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“You said your aunt and uncle kicked you out,” I began, wanting to get the whole story from her. “What happened? And where are your parents?”

“My parents died four years ago. Car accident.” She said it with such clipped stoicism that I could tell that she didn’t like to talk about it, which was hardly surprising. “And my aunt and uncle got custody. They have a very small house, and my aunt’s brother just lost his job and moved his entire family in. There simply wasn’t any room.”

“So they just kicked you out?” I couldn’t help it, my tone was indignant. The very idea straight-up pissed me off.

She shrugged. “Yes. I’m eighteen, and I’ll graduate in a couple of months. The idea was always for me to leave as soon as I was done with high school. They just decided I should do it a few months ahead of schedule. We were never close. My uncle is fine, he was my dad’s brother, but his wife never liked me, and her brother and I . . . don’t get along, so I wasn’t really surprised. At least I have a job. I used to just waitress to pay for my phone and stuff, but I’ve been saving, and if I cancel my cellphone plan, I should be able to scrape together enough to put down on an apartment pretty soon.”

I glanced over at her. Her voice had been blank, emotionless even, but her eyes showed me that she wasn’t unaffected by her aunt and uncle’s callous actions.

She tugged at the hem of her skirt, and I tore my gaze north. Our eyes caught for another electric moment before I managed to look away.

I opened my mouth to ask her how much cash she needed to help her put down first and last month’s rent on an apartment, but couldn’t do it. I didn’t want her staying in some crappy apartment in the sketchy part of town. If she stayed with me she could save her money, and I had plenty of room.

“We’ll go to my house, get you settled in, and try to figure out what you need,” I told her.

She fidgeted with the hem of her skirt. It drew my attention to her legs, which were nearly bare in the tiny, pleated skirt she was wearing. “I have everything I need,” she assured me.

“Are all of your uniforms like that?” I asked in a carefully neutral tone.

Her clothes were a problem for me. If I was going to stick to my own rules, I needed her to cover up more. I wasn’t proud of it, but it was a fact nonetheless.

She shrugged nonchalantly, but her eyes were glued to my face as she answered, “They don’t take up much room. All my clothes fit in one bag.”

No, they wouldn’t, being that they consisted of hardly any material. “We’ll talk about it later,” I told her.

We were almost to my neighborhood before I thought to mention, “For obvious reasons, it would be better if you didn’t tell anyone that you’re staying with me.”

I didn’t even have to turn my head to see her rolling her eyes. “Do you think I would do that to you, Mr. North?”

“I just thought I should be clear. It would look bad, obviously.”

“Obviously,” she agreed, though there was a bite to the way she said it.

“No one would believe that you were just staying with me, and that it was completely innocent,” I felt the need to explain, probably because I’d had a hard-on from the moment I’d seen her walking on the side of the road.

Of course no one would believe it. Even my own dick wasn’t convinced.

We were silent for the rest of the drive, which didn’t take very long. I pulled into my garage, shutting the door behind us before I got out of the car.

CHAPTER THREE

“NICE PLACE,” NOVA said, looking around as I led her from the garage, through the mudroom, and into the kitchen.

It was a nice place. Too big for me, too much in general, but everything was top of the line, and my interior designer had made sure it all matched up, design-wise. Lots of cool tones, shiny surfaces, and rare flashes of vibrant color.

“You pay for all this on a teacher’s salary? This and those cars?” she asked skeptically, referring to my second car that she’d obviously spotted in the garage.

I turned, leaning my hip against the large slice of white marble that made up my kitchen island. I folded my arms and glared at her. “That is a rude question, Miss Monroe.”

“Sorry,” she said, biting her lip and making very solid eye contact with me. Her eyes were almond shaped and dark and seductive enough to break my resolve.

I looked away first.

“I wasn’t trying to be rude,” she continued. “I’m just curious. I’ve heard you’re rich, but no one knows why.”

I sighed. “If I tell you, will you keep it to yourself? I don’t need everyone knowing my business.”

“Of course. I’ll never tell anyone any of our secrets, Mr. North. I swear it.” Her voice now was breathy and low. She was messing with me. She was a sweet little thing, I knew, but clearly she had a naughty side.