term.” His smile peeks out again as he shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I thought you liked the innuendos.”
“I know what it is. But it makes some women start to question their tits and ass.”
He licks his lips, and his eyes make a lazy path over my frame. I’m not exactly wearing anything revealing, yet the moment he makes a pass over my body, I feel naked again. “There’s certainly nothing wrong with either.”
“How did you remember where I lived?”
“I didn’t, really.” His expression falters. “Until I called on the room for rent.”
“Are you shitting me? That’s why you’re here?” My eyes about bug out of my head. “You’re the college kid?”
“I could be here for other reasons if you’d like,” he says suggestively, hinting at what I’d been thinking all along. “But I need a place to stay until after graduation.”
Fuck me. Seriously? What if his idea of renting a room from me includes renting my cootie? Surely my pussy has no complaints because I’m not lying when I say she’s still thinking about him, but I shouldn’t let him live here. It’d be a disaster.
“It’s still available, right?” he asks when I don’t say anything in reply.
I nod before I know what I’m doing. It’s one of those moments when your body fights against its reactions.
“Can I see the room?”
I blink slowly, still trying to process what’s happening. You’d think I’d be used to being shocked in this foyer. “You can’t be serious.”
He sweeps a hand through his hair, inspecting me with a predatory gaze. “What do you mean?”
“Stop looking at me like you’ve seen me naked.”
“I have though,” he whispers, leaning in and invading my personal space. “And I’d like to again. I haven’t stopped thinking about you.”
Looking behind me, I check for Tatum and don’t see her. Stepping outside for privacy, I place my hand on his chest and move him backward a few steps. “You don’t want this room.”
He chuckles and shifts his weight as if he’s amused by this. “Why not? I don’t need much, just a place to crash until graduation.”
“Why? You’re a baseball player.” I plant my hands on my hips. “Don’t you live in the dorms? Some privileged baseball dorm?”
“I did, but I got kicked out,” he admits.
“This isn’t a place for you.”
“You don’t even know me.” He huffs, his tone irritated.
I think I’ve pissed him off.
“Sure I do. I’ve been around baseball players my entire life. It’s nothing personal, but I don’t want my daughter around college dorm life.”
“I don’t do the dorm life thing.”
He has an answer for everything, doesn’t he? “You know what I mean.”
A frown settles on those beautiful lips, and he draws in a quick breath, shaking his head. “No, really, I don’t.”
“Cason.” I sigh, trying to put this nicely. “I can’t rent this room to you.”
“Why not? I can pay for six months’ rent. Today.” It’s as if he knows I need the money. Oh, right. He does know. Fuck.
“If you can afford that, why rent a room from me? Why not rent a house or even a dorm room? You’re probably in school on a scholarship.” I leave the words hanging because he should be. With that kind of talent, he has to be there on a scholarship.
“Dorm life and me didn’t work out.”
“Why not?”
He doesn’t say anything at first, but then he sighs, his shoulders rolling forward with defeat. “Okay, if you must know, I filled a condom with conditioner and left it on the floor. They kicked me out for lewdness and invasion of privacy.”
I want to laugh, because that’s funny. “Why would you do that?”
“I could go into the reasons and all that, but I won’t.”
“No way they kicked you out for that only.” I went to college and was around plenty of college athletes over the years. It’s next to impossible to get in trouble for them. Everyone worships them, and they’re constantly handed second chances.
“I was drinking.”
I stare at him.
“A lot.”
I’m still staring, waiting for him to crack and tell me he set the school library on fire and that it was all a misunderstanding and the fire started itself.
But that doesn’t come. Instead, he tries again and gives me soft eyes and a pleading voice that nearly cracks me.
He caves. “Listen, I swear, I’m a good person. I just made some shitty decisions this last year. But I need a place to stay.”
“I really can’t. I have a daughter to think about. I can