I got deep and slow as he rubbed his chest against mine and touched the side of my face. He didn't break the stare as we brought each other over the edge again. The need to tell him that I loved him was almost too much to hold back, but I did.
It was too soon, though the time would come before I knew it.
He pressed his forehead against mine and smiled before closing his eyes and nodding. "You're mine, Val. All mine. Only mine."
I didn't need to speak or confirm his statement.
We both already knew it was the truth.
Chapter 27
Tate
After making love to my girl at the gym, I took her back home and promised to work on her car the next day. I slept like a rock and found my mother gone the next morning when I got up. Valentine's car wouldn't start or turn over, which was frustrating, but Jerry would let me borrow one of our two tow trucks to get it and haul it up to the shop.
I'd talked myself into putting school off for a while by the time I got to my first class that morning. The professor was teaching on something that I found interesting, and though I'd miss learning something new every other day, I'd deal with it.
Mom might have gotten a small raise, but we still needed more money at the house. The bills from the hospital would show up soon, and they were never cheap.
"Tate, a moment, please?" My psychology professor glanced up and smiled at me as everyone was packing up.
"Of course." I sat in my chair and waited patiently, though I knew I was going to be late to swim practice. I figured I'd go through the drill with the coach, do the practice, and then make the final call on whether I had the balls to give everything up.
For a while. Only for a while.
"Thanks for staying." The older man sat down next to me and tapped his knee. "Your paper on the mind of men was one of the best I've ever seen."
"Really?" I lifted my eyebrow as surprise ran through me. I'd enjoyed writing it more than I'd ever admit, but psych was always a subject of interest. I wanted to know what made people tick and why it was different from person to person.
"Yes. I'd like to submit it to our dean for review if you don't mind." He tapped his lips. "You're a business major, right?"
"Yes, Sir, but psychology is my minor." I wasn't sure where any of this was going, but I liked Dr. Barnes enough to sit there and listen.
"Would you ever consider changing it to be your major? I assume you have a year or two left, right?" He leaned back and turned to face me.
"I'd love to, Dr. Barnes, but I'm honestly considering dropping this semester and trying sometime in the future. My family needs me to work a bit more than I've been able to." I ran my hand through my hair, hating that I was having to say no once again due to my poverty.
"I understand that, but I'd beckon you to hold off for a little while longer." He got up and walked to the front of the room. "You're a talented young man. I think you could go far with the right degree. You mind seems to work in a way that mine did when I was your age."
I chuckled. "No offense, Sir, but I'm not sure we're at all alike. You seem quite put together and I'm a jacked up mess most days."
"We all are. I'm just old. Age has shown me how to better hide the insanity." He chuckled and perched his glasses on his nose. "Humor me."
"Sure." I got up and pulled my backpack onto my shoulder.
"If my dean reads this and likes it, I'd like to talk about you coming to work for me on some research I'm doing on a subject very similar to yours. It could be done late at night or early in the morning. No set schedule, but I think you'll find that the stipend I could offer would help quite a bit with your financial struggles." He lifted his hands out to the
side.
"I'd love that, but it's time that I'm struggling to find." I let out a short exhale. "Let me chew on it a few days?"
"Of course." He extended his hand and shook mine. "We have lots of scholarships that go untouched, too. I'm pretty sure Dean Markham will offer you a few grants just based on the work you've done on this paper. We're always looking for open thinkers who've lived a little bit to join us."
"Hmm...that would be great." I tucked my hands in my pocket as excitement tore up my insides. "Thanks a lot."
"I'll be in touch. You consider my offer. It's not the kind of thing we extend to just anyone." He nodded once before turning back to his desk.
A scholarship would have been great, but the research position sounded like something that would lead to maybe a real position at the college. I could see myself working in the psych department, teaching or working as an administrator.