I was still grinning like a dope as I closed the door.

I knew Mimi liked Adele because I’d heard an Adele track playing the last time I was in her apartment. Buying the tickets was a safe bet. Even if she had refused, I’d have had no trouble passing them on to someone else. Most people liked Adele.

Except for me.

I didn’t hate her. I just didn’t have any strong feelings either way. Commercial music was designed to pander to the lowest common dominator: basically, catchy jingles and trash. Give me a good rendition of Carmina Burana any day.

I finished my drink and went into the shower. I felt good enough to sing.

If any of my buddies knew what I was doing—basically wooing a girl—they would laugh themselves silly. Couldn’t blame them either. If anyone had told me a couple of weeks earlier I’d be sitting through an Adele concert to get into a girl’s pants, I would’ve said someone made chili soup out of his brain.

We were talking about me, after all. Maximus Black. The guy who was allergic to the word relationship. How strange that ever since that day she came to my apartment, I’d found myself doing things that were completely out of character.

I mean, what the fuck? Pretending we were together to help her out. Who was I? Mother Teresa? It was all kinds of crazy, but when I saw that asshole and his crowing girlfriend gang up on her, I couldn’t stop myself. No one was bullying her while I was around. She needed somebody to look after her and I was that guy.

If any other woman had pulled that stunt she did with the laxative…she’d be using her tears as lube. But with Mimi, I was putty. I just became more and more intrigued.

Underneath the feisty exterior, she was an innocent sweetheart. She would probably claw and spit at my face if she knew I thought of her that way. She wanted to be a badass, but she was soft at her core. The city hadn’t ruined or hardened her. She was the opposite of Bridget and her brigade. They pretended to be helpless on the outside. Inside they were pure steel.

I didn’t know why the hell she had that effect on me. What was it about her that made me want to keep trying to get closer? Was it because she seemed to want to stay clear of a relationship with me? Whatever the reason, all I wanted to do was grab her and kiss that plush mouth.

I guess I always had a thing for Mimi, but I resisted it firmly. After I found her shit-faced and slumped on the front steps there was no denying the attraction.

She could pretend all she wanted, but I knew she wanted me too. Hell, it took two people to make out. The way she sucked on my tongue as if it was made from sugar. Fuck, I’d been dangerously close to losing control. I would’ve kept going if we hadn’t been interrupted. It wouldn’t have taken anything to lift her up, carry her to the bedroom, and spread her legs open. Even thinking about it now, was giving me a hard-on. I looked down at the raging erection I was sporting. Yeah, there was something about her that got to me.

I’d already been to the gym for a good workout, so I felt pumped and ready for a good night out. It was only a matter of time before I took what was mine. I grinned to myself as I buttoned up the black shirt I’d chosen, then tucked it into my gray slacks.

I knocked on her door at seven sharp. The door opened almost immediately and I had to fucking catch my breath. A simple black dress poured over her generous curves like water. Her long hair hung over one shoulder, curled just a little.

“We match,” she whispered shyly.

I found my breath. “No. You’re way out of my league. There’s no matching you.”

She blushed and looked away. I stared in amazement. It was amazing how effortlessly beautiful she was. I wondered if she had any idea. She couldn’t possibly not know she was irresistible. Smoking hot body. Big, blue eyes. Full ripe mouth. I could already see my cock disappearing into it.

“Did you call us a cab?” she asked as we walked to the elevator.

“Why would I call us a cab?”

She frowned. “I hope we can find one in time.”

“Just because we’re not taking a cab doesn’t mean I didn’t secure transportation. This isn’t my first rodeo.”

Her lips curved and my cock twitched.

“It’s not? Do you have a whole stockpile of concert tickets lying around? Is this part of your normal routine?”

I touched her mouth. Something inside me broke. Hell, she had me on the hook. “Nothing about you is normal.”

Her lips parted on a soundless gasp. I took my hand away and she chewed on her bottom lip.

She was like a little girl in a sweet shop inside the limo. I poured champagne into her glass and she insisted on clinking glasses. It was so sweet and old-fashioned. We drank to a great night. She’d never been in a limo, and I was glad to be the first one to give her a ride in one.

I watched her in awe. The curve of her cheek, the color in them, her curving mouth. Her skin glowed and my heart swelled with something unfamiliar.

At the concert she sang every song, cheering, clapping and whooping for three hours. I didn’t have to pretend to enjoy it since I’d already confessed Adele was not really my thing. What she didn’t know was, I enjoyed the show more than her. I couldn’t help but smile through the whole show. It was starring Mimi Young.

The real kicker, the big deal, came after the concert. It was the kiss I left on her upturned cheek after I walked her to her door. I heard her sigh just a little, then I turned and walked away. It killed me to do it, but when I was a kid in short pants, my granddad said, “Always leave ‘em wanting more, boy.”

“Thanks, Grandad.”