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“All curled up. With your brows furrowed as you work.”
“Thank you.” Was that the correct response? The way he was watching her made her hyperaware of herself. “I’m actually about to take a break and make some tea. Would you like any?”
“Sounds great, but let me get that for us.”
Before she could protest, he’d moved into the kitchen.
“Where do you keep it?”
It was such a sweet gesture. She was so tempted to direct him to the green tea bags that she kept around for guests who preferred it.
She rose and set her papers down. “Thank you, but I’ll prepare it. It’s actually boricha tea. Have you ever had it?”
His brows rose and he shook his head. “I’m not sure.”
“It’s a barley tea, popular in Korean culture.”
She showed him the process of boiling water and the little roasted kernels, then straining it into a pitcher.
He took a sip and made a murmur of pleasure. “This is really good.”
“You like it then?”
“Love it.”
Oh boy, she definitely couldn’t let Umma meet Eric. He not only loved her pork bulgogi, but boricha tea too. Just more perks to this already seemingly perfect man. Her mom would go into matchmaking overdrive.
“I should, um, get back to grading those papers. Make yourself at home. Feel free to watch TV if you want.”
“Thanks. I’ve got a book I can read.”
Once she was settled with her tea and papers, she snuck a glance at him over on the recliner. She’d been hoping to see what kind of books he read, but he had a digital reader.
Fiction? Nonfiction? History? Romance? Thriller?
“You have to tell me what you’re reading,” she murmured as she made a note on the paper she was grading. “It’s going to drive me crazy.”
He glanced up, surprise and amusement in his gaze. “Trevor Noah’s autobiography, Born a Crime.”
“Oh, nice. I’ve heard about that one.” She loved the late-night talk-show host. “Is it as funny as he is?”
“Definitely.”
Trevor Noah was pretty cute too. More than once she’d caught herself discussing that with her friends. Though she wouldn’t tell Eric that part.
“I’ll have to pick that one up.” She smiled faintly and turned her attention back to her papers.
By the time she’d finished a half-hour later, sleepiness was beginning to creep in. She glanced at her phone and realized it was much later than she usually went to bed.
“I should probably head to bed.” She set the papers back in her bag and cleared her throat. “You don’t have to come with me yet, if you’re not ready.”
“Nah, it’s getting late. Bed sounds like a good plan.”
“I’ll use the bathroom first, and then you can have it.”
By the time she slid into bed her thoughts were going a mile a minute.
Maybe she should’ve worn something sexier than flannel bottoms and a tank top? Though sexier was a problem when they didn’t have a condom.
