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As I get into the Rover, the line goes silent, and I hear little sniffles that tug at my heart. I hate that I’m living my dream and Harper feels abandoned. I want to support her, but I also need this alone time with Adalee. I’m going to prove that I’m one of the good guys on campus. “Hap, I start this building project today and I just picked up my partner. Can I call you back this afternoon? I promise three to five is all for you.”
Adalee’s eyes go wide. She knows how valuable an athlete’s time is. To give someone two hours in the middle of the day is a huge compliment. I glance over again, and her brows are pinched, so she probably has the wrong idea.
Harper finally agrees. “Okay. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
I put the phone in my console waiting for the question from Adalee about who I was talking to, but it never comes.
Campus is less than a mile from downtown, but the petite brunette reads off the directions from her phone, telling me where to turn. I know where we’re going but I’m not feeding into her misconceptions about me being a know it all.
Some of my friends might disagree, like Tackett. He’s one of my best friends and plays for the Atlanta Braves. He hates when we play trivia because I give him a run for his money. This tiny thought gives me an idea—Harper should talk with Tackett. His season just ended, losing the first round of the playoffs so he’ll have time.
When we pull into the parking space, I grab my phone and text him to give Harper a call. He texts back immediately and says he will. He’s engaged and the four of us spent most of the summer together. Harper and I were there for Tackett and Talynn when they hit a rough patch. But Tackett and Harper have as strong of a friendship as I’ve seen.
Adalee and I walk slowly to accommodate her gait in the brace. But I’m so much taller, my feet are in slow motion. She’ll need to power walk once she’s my girlfriend. Yes, I’m a positive thinker—she’ll be mine one day.
Most of the class surrounds a man in a suit with a construction hat and our professor. We step into the circle with some of our friends. They pass out the yellow hard hats and vests. Adalee takes off her backpack, handing it to me, and slips on the vest. I smile inwardly because things are looking up. We have a few minutes before they divvy us up with project manager, so I talk to Joe, and Adalee talks to Erika—and Jayce, who’s on the men’s swim team.
Out of my peripheral vision, I watch at how laid back she is with everyone but me. With me, she’s as tense as fishing line, like when you have a fish on the hook desperately swimming away. I’m deep in thought about how I’m going to reel Adalee in—it may take a while, and she might fight it, but we have chemistry.
The person overseeing us gives a tour and tells us about our problem:
The columns were designed according to the construction documents but a change in design on the upper levels means a change in the structural load. What changes are necessary? What are the structural options and the costs associated with each?
Then leaves us alone to start the work he gave us. Adalee removes her portfolio and three different pens.
I laugh, asking, “Why do you need three pens?”
“If you must know, Blue is for suggested solutions. Pink is for questions that need to be answered for each suggestion. Green is for the cost of implementing each one.”
My whole body shakes, and I can no longer hold back, grabbing her by the waist. Her initial reaction is to wiggle from my grip but then our eyes lock before her lids fall, hiding the windows to what I want to be my world. “Do you know how sexy you are right now?”
Her body softens into mine as she looks up and under her short, thick lashes. And this hard hat is turning me on. It’s the combination of strength, intelligence and softness. I’m almost a foot taller than her, but somehow it seems we’re an engineering masterpiece. She feels so right against my body.
After we’ve looked at each other for a long time, she asks, “How sexy?”
I love how she’s coming out of her shell with me. Her tongue caresses her bottom lip, leaving a trail of possibilities. I can’t think—watching it like a video in slow motion. Our mouths are so close. Our chests meet when we inhale. I don’t have words for how sexy.
Just do it—fucking kiss her.
Adalee stays firmly in place as my head falls to meet hers. This girl already has me tied up in knots. My lips tremble as our mouths touch. It’s more like a graze as I move my lips left and right over hers. She tastes like honey flavored lip balm.
I tease her over and over, but in all honesty, I’ve never kissed a girl like this—it’s tentative because I don’t want her to scare her off. I need to understand if she wants this as much as I do. How long will it take to register that we’re kissing?
One of Adalee’s hands glides between my safety vest and my plaid button-down. Even with fabric between our skin, her hands leave a trail of accelerant. My body lights up with something more than desire. She catches my bottom lip between her honey flavored flesh and a short hum rumbles from her mouth to mine.
She unwittingly answers the question in my mind. She wants this chemistry experiment that’s happening between us. The way our lips release and catch, I have a sneaking suspicion that our relationship is about to change for the better.
Our moment is over when her hair sticks between our mouths. We’re ten stories up on this skeleton of steel beams and a strong gust of wind causes me to tighten my hold around her waist. I take my finger and remove the errant brown strands. Her forehead leans against my chest as we both exhale.
She clears her throat as she pushes away. “I think we should get to work.”
We should because I may have a heart attack.
Nodding, I pull out a black leather notepad from my pocket that has a small pen looped inside it. She chuckles. “That’s very efficient.”
“Sometimes, small is good,” I add, raising my eyebrows, indicating I love her petite frame. That earns me a fleeting smile with both cheeks rounded.
