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The slight crease in his forehead revealed that he was sensing her nervousness, and he was right to sense it At theso hard it was all she could hear

It wasn’t aattracted to him Because she was So badly her panties were soaked But…this was AJ Walsh All the girls in high school had fantasized about the guy, doodling his na he’d say hi to theht have been an outcast, but she hadn’t been immune to AJ’s charms She’d fantasized about him just as hard as everyone else, and a part of her couldn’t believe those old girlhood fantasies were about to become reality

"You okay?"

His deep voice penetrated her thoughts Blushing, she glanced over and nodded "I’el"

Angel

God, now that he’d given her the nickna it, and each tih her

She rested both hands on her thighs, discreetly wiping her damp palms on the front of her jeans Music poured out of the car speakers, the volume so loas barely audible, but her brorinkled when she recognized the song

"Is this the radio?" she asked

"No, it’s my iPod shuffle Why?"

"You listen to Concrete Blonde?"

"I listen to a lot of things" He raised his eyebrohen he saw her face "Why do you look so surprised?"

"I don’t know…I guess it just doesn’t seeain,assumptions So, tell ht it over for a h popped out of his ested

That got her a sheepish grin "I’s on the shuffle"

Brett sighed "Don’t be too hard on yourself We all have our guilty pleasures Mine is Miley Cyrus I blast ‘Party in the USA’ when I’ in the car faded out, then switched to the faint sounds of hip-hop, which told her that AJ hadn’t been kidding Apparently he did have an eclectic taste in ot closer to her apartht have said he was okay with one-night stands, but she didn’t quite believe him No ood guy written all over him His short, perfectly styled blond hair, crisp trousers and forave him a preppy vibe--and in her experience, preppy men were usually all about relationships

Well, Brett wasn’t looking for a relationship Her last one had been about as healthy as deep-fried pizza covered in chocolate, and now that Troy was no longer part of her life, she was beginning to question her habit of throwing herself headfirst into relationships She invested so much of her heart and soul into theht of the rest of the world

But she didn’t have tiht now, not when too s were up in the air at work And if she finally convinced her father to let her run the shop, her free time would becon, and AJ was looking at her expectantly "Where to now?"

"Oh Turn right There’s a shortcut on this one-way street that will take us right to my apart space in front of the Korean general store she’d directed him to, he turned to her with a skeptical expression

"You live here?"

"Yes, AJ, I live in a grocery store," she cracked "I sleep near the deli section Bathroouess that was a stupid question"

"Duh" She gestured to the curtained s above the store "My apartot out of the car and headed for the narrow entryway next to the dark storefront The street was quiet and deserted, as it alas past ten o’clock The silence was one of her favorite things about the neighborhood Rent in Allston Village was usually pretty steep, but Brett had gotten a great deal because her landlords adored her The Kieneral store below her, and since she’d tattooed all six of their sons on the cheap, Mr and Mrs Ki their extended visit to Korea She had a one-year lease for now, but she was keeping her fingers crossed that they’d let her stay longer The couple’s eldest son, Daniel, had told her the other day that his folks were considering buying a house when they returned, which