I can't even if I want to.Ethics code, dummy.
Nick puts a hand on my thigh. "You're still worried about violating the rules, aren't you? Can't we get some sort of special permission?"
"Not sure. I'll need to think about that."
He sighs. "In the meantime, you want to pretend we're nothing more than a teacher and her student."
Ugh. How can I possibly do that? I remember every second of what we did in the bedroom—and on the sofa—in vivid detail. I'll probably relive it in my dreams tonight too. And tomorrow night. And the night after that.
Could we sneak around? Date incognito? Slink into and out of his apartment to have sex?
Excitement shivers over my skin. Yeah, I like the idea of a clandestine affair way too much. It's not the affair idea, though. It's him. The thought of sneaking around to have secret liaisons with Nick Hunter makes me so tingly and wet that I almost can't stand it.
"No," I tell him, "I can't pretend we've never had sex. But I can't let anyone know we're involved either, not until I figure out if there's a way around the ethics code. You are older than the average student, but I don't know if that will matter."
"Are you suggesting we sneak around like we're having an illicit affair?"
"Yes. That's exactly what I'm suggesting."
He studies me for a moment, his expression impossible to decipher.
I squirm on my stool and poke at the food on my plate. What if he says no? Or what if he says yes? Not sure which is the most likely to end in a big stinking mess.
Nick smiles, and it's even more sizzling than his steamy smile. That expression not only melts me inside, but it heats me up from my skin down to my sex. He slides off his stool and pulls me tight against his body, bending his head to stare straight into my eyes. "Yes, Siobhan, I'll be your secret lover."
Chapter Nine
Nick
In the morning, I wake up with a beautiful woman curled up against my side and her chin on my arm. Siobhan is still sleeping, so I lie here and try not to disturb her. Despite what she seems to think, I am not the sort of arse who sneaks out in the wee hours. Of course, this is my flat, so I can't do that, anyway. But that's beside the point. I wouldn't do it even if I could.
Maybe once we get to know each other, she won't think of me as a playboy anymore. Honestly, I've never been one of those. I love women, but I never abuse their trust.
Siobhan and I wouldn't have enjoyed each other for hours if she hadn't trusted me to keep our liaison a secret. Now I'm her clandestine lover. It's…strange.
I sigh and stare up at the ceiling while I try to figure out what exactly it means to be a woman's secret lover. Will she wear sunglasses, a trench coat, and a wide-brimmed hat when she sneaks into my flat? Or will she insist we meet in a hotel somewhere away from the university?
A week ago, if anyone had suggested I'd wind up in this situation, I would've called them crazy.
Siobhan mumbles wordlessly and wriggles against me.
Christ, she's beautiful. And underneath that straitlaced exterior, she has the heart of a wild woman, at least in bed. I love being the one who cracked her shell and let all that sexual hunger spill out.
Now I'm picturing an egg yolk oozing out. That might be the most disgusting metaphor I've ever thought of. Ah well, Rick is the literary one in the family.
A mobile rings.
I glance at the bedside table where my phone sits alongside Siobhan's. Which one is ringing? I grab the one that has its screen lit up. It says "Felicity" on the caller ID.
The mischievous part of me wants to pick up the call and chat to Siobhan's daughter, but that's not what a secret lover would do. Bollocks.
I nudge Siobhan with my elbow. "Wake up, love."
She moans and wriggles.
"Wake up, Siobhan. Your daughter is ringing you." I tickle her lips. "If you don't answer the call, I will. And you know what sorts of things I might say to your sweet teenage daughter. Hello, Felicity, how lovely to talk to you. What did your mother and I do last night? Well…"
Siobhan springs upright, her eyes wide, and snatches the phone from my hand. Holding it to her ear, she says, "Felicity? Hello?"