Basic Chemistry: LOVE 101 - WILLOW BAY NOVELLA

by Layne, Harlow

  “I’m happy to sit here and listen and talk. Get whatever you need off your chest.” She looks surprised by my words, but I mean every one of them. “If I could, I would take away all of your pain and stress.”

  She leans back into her seat and rolls her head to look at me. “You really are a sweet guy, but I don’t want to talk about it. All I want to do is forget the last few days ever happened.”

  I know exactly what to do to make her forget.

  “I think I can be of assistance. At least for a little while.” Her car isn’t big, but I can make do with what I got. “Why don’t you come over here and sit on my lap.”

  There’s a brief hesitation before she starts to move. Holding my hand up, I stop her. “First, take off your panties.”

  Not wasting any time, she slowly wiggles out of her dark red lacy underwear and takes them down her legs and over the heels of her red high heels. She throws them to the floor before she gets up on her knees and then moves to straddle me in the passenger seat.

  “Like this?”

  Gripping her waist, I let my fingers dig into her supple flesh as I hold her over my straining cock. “Just like this. You’re perfect. Now, why don’t you help me out with my zipper.”

  She deviously smiles as she pulls back just enough to give herself room to unbutton and unzip my pants and pull the crown of my head out so that it’s laying flat against my stomach.

  “All the way out, baby. I want to make you feel better.”

  Her eyes light up at my words. I raise my hips and pull my pants and underwear down to mid-thigh.

  Wasting no time, Roxie grabs the condom from my hands and makes quick work of covering my shaft with the latex barrier. Grasping me in her small hand, she places me at her entrance. Agonizingly slow, she lowers herself down until she’s fully seated. Already I can feel her slick juices as our thighs touch. It feels good to know she wants this just as much as I do.

  She starts to rock and moan, letting out a keening sound that nearly has me releasing on the spot. “Oh, God.”

  With her hands on my shoulders, Roxie starts to ride me with unbridled passion. Her pussy is so wet and hot. “Fucking hell, how do you feel better today than you did last time?”

  Needing to suck on her succulent tits, I grip her shirt and tear it open. Buttons fly all over the car, but neither one of us cares. My hands weigh her breasts before pulling down the cups and letting them all free. Her smooth, creamy skin is begging to be marked to show everyone who she belongs to.

  Taking her mocha-colored nipple into my mouth, I suck and nibble. Going back and forth between the two as if I can’t decide which tastes better, I leave little marks for her to remember me by until we can meet again.

  “Merrick,” she cries out my name as her walls start to flutter around me. I grit my teeth, wanting to prolong the moment longer.

  “Touch yourself,” I demand, even though I know it will bring me over the edge.

  She stops moving for a moment and looks down at me, unsure.

  “You’ve got no reason to hide from me. You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

  At my words, her eyes flare with lust as she takes two fingers and starts to rub her clit with them. Immediately she starts to buck in my hold, and I know she’s close.

  “That’s the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen. Now let me taste you,” I growl.

  She brings her fingers up, and I dive for them, unwilling to wait to have her taste on my tongue. She’s divine. We really need to find a place where I can go down on her because I need to spend at least an hour between those legs of hers. I want to feel her legs tremble as I bring her closer and closer to the edge.

  Swirling my tongue around her fingers, I let them go with a pop and smile. “You taste better than anything I’ve ever tasted in all my life. I want to feast between your legs for days on end.”

  My hips rise as I pull her down, her ass slapping against my legs and our heavy breathing filling the small space of her car, making the windows fog up.

  Heat shoots down my spine, and my balls start to tingle. “Touch yourself again, baby. I’m close, and I want you to come with me.”

  This time she has no hesitation as she touches herself. She arches her back and throws her head back as her walls clamp down on me, bringing me over the edge.

  Gripping her hair, I pull her to me and take her mouth, swallowing down her scream as she comes undone on top of me. Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her down one final time and spill into the condom, wishing I was releasing inside of her.

  We sit with her on my lap, her head on my shoulder and my arms holding her tight for long minutes as we try to calm our breathing. Roxie’s the first to break the connection. She sits up and looks down at me with a smile on her face.

  “That was unexpected,” she finally says.

  “Was it?” She nods but doesn’t say more. “Why was it unexpected?”

  Her thumb rubs along my bottom lip. Her eyes following her movements. “I didn’t think it would be that good again. I thought last time might be a fluke, but now…” she trails off and starts to remove herself from my lap.

  I hold her in place, liking the way she feels on me. “That’s us. I think it will only get better with time.”

  Her hand comes up and cups my cheek. “I could easily get addicted to you, Merrick Landry.”

  “That’s a good thing since I’m already addicted to you.” I suck her bottom lip for a moment before I sit back. “While this was amazing. We’re going to have to find someplace else to meet up.”

  “What’s wrong with my car?” She smirks.

  “For one, I want to lay you out before me, so I can taste every inch of your soft skin.”

  “And the other,” she prompts.

  “This feels cheap, and you’re better than that. You deserve more than having to hide.”

  “But that’s what we have to do. No one can know. If I get caught…” she trails off and hardens her jaw.

  “I know, and trust me, I don’t want that to happen, but surely there are better places than your car.”

  “We’ve always got my office.”

  But in her office, I can’t make her scream my name. I guess beggars can’t be choosers. In this case, I’ll take it whenever and wherever I can to spend time with her outside of class.

  “I really should be going. My brother will be looking for me soon.” I must not have hidden the pain on my face as well as I thought I did. Holding my face in her hands, she kisses my forehead, my eyes, and then my nose before kissing each side of my mouth. “I wish I had more time, but this is the way my life is. If you can’t handle it, I suggest we stop now before one of us gets hurt.”

  If we stop now, I’m already going to get hurt, but she’s right. If I can’t handle what she’s giving me, we’ll never make it through this. She may think all I want to do is fuck her, but she’d be dead wrong. I want to make Roxie mine until the end of time.

  “I can handle it, and if I can’t, I’ll let you know because I’m not ready to let you go yet, Roxie.”

  “Then this is how it has to be. I wish we had more time.” The look on her face screams that she’s sincere.

  “When can we meet again?” When she furrows her brows like she’s going to turn me down, I blurt out, “It doesn’t have to be sex. I’d be happy to spend time with you any way I can.”

  She nods and gets off my lap. I already miss her heat and weight, but I know I can’t pull her back. Her brother needs her, and I can’t be selfish.

  After pulling her skirt down, she grips the steering wheel like her life depends on it. Her knuckles are white, and I can see the muscles in her arms flex as she stares straight ahead for a moment. At first, I think this is her dismissal of me, but then she turns to look at me with determination in her eyes.

  “Meet me tomorrow at five. That’s when my last class gets out. We can call you something like my teacher’s assistant, but more like grading papers and whatnot. It will g
ive us more time together without looking suspicious. Does that work for you?”

  “I’ll do whatever it takes to spend more time with you.” I don’t even care that I sound desperate. It’s the truth. I am. I want to spend every second with her that I can.

  “Good, I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”

  This time I know I’ve been dismissed. Each side of her turns me on. I like it when she’s shy, but I like it even more when she’s assertive and knows what she wants. I want to bring more of that out in her.

  Tucking myself back into my jeans, I lean over the console and slide my tongue inside her surprised mouth. I only taste her for an instant, knowing it will have to be enough to last me until I see her again.

  “Until tomorrow.”

  12

  I wasn’t lying yesterday when I said I wanted to spend time with Roxie, and it didn’t have to be sex. Not that I’d mind if it ended up with her body writhing underneath mine, but I want to get to know her and for her to know me. For her to trust in the way I feel about her.

  Unsure if she’s actually going to give me work to do just so I can spend time with her, I bring my laptop along with me as I walk from my apartment to the science building.

  It’s then I realize I never got back to Walker. I’ve been so consumed with all thoughts of Roxie, and I’ve let our friendship fall to the wayside. It’s even worse since I know he won’t be around much longer once Titan Records signs him and the rest of the guys in Crimson Heat.

  Pulling out my phone, I dial Walker to check in.

  “Hey, man,” he answers on the second ring. “Give me a minute to get somewhere quiet.”

  A few seconds later, he comes back on the line. “What’s up?”

  “Nothing. I realized I never talked to you again after you found me sleeping outside.”

  He laughs at that. “Never thought I’d see the day.”

  “It wasn’t on purpose. I hadn’t been sleeping well, and then when I got to the building, the doors were locked, so I sat down and fell asleep. I can’t believe no one from my class woke me up. The assholes.”

  “It’s not their job to make sure you get to class. Besides, they’re probably tired of you making eyes at your teacher,” he chuckles down the line.

  “How did you know that’s the class?”

  “Because why else would you get there early.”

  True. Only Roxie can get me out of bed at the ass crack of dawn.

  “So, how is operation bag the teacher going?” He asks curiously.

  It’s crass, but I don’t fault him. He doesn’t have any idea how I feel about Roxie. It feels good to be able to talk to him about her. “I’m on my way to see her now. You know we have to do the whole ‘hide we’re together because I’m her student and she’s my teacher’ thing. We haven’t been able to spend much time together outside of class.”

  “Your powers of persuasion must be fading. The Merrick I used to know could make any girl do anything he wanted,” he laughs like it brings him great happiness.

  “Well, she’s a woman and not a girl and has real-world problems. It’s not that her daddy will ground her if she’s caught out late or in the backseat with a guy.” I defend myself.

  “Alright, chill out, man. I’m just giving you shit. I know how it is. Who would have ever thought when we were younger that we’d both be interested in older women?”

  Not I. Before Roxie, older women never appealed to me, and now all I can see is her.

  “How’s it going with Penelope?” I’m close to the science building, which means I’ll have to get off soon, but the last time I talked to him about her, he seemed torn up about it.

  He lets out a defeated sigh. “She’s still pushing me away, saying it was a mistake and it can’t happen again. Who the fuck is going to find out? It’s not like I’m fucking my teacher.”

  “Very funny, asshole. One thing I know from talking to Roxie is she’s scared of losing her job. Since we can’t meet at her house or mine, that only leaves us places where it would be easy to get caught. But I understand her concerns, and maybe if you express that you understand Penelope’s, it will work in your favor.”

  Walker hums on the line. “You might be right. All I keep saying is it will be fine, but if I acknowledge her fear, maybe she’ll stop pushing me away.”

  Maybe.

  He clears his throat, and the moment he speaks, I can tell he’s got a big-ass grin on his face. “She said they’re working on a contract now. Can you believe it?”

  “I never had a doubt. You’re crazy-ass talented, man. I always knew you were going places. Just don’t forget me once you’re famous.”

  “As if I’ll ever forget you and your scrawny ass.”

  “Scrawny ass? You’re lucky you said that over the phone and not to my face because I’d kick your ass. You better hope I don’t see you walking on campus, or I’m going to pound your ass to the ground.”

  “Okay, tough guy. I get it. You think you can beat me up. But did you hear me when I said I’d never forget you?”

  “I did,” I answer reluctantly.

  “And we’ll always be friends. You don’t need to worry about it. If my head ever gets too big, you can just remind me of all the shit you have on me.”

  We both laugh at that. He knows I’ll have no problem calling him out or bringing up one of the thousand stupid things he did growing up.

  Fuck am I going to miss him.

  “Let’s hang out soon, okay? Get a drink or something,” I lean against the brick building.

  “Deal. I’ve got to get back to practice, and you’ve got to get to your woman.”

  A smile spreads across my face at his words. I love the sound of Roxie being my woman.

  “Text me later and let me know when you’re free.”

  “Done. Later,” he calls before hanging up.

  Willow Bay won’t be the same without Walker Pierce or Crimson Heat.

  I take the back doors that lead to the teachers’ offices, and the second I step inside, Roxie is coming out of the teacher lounge area with a water bottle in hand.

  “Hey,” she says quietly. “You look…” she tilts her head to the side, accessing me. “Happy and sad. How is that possible?”

  “I just got off the phone with Walker. He thinks he’ll be signing a contract soon, and that means he’ll be leaving Willow Bay.”

  She places her hand on my arm, and her eyes fill with understanding. “And you.”

  “It’s okay. I always knew it would happen, but I guess I wasn’t as prepared as I thought I was.”

  “We never are. If you want to skip tonight, you can.”

  Is she crazy?

  There’s no way in hell I’m passing up the opportunity to hang out with her, even if it is to grade papers.

  “You can’t get rid of me that easily. What do you have for me to do?”

  “I thought you could help me catch up on some grading. I hate falling behind since I know students like to see how they’re doing, but with Declan in the hospital, I couldn’t help but fall behind.”

  I hold my arm out for her to go ahead of me. “Put me to work then.”

  “You may regret those words. I have an awful lot to grade.”

  I’ve always wondered why teachers give students so much homework when they have to grade it. I can’t imagine having to grade hundreds of students’ assignments.

  “I have an answer key for you to go by. For this first set, it’s as simple as right or wrong. Once you’re through with this stack, let me know.” She hands over a stack of papers that’s at least two inches tall.

  “How long does it normally take you to grade all these?” I ask as I flip through the papers. She seems to think I’ll get through these and more when in reality, I’ll be lucky to get through all of them by midnight.

  She lets out a quiet laugh. “I know it may seem daunting right now, but once you get through a few of them, you’ll realize how fast you’re going to finish.”

  I’m
not sure I believe her, but I sit down across from her and lay the answer sheet next to the mile-high stack of papers to grade. “I’m taking it this is why teachers have assistants.”

  “They don’t do everything, but yes, I wish the school would have given me advanced notice they were down TA’s. Also, not many want to do it for the classes I teach.”

  I nod because I agree. I wouldn’t want to assist in this, and I’m hot for her.

  We’re quiet for a long time as we both splash red ink onto paper and set it aside to start with the next. She’s right, it does go quick, but it’s still going to take a good amount of time to get through everything.

  Without looking up, I decide now is the perfect opportunity to start getting to know one another. “Can I ask you something?”

  When she doesn’t answer, I lift my head to find her looking at me with unease written across her face.

  “It’s nothing bad,” I laugh. She’s looking at me like I’m going to make her give me a detailed account of when she lost her virginity.

  “I guess, but if I don’t like the question, I have the right not to answer.”

  “Fair, but I think you’ll be okay. How old are you?”

  She has a smile on her face as she says. “Hasn’t anyone ever taught you it’s not polite to ask a woman her age?”

  “I’ve heard it a time or two,” I chuckle. “But I thought that pertained to older women who don’t want anyone to know their age. You’re young. I mean, when I first saw you in front of the class, I thought you were the TA until you announced yourself as the teacher. How wrong I was.” I can’t help but shake my head, thinking back to that day. I was dumbstruck by this beautiful woman in front of me. “You don’t look old enough to be a teacher?”

  “I’ve always looked young for my age, but I am the youngest teacher here on staff.”

  “So there’s nothing to be ashamed about.”

  She doesn’t look at me when she says. “Except for the fact that I’m fucking my student when I know I shouldn’t.”

  “If they knew what I feel for you, they’d make an exception.” I understand the rules, but if they had any idea the feelings that course through my body because of her, they’d change their mind.