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an intense heat and no doubt a blush to match flooded my face.
    Damn it! Dimples and green eyes are my kryptonite. Not fair!
    “No, not really. Languages just come easily to me. Really, I’m pretty terrible at a lot of other things. Like computers, for example. HTML is a language I never could master.”
    Grant cleared his throat and resumed typing. “How many languages do you speak?”
    “Only three right now: Italian, French, and Spanish. But I’m learning Russian and Mandarin too, and hoping to be fluent by the time I graduate. Maybe even do a study abroad to immerse myself in the language.”
    “Your parents must be very proud of you.” Grant finished the coding and logged off the computer.
    “Yeah, my mom brags about it like I’m going to be the president or something. It’s silly. I want to translate words, not dictate policy.”
    Grant stood and took a single step toward me again. Knowing—and anticipating—I was going to be able to touch him again, I added hastily, “And my boyfriend. He’s super proud of me, too. He’s wonderful, and I love him very much.”
    Grant’s eyes widened at my admission and quirked his head to the side, as if in thought. Then he shook his head and smiled, almost in relief, as he packed up his things.
    “It was very nice meeting you, Jillian.”
    I nodded, but didn’t say anything. I felt stupid for blurting that out. Clearly, I was losing my mind.
    As Grant exited the cubicle, his chest brushed against mine and I jumped away, already feeling my nipples harden and thanking God I’d worn a padded bra. His arm reached out and caught my elbow to steady me. His touch was like striking flint: hot, explosive and all-consuming. I lost my balance again, stumbling forward to try and sit in the chair.
    “Are you okay?” Grant asked, helping to lower me into the seat. He leaned in close, and I got another whiff of his amazing scent. “Did you hurt yourself?”
    “I’m fine. Sorry. I am not used to these heels yet. I’m more of a sneakers kind of girl.” I don’t think he bought the lie. I was mortified. I had made a complete fool out of myself.
    “Well, just be careful. I wouldn’t want to see that pretty face get hurt.” I kept my head down, nodding as I bit my lip. I hoped the pain would distract me enough to not cry—at least in front of him.
    “I’ll see you around, Jillian. Don’t hesitate to call if you need anything.”
    “Thanks,” I mumbled, reaching for my headphones to answer the barrage of blinking lights. Even if I sucked at it, I needed the distraction from replaying the disaster that just happened over and over in my head.
    “Thank you for calling the Allegro Corporation. This is Jillian in sales, how can I direct your call?”
    By the time I dared a glance behind me, he was gone.
     

CHAPTER SEVEN

    Boyfriend.
    She had a boyfriend. This was good news, right? I didn’t want to be with her. I didn’t have the time; she wasn’t part of my plan.
    So why did it feel like I’d gotten sucker punched?
    And why did she have to be smart on top of everything? It would be so much easier to forget she ever existed if she couldn’t string two sentences together. No, this girl could string them—in multiple languages! It made me wonder what else she was good at, what she liked, if she ever traveled to the places she studied.
    I accomplished next to nothing for the rest of the day. Or the following day. I couldn’t seem to concentrate on any of my current projects and instead filled my time doing mindless tasks. I kept hoping I’d run into her in the halls, making extra trips to the bathroom or break room for coffee. Even rowing didn’t take my mind off of her. It was pathetic. I was pathetic.
    JT had been right, and I could see why so many of the guys in the office had been talking about her all week. She was—I couldn’t even put it in words. She had what the French called “je ne sais quoi”—that certain something.
    I laughed at the irony that out