Ready and Willing Read Online Free Page B

will be ready in fifteen or so.”

    He pours us each a glass, and we toast. I have to squint at him to remind myself we’re not already friends. Before my brain completely clouds over, I grab the waiver off of my computer desk. He signs it after a quick scan.

    I put it away, business complete. “Did you work today?”

    He nods. “Yeah, I’m a nine-to-fiver, roughly. I teach at Emerson.”

    “Oh right. Professor Aubrey, is it?”

    He smiles. “Dr. Aubrey.”

    “Wow.” I’d only asked the candidates if they’d gotten a bachelor degree or higher, no specifics. “You have a PhD? In what?”

    “Cinema Studies. NYU.”

    “Wow.” I make an impressed face, jostle his shoulder with mine. “Well, Dr. Aubrey, I work like three blocks from you. A little past the movie theater on Tremont.”

    He laughs and shakes his head. “We better be careful. I could run into you in the park on a lunch break, bringing your baby in to show your coworkers.”

    “Oh shit, you’re right.” I decide to not let such a thought throw me off. “Small town.”

    “No kidding.”

    We’re quiet for a moment, caught in our own internal dialogues.

    “Abby,” he says, sounding careful, staring at my counter, the flowers.

    My heart sinks. “Too weird now?”

    “Oh no. I don’t think so. Can I talk to you for second? About tonight?”

    “Absolutely.” I take a drink, then set my glass down, offering him my full attention.

    “I’m crap at casual sex,” Noah says. “Can we pretend this is a date?”

    I smile at him and wonder if he can tell how relieved I am by that proposal. “We can treat it any way you want to. I need you to feel comfortable.”

    “I’d like to sort of pretend this is just a first date that goes better than I expected.”

    I nod, thinking the idea over and coming up pleased. I’d been curious about another Rob-style performance but also a little unsettled by the prospect. After the hotness of my encounter with Rob had dissipated, I’d been left with a lingering sensation of seediness for the remainder of Sunday afternoon. “Sure. Whatever works for you. ”

    “Did you have other things you needed to get done tonight?” I detect a tiny note of panic in Noah’s voice.

    “No,” I say, laughing. “You’re the main attraction. Come on. Let’s go sit down.”

    He smiles apprehensively, and we head to the living room.

    “You have a decent day?” I ask as we plop onto the couch.

    “Not bad. It’s pretty quiet before Christmas. Just me in my office, reading papers, fielding panicky requests for finals extensions.”

    “Do you get a long break?”

    He nods. “Not as long as the students, but a big chunk of January.”

    “Very cool.”

    I’m surprised when he leans close. His hand is warm and soft, and he puts it to my jaw. He kisses my lips—a lingering, sexy, closed-mouth kiss. He looks shy as he pulls away. “Sorry. That was going to stress me out all night if I didn’t get it out of the way.”

    “Glad to put you at ease.” It’s so the opposite—I’m relieved beyond measure to have the physical tone of my night with Noah set. Not just relieved now—curious too. I’m tempted to lean in and continue that kiss, but Noah speaks.

    “I have to say, this whole thing… I feel really…honored. No, sorry, that sounds way too earnest. But I feel really flattered , you know, that you chose me.”

    I smile at this and pat his hand. “You should. I was prepared to not pick anybody, if no one felt like the right match. And believe me, a ton of them didn’t. So…thank you . For showing up.”

    His gaze jumps between my eyes and my mouth and back again, and we both shift a bit, turn so our knees touch. The next time he leans in, I kiss back. Our mouths part, and we catch each other’s lips in turn, softly, no tongues. I feel the ache return to my body, right where Rob left it. I couldn’t tell you exactly what I’m wanting from Noah—his body and his warmth, but for a