Page 38 of Single Malt

“Hot.” I swallowed a sigh. I’d hoped I was wrong.

“Yes.” She waved a hand in front of her face. “Hot. Is this true?”

I had no idea how I was supposed to respond to that. An honest response would be that he was physically attractive, but that would probably lead to some awkwardness, especially after we’d had the same sort of conversation about Brody.

“He’s a guest speaker in his thirties,” I finally said. “His appearance doesn’t matter.”

Another quick glance at her showed that she was pouting.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

* * *

The lecture had been mildlyinteresting, and even I had to admit that Dr. Worthington had a very charismatic way of delivering information that could have otherwise been dry and dull. Still, I hadn’t liked the way Karina stared at him. Not that she’d been the only one.

I didn’t really have a problem with the age difference, or even the fact that she was a student here and he was a guest of the university. I honestly didn’t even know if she was his type, though I suspected any attractive woman who hung on his every word was his type. Either way, I planned on keeping a close eye on her when she was around him.

She wasn’t unintelligent, but the incident at the party the other night had proven my estimation of her maturity had been accurate. She didn’t have the emotional maturity to be involved with someone like Dr. Worthington.

As the lecture ended, female students queued up to speak to him, and I turned to Karina to ask if she wanted to go back to her apartment to get lunch before her next class or if she preferred to eat on campus. Except she wasn’t there.

In the few seconds it had taken me to pick up my purse, she’d managed to get down to the front of the lecture hall and maneuver her way to Dr. Worthington’s side. Judging by the expressions on some of the other girls’ faces, Karina hadn’t cared who’d she cut in front of to get there either.

“Dammit,” I muttered as I made my way down the steps.

I’d been hoping to make it out without Dr. Worthington knowing I was here. After telling him that I probably wouldn’t be attending any of his lectures due to my class schedule and workload, here I was at the first one he’d given. The way his eyes lit up when he saw me join the crowd of his admirers annoyed me.

I didn’t want him to think that I was playing hard to get instead of simply not being interested in him. I’d already gotten the impression that women didn’t turn him down often, so I doubted he’d have to work hard at deluding himself about my intentions.

“Karina, if you want to have time for lunch before your next class, we should go.” I spoke in Spanish so she couldn’t misunderstand me.

“My professor canceled classes for today,” she replied in her native tongue, “so any of us who wanted to attend the lecture could.”

That didn’t mesh with what she’d told me about not having been recommended to the lecture by a professor, but I really didn’t want to get into a debate with her, so I let it go. If she wanted to get in trouble for missing class, that was on her. My only responsibility was to show up when she requested language assistance.

“Freedom, I’m so glad to see you.” Dr. Worthington had finally managed to pull himself away from his fan club. “I’d thought you wouldn’t be able to make it.”

Lovely.

“Dr. Worthington.” Even though he’d used my first name, I wanted to keep the distance between us. Before I could say anything else, he took my hand and kissed my knuckles.

I was pretty sure I heard twenty girls swoon.

“It’s Korbin,” he said with a smile. “Let me take you to lunch. It’ll make up for the other day when you weren’t able to join me.”

I almost told him that I hadn’t been ‘unable’ but rather ‘unwilling,’ but that didn’t seem like the best idea at this time and place.

“Thank you for the invitation,” I took a step back, “but Karina needs to–”

“I would love to go for lunch.” She smiled up at Dr. Worthington.

Dammit, Karina.

I couldn’t leave her here with him, not when I didn’t know if he’d offer to take her alone. Or what that offer would entail. I didn’t know him well enough to know his habits. She may have thought she was a “worldly woman,” but I knew she was naïve enough to believe a man like him if he got it into his mind that she was what he wanted. I, however, could handle him.

And chew him up and spit him out if necessary.

A thought occurred to me, and I smiled. “Karina and I would be happy to join you.”