“This is me,” she said, stopping in front of a red door and pointing at it.
I stopped as well, leaning against the wrought iron fence. “So,” I said. “You going to check the list?” I tilted my chin toward the phone in her hand.
There was a tic in her jaw as she looked down at the blank screen in her hand, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth before glancing up at me. “Is it weird that I’m looking at the cast list with you right here in front of me?”
I chuckled and pulled my hands free from my pockets. “It’s… untraditional. Then again, nothing about our relationship is traditional.”
She swallowed and I followed the line of her throat as the muscles there tightened. Her neck was long and delicate, and I licked my lips, wishing I could nibble my way down that damn neck. “Relationship?” she repeated on a whisper.
My gaze jerked from her neck to her eyes, and I shrugged, trying to seem laid-back. “For lack of a better word.”
She inhaled a deep breath through her nose. “I’m scared to look at the casting,” she admitted.
I slid my hand to hers, threading her fingers into mine. Her skin was soft and warm and did things to my insides that I didn’t want to admit. “Don’t be.”
She inhaled another sharp breath, and I resisted the urge to look at her breasts as they hitched. “But I am.”
“Hazel,” I said pointedly and dipped my head down to catch her gaze, which was very intentionally not set on me. “As the director…and the person who helped cast this in tandem with the writer, I’m telling you…don’t be scared.” I lifted my brows, my smile growing, as I tried to convey to her that she had nothing to be nervous about without flat out telling her she got the lead role.
Her brows dipped as she continued chewing that lip. I lifted my free hand to her face and grazed my thumb over her mouth, tugging her lip free from her teeth, relishing the tiny gasp that escaped as the corners of her mouth began to curve. Then, realization lit up her face and her brows lifted, disappearing behind the dark fringe of her bangs. “No,” she whispered.
I wiggled my brows. “No, what? You have to check the cast list.”
Her smile lit up her face and she brought her phone under her nose, punching in the website. The screen illuminated her face and she grinned wildly, clutching the phone to her chest with a squeal. “I got the lead?” she whispered, this time biting that lip through her grin.
My thumb circled over her knuckles, squeezing her hand tighter. “You did. You earned it.”
Her hand clasped mine, squeezing tightly. “Thank you.” Tears filled her eyes as she leaned forward, arms outstretched, and yanked me into a tight hug.
I let out an audible mmm when she pressed her soft, T-shirt clad breasts against my body. Despite the fact that she’d had her bare breasts in my face two weeks ago…this felt more intimate than that.
I slipped my hands around her narrow waist, squeezing her tighter into my body and burying my nose in her hair. The light scent of lavender and vanilla was like a balm to my jittery nerves, and any anxiety I had about us being seen together in public melted away.
Her breath deepened against me, shifting from erratic and excited to deep and heavy. She slid her hands to my shoulders and pushed herself off of me, pausing inches from my face. Her gaze latched onto mine, lips wet and parted as we stood there in each other’s arms in the cool autumn evening.
She brushed her thumb along my jaw, the edge of her long nail scraping my tender flesh. “I want to kiss you,” she whispered, her eyes dropping to my mouth as she spoke.
My cock was hard and pressing viciously against the metal teeth of my zipper. It was already a bad idea for us to kiss as student-teacher. But now? Now that I had cast her in the lead role, it was an even worse idea. Not only was she my lead actress for this class, but if this worked out how I hoped, we would eventually move into official production with some of the team we formed here, like with most workshops. And my gut told me Hazel would be on our team. She would be our star, or rather, we were going to make her a star.
It was so fucking complicated, or maybe it really wasn’t. If there was ever something I refused to do again? It was date one of my actresses. I’d seen how that story ended and it wasn’t good.
I opened my mouth to say no, but before I could, Hazel leaned forward, taking my lips in a heavenly kiss. Her tongue ran slick along the seam of my mouth, and I groaned, opening for her, our tongues meeting in a tangle of silk. I lost all sense of where we were and sank into that kiss.
Before I could slide my hand down to her tight ass, she pulled away, still grinning from ear to ear, and took a casual step back. As if she hadn’t just kissed the fuck out of me and left me hard and panting on this damn sidewalk.
Fuck me.
I raked my hands through my hair and let my hands fall listlessly to my sides. My breath was heavy. Embarrassingly heavy, if I was the sort of man to get embarrassed. My cock was now fully hard. Maybe the hardest I’d ever been in my life. This was now the second time that Hazel got me worked up, only to leave me unsatiated, with a raging case of blue balls.
“Hazel,” I said, my voice deep and graveled. “I can’t. If I do this, I’m no better than Professor Lewis. I can’t be that guy. I couldn’t live with myself—”
She cut me off mid-sentence, taking one step closer. I countered her, backing against the wrought iron fence. “You are nothing like him,” she said, her voice sounding as needy as I felt. It gave me comfort…the fact that I wasn’t alone in these feelings. “To start with, we met before you were my teacher. We had an established attraction and chemistry before there was this power dynamic.” She shivered as she said power dynamic and I could see the goose bumps race down her legs. “Secondly,” she whispered, looking up at me with doe eyes that were nearly beaming in the glow of the streetlamp. “This is consensual. I’m a consenting adult and I want you. I’ve been thinking about you nonstop ever since that night we met. And now? All I wish is that I would have gone home with you that night. Because back then we didn’t know any better. And I’m afraid that was my only chance to be with you.”
I scrubbed my palm over my stubble. I felt the same fucking way. That night was our one shot to be together without consequence. We could have truly said we didn’t know any better and been safe from the powers that be at the school. Now? We knew the consequences. We knew the trouble we could get into. And fuck me, I didn’t care. It was worth it for one night with her.
“How drunk are you?” I asked, placing my hands gently on her shoulders and moving her to arm’s length.
“I’m tipsy,” she admitted. “Not drunk.” She licked her lips again, and I made a mental note to buy the girl some damn Chapstick, because if I had to keep seeing her lick and nibble her bottom lip, I might explode.
Did she know how intoxicating she was? How utterly magnetic she was? And not simply because she was beautiful. There was more to her than just good looks. She was charming. And witty. She made me laugh—something only a handful of people had truly been able to do since Faith left me.
And that was precisely why she was so dangerous. Why I needed to step away. And yet my feet…my damn feet…they weren’t moving. I cleared my throat. “I would rather you were sober. Completely.” If I was being honest, I would rather I was completely sober too. My head was spinning, and even though I also wasn’t drunk, I’d had one more glass of wine than I had planned tonight.
She closed the distance between us, her breasts once again brushing my chest, and fuck me, I could feel her pebbled nibbles against me through my polo shirt. “Then let’s go make a pot of coffee,” she whispered, pushing onto her toes and devouring my mouth once more.
I let her take that kiss. I wanted it too. It was stupid to deny it. I scooped my hands into her hair and drew her deeper against me. Lust clawed up my spine, tearing through me, as my dick throbbed against the hip bone she was purposefully thrusting into me.
Her lips moved from mine, kissing across my jaw u
ntil she nipped my ear. She leaned beyond me, inserting her key into the door and opening it. After stepping through, she paused, jerking her head toward the inside. An invitation to follow her. No, not an invitation. A demand. If there was one thing I could say for Hazel Stone, she knew what she wanted and she took it.
I mumbled an unintelligible curse, looking over my shoulder before following her into the building to her first-floor apartment. It was a pretty large apartment for the village—a small kitchen and living room right when you walked in, and three doors flanking the main area. One, I could tell, was a bathroom. Another, I assumed, was a bedroom. I pointed to the third door. “Roommate?”
She shook her head. “Not since Rosa moved out. I couldn’t stand living with someone other than her.”
She didn’t give me much time to look around before she grabbed my hand, dragging me into one of the bedrooms. She scooped under my shirt, untucking it from my pants and kissing her way frantically up my neck. “Hey,” I said, breathing deep and tracing my thumb up her jaw from her lips. “Slow down. What’s the rush?”
She dropped the hem of my shirt, inhaling a sharp breath, and I saw a moment of panic in her eyes that caused my whole body to tense.
“I’m—I’m afraid you’re going to change your mind.”
I swallowed the knot in my throat, but that did nothing to relieve it. “You know how much trouble we could get into for this, right?” I asked. She needed to know…to understand…what we were doing here. I needed confirmation from her that she understood.
She nodded. “Yes. But I can’t get you out of my head. I’ve tried. No amount of time with my vibrator has worked.”
With a frustrated groan, I closed my eyes against the image of her pumping a vibrator in and out of her pussy while she gently circled her clit with her other hand…all the while thinking of me. Fuck, I wanted to see that. “Okay,” I said. “As long as we both know the consequences and still want to do this. Because, fuck me, do I want to do this.”
“Just for tonight,” she clarified, and a twinge of sadness spiked through my gut at her admission. Why? Why the hell did that strike me like a blow to the chest? I didn’t want a relationship. I had all but sworn off them since Faith. But I nodded all the same.
“Just for this weekend,” I clarified. “Because tonight we’re sleeping together… but only that. Just sleeping. When we do this, I want you to be of complete and total sound mind.”
She looked surprised and for a moment, I thought she was going to argue with me. But then, just as quickly as the defiant look crossed her face, it was gone. Softened with the same acknowledgment and understanding I’d just had—she nodded. “But you’ll stay the night? Even if we don’t…” her voice trailed off.
I took a step forward, brushing my finger beneath her chin and lifting her lips to mine. With my mouth grazing hers, I answered, “I’ll stay all night.”
Chapter 10
Reid
The next morning, I stretched, rolling onto my side as my forearm landed across Hazel’s torso. My first thought: It wasn’t a dream. Followed by my second thought: What the hell am I doing?
But that thought was just as quickly silenced when Hazel rolled over on her side, her bare lips parted as she sighed gently in her sleep. She was completely clothed, still in the same long-sleeved wine stained t-shirt as before, but had swapped the denim shorts for a pair of yoga pants for bed. I, on the other hand had enough forethought to take my polo shirt off and slept in pants and undershirt, cursing my judgment to not wear underwear yesterday. I fired off a quick text to my assistant asking him to pack me a weekend bag and bring it to this address.
Because if we only get one weekend together, then I wasn’t going to waste a second of it traveling uptown to my apartment for a clean pair of underwear.
I took in the moments just before she awoke. The way her mouth twitched and her shallow breath became deeper, hitching her chest higher until her eyes fluttered open.
I held my breath, waiting. It was the moment of truth. She would either remember that I was here and be happy to see me… or we’ll learn that she was in fact more drunk than she thought last night and she’ll freak out that I’m in her bed, even though not a thing happened. Except for that kiss.
Holy hell, what a kiss.
The shock on her face only lasted a second before her lips slipped into an easy grin and she nuzzled into my chest. “You’re still here.” Her voice held a sexy graveled rasp, and I couldn’t help but wonder if that’s how she sounded every morning.
“Of course I am,” I said and kissed the top of her head. “How are you feeling?”
“Mmm,” she wiggled against me, stretching to look up from where she laid on her side. “Better.”
“Not hungover?”
She shook her head, her eyelids still heavy as she shook off the sleep. “Does that mean we can…” Her words trailed off, but she slid her hand down my abdomen until she was grasping my erection in a firm grip. She kissed up my jaw until her mouth was at my ear and whispered, “Because I don’t want to wait anymore.”
A primal sound tore from my throat as I rolled on top of her, ravaging her mouth with a heated kiss. I tasted remnants of wine and a hint of cherry on her tongue as I hooked my thumbs into the waistband of her yoga pants, then slowly dragged them down over her hipbones.
I nibbled down the line of her jaw to her neck, trailing my tongue across to her shoulder while simultaneously tugging at her shirt to lift it over her head. I’d been dreaming about what her nipples looked like beneath those pasties. With a flick of my fingers, I had her bra undone, and as the straps skimmed down her arms, goose bumps rose on her skin in a trail behind them. The black lace cups fell, exposing her perky, firm, perfect breasts. And her nipples. God, they were more glorious than I had even imagined. Dark pink. Hardened into two tight nubs and calling for my mouth. I bent, rolling my tongue around one and basking in her moan as I palmed the other one, kneading it carefully in my hand. Not too gentle. Not too rough. Then I switched, giving her other breast my mouth.
Sitting up, I tugged her legs free from the yoga pants and parted her knees so I could kneel between them. A small scrap of black lace panties was all that separated my mouth from her pussy. I needed to taste her. I’d had one small sample that first night at the club when I licked my fingers, and I couldn’t get her out of my head since then.
I curled my fingers into her panties and slowly, painfully slowly, exposed her to me. She was pink and soft, and fuck me, her legs shifted anxiously, wrinkling the sheet beneath her as she awaited my mouth. I knelt between her spread thighs, staring at her beautiful body. I ran my hands down the sides of her ribs, over the curve of her waist and the swell of her luscious hips until my fingers brushed down her thighs, her skin like silk.
She whimpered before dragging in a strangled breath, and her hands flew to either side of the pillow below her head, clutching it. “Oh, Professor,” she moaned.
Fuck. “Say that again,” I growled.
She blinked, her toes curling against the dark purple bedspread, and she lifted her head to look at me. “Professor?” Her mouth curled into a smirk. “You like that?”
I shuddered, digging my fingers harder into where I clutched her thighs. I inched my mouth closer to her beautiful clit. “It’s so fucking wrong,” I said, more to myself than to her.
What was I doing? It’s so fucking wrong. Yes. Exactly. There was a reason directors shouldn’t fuck their actresses. And there was definitely a reason professors shouldn’t fuck their students. With everything happening, it was my job to uphold these ethical standards. It was my job to set an example—and now because one sexy student batted her eyes at me, I was going to risk throwing away my career—and potentially her career—for one weekend of carnal pleasure?
But then…Hazel moaned my name. “Reid,” she cried, dragging her hands to her breasts and pinching her nipples. The sound of my name on her dewy lips was the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard. It wa
s more beautiful than any song I’d heard sung on stage. More beautiful than the most moving play I’d ever directed.
All my doubt, all my fear dissolved with that single sound.
Gently, barely a flutter, I traced the outside of her clit, circling it with my tongue. Nothing in the world had ever tasted sweeter. No cake. No Moscato. Not even honey tasted this decadent.
One weekend would never be enough. The thought struck me hard and fast.
I slid my hands up to her smooth pussy and spread her wide before flattening my tongue and gliding it firmly up her length.
Her body jerked beneath me and her legs writhed. My dick was so hard it was throbbing, and my balls were tight and drawn up against my body. But I didn’t want to rush this. I didn’t want to speed through it. I wanted to savor every second, every taste.
With a featherlight touch, my finger circled at her opening and slowly pushed inside of her, stroking within her slick center until I found the textured nub deep inside. I wrapped my lips around her clit as she moaned, grinding into my face.
I inhaled her scent. Swallowed every whimper and moan as my finger twisted and pumped inside of her. Then, I devoured her wet little pussy. All that control I was so mindful of moments ago went out the window. I lapped at her clit, sucked, nibbled, bit, and swallowed every drop of her arousal.
“Oh my God,” she cried, and her knees tightened around my body as her pussy clamped around my finger, spasming. I devoured her orgasm, drinking it in and relishing in her pure, undiluted pleasure. Glancing up, I watched her face as she came, her tight expression relaxing as the pulses within her body slowed and her leg muscles relaxed, completely satiated. It was a gorgeous sight, and when she blinked her eyes open, they landed on mine, wet and full of wonder.
I withdrew my finger, bringing it to my lips and sucking it clean. “Fuck, you taste amazing, Hazel,” I said.
Directing You Page 8
