nst her skin. Lucas stood by the iron gate, his hands casually tucked into his pockets. He looked utterly out of place against the backd

er heart still racing from the a

rossing her arms. "You h

ps curving into a faint smile

ames, Mr. Sterling," she

r. "And I'm not playing games, Emily.

exactly? My community programs? Or is this

, she saw a flicker of something genuine in his exp

I wr

on't. But this isn't about my ego. I've looked into your work, Emily. The after-school tutoring progra

d by the sincerity in his voic

said, his gaze steady. "

rs fighting for her programs, scraping together funding and resources wherever she could. The

e softer now. "Why would someone l

I've spent most of my life chasing things that don't matter,"

pected, disarming, and entirely too person

"No strings attached. Just... le

y hint of insincerity. But all she saw was a man who, for re

even suspect you're doing this for t

of a smile returning

ck toward the school, b

mi

d over her

u," he sa

lowed herself to smile. "D

tling over him. He didn't fully understand why she mattered so much

as she reviewed the endless list of expenses for her programs. Her mind ke

a man worth trusting or a ri

er from her thoughts. She picked it up a

m tomorrow about funding details. Just wanted

e, her chest tightening. S

isn't a partnership

me almost

enough. But I don't

lp but smile, d

" she muttered, set

shake the feeling that her world had just shif