by Jessa York
A small sympathetic smile crossed his face. “I’m a better teacher now, Paige. Give me a chance?” he said, placing his warm hand on my arm. The heat from his contact gave me goosebumps.
“Unfortunately, I’m not a better math student. This is pointless, I’m sorry,” I said, looking at the books on the table. “It might as well be in Greek.”
“Wanna play a game? We should take a brain break,” he suggested, closing up the books, shoving them over to the side. “Go grab something.”
“Are you kidding?”
“Nope. It’s good to focus on something else for a while. Where do you keep your board games?”
Sitting up in my chair, I answered immediately, “I don’t have any.”
He laughed like I’d just said something hilarious. “Yeah, right.” Not replying, I sat there staring at him. “Paige Flores, how did you get even more stubborn over the years?” he asked in a whispered voice, his eyes gazing over me. “Fine then. How about Truth or Dare?”
Now that had possibilities. “Okay,” I said before he spoke over me.
“I get to go first,” he said, a sly emerging smile on his handsome face.
“Gah, no fair,” I whined, protesting as I poked him in the arm.
“Uh, totally fair if I call it first. Unless you made up a new, pretend rule?”
Darn, I wanted to go first. Stupid oversight. “Fine, go ahead.”
“Why do you need calculus?”
“Computer science minor.”
“What’s your major?”
“Nice try. One question, Professor. My turn.” Why wait for niceties? Screw decorum. “Why did you cheat on your fiancée?”
His face dropped, obviously not expecting me to go for the jugular. “I didn’t.”
My whole body shook as I laughed my guts out. “I disagree. I’m serious, I want to know why?”
He looked behind himself then leaned forward. “I’m telling you, I didn’t cheat.”
“Oh you so did. Or have you already forgotten when I was at your house?”
“I haven’t forgotten you in my house or in my bed or in my shower. What I’m telling you is I didn’t cheat.”
Sitting back, I considered his wording. He’s admitting we slept together but not admitting to cheating. “So you have an open relationship? God, that’s disgusting,” I said, doing an exaggerated full body shiver.
“That’s another question. It’s my turn now. What do you want to be after college’s over?”
“I told you already. I want to teach. I think.” Although, after the last couple of weeks, I wasn’t too sure anymore. “My turn. Do you and Melanie have an open relationship?”
Running his hands through his hair, he sighed loudly. “I can’t explain it to you—right now.”
“It’s a yes or no answer, Jake.”
Exhaling loudly, he rubbed his face. “I can’t.”
“Melanie wouldn’t be angry if she knew?”
“Not at all—hey, that’s two questions,” he said, his eyes wide open.
I giggled at his slip up. “If you fall for it then it counts.”
Shaking his head, he was silent for a minute, his whole body stilling. “Why did you stalk me?”
Puzzled, I frowned slightly, tilting my head. “When we were kids? I don’t know, you were always around. It wasn’t that difficult?”
“No, I mean at the bar.”
“You already know. Alex and I were playing ‘Who Would You’,” I said, confused at why he would waste a question on something he knew.
“No, Paige. I mean why did you stalk me? I didn’t know who you were, but you sure knew who I was.”
“What?” I spat out, more than surprised he would even think that. “I didn’t know who you were. In fact, I didn’t know until I was in your class and you wrote your last name on the board. Then I texted Alex to send me the picture of your driver’s license.”
He looked me over, eyes narrowed. “You didn’t recognize me?”
“No!” I practically shouted. “I haven’t seen you since I was eight. You’ve—changed a lot.” Then it occurred to me. “Damn that was two questions.”
“Brain break is over. Open your books, Miss Flores.”
For some reason, I actually did what he said.
After Jake left, I was so tired I flopped onto my bed. We’d covered so much territory my brain felt like it was going to burst. When my phone started buzzing, I reluctantly opened my eyes. “Did you forget something?” I asked, sitting up with a groan. “I’ll go look.”
“No. I just—I wanted to—you did really well tonight. I don’t want you to worry about everything we covered. It’ll sink in.”
“Why are you being so nice to me?” I asked, laying back down.
“Truth?”
“Umm, yeah?”
“I want you to do well. And I really am sorry for being a jerk. My turn now?”
“One more turn, that’s it.”
“Were you really a—unicorn?” his voice sounded breathy. Almost urgent.
“Why are you so obsessed with this?” I asked, a sensual pulse beginning to beat down below.
“It’s my turn. Answer the question, Paige.”
Sliding my hand down, I found the source of my discomfort. “Honestly?”
“Honestly.”
“Yes.”
I heard him exhale into the phone. “Have a good night. See you in class.” With that, he hung up while I continued what I’d started.
24
Jake
“It’s not that funny,” I said, rolling my eyes as I slid down my couch, head resting against the soft leather.
“It’s—it’s—it’s fucking hilarious,” I heard for the millionth time as my friend continued his laughing jag. “You, with all your stupid rules,” Evan said, hooting again at the other end of the phone. “Never sleep with a student,” he said, bursting out in laughter.
This was enough. “Yeah, it’s so hilarious I might get fired over it.”
That brought silence to his brevity. “What? For real?”
This was the reason I confided in Evan. Last year he’d started a relationship with a student. Of course, being the stellar guy he was, he’d bowed out and quit his job. Well, I think his hand was slightly forced. But still, if anyone would understand how I was feeling at this exact moment it was him.
“Yeah, I mean technically nobody knows. I’m not going to sleep with her again.”
Evan laughed again, louder this time. “You don’t sound very convincing.”
A burst of air left my mouth. “Damn, man. I know. Trust me, I want to sleep with her—that’s the problem. But she’s my student. If she doesn’t pass my class then Miller’s giving me the boot.”
“If he doesn’t know you slept with her then why’s he care if she passes or not?” Evan asked, confused at my partial explanation. I sighed and told him the rest of the story about how I tried to get her to drop my class.
“Oh man, you can be such a dick, Richter.” He exhaled loudly.
Wasn’t that the truth? If anyone knew about my womanizing ways, it was Evan.
“You think I don’t know that? I was damn shocked to see her in my class. I wasn’t—thinking properly.” Closing my eyes, I rubbed my hand over my face.
“Now you just have to wait and see if she passes? Hopefully she studies, man, or you’re screwed.”
Taking a deep breath, I said, “Miller said I have to tutor her. Free of charge.”
Evan snorted so loud I had to move the phone away from my ear. “Private study sessions with a hot chick you’ve already banged?”
“Essentially.”
“Jake?”
“Yeah, man?”
“You’re so screwed,” he said, laughing again as I moved my head to the armrest and stretched out.
“I know.”
25
Paige
“So, you’re coming home in a week?” Alex screamed, dancing around the room to the beat of his own drum.
“Yes, and you guys have to save me. Evan’s parents are insisting on throwing us an engagement party,” Holly said, slouching in her desk chair. The worry in her voice made my stomach hurt for her.
“Wow, that sounds nice. So, he obviously told them?” I asked.
“Oh, he told them, all right. At first his mom said it wasn’t the proper time for an engagement since she and his dad are in the middle of a divorce.”
Alex popped his head into view beside me. “Uh huh, not to mention the whole, her husband the senator doing the nasty with his secretary, scandal.”
“Yeah, that, too,” Holly said, sinking into her chair even more. “Evan said we’d just elope if it was too much trouble. That changed her tune pretty quick. ‘No child of mine,” Holly mimicked her mother-in-law to be, “is going to be married in a Las Vegas nightclub.’”
Alex and I both laughed at her impression of a pretentious snob. “I’m sorry, Holly. How can we help?” I asked, feeling bad for my friend. The family she was marrying into was interesting to say the least.
“Thanks. Well, you can start by coming to the engagement party. I have a feeling I’ll be needing some comic relief.”
“Done and done, sistah. I’ll pick out outfits, posthaste. Ivy will be home for Thanksgiving break by then. We can raid her closets,” Alex said, clasping his hands together in pure joy. There wasn’t much he enjoyed more than dressing us up. Our friend Ivy was away at college and Alex was right, her closets—yes, as in multiple—were to die for.
“Sounds like a plan. You guys are the best. Paige, I almost forgot, how’s the ankle?”
“Healed up, I think,” I said, trying to rotate it as we spoke.
“What did the doctor say?” she asked, leaning closer to the camera on her laptop.
“Ha, you’re assuming she even went back to the doc,” Alex said, pushing me over so we were now sharing the chair I sat on.
“I don’t need to go back. He said to keep it on until I was better.”
“He said to come back in six weeks.” Alex clarified.
“Whatever, same thing,” I said, bumping my shoulder into his.
“That was two months ago,” Alex glared down at me.
“Girl, go see the doc,” Holly advised, her face full of concern for me.
“She’s more worried about her booty right now than her leg,” Alex said, shaking his body, spinning around to twerk for us whether we wanted to see all that or not.
“What do you mean?” Holly asked, frowning at us through the screen.
“He means I’m getting fat from sitting around so much with this foot,” I stretched it again, wishing I had the range of motion back.
Alex’s jaw dropped. “I did not say you were fat, girl. I meant you were getting—voluptuous. You got the whole boo-tay, boo-bay thang goin’ on here.” His head bobbed down and then back up again. “You’re lookin’ even more fine than usual.”
“Yeah, tell that to my jeans. I can hardly do them up anymore.” I joked about it but it was really getting on my nerves. “The freshman fifteen found me, fast.”
Holly nodded. “Yep, I know what you mean. When I moved here, I was so excited to try all the new food, I may have overdone it a bit.” She laughed, shrugging it off.
Alex interrupted her. “You mean your very hot boyfriend—who is now your fiancé—brought home all the wines to taste test from his new vineyard.”
Holly tossed her blonde curls as she giggled. “Wine has a lot of calories.”
“Mmm, hmm,” Alex said, crossing his arms, bumping me in the shoulder. “Just what I thought.”
“Now that this stupid boot is off, I’ll be able to lose some weight.” There really was no choice. It wasn’t like I had unlimited funds to go buy new clothes.
“Oh, I have a fantastic new app that I’m using. It’s working so well, I’ll send it to you,” Holly said, looking down at her phone. “There, I just sent it. I need to get to bed now, you guys. I’ll see you soon, though, okay?”
We said our goodbyes and Alex closed down his laptop. “We’ll have to pick out an engagement gift for them. Any ideas?”
I grinned at him. He already knew the answer to that. “Nope.”
“Okay, perfecto. I’ll take my own liberties, then,” he said, standing up, letting me have the chair to myself. After flopping on the bed, he turned around, staring at me. “How’s calculus going?”
“It’s going.” I sighed, wishing it was January already so this term would already be over and done with.
“How’s the professor? Do I need to go kick his ass yet?”
“Not yet,” I said, rising to stretch my legs. “He’s been helpful but I’m still struggling.”
“No more hanky panky?” he asked, eyebrows wiggling up and down at me.
Strolling over to the bed, I sat down on the edge. “Of course not. He’s got a fiancée.”
His head tilted to the side. “Like that stopped him before?”
“Yeah, I know. For real, though. He’s been a perfect gentleman.” After saying that, a sense of disappointment washed over me. I was being dumb. The guy was betrothed to another woman. Just because I found him deadly attractive and I dreamed of him most nights didn’t mean a thing. Other than the fact I was walking around highly frustrated all the time.
“All that tutoring, you must be acing that class now?” he said, glaring his suspicious eyes at me.
“Forty-seven.”
“Percent?” he asked, pushing up on his arms, looking at me like I was crazy. I nodded. “What in the world are you two doing during those sessions? ‘Cause I do not think it’s studying, girl.”
No matter how much I wanted to pretend everything was normal—it wasn’t. Week after week, Jake had been the caring, attentive, funny guy I’d known before. The girlhood crush I’d had on him bloomed into a full out, real, attraction. We got along so well. But always in the back of my mind I knew he was already taken.
Not that he’d tried anything. Unless you counted wandering eyes. More than a few times I’d caught him staring at my chest or my behind. I guess that also could be because I’d gained weight. All this studying wasn’t helping my grades—or my ass.
“That’s the sad thing. We are always studying. If I’ve got that low of a mark now just imagine what it would be if he wasn’t helping me?”
“You still like him, yeah?” Alex asked, grabbing a pillow and hugging it.
Alex was one of my best friends. He knew. “Yeah,” I breathed out, loudly. “My brain knows he’s off limits but—yeah.”
“Aww, I don’t blame you. Even though he’s a lyin’ cheat, he’s a seriously hot lyin’ cheat.”
That bothered me, too. From what I knew, Jake was still engaged to Melanie. However, he somehow had time to come over to my house nearly every night and help me. If I was his girlfriend, I wouldn’t stand for that.
Trying to understand Professor Jake Richter was impossible.
Alex moved over to give me an encouraging hug. “Don’t worry, girlfriend, we’ll find you another hottie to drool over.”
He meant it. The only problem was—I didn’t want anyone else.
26
Jake
That woman’s ass would not quit. I mean seriously, how could it look even better now than when we’d slept together? And her tits—have mercy, I swear they got bigger, too. There was only so much a man could take.
“Cake?” Paige asked, a funny look on her face. “Earth to Jake, hello in there?” She giggled, making her tits bounce again.
“Sorry, I’m just tired.” Tired of Paige being inches away from me for hours a week and never being able to touch her. I didn’t lie, I was bone dead tired. Staying up until all hours marking exams and preparing classes was starting to show. There was only so much coffee a human being could consume in a day.
She shoved a plate of cake to me with a steaming cup of hot cocoa. “Thanks,” I said, ripping the cake off the plate, taking a huge bite. “Mmm, so good,” I said, lic
king my lips. Her eyes lingered on my mouth a little too long. “Here, I’m hogging it.” Pushing the plate toward her, she blocked my attempt with her hands.
“No, no, that’s the last thing I need,” she said, leaning her head on her hand, elbow on the table.
“Why, you’re not feeling well?” I asked, stuffing my face with more food.
“Here, drink my soda, too. I should stick with water.” She watched with intensity as I chewed.
“Uh, can I ask why?”
“Yeah, ask my jeans. The traitorous beasts.” There were many things I wanted to say to her jeans—such as, ‘Slide down Paige’s legs right this instant.’ Instead, I scooped up my drink and guzzled it to keep from saying something I couldn’t take back.
Wiping off my mouth, I considered what she’d said. “What’s up? You okay?”
“Other than being fat? Yeah, I’m good.”
My mouth dropped open, not quite understanding. Here I was fighting getting hard after practically drooling over her hot ass in those jeans and she just called herself fat? “Paige, you’re not.”
“Then why did I have to lay down on my bed to get these things zipped up this morning?” she said, digging her thumbs inside the waistband and pulling. My mind conjured up images of her on her bed, jeans partway up her thighs—crap, this wasn’t helping.
“You look great.”
Using the hair elastic around her wrist she tied up her hair into a floppy top knot as she rolled her eyes. “I do not.”
Balling my fingers up into fists, I took a deep breath instead of standing up, dragging her sweet, curvy body into mine and showing her exactly what I thought of those jeans. “You do.”
“Jake, I can hardly breathe in these anymore.”
“Breathing is highly overrated,” I said without thinking. She grinned at me, eyes cast down. “But if you’d be more comfortable wearing something else,” perhaps just my shirt again for example—
