Exhales of relief surrounded me, and I steeled myself against the fluttering in my belly at his display of humor. I’d promised myself that I’d find a way to move past the feelings he evoked in me. One more week. I needed to make it thr
ough the final exam and then the distance I’d be able to put between us should help me get over my unrequited obsession with him. It was my only hope because evidently I wasn’t strong enough to resist his pull on my own. I couldn’t even withstand one minute in the same room with him.
“Let’s start with an easy question. Who can tell me the difference between modernism and post-modernism?”
My hand shot up before the question was finished and without my intending to do so. It had been more than a month since the last time I’d even bothered, and it garnered a response. A minute one, an infinitesimal glance my way from his hazel eyes, but a reaction nonetheless. Only a day ago it might have been enough to spark hope in my heart, but I couldn’t allow that to happen. Not if I was going to survive my final days as an undergrad and the decision I’d made for my future.
Chapter 2
Gabe
Eyes up. Eyes up. Fifty students in this class, you should be able to keep your fucking eyes off of one! This thought kept running through my head on a loop.
Ever since Charlotte Young walked into my classroom, I’d spent the better part of my days wrestling with the dirty fantasies she inspired. If we’d met any other way, I would have pounced on her in a fucking instant. I couldn’t though, because she was my student and the school had a strict no fraternization rule. Not to mention there was a ten-year difference in our ages. Yes, I’d abused my position and pulled her student records to check. Not just her age, either. I memorized every single fact the school had on her. But, I was completely taken with the girl, and as the end of the semester neared, I’d just about given up entertaining the idea of letting her go.
I had to get through the class and the only way I could control myself was to ignore her. I couldn’t look at her beautiful face, with her flowing, blonde hair and pink, rosebud lips. My gaze would inevitably drop to her perky tits, not large but the perfect size to fit in my palms. She always sat in the front row, torturing me with her long, lean legs. She wore skirts more often than not and the view brought thoughts of burying my head between them, or having them wrapped tight around me. Fuck, everything about her made me dream about her naked body. It’s why I’d so studiously ignored her all semester.
When I’d pass over her hand in class, barely glancing at her, in that millisecond of eye contact, I could see the hurt. It stabbed my chest with pain, but this was the way it had to be until she was no longer my student. The one time she approached me during office hours, I brushed her off and hightailed my ass out of there as quickly as possible. I knew if I stayed, I’d have her spread out on my desk with my mouth on her pussy in seconds.
One week, I had one more week of cold showers and sleepless nights. I’d already checked my rosters for next semester and her name wasn’t on a single one of them. At first I’d felt a surge of relief, but then I’d realized I wouldn’t have the chance to see her every day and it had pissed me off. As insane as it sounded, I’d have preferred to take the torture of lecturing with a rock-hard dick every class if it meant I got to see her three times a week.
***
It was finally Friday. Halle-fucking-lujah. The test was Monday and then my wait would be over. It was still against the rules for us to be together, but I’d finally decided I didn’t fucking care. I’d be able to do—
“Hey!” My thoughts were interrupted when Mark Baker, another student, called out to Charlotte as she was packing up her things. I’d purposely kept my back to her, but I turned just enough to covertly watch the exchange.
The punk put his hand on her shoulder and I tamped down the instinct to break his hand. “What are you up to tonight, Char?” Charlotte. She hated being called by a nickname.
“Charlotte,” she corrected. A smug little smirk tugged at my lips. “Packing, I guess. I have to be out of my dorm after my last final next week.” What the fuck?
Charlotte still had a semester before she was done with her undergrad. Why was she being kicked out of her housing?
“Why are you being kicked out of housing?” Well, at least you’re good for something, Mark.
“Oh, I’m not, I gave my notice and am moving off campus.”
Her words washed over me, leaving some relief behind. I wasn’t about to let anything stand in my way, and Charlotte living off campus would make it easier to keep our relationship under the radar.
“Oh, well, if you get done early and want to do something, let me know.” Over my dead body, you little fucker.
She offered him a small smile even while she turned him down, and it was all I could do to not punch his fucking lights out so he couldn’t see how beautiful she was. “Thanks. But, my sister and her husband are coming to help me move all of my stuff to the new place tonight and tomorrow.” She sighed and shook her head ruefully. “My brother-in-law is a little over protective and bought me the apartment even when I told him it wasn’t necessary. I would have been just as happy staying with them while I figure stuff out. I would have preferred it actually, because I could have spent more time with my baby nephew.“
It was completely irrational, but I gritted my teeth at the idea of another man providing my Charlotte with a place to live. Even if he was married to her sister.
My determination to have her permanently in my house, in my bed, was renewed. There wasn’t anything for her to figure out, she was going to be mine. End of story. Rings and babies came to mind, but she was young and I didn’t think she’d be ready for all of that now, even if she sounded all dreamy when she talked about her nephew. I wasn’t happy about giving her time to adjust to the idea of those things, but I was trying to be flexible. I’d give her a year. Maybe.
I’d made millions on my books, there was no need for her to work ever again. Once she gave me a son or daughter, she’d be home with them anyway.
I shook my head, trying to clear away the jumble of thoughts, narrowing them down to one goal at a time. Step one was getting her in my bed. Once I had her there, I’d make sure everything else fell into place.
She was about to walk through the door when I called her name, “Charlotte.” She stopped instantly, almost frozen, then slowly pivoted in my direction. Her soft brown eyes were wide, and confused. Her pretty little mouth parted in shock.
“I’d like to see you in my office after the exam on Monday.”
Chapter 3
Charlotte
“So, you’re totally fine if I toss out your box of signed books?” My sister’s voice was laced with ironic humor. Understandably so since she knew damn well that I’d kill her if she did any such thing.
“What? No! Not my preciouses.” I ran forward and got between her and the box in question. “I stood in line for hours to get some of these babies signed. They are my most prized possessions. You can’t throw them away.”
“You know I didn’t mean it,” she reassured me. “But I had to do something to grab your attention. I don’t think you’ve heard a word I’ve said. Is it finals? Don’t worry about them so much. You’re set to graduate a semester early when the trend is to take five years instead of four. You’ve already been accepted to your top two grad school choices. In the grand scheme of things, these last few tests won’t mean much, and knowing you I’m sure you’ll ace them anyway.”
“It’s not finals,” I admitted, pausing to gather my thoughts, trying to find the words to properly explain to Elisa why I’d been so distracted. I took a moment to appreciate the beauty of my new fully furnished apartment before walking over to the couch and slumping down onto the soft cushions.
She followed me over and sat down beside me. “It’s time to spill the beans, Charlotte. I’ve let you get away with keeping your lips zipped, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t noticed you’ve been off lately. For months.”
“Crap,” I sighed. “It must be more noticeable than I thought if you noticed, since you’ve had your hands full with Brysen and Gregory.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, a sure sign she wasn’t about to give up on getting me to
talk. “Yeah, and if you want to tell me without my hubby listening in and taking over, you better start talking now.” She glanced down at the diamond watch on her wrist, a gift from Brysen at the birth of their son. “They left for their walk to the park five minutes ago.”
“Which means we have maybe five minutes left,” I joked, well aware that Brysen didn’t like to leave his wife’s side. It didn’t get me a laugh from my sister. She just glared at me, tapping her foot while she waited for me to begin my story. I’d run out of time.
“There’s this guy,” I began, and her eyes lit up.
“A guy,” she breathed. “I should have known! I can help with a guy situation a lot easier than I can with the whole grad school thing because I didn’t want to unduly influence you. Tell me all about him. Did you meet him on campus? Is he part of the reason you’re having a hard time picking which school to attend next year?”
“You could put it that way,” I drawled, interrupting her litany of questions. “And yes, I did meet him in class.”
“Is he a senior too? Are you waiting to hear which grad school he’s been accepted to or is he planning to head straight into the job market after graduation? And why haven’t I met him yet?”
“Lissa!” I snapped. “You aren’t making this any easier for me, so I might as well just spit it out. Gabe isn’t a student. He’s a professor. I’m in love with one of my professors.”
“Your professor?” Brysen barked out from behind me. I hadn’t heard the door open when they returned. “What the fuck is his last name? The bastard should have known better than to mess around with one of his students.”
“Watch the language,” Elisa snapped as she rushed over to lift Gregory out of his stroller. “And give my sister a chance to explain before you go all caveman on her behalf.”
“He hasn’t done anything wrong,” I hurriedly explained. “He doesn’t even look at or call on me. We’ve barely spoken to each other, not even in class, which is saying a lot considering professors and students are supposed to interact.”