Hot & Heavy in Paradise: A Man for Every Season

Chapter 3

FIONA

WHEN THE KNOCK came this time, I wasn't as worried as the previous day. I was still leery of Utah, but he had helped to ease my nerves. He'd spent hours asking me questions and answering mine, letting me get to know him. I still wasn't the most comfortable with a guy being in my house, but he didn't try anything yesterday. That had to count for something, right?

Besides, I was really desperate. I needed help. I'd gotten an email from my professor this morning that had told me just how bad things were. If I didn't get my grade up, I could kiss graduation goodbye.

When I opened the door, I noticed Utah was fully dressed today. I was both thankful for it and sad that I wouldn't be able to stare at his perfect chest and abs. I couldn't wrap my head around how someone getting a degree in whatever he said, some smart person's something or other, had a body like his. No one, in any class I took looked like him. That was for sure.

"You letting me in today, Fi, or do you need to see my ID again?" he teased with a small smile. "It's handy if you want it."

I had half a mind to ask for it. "I'm sorry? Do I know you? Yesterday my tutor came half naked. I don't recognize this fully dressed guy at my door. I'm going to need you to leave."

He must not have thought I'd be capable of cracking a joke because he was blinking at me like he wasn't sure what the hell happened.

"Oh my lanta, get in here already. The neighbors are staring. Obviously you have smarts, but you can't take a joke."

Utah made his way into the living room and looked around as if he was seeing it for the first time. "I can take a joke. I just didn't realize you had it in you," he told me with a sexy smile.

No! His smile was not sexy. Nothing about the man was sexy.

Lies, all lies.

Utah was sexy as hell, and if I was going to keep the promise, I'd made to myself to die the crazy cat lady, I'd need to remember that while he might be sexy, he wasn't any better than any other man out there. He had behaved himself thus far, and Hunky Helpers might do extensive background checks on all their employees - yes, I checked - but I didn't trust him farther than I toss him. Considering I had the weakest upper body strength ever, he wouldn't go far.

"So, what are we working on today?" he asked as he took a seat on the sofa, putting his bag in the chair.

I looked down at where he sat it and cursed silently. I wanted to sit in that chair. With that not an option, the only place left was next to him.

"Fiona, the assignment?"

I swallowed hard and grabbed my books from the kitchen and slid down on the sofa beside Utah. "Right, because you get paid by the hour, but not this week. I'm your charity case."

Utah shook his head, and his mouth opened like he wanted to say something. But before he could tell me how pathetic I was, I cut him off, not wanting to hear what might come out of his mouth.

"Here's what we're working on today."

Utah's brows furrowed, and it looked as if he were thinking something over really hard. Maybe whatever was on the paper was too difficult for him.

"This isn't statistics," he said.

"No kidding."

"You said you needed to pass this class. Why am I looking at a form to help you drop? Isn't it a little late in the semester for that?"

"It is, but I need to get out of the class. That's where you come in. I figure if you're as smart as Letty told me, you can help me come up with something so great, they'll have to let me out."

"Or you study your ass off, get a great grade, and show everyone how amazing you are doing it."

"I like my way better."

"Are you a quitter, Fiona? Because you don't look like a quitter."

Utah didn't know me at all. I'd been quitting a lot the last several years. I'd dropped out of college the first time because I handle being there after a guy on campus started stalking me. What made it worse was my family was friends with the guy who had been terrorizing me. After all that, I didn't trust myself anymore.

"You don't know anything about me."

"From where I'm sitting it looks like you want to give up your degree and your chance at graduation, and for what? Because things got hard?"

If only Utah knew. This class brought up a lot of bad memories for me. There was a guy who reminded me of the one from my past. He'd been making awful comments and there was no way I could sit through class. I had trouble figuring out how to do my work because I hadn't been to a lecture in over a month.

"I have an idea," Utah said as he moved to the edge of the sofa. "Why don't you grab your homework, and we'll go over it. If you can't get it by the end of the week, I'll help you drop this class."

"You have a deal."

Half an hour later we had settled in and ready to start. It had taken me that much time to dig up all the stuff I needed to work on because I'd been banking on this whole dropping the class thing. Ever since Utah came to my door the day before, and I realized it was him or summer school, I figured sure summer school was the best option. Apparently no one else agreed.

"Okay, first one. How do you figure out a population mean?"

I thought for a second and said, "Add up all the elements of the population and then divide by the total population?"

"Are you asking or telling?"

"Yes, that's the answer," I told him.

"See, you're not as bad off as you thought," he said, removing his jacket to get more comfortable.

Passing over a piece of paper and a pen, Utah said, "Write the formula for population mean."

This one wasn't too hard either. I made sure all my symbols looked correct and then passed the page back over for him to check.

"Again, another right answer. Tell me again why you want to drop?"

"I just-" the rest died right there as a sliver of his abs peeked out from the shirt he had started removing. Why was he pulling up his shirt? "What are you doing?" I all but yelled as he pulled it over his head.

Utah sat half-naked, wearing a s**t-eating grin on my sofa, and I wanted to tell him to get his shirt and go home. But then again I wanted him to stay right there.

"Haven't you ever heard a little incentive is great for studying?"

"What kind of incentive is this?"

"And here I thought you were smart," he teased.

"I get you're taking off your clothes, but why?"

"You've never heard of strip studying?"

"Can't say I have. I didn't ask you to take them off," I yelled.

"You haven't asked me to put them back on either," he said with a wag of his eyebrows. When I didn't protest or ask for him to put his shirt back on, he winked. "Shall we continue?"

I wasn't sure if I wanted to or not. On one hand I was really curious about seeing the rest of Utah, and on the other, I felt I needed to kick his ass out my door, and call Letty and scream at her. "Oh my god! Did you do this with Letty too?" I asked with wide eyes.

The look on his face grew more intense, darker, just more. "What would you use a simple linear regression to determine in a business setting?"

"You didn't answer my question," I mumbled.

"Answer mine," he challenged.

"Simple linear regression is used to predict trends."

"For example?" he questioned.

Was he leaning closer or was I imagining it? "For example, you might have a list of sales data from a group of stores. You can use that data to make predications about where the sales are headed; regression can create a model for the future sales."

His hands moved to his belt buckle, and I was both horrified and insanely curious as to what would happen when he pulled it free. Would those pants fall from his trim hips?

Utah stood and pulled the belt from his slacks. Before I figured out what was happening, his strong fingers were working the tab open. I covered my eyes with my hand, but as I heard the fabric swoosh to the ground, I parted my fingers to take a peek. Sue me, I'm a woman, and Utah... well he's built.

What greeted me wasn't anything that I expected. Instead of the normal boxer or briefs, I saw a tight pair of undies in bright blue with pencils on them. I didn't even know they made such a thing.

"What on earth?"

Shrugging Utah smiled and sat back down beside me. "Tina has this supplier that keeps us all fully stocked in G-strings."

"That's... it's..." I sputtered not knowing how to ask if his ass was bare on my sofa.

"Ready for the next question?"

The next one? He didn't have any more clothes remove.

Without waiting for me to respond he said, "Give me the equation to figure profit margin."

This was one of the easiest questions. He must really want to take off his knickers. Oh lordy, I couldn't miss this one, but I didn't want to see his, very large pencil he was hiding behind the fabric of that G-string.

"Come on, Fiona," he taunted.

"Profit margin equals net income divided by sales." It came out all breathless. I didn't even recognize my voice.

"Ding, ding ding."

"Please don't take off your underwear," I pleaded.

His eyebrow arched. "No?"

I swallowed hard and shook my head.

"Guess you'll have to settle for this then."

That was all the warning I got before Utah's lips crashed down on mine. His kiss was firm but tentative, as if he was waiting for me to give him permission. Of course I wasn't, but the whimper moan that came from me said otherwise. My body was a b***h that wasn't listening to what my head was telling it. f*****g traitor.

A low growl rumbled in his chest as he deepened the kiss, and when his tongue came out to play, mine skipped alongside his like two friends at recess.

"God, Fiona, you're amazing."

I was speechless.

"Told you all it took was the right motivation."

My head nodded up and down like a bobble-head doll.

"Well, my time is up for today. I'll see you tomorrow."

Crap. Tomorrow. If he'd stripped down to nothing today, what would he do tomorrow? It did no good to think about it because my imagination lacked creativity. Instead of saying or doing anything, I sat like a bump on a log watching as Utah slipped his pants back on and then put his coat on, without the shirt this time, before leaning down and kissing me on the forehead.

"You'll be acing that class by the time I'm finished with you. I'll see myself out."

I watched him leave and sagged back in my seat. If him stripping got me to answer a few questions, I wondered what he'd have to do to get me to ace the whole damn thing. I wasn't sure I'd be able to survive it.