by Kit Kyndall
He laughed awkwardly, hoping she was joking, at least a little. “It’s not all bad. I’m here.”
After a moment, her expression warmed again, and the corner of her lips turned up. “I guess that’s a selling point.”
He put a hand on his chest. “I’m wounded.”
She rolled her eyes, but she did giggle too. He took that as a good sign. “So, tell me about you.”
She arched a brow. “Not much to tell. We lived in a small town outside of Portland until my mom married her boss three months ago. He thought it would be great to send me here along with Malone and Dalton, and I couldn’t be luckier.” She gave him a bright smile, though her tone was dripping in sarcasm. “Guess I should be so grateful that I’m here.”
He shrugged. “There’re some good opportunities, but the place can be a real drag too. I’m a legacy, which sucks. After two or three generations of sending your kid to the same place, it sort of becomes ingrained in the families, and the schools assume you’ll be there with your next-generation too. It’s hard to be in the shadow of your older brother, your father, your grandfather, etc.”
Her tone was difficult to read when she said, “I see. You’re just a poor little rich boy?”
He felt defensive and frowned at her. “I didn’t say that. Just that it was difficult at times. It’s not like coming here is sunshine and roses for everyone, you know? I’m trying to say I understand how you feel. Or at least kind of how you feel.”
She looked chastened. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so rude. I appreciate you making the attempt.” She looked down again. “I really have to get this read.”
It was definitely a dismissal, but he wasn’t ready to accept it. “Hey, I’m in the top ten percent of the class, so there’s a good chance I can help caught up with anything you might need help with.”
She gave him a distant smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.
He was searching for something else to say when Beth dashing by caught his gaze. “Beth, come sit with us.” He called out loudly enough to earn a few shushes from patrons and a glare from the librarian seated at her desk nearby.
Beth hesitated for a moment before coming over to join them. She took a seat beside Lex. “Hi, Candace.” She nodded at Lex. “What’s up?”
“I wanted to apologize,” said Lex. He could see the surprise in both girls’ expressions. “I really shouldn’t have sat there and let Wills be a total jerk to you today. I felt bad about it, especially since we’re friends.”
Beth looked surprised, and she gave him a small smile. “Thank you. I’m not sure we’re what you’d call friends, but thanks for the apology.”
Lex frowned. “I thought we were friends. We did that project together in history class last year, we have two classes together, including biology, and we talk a lot.”
Beth and Candace traded a glance, and he couldn’t read it, but it was clear they understood what was left unspoken. “What?”
Beth shook her head, but she didn’t look put-out. “That doesn’t really make us friends, Lex. That makes us people who talk in class…you know, fellow students. Friends hang out and know each other, and they speak up on each other’s behalf. So no, we aren’t friends, but you are a nice guy, and I appreciate you apologizing for Wills’ behavior, though I don’t think you could stop him if you did speak up.” She stood up. “I’m meeting someone, but I’ll talk to you guys later.”
Lex watched her go, feeling perplexed as he turned to look at Candace. “I thought she was my friend.”
Candace looked sympathetic. “What do you know about her?”
He shrugged. “You want to gossip?” He couldn’t hide his abhorrence at the idea.
She shook her head. “Not at all. I’m just wondering how much you know about her. Do you know her family? You ever met any of them?”
Lex shook his head. “I haven’t met most the families of people at BriarEdge though, since we live here.”
She nodded. “Fair point. What are their names?” She sighed when he didn’t answer. “Okay, what does Beth want to do with her life? Is she going to college next, and for what?”
He scowled. “I don’t know. I haven’t interrogated her.”
“Okay, when was the last time you hung out with her when it wasn’t in class, not counting tonight in the library?”
Lex could feel his face flush as he realized that would be never. He sighed. “Okay, I get it. I really do like and respect her though. I just never thought about making any further overtures.”
Candace reached out, surprising him and possibly her as well, by patting his hand. “Now you’ve thought about it, so maybe you can change things, if you want.” She looked at the clock. “Oh, I’d better go. I want to get in a swim before they close the building.”
He grinned. “Really? I swim most nights before bed.” Total lie. “Maybe we can go together?” He held his breath, waiting for her to reject him. For a moment, he swore she was looking for an excuse.
Then her shoulders drew up slightly, and she nodded. “Sure, why not?” If she’d sounded like she was being inflicted or forced to do it, he would’ve found an excuse to let her off the hook. She seemed to be looking forward to it, which increased his excitement as he agreed to meet her there.
They walked out of the library together before parting ways. Her swim gear was in her locker, and he told her he had just washed his shorts. The truth was, he hadn’t been by the building since arriving, so he had to grab them first. Swimming wasn’t his favorite thing, but when he did go in the water, it was usually at the lake house his family owned on the upper peninsula of Michigan. Chlorine irritated his eyes, but he decided he could endure that to spend more time with her.
By the time he reached the pool, she was already making progress with her laps. He dove in and joined her in the next lane, swimming easily despite his eyes that soon started burning.
Twenty minutes later, she lifted herself out of the pool, and he did the same so he could sit beside her. Their hands were lying against each other, her pinky brushing against his, and that light contact made him want to lean over and kiss her.
He looked around, noticing there was no one there. As he started to do so, she lifted her head, changing position so she could look into his eyes. “If you really meant it about helping me study, I’d appreciate it. I could use all the help I can get. I don’t want to flunk out of this place and give Malone and Dalton the satisfaction.”
He aborted the kiss quickly, licking his lips instead. He grimaced at the taste of chlorine and used his towel to wipe his face. “I’m super serious.”
“Oh, super serious?” She teased. “But not super-duper serious?”
He laughed awkwardly, getting a chuckle at his own expense. “I could even be super-duper serious. Do you want to meet me at the same table we met at today after dinner tomorrow? I know a much quieter spot in the library though. It’s more conducive to studying.”
She eyed him for a moment. “I definitely do need to study.” There was pointed emphasis on that last word too, as though she was reminding him why they were getting together.
He nodded, keeping his expression serious. “I’ll help you get caught up and soon, you won’t have to study any harder than the rest of us.”
She gave him a genuine smile. “Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow then.” With those words, she got completely to her feet and hurried to the girls’ locker room with a wave in his direction.
Lex was forced to wait a few moments, until she was out of sight. Then he got up and walked awkwardly, shielding his front with his towel. The swimsuit hadn’t revealed anything improper, but it certainly hadn’t hidden her lovely curves either. It was only natural to react the way he had, but he wasn’t ready to go around advertising his erection to the world.
Chapter Eight
Candace was nervous when she entered Literature 203 the next day, but it wasn’t because she hadn’t kept up with her reading. Due to already reading Jane Eyre, she’d only
had to do a cursory reread first before engrossing herself in Henry James’s novel. She was about halfway through now, and she had conflicted feelings about it.
She completely forgot about the feelings the book evoked when Kip looked up and met her gaze, giving her a warm smile. She smiled in return, and her stomach twisted with excitement. Surely, he didn’t give that almost shy, yet completely sexy, smile to everyone? If he did, he probably had half the student body in love with him.
She was no stranger to having a crush on her teacher, having been through it a few times in her academic career, but this felt different. She couldn’t explain why or how, but Kip didn’t seem like an unobtainable figure, thus making him a safe fantasy. There was something genuine and real about him that came across in his confident manner and easy control of the classroom.
He talked to them a bit about Jane Eyre before instructing the class to take turns reading out loud. Since she was familiar with it, she had her nose buried in On The Wings Of A Dove instead, having reached the part where Merton had confronted Kate about her ploy to get him to marry Milly so they could get her inheritance. She gasped aloud in surprise, though that had been the plan all along, and it hadn’t taken her long to figure out what Kate’s thought processes were. It was still a surprise to see it unfold.
“Problem, Candace?” asked Kip, interrupting one of the boys who was haltingly reading Jane Eyre.
She looked up and shook her head. “Sorry.”
With a nod of satisfaction, he gestured for the boy to begin reading again. By the end of the class, she’d made it through a couple more chapters, and she had questions. She deliberately lingered after class, telling herself it was just because of the book. “Do you have a moment, Professor Stuart?”
He hesitated for a second before nodding. “What can I do for you?”
She held up the book she was reading. “I haven’t gotten to the end yet, but I’m having a hard time finishing it. I really don’t like what the characters are doing to Milly. They’re unethical people.”
Kip leaned back against his desk, sitting on it much as he had the day before. “True, but you’ll find flawed characters all throughout literature. Books might become boring if they were all about decent human beings, huh? And I think you’ll find Merton’s not so bad.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. He seems willing to go along with it, and he practically forced Kate to sleep with him so that he would.”
He scratched his brow. “I don’t think it was force at all. He just wanted to be sure that Kate was committing to him if he did something he considered so reprehensible. I know you must have reached the part by now where you can tell Merton is less enthused about the plot.”
She nodded. “Does he get better though? Because it would serve Kate right if he fell in with Milly, and they lived happily ever after.”
He grinned at her. “I’m not going to reveal the ending for you, but as you know, I have open hours on Friday, just like all the other teachers. You’re welcome to drop by then, and we can discuss it further.”
She nodded. “Thank you.” As she started to turn, the book slipped out of her arm and fell to the floor. She knelt to pick it up at the same time he did, and they were kneeling in front of each other, gazes locked for a moment. He reached up to brush a hair off her face and tuck it behind her ear. They both froze, gazes locked, as his hand caressed her hair.
A moment later, he cleared his throat and stood up. “Friday then.”
She nodded, picking up the book and rushing from the room. It wasn’t just because she might be late to her next class. She was on the verge of making a fool of herself. For a second, she’d been tempted to lean forward and kiss him. Only imagining his reaction had kept her in check.
As she made her way to French for the first time, she couldn’t help speculating what his reaction might’ve been though. Would he have pulled away, or let her down easily, or would he have kissed her back? She wasn’t the most experienced girl in the world, but she was pretty certain she recognized mutual attraction when she saw it.
Entering French, she saw Beth sitting in the middle row, and she hurried over to take a seat beside her. Isis was a couple of rows over to the left and at the front of the class, and she was bundled up in her sweater, buttoned to her neck. It was too warm in the classroom for that in Candace’s opinion, but as she looked around, she noticed most of the girls wore their sweaters buttoned to the neck. Even Beth had hers like that, so she leaned over and asked, “Isn’t it too hot in here for a sweater?”
Beth darted a glance at the professor and then looked over at the back of Candace’s seat. “You didn’t bring one?” When Candace shook her head, she sighed. “You’ll want one by Friday, I’m sure. Trust me.”
There was no time to get a better explanation, because the bell rang, and their instructor stood at the front of the class. He was a handsome man in his thirties, with hair that was a little too long and curly to wear just straight past his shoulders. When he opened his mouth, he had a delightful French accent, and he introduced himself as Professor Jean-Claude Manion. She was prepared to find him attractive, but it didn’t take long to realize why the girls all wore their sweaters buttoned to their necks.
He was clearly a creepy perv. As he lectured, he stopped randomly to put his hands on girls’ shoulders, massaging while pointedly looking down the shirts. The sweaters and shirts buttoned high restricted his view.
As he grew closer, she stiffened, aware of just wearing her button-down. It was buttoned all the way up, except for the top button, which she surreptitiously fastened just as he reached her. She wasn’t surprised when he put his hands on her shoulders and massaged lightly as he asked, “Are you the new student? The one related to Malone?”
She nodded, grimacing at his touch. His finger dipped into the back of her collar, and he stroked her neck. She shivered, but it certainly wasn’t from pleasure.
“Welcome to the school. I hope you keep up with your French. If you need private lessons, come to me. I have a skilled tongue.” He gave her a lascivious wink as he moved from looming over her.
She managed a tight smile and nodded. When he walked past her, it was a total impulse. She couldn’t help herself from sticking out her foot. Manion stumbled forward, catching himself on the shoulders of two boys ahead of her in separate rows. He turned to glare at her, and she put a hand to her mouth. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Professor. I was just getting more comfortable.” She was far more comfortable with him a few feet away, nearly having fallen on his face.
He looked like he wanted to pursue the matter for a moment, but he simply brushed his shirt and nodded at her before continuing to make a circuit around the classroom. She was gratified that he skipped her with his next round, though he seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time caressing Iris’s shoulders. Iris was scrunched into her seat, down as low she could get, and clearly not enjoying the attention.
The bell finally rang, freeing them from the pervert’s classroom, and when she was in the hall, she said to Beth, “I understand the sweater thing now.”
Beth grinned at her. “You might not need it though. He seemed to go out of his way to ignore you after you almost tripped them.”
“I can only be so lucky.” She frowned. “Do all the girls know about him?”
Beth shrugged. “Yeah, I think so.”
Candace shook her head. “I don’t understand why you don’t report him.”
She scowled a little. “I’m here on scholarship and can’t afford to make waves.”
That was one of the saddest things she’d ever heard, but she understood. With a wave in Beth’s direction, she went to her last class of the day before returning to her dorm to study for a while. Dinner would be soon, and then she was meeting with Lex, but she was really waiting for Isis to enter before she had to leave.
Isis came in a few minutes later, dropping off her books and greeting Candace with a vague, “Hey.”
“Hi.” She licked her lip
s, searching for a way to approach the subject. “Have you taken French for long?”
Isis looked up with a grimace as she shook her head. “This is my first semester. I’ve been putting it off as long as possible, but BriarEdge requires a year of foreign language, so I have to get it out of the way this year to graduate.”
“Are there any other language classes besides French?”
Isis rolled her eyes. “Not at this place. They’re still suffering some grand delusions, and though Chinese or Spanish would be far more practical than French, that’s what we learn here.”
“With Professor Manion.”
Isis flinched. “That’s the professor.”
“Is he always like that?” asked Candace.
Isis froze, and then she started removing her sweater. “Like what?”
“Creeping on the girls?” said Candace.
Isis forced a laugh. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Of course, I’ve only had him today for the first time.”
It was clear Isis didn’t want to discuss it, so Candace had no choice but to drop the subject. She couldn’t imagine that Isis hadn’t picked up on his pervy ways though, especially since she’d been one of the girls wearing a sweater buttoned to her neck. Word must spread among the student body if that was Isis’s first day, and she knew to wear a sweater. Candace wished someone had told her, but she didn’t think she’d have to worry about Manion giving her unwanted attention in future.
Chapter Nine
After dinner, she met Lex in the library at the table he’d mentioned. He took her hand, and though it seemed casual, the touch started a shower of sparks cascading up her arm from where he touched her.
He led her through the stacks and into the back corner of the library, where there were study carousels. They were technically built for one, but they were able to squeeze in together by sitting close to each other. It was certainly no hardship to be pressed together with him like this, with his arm around her shoulders, ostensibly so they’d have more room.
