guy?”

“Nope.” She pushed her hair out of her eyes. “Remember the guy Cory was mean to?”

Nerd boy. “Yeah.”

“He asked me to help him plan the booth the school is running at the Relay for a Cure taking place next week.” She set down her phone. “I told him to contact me if he needed help. His parents died of cancer…and so did your mom. So I wanted to help.”

I swallowed hard, moved by her compassion. “That’s nice of you.”

“It’s nothing at all,” she murmured distractedly, taking a sip of her milkshake. “I wish I could do more.”

Her attention was on her book, so I left her alone. She was always so busy wishing she could do more that she didn’t see she was doing enough. Her heart was big enough to encompass everyone around her, including me. I headed back into the kitchen, sipping my own milkshake. As I sliced the tomatoes and onions, I kept stealing glances at her. She sat on my couch, completely silent with her head bowed over the book, and I couldn’t get my mind off how much I liked this little bit of domesticity. I could get used to cooking while she studied.

And I could definitely get used to helping her study.

Hopefully when I told her the truth later tonight…it wouldn’t be a thing of the past. I just wanted to let her study before the fighting began. Or so I kept telling myself.