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Maybe it was because I’d been two seconds away from climbing in his lap and dry-humping him in a parking lot. I was so painfully turned on by that moment, only to have paparazzi completely ruin me potentially getting laid in the back of a Bronco.

Instead what I’d gotten was a quiet drive back home and a lingering kiss on the forehead before I’d gotten out of the SUV.

Oh, and a deep regret of not getting my own place so I could have some alone time.

“I’m walking you up to your apartment this time,” he said, drawing me out of my flashback, my cheeks heating at the fact that I’d nearly been caught thinking about humping one of my hockey players.

We’d had the same argument every day since that night, when he’d started driving me to and from work. He wanted to walk me to my apartment, and I told him I was a strong, independent woman who didn’t need assistance.

At this point, I think he only brought it up to irritate me.

“Dalton, I’m a big girl,” I replied, unbuckling my seatbelt. “I’ve managed to walk myself to my apartment every day without you so far. What am I supposed to do this weekend when you’re not here? Huh?”

He ignored me, cutting the engine and hopping out of the SUV to open my door. “Ari,” He trailed a finger from my temple to my chin, tilting it until our eyes met. “Would you please allow me to walk you to your apartment?” His voice was soft, but there was a command hidden beneath the sweetness, his green eyes locking me in place until I forgot what we’d been arguing about.

The corners of his mouth pulled up into a sly smile. “Did I break you?”

I cleared my throat, rolling my eyes to cover the fact that, yes, he had broken me—just a little.

“Fine. You can walk me up. But not because I need you to.” I gave his chest a playful jab.

His cheeky grin spread into a full-blown smile. “Obviously.”

As we started walking toward my building, I tossed over my shoulder. “I’m only letting you for my neighbor’s sake. And warning, she might kidnap you. She’s extra nice to all the delivery men. I think she’s on the hunt for a young white boy.”

A bark of laughter filled the early evening air.

“I’ll stop by her place on my way out then. I bet she makes some bomb food.” His hand landed on my lower back, guiding me toward the entrance. “There’s not a doorman, or a lock, or anything? Anyone can just walk in here?” he asked, pulling open the glass and metal door and eyeing it as if it had personally offended him. I’d always made him drop me off from the guest parking spots, so this was the first time he’d noticed the apparently subpar security.

Warm breath skimmed my ear when I only rolled my eyes in answer, and his voice dropped to a low murmur. “Ari, you’re mine until this deal is over, remember? And I don’t like the thought of just anyone being able to walk in here.” He reached down, taking my hand firmly in his. “I know you’re independent and strong, and you could probably kick anyone’s ass if they tried something. But for my peace of mind, would you please text me when you get back after practice or anything else?”

Surprisingly, his request didn’t irritate me. He didn’t make it sound like a command. There was room for me to say no, which made me want to say yes. Before I could answer, we were interrupted by some very vocal sounds emanating from my door.

I groaned. “Ugh. You have to be kidding me.”

“Wow, they’re really going at it.” He scrubbed at the back of his neck, the tips of his ears turning pink when a particularly loud moan filtered through the apartment door.

There was no stopping my giggle. “She’s faking it.”

“How do you know?” he asked, horror on his face.

“No one is that loud from a man.” I chuckled, but my mouth snapped shut when Dalton’s gaze turned heated—any indication of embarrassment was long gone.

My back hit the wall as he stalked me down, caging me with his arms. I should have known better than to say that.

“I bet you’d be loud for me,” he murmured, low and rough.

My whole body hummed with awareness, and I was distinctly aware of how close we were. His hand rested on my waist, anchoring me in place.

“Being cocky isn’t cute,” I whispered, trying to keep from closing the distance between our mouths.

I’d never understood what people meant when they said someone’s eyes could darken—until now. The moss-green shifted to a deep forest shade, his nostrils flaring slightly as he held my gaze. My fingers flexed by my side, itching to grab the front of his white T-shirt to pull him closer and see if he’d make good on that promise in his eyes.

But before I could even process the thought, Gracie’s voice cock blocked.

“Ow. Not there, Dios mío. I thought you were a doctor. You’d think you’d have a clue about female anatomy,” she yelled.

Dalton looked at the door, like if he squinted hard enough he could see into the apartment. “Yeah, I’m going to say you’re right, and she’s faking it.”