Page 51 of The Baby Bargain
Fuck, I want to wrap my arms around her and inhale it.
Which is beyond out of the question.
My friends are right. I need to get laid. As soon as she leaves, I'm calling Griffin and Wes. Demanding they join me at a club and play wingman.
Not that I need their help. Or their commentary. I'm perfectly capable of calling—
God, I don't even remember her name. Any of them. Five clients left cards this week and I can't envision a single one. My head is too full of Ariel.
Fuck, this is not productive.
I move into the bedroom. Recite the Dodgers line up. Change into boxers, jeans, a t-shirt. I don't even check the colors. My head isn't here.
In the main room, Ariel is sitting at the kitchen table, eyes pressed together, deep in thought.
I move to the kitchen counter. "You eat dinner?"
Her gaze follows me. It moves over me slowly. Studying me. Like I'm an animal in the zoo. Or maybe like she's deciding if she wants to do me like we're a video on the Discovery Channel. "I came straight from work."
"Teaching?"
"If you can call it that." She opens her laptop. "It's more like… babysitting."
"Really?"
She nodsyeah. "I'm always stuck with 101 classes. Most of the students are there as a requirement. They don't care about math."
"Some must."
She nodsmaybe. "I usually have one."
"Who's the one?"
"Mandy. She's smart, but shy. She doesn't like to ask questions. It's almost like she's embarrassed she's smart."
"Maybe she is."
Her brow furrows with confusion. "Why would you hide that?"
"It intimidates guys."
"Why would you want a guy who's scared of your brain?"
"You're asking me?"
She nodshell yeah. "Your ex was…" She clears her throat. "She wasn't book smart, exactly."
"She was an artist." My stomach twists. The thought of Grace still makes me sick. But it's necessary. The verbal equivalent of a cold shower.
"Were you threatened by that?"
"Never." I shake my head. "We were competitive, sure, but the same way Forest and I are about basketball."
"He's better than you."
I can't help but laugh. "Most people wouldn't say that."
"Sorry." Her nose scrunches. "Do you not want the truth?"
