I just had to kiss her.
When the moment passes and our lips detach, I feel a sense of fulfillment that makes me smile.
I’ve clearly lost it this time.
Kissing a girl—no, not just any girl … a student—in broad daylight in a place anyone could see us. If anyone’s stupid, I am. I’m risking my career, and for what?
For what? For her.
For her.
Yes, for her.
I don’t know why I’d say yes … but for her, I’d do it.
Just the thought alone makes me pull back.
An uneasiness creeps onto her face, and I wonder why. Is it because I kissed her? Or because I’m not kissing her anymore?
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
She shakes her head and smiles it off. “Nothing.”
I frown and narrow my eyes. Something’s up, but she won’t tell me. I don’t think it has to do with me, though. The way she looks into the distance and rubs her arms makes me think there’s more going on in her life that I don’t know about.
Of course, I don’t.
I never asked.
Or ever gave the impression that I was interested.
I’ve been a fool.
How could I expect her to tell me when she knows it doesn’t bother me enough to even ask? After all, I told her it was just sex … and sex is really the best I can give her.
The only thing I shouldn’t be giving her as her teacher, yet I don’t want to stop either. In fact, every moment I spend with her only makes me want to pursue her further.
“So why’d you wanna meet up?” she asks, dragging me from my thoughts.
“Oh, right. Did you get your tests back?” I clear my throat.
“What tests?”
“From the doctor,” I whisper, placing my hand on the tree next to her.
“Oh … that.” She makes it sound like it’s some sort of despicable thing. “Yeah.”
“And?”
She smirks and raises a brow at me, folding her arms. “You’d like to know, wouldn’t you?”
I frown. “Oh, c’mon, Hailey. We don’t have time for this bullshit.”
“No, we don’t have time to take it easy. You just wanna fuck me,” she says. “Right?”
I sigh. “Just give me the damn answer.”
“I will …” she muses, but I can already tell where this is going. “If you take me out on a date.”
I take it back. I did not see this coming.
“You’re not serious, right?”
She leans in. “As serious as you were when you told me to come to your apartment. Now.” She tries to replicate my voice, which makes me cringe a little.
I take a deep breath.
She’s got me in a corner now, and she knows it.
I want to fuck her, badly, every fucking day. It’s all I can ever think about, and she knows it.
And now, she uses it against me.
“Smart little brat,” I murmur.
She grins but doesn’t respond, confirming my suspicions.
She’s blackmailing me into going on a date with her.
“You’re preventing me from fucking you without a condom unless I go out with you?”
“Uh-huh.” She taps her foot. “I’m waiting.” She checks her watch. “I have more classes today. Tick tock.”
“Don’t push me, Hailey.”
“Do you wanna know or not?”
“Of course, I do,” I growl.
“So you want to fuck me badly enough that you’re considering it, but not badly enough that you’d take me out to dinner?”
“You don’t know what I want,” I say, putting my arm around her waist and pulling her close to me.
“Exactly my problem,” she says, as if this was her plan all along.
Confuse me.
Until I don’t even know what I want anymore.
I take another deep breath and close my eyes for a second. “All right.”
“What?”
When I open my eyes, I see hers have widened.
“I’ll do it,” I say.
“Really?” She smiles and then hugs me. “Thank you.”
At first, I’m overwhelmed, but when I let her warmth flow through me, I relax and wrap my arms around her.
Apparently, this means a great deal to her.
I’m honestly not sure why I agreed.
My dick was doing all the thinking.
Or maybe I really am starting to fall.
Fuck.
When she releases me, she says, “I know it’s corny, but I just wanted us to go on a date. Like normal people, you know?”
“Hmm …” I narrow my eyes at her. “You do realize you’re going to get spanked for this so hard, right?”
A shameless grin spreads across her lips. “I know, but I’ll take the punishment like a good girl. After we get back from our first freaking date.”
Chapter 17
Thomas
A few days later
When I ring her bell, it’s not her who opens the door to her dorm room but her roommate, and the look on her face, when she sees me, is anything but ecstatic.
“Oh … it’s you.” She sighs. “I thought they were coming to bring my package.”
“Lesley, right?” I say, trying not to sound pompous.
“Yeah, that’s me …” She clamps the door tight. “And you’re the professor.”
“Teacher,” I correct. “Professor sounds so old.”