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 fucking 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.

Though studying hadn’t been in my plans for the night, I hadn’t missed the way she’d hesitated when Cory asked her if she wanted to study. I knew she was torn between doing what she wanted to do, and what she should do. Hell, I knew that particular dilemma all too well. So I made the decision for her. She could have both. She didn’t need Cory to study.

She had me.

I might not be going to college to become a doctor, but I could certainly hold up a flashcard and help her cram words into her head. When I finished cooking dinner, I headed back inside. She was still on the couch, but she’d sprawled out across it and was balancing the book on her chest. I set the platter of burgers down on the kitchen counter, cracked open a beer, and took a long draw, my eyes on her the whole time. She’d finished her milkshake. Maybe I’d make her another one later. Anything to make her happy.

Her mouth moved silently as she read, but otherwise she was still. Yep. I definitely could get used to this. “Dinner’s ready.”

She jumped slightly and looked at me. “What?”

“Dinner.” I motioned to the plate behind me. “It’s ready.”

“Oh.” She set the book down and rubbed her temples. “I didn’t realize I’d been reading that long.”

“Yep, you were.”

I stood in front of her and tugged her to her feet. She wrapped her arms around me once she was standing, then kissed the spot directly over my heart. I hugged her close, my heart speeding up at the soft kiss. I wished…

Wished these things would never change. Wished she wouldn’t have to hate me. Wished I didn’t have to tell her the truth tonight. The cowardly part of me wanted to hold back. Wait. But I knew it was the right thing to do, even if I didn’t want to.

She rose up on tiptoes and kissed me. “Ready?”

Hell no. “Yeah, come on.”

I grabbed her hand and led her into the kitchen. As we built our burgers, mine with mustard and ketchup, hers just ketchup, I kept stealing glances at her. She was tapping her foot as she created her meal, her lips moving silently. I had no idea if she was singing or citing medical terms, but either way…fucking adorable.

I grinned. “You singing a song over there?”

“Hm?” Her foot stopped mid-tap. “Maybe.”

I scooped her up in my arms. “Don’t stop. I love it.”

Her cheeks tinged pink. “Really?”

“Really.”

She pushed out of my arms and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Well, then, you better get used to it. I’m kind of a dork.”

“I find you adorkable.”

She snorted. “That was a pretty adorkable thing to say.”

“We have to stick together.”

She flopped down on the couch. “I have to eat this, then give me ten more minutes to study.” She picked her burger up. “Then we play.”

“Deal.”

We ate in companionable silence. Once she was finished, I cleared our plates and busied myself with the dishes while she studied. I leaned against the counter and dried my hands. “How’s it going over there?”

She glanced up at me. “I feel like I ate a house, but I think I’m ready.”

I crossed the room and took the book out of her hands. I glanced down at the page and scrunched my eyebrows together. “Exciting stuff, huh?”

“It’s anatomy.” She stretched her arms over her head, baring a tiny strip of stomach. That was all I needed to want her. Hell, I didn’t even need that. “None of it is exciting.”

“I beg to differ,” I said. I dropped to my knees in front of the couch and pushed her shirt back up. She sucked in a deep breath and held it, her bright blue eyes on me. “I find anatomy, yours in particular, quite exciting.”

She arched a ginger brow at me. “Oh really?”

“Mmhm.” I ran my fingers over the bare strip of skin and kissed it. “Really.”

She threaded her hands through my hair, holding me there. I closed my eyes and practically purred like a cat. This. Right here. I could live like this quite happily for the rest of my life. I nibbled on the patch of skin right under her belly button, tightening my grip on her hips when she started squirming.

“Don’t stop doing that,” she whispered, her eyes drifting shut. “Like, ever.”

I didn’t want to. “Are you sore?”

“No.” Her cheeks turned red, and she opened her eyes to peek at me. “My lower extremities are fine.”

“Look at you, showing off your medical vocabulary.” I kissed her stomach, this time a little bit lower and grabbed her waistband. “Say something else the book taught you, and I’ll kiss you again.”

She spouted off some medical jargon I couldn’t really understand, but it sounded legit. As long as I got to kiss her some more, I’d be happy. I undid her pants and pulled them off her legs. She had a dark purple satin thong on that just might be my favorite color in the whole world right now. I ran my fingers over the soft satin, dipping down to brush across her clit.

Her left leg fell to the floor, granting me better access. I took full advantage of this, slipping in between her legs and nibbling on her upper thigh. “Say something else or I’ll stop.”