Chapter 1

My name is Claire Bennett. I'm thirty, and I just got divorced.

My ex-husband was a personal trainer. Gorgeous muscles, all show and no substance.

Three years together, and I never even learned what it felt like to cry out in bed.

After the divorce, a college guy moved in next door.

His white T-shirt outlined his chest, and his athletic shorts showed off muscular calves covered in thick hair.

I bent down to get him a pair of slippers, and the neckline of my nightgown slipped—I wasn't wearing anything underneath.

His face turned red. So did his ears. He couldn't even meet my eyes.

But I saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed hard.

On our first day of tutoring, his roommate's girlfriend came over.

The bed in the next room rattled against the wall, and their breathless sounds filled the apartment.

He leaned close, his warm breath brushing my neck, his voice impossibly rough.

"Claire, I have plenty of stamina, too. Want to find out?"

Was that the damn doorbell?

My eyes flew open, and the Black man in my dream vanished.

Then the doorbell rang again.

I dragged myself out of bed. Not bothering to dwell on the fact that I'd been sleeping naked, I grabbed a nightgown and pulled it on.

"Coming!" I called, lowering my voice and trying to sound normal.

Ugh. Mom must have forgotten her keys again.

I opened the door.

And froze.

A tall young man stood in front of me, a full head taller than I was.

He wore a plain white T-shirt, but it did nothing to hide the firm muscles underneath.

I would have bet anything that his chest was even more solid than the one in my dream.

"Hi. Are you Claire Bennett?" His deep voice had an inexplicable pull.

I nodded automatically, my cheeks warming for no good reason.

My gaze drifted down to his athletic shorts.

Below them were strong calves covered in thick hair. Heat stirred inside me.

Those legs. All that hair... He had to have incredible stamina.

My imagination immediately went places it shouldn't.

"I'm Ethan Parker. I moved in next door yesterday." He smiled politely, showing a row of white teeth.

"Your mom said I could ask you about preparing for my exams. Is now a good time?"

That snapped me out of it. Get a grip, Claire.

"Of course. Come in." I quickly stepped aside.

I noticed the gift box in his hand. Probably a little thank-you present.

Were all college guys this handsome these days?

I crouched down and took a new pair of men's slippers from the bottom of the shoe cabinet.

My nightgown had a loose neckline. Only when it slipped off my shoulder did I remember I had nothing on underneath.

I hurriedly adjusted it and looked up. Ethan's expression hadn't changed.

Thank God. He probably hadn't seen anything. I had just started to relax.

Then my eyes accidentally drifted lower...

The sight sent a tingling warmth from between my thighs through the rest of my body. I stood up in a hurry.

"Um..." My voice came out painfully dry.

"What is it?" Ethan looked up at me, puzzled.

He followed my gaze downward and immediately understood.

His face went scarlet. He jumped to his feet and stammered,

"I didn't mean to. I..."

The more he tried to explain, the more awkward it became—and the more charged the air felt.

I turned my face away, unable to look at him, while my heart hammered in my chest.

"I'll get you some water." I seized the excuse and rushed into the kitchen.

Oh my God. Could this get any more embarrassing?

I leaned against the refrigerator, pressed my hands to my burning cheeks, and tried to steady my breathing.