She was speaking so fast now, it was kind of adorable.

“You know, I’ve even found old teaching materials that are strikingly similar to current trends, though they’re rarely linked in scholarly articles. And amazingly, each instance that’s impacted the pedagogical foundation of today’s technical writing landscape correlates directly to societal goings-on at the time. It’s fascinating.”

Oh yeah, she was an academic alright, through and through. He grinned at the pink in her cheeks. Not quite the type of passion he’d been hoping to inspire in her, but moving just the same.

“What’s wrong?” he asked when she didn’t continue; she’d been on such a roll.

She gnawed on her lip. “Sorry, I know this all sounds boring and nerdy to…well, any normal person. You’ve actually lasted longer than most of my friends and family. Their eyes would’ve been glazed over by my second sentence.”

The way she smiled at him—like he was a foot taller than he’d been a minute ago—filled him with an inordinate amount of pleasure.

“On the contrary, a lot of what you said was pretty thought-provoking.” He gave her a reassuring grin. “Don’t get me wrong, some of your explanations did bear an uncanny resemblance to the college lectures I used to somehow take notes in without any conscious brain involvement,” he teased, “but your passion kept me engaged in everything you were saying. It’s obvious you’re a good teacher.”

There was that smile again. If she kept it up, he’d be growing in other ways too.

She shook her head and focused on assembling another fajita. “You know, you’re nothing like I expected.”

“I’m glad you gave me a chance to redeem myself.”

Her brows rose at the reminder. “Yeah, what was with that freak-out at your house yesterday? It seemed a little…excessive.”

He took his time chewing his food, trying to phrase his answer in the least offensive way. “Let’s just say women showing up at my home half-dressed isn’t exactly an unusual occurrence for me.”

“Right, of course. That happens a lot on this street too.” She chortled. Mostly at his expense.

Of all the different facets to Abby’s personality, Connor decided he liked the feisty one the best. “Don’t laugh. You’d be surprised what lengths some women will go to seduce a man they’ve built up in their heads.”

She leaned over and butted his shoulder with her own. “Oh, don’t get all modest on me now. We both know you probably live up to every expectation these women have of you.”

His smiled faded and he turned to face her fully. “Don’t.”

Startled, she looked up at him. “Don’t what?”

“Don’t go thinking I’m someone I’m not.”

Studying him carefully, she replied as if she were teaching something so obvious to a five-year old, “I won’t if you won’t. Sounds to me like you think a lot less of yourself than you should.”

It was a compliment wrapped in a slap upside his head, and it had him actually wanting to be that man she seemed to see.

Of course, figuring out how such a man would respond to her shut-up-and-accept-it admiration of him, however, had him stumped. His normal reply would’ve been of the pulling-off-her-clothes variety.

He was guessing that wasn’t the right response here.

She cleared her throat, probably to bring his eyes back up from her bare shoulder. How the woman managed to look so sexy in a huge, beat-up men’s football tee was beyond him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t hear what you just said.”

Her look told him she knew he was anything but sorry. “I asked why you were so convinced I was a gold-digger. You’re a handsome guy, couldn’t a wet t-shirt wearing woman on your porch step just be after you for sex? The uniform would suggest so.”

He shrugged. “Most of the ones who’ve shown up have been. But if I were broke off my ass, they wouldn’t have been standing at my door to begin with.”

“Point taken.” She chewed thoughtfully. “So you’re saying the only women who you deign to let in your home are the ones who aren’t interested in your money at all?”

“If I did, I’d have to take a vow of celibacy,” he replied honestly. “It’s a catch-22. Typically, the women not interested in my money are also not interested in a one-month arrangement.”

“Ah yes, the infamous one-month Connor Sullivan rule. Brian’s told me about it. I bet that’s another factor for some of these women who throw themselves at you—trying to become the white unicorn who you one day break your rule over.”

His jaw firmed. “Never going to happen.”

The corner of her lips quirked up. “Don’t worry, stud. I’m not submitting an application or anything.”

Now why did that declaration fill him with a touch of disappointment?

“Enough about me,” he said gruffly. “Tell me more about you. Something besides your research.”

She laughed. “Well that narrows it way down. Now that I’m in my final year of my PhD program and done with all my coursework, my dissertation is the only big thing in my life right now. Other than that, there’s really not much to tell.”

“What about work? Don’t you tutor at Skylar’s school?”

“Oh, I do that as a volunteer. A couple of afternoons a week for the kids that are struggling.”

How noble. He couldn’t remember the last woman he’d met whose idea of volunteering wasn’t strictly confined to sitting on an executive board or planning a fundraising event. “I could’ve sworn Brian told me you teach English.”

“I do. I teach English full-time at ASU as a part of my fellowship. I get my tuition covered and get paid a lecturer’s salary, which isn’t much. Thankfully, I’m saving a ton of money renting out this guesthouse from one of my professors. Living here costs way less than what I used to pay for my apartment in Tempe two years ago. And, I basically get this entire half of their big ole lot all to myself.”

Connor leaned back, stuffed, surprised at how easy it was to talk with Abby. “Doesn’t sound like you have that much time for yourself. What do you do for fun?”

She got up to grab them another two beers from the kitchen. “Honestly, I’m a homebody. Never got into the nightlife scene here. Plus, by the time I was twenty-one, I was basically babysitting Skylar all day every weekend, and nearly all my weeknights. Since that pretty much carried on clear until last year, I guess my idea of fun is hanging out with her. Lame, I know.”

He felt like he was talking to a martian.

He hadn’t realized she’d spent even more time babysitting Skylar than he had. Tons more. And he knew for a fact—from Brian’s complaints about it—that she hadn’t taken a single cent from them for babysitting.

For God’s sakes, she was just so nice.

“So you don’t do anything just for yourself? Just for you, just for fun?”

“Well, I have been privately executing my mission to learn how to cook the most beloved dishes from every country in the world,” she returned with a big smile as she plopped back down on the ground. “That’s fun.”

It was possible baby bluebirds helped her get dressed in the morning.

She was just that sweet.

“You’re driving me crazy.” He swept an arm around her waist and lifted her right up onto his lap.

“Connor!”

He slid a hand into her hair, rubbed a thumb over her heated cheekbone as he brought his lips to within inches of hers. “I shouldn’t want you this much. You’re everything I’m not, and I’m everything you couldn’t possibly want. I know I should leave you alone, but I just can’t. I can’t stop myself from wanting you.”

Her breathing had grown so erratic, he was actually starting to get concerned. “Say something, sweetheart. I’m baring my soul here.”

“I shouldn’t want you either,” she whispered, “but I do.”

His arms locked around her, instinctively staking a claim on her.

Mine.

For now.

The two words were his only anchor keeping him in the reality he maintained for himself. He had to be brutally honest with her, with them both. “I meant what I said earlier, Abby. I’m never going to break my one-month rule.” Feeling like the lowest piece of scum, he hammered that last nail in, “Not for anyone. Not even you.”