The question caught him so off-guard that he tripped over the damn dog. He caught himself, barely, against the desk piled high with books, and he turned to look at her, his expression almost comical in its horror.

"What?" he said, holding up his hands to stop her. "No, no, no, no, no, that's not-- Okay, that's exactly what it sounded like, but-- I asked you to stay here because you're a friend, Layla, not because I wanted to get in your pants. If you'd said yes, my answer would've been the same. I just needed to know, either way, that's all."