More than once, I found myself wondering how old he was and if I could fit both hands around his bicep. Another time or two, when he wandered out from behind the bar, I’d see if I could detect the bulge behind his jeans.
Unfortunately, I also found myself comparing his clean-shaven jaw to Willem’s.
I shut that shit down quick but couldn’t quite stop it from happening completely.
“So, what brings you to Cincinnati, new girl?” Gia asked.
“College.”
“Join the club,” they all said in unison.
“Ugh,” I groaned my displeasure.
“Not a fan?” Xander asked, laughing.
“Nope. My parents cornered me into it.”
“Bummer.”
“Are you housing in the dorms?” Amber asked.
“No. I forgot to apply in hopes it would stop me from coming. But my un—dad’s stepbrother,” I corrected before saying uncle, “is a professor at the school, and I’m staying with him.”
“Who is it?”
“Willem Deander.”
A chorus of squeals and excitement erupted from the duo.
Xander stepped back and winced, covering his ears. “I’m going to head back over there,” he said, escaping the high pitch.
“Oh, my god. Seriously? He’s so hot,” Gia squealed.
“He’s the hottie of economics.”
“Really?”
“Totally. There’s a hot professor in almost every department, but it’s totally a tie between Dr. Deander and Dr. Pierce in the science department as the hottest professors of the school.”
“Yeah, but Dr. Pierce is married now,” Gia whined.
“To one of his students,” Amber said, waggling her brows. “It makes me hold on to hope I still have a shot with one of the hotties. Maybe Dr. Deander will come in to see you. We’ll meet eyes across the room and fall madly in love,” she said dramatically.
“So romantic,” Gia added.
“Yeah,” I agreed half-heartedly. I imagined the scenario and the embers of a low fire burned in my chest. My fingers twitched to shove her aside and let her know that would never happen. Willem wouldn’t be interested in a blonde bimbo.
Jesus.
Taking a deep breath, I calmed the burning jealousy and shut that cattiness down. I may have a snotty attitude, but I was never a bitch. Especially not to other girls just because they liked a guy.
Thankfully, all further fantasies stopped being voiced when a swarm of patrons came in and work picked up again.
The last two hours had me running from one place to another until I was dead on my feet. The walk home felt a lot longer than the walk there.
However, when I walked in, I was met with the nice surprise of Willem sitting on the couch, his feet propped on the coffee table watching the Travel Channel.
“Hey, stranger,” he greeted, looking over the back of the couch.
“Hey.”
“Long day at work?”
“Yeah, but I’m proud to say, I only messed up twice and flirted my way out of both situations.”
He laughed, shaking his head. “There’s some pizza on the counter if you’re hungry.”
As if on cue, my stomach rumbled. “That sounds awesome.”
“Grab a beer and come watch about Prague.”
“I’m nineteen.”
He gave me a look that let me know no one would believe I hadn’t drunk before. “I’ve seen your Instagram and been an eighteen-year-old in Europe. I have no doubt you can handle a beer.”
“You looked at my Instagram?”
“Yeah, you’re my niece.”
“I’m definitely not your niece.”
A moment stretched where I leaned against the frame between the foyer and the living room and the small space to the couch. A moment where everything not being his niece meant sat waiting to be acknowledged.
I held my breath, tugging my bottom lip under my teeth. Blood rushed to my cheeks when his eyes dropped to watch the motion.
Say something my body urged. I just didn’t know if I wanted him to say something or me.
In the end, it didn’t matter.
“Still.” He shrugged and turned back to the TV, bringing his own beer to his lips.
Shaking off the moment, I stood back. “I’m gonna change, and then I’ll be down.”
“Cool.”
I fought a smile at the use of his word, which he gave me shit for overusing the first day.
I threw on a pair of old rolled up boxers and tank top, sighing when I could toss my bra across the room. I didn’t consider the consequences of my outfit until I walked in with both hands full of pizza and beer and no way to cover my chest. Thankfully, it was the dark tank and not my thin white one.
Maybe it was the beers he had, but his reaction time was slow, and I couldn’t miss the way his eyes dropped to stare at my chest. My nipples hardened, and he swallowed. Heat pooled in my core. Had any man ever really looked at me like that? Like I was water in a desert?
As quick as it started, it ended. He cleared his throat and looked away. “You ever been to Prague?”
“No. But next time for sure.”
“Well, dig in and educate yourself for next time.”