He snorts. “Yeah, because that’s the only thing I’d be good at, right?”
“Well, let’s be honest— ‘Troy Hawkins, future academic genius’ doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.”
Troy grins, but there’s something sharp underneath it.
“I’m top of my department, Greer,” he says smoothly. “Dean’s List. Every semester.”
“Bullshit.”
“Nope.” He shrugs. “My GPA’s a 4.0.”
I stare at him, because that’s better than mine. Which…what the fuck? Troy sees the shock on my face and his smirk falters just a little. I watch him process my reaction. There’s a flash of annoyance he tries to cover up with an easy grin.
“What, that hard to believe?” he says, lifting a brow.
I open my mouth, then close it. Because, well. Yeah. I knew Troy wasn’t stupid, but a perfect GPA?
“Guess I just assumed you spent more time at the gym than in the library,” I say finally.
“Good time management,” he says, not missing a beat.
I sip my drink, still eyeing him suspiciously.
“So, you and I actually havecomplementaryskills, huh?” he muses. “I could handle the technical, structural stuff. You could handle the design and planning.”
I exhale slowly, because he’s right. We could probably come up with something badass.
But. I’d have to work with Troy Hawkins.
Formonths.
I set my drink down, tapping my fingers against the counter. An old man from down the bar glares at me. I flip him off. If I need to finger tap, Iwill.
Troy snorts at the interaction. “Nope, never gonna work,” he agrees, as if reading my mind. “We’ll find someone else.”
“Plenty of time left.”
“At least a few days.”
We nod in agreement. Another beat of silence.
Neither of us reach for our phones or move to email anyone else. He runs a hand through his hair, then looks at me again.
“This is some bullshit,” he mutters.
“Tell me about it.”
He runs a hand through his hair, then looks at me again.
“We’d kill each other, Greer.”
“I know.”
“Like, actually. One of us would end up dead.”
“Probably me, considering you’ve got fifty pounds on me and clearlynocontrol over your temper.”
“I’ll have you know I am a man ofexcellentcontrol.” His voice drops and my thighs clench. I take a deep breath.
