The dirty work always included a quick kissing test followed by a few very personal questions involving sex.

Lex had never minded it before.

And I sure as hell didn’t want to sit in front of Blake with a freaking diagram of the human body and ask her to point to erogenous zones.

“Hey.” Lex slapped me on the back. “Look at the positive side.”

“Which is?”

“Marissa called.” He stood. “She wants a little TLC, and according to your schedule, you’ve got around two hours to kill before you’re balls-deep in Sex Ed 101.”

“Remind me who Marissa is?”

“Red tank top. Last week at Dante’s, she tried to grope you. I intervened. She was too drunk and sloppy. Gave her your phone number.”

I shook my head. I seriously didn’t remember her.

Lex sighed. “Big boobs?”

I frowned.

“Her jeans were painted onto her body, and she was wearing brown cowboy boots.”

“Ohhh.” I nodded slowly. “Damn. I remember the boots, because they made her ass look huge, in a very inviting please-spend-some-quality-time-with-me way.”

Lex laughed and slapped a piece of paper in my hand. “Cell number, e-mail, and the usual background check. She’s clean, but be careful. According to her Facebook profile, her only goal in life is to save the wolves.”

“Well.” I grinned shamelessly. “We do need saving.”

“That we do.” He joined me in laughter while I quickly dialed her number.

“Hello?” She picked up on the first ring. Rookie mistake. Did no girl understand? Third ring. Always wait until the third ring. If you answered on the first, it meant you were desperate. The second basically said the same thing and gave the guy the idea that you were sitting around stalking his Instagram just waiting for him to call.

“Marissa,” I rasped out. “It’s Ian.”

“Hi!” I pulled the phone from my ear. I’d already had enough shrieking for the day. “How are you?”

“Free. You?”

She let out a throaty laugh. “As free as you want me to be.”

“Where do you live?”

“Why can’t we go to your place?”

“Sorry.” I winced. “It’s getting remodeled. Crazy, but a wolf actually got loose from the zoo and somehow made its way into my home. I saved it from getting shot, using my own tranq gun, but the damage to the floor was already done. They have such sharp claws, you know?”

I could almost feel her nodding her head in agreement while I snatched my keys from the counter and walked out into the rainy weather.

“I just love wolves.”

“Aren’t they the greatest?” I said as I rolled my eyes. “Now, what did you say your address was, sweetheart?” Shit, I’d already forgotten her name. Melissa? Manila?

She fired off an address a good twenty-minute drive away, so by the time I got to her house I’d only have an hour before I needed to make the trek back to campus to meet up with Blake. Shit. I still had to check in with Shell too.

“Ian? You there?”

“No, but you will be soon,” I joked, then hung up the phone.

The minute I got to her house on Queen Anne Hill, I smiled. If her house didn’t just scream sorority girl . . .

I knocked.

She answered the door before I could knock again.

Did no woman understand the power of three?

I hid a wince. Too eager. But for this visit? It didn’t matter.

Remember, I slept with stupid girls, not sad ones. And by the look of her? She was too brainless to feel such an emotion—you know, unless someone shot a wolf. Then I’m sure she’d be crying all over the place.

“That was fast.” Her chest heaved as she opened the door for me to walk in.

I sniffed. “Did you bake cookies?”

She nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I thought you might be hungry.”

“Oh, I am,” I said never taking my eyes off her mouth. “And if it’s okay with you, I’d like to take a bite.”

“Sure!” She started moving away, I assumed in the direction of the kitchen. I tugged her back against my already needy body.

“I wasn’t talking about the cookies.”

Her body softened against mine. “You weren’t?”

I nibbled the side of her neck. “Hell no. I think I’ve found something sweeter.”

She moaned, rubbing her body against me.

“Bedroom?” I panted, already pulling her shirt off.

“Last room on the”—I flicked her bra off—“left.”

“Good.” I tossed my shirt onto the floor, then moved her backward, in the direction of her room. “Because I only have one hour, and I really, really want to make it worth our while.”

“I’m sure you will.”

“Believe me.” I pulled back and gazed into her brown eyes. “I always do.”

She yelped as my mouth met hers in a frenzied kiss. “Mmm,” I hummed against her lips. Then I whispered, “Were those cookies chocolate-chip?”

“Yes.” More breathless moaning as I quickly tugged at her leggings and discarded them, along with the rest of my clothes.

“You don’t waste time.” Her lips were puffy from my hard kisses. Her cropped blonde hair was pushed away from her heavily made-up face.

“Time . . . is everything.” I leaned down and kissed her harder, then lifted her by the hips and wrapped her legs around me.