Davis (Thoroughly Educated Book 3)

by Lara Norman

  “Jonah made straight A’s, he was summa cum laude, he was the varsity quarterback, etc. He’s the one they talk about as the golden boy. He made them so proud it didn’t occur to them to notice that I was doing well with my A minus average, or that I excelled at science and it’s just as worthy as being good at sports.”

  “Well, yeah. It’s different, but equally impressive.” That explained why he despised sports. “Did you enter science fairs as a kid?”

  “Pfft, as a kid? I was still entering them as a teenager and winning. I loved to do those projects. I make them so much more fun for my students. I don’t want to see the same solar system made of painted styrofoam balls that the other classes are doing. I give them the materials and the time to create something wonderful in school, because I know the likelihood of their parents taking the time and money to do them at home isn’t high. There’s only a small percentage that will go out of their way to do something fantastic, so I make it easier and more accessible.”

  “See, when you talk about science and the students, I can see your passion for both. That’s what I want to hear and see, Luther. Not the part where you’re not even sure if you should be taking up space on this planet.”

  “I’ll do my best.” He cleared his throat. “So, you do like to hear me talk as long as I’m not putting myself down.”

  “I do.” She gave him a gentle smile. “Tell me more.”

  “Well, let’s see. That’s why I got involved with planning the field trips. I enjoy it.” He took another sip of coffee. “I try to change it up, but the school board wants to keep it the same every year to make it simpler for them.”

  “I think it makes sense to want to keep it the same. That way the kids know what to expect,” Luna pointed out.

  “Yes, but at the same time, there are so many options in this area that we could go somewhere different every year and not repeat any destinations.”

  “Mm.” She thought about that as she drank more coffee. It was obviously something he felt strongly about, but she wasn’t terribly invested in it. “You want to have dinner with me after this field trip?”

  “Are you asking me out, or asking if that’s what I want?” He grinned, giving her the feeling he was teasing her.

  “I guess I’m asking if that’s what you had in mind.”

  “Well,” he said. “I think it would be fun.”

  “A nice way to cap off the day?” she asked.

  “Something like that.”

  “I think we can give it a try.” Luna drained her coffee and stood. Luther looked up at her with disappointment all over his face. “Right now, I’m going to go. Thanks for spending time with me.”

  Luther got up and reached out to touch Luna’s shoulder. “Thanks for giving me a chance.”

  She kind of worried she’d put herself in a bad position. She had to work with him every day. What if it ended badly? She headed out the door and down the sidewalk with Davis crowding in her head. What was the answer with him? If she chose Davis and ruined his relationship with his parents, she could cost him his job and his future. She would be happy and he would be miserable. That couldn’t be the right choice. If she chose Luther, or at least gave him a shot, could she be half as happy as she knew she would be with Davis? She didn’t know the answer to that either. If she gave Luther a shot with her, she would also be giving Davis a chance at the life he deserved. If she wasn’t happy with Luther, she could at least say she tried. Then Davis would have moved on, and he would find happiness with a woman that he deserved.

  Still muddling things over when she reached the school, Luna crossed the parking lot to where she’d left her car, so lost in her head that she didn’t see the long black car idling in the next aisle. She didn’t see the back door open and the man skirt around the cars between them. She was so caught off guard when he approached her at a jog that she screamed.

  She clutched her heart. “Fuck’s sake, Davis!”

  “Are you hurt?” he thundered.

  “Hurt? Why the hell would you think that?” she fired back.

  “I’ve been calling you for an hour. I know school has been out longer than that, and I was worried about you!”

  Luna leaned against her car door and regarded him carefully. His tie was dangling, the top two buttons of his shirt were undone, and his hair was in disarray. She realized he was genuinely worried about her well-being.

  “Why would you go straight to freak out mode if I don’t answer my phone? What if I had a parent-teacher conference? What if I had a staff meeting?” She crossed her arms over her chest when she felt her nipples harden.

  “You usually tell me these things.” He turned away for a second before looking back at her, his expression much more calm. “I wanted to share good news with you, and I panicked a little when you didn’t answer. I know you haven’t forgiven me yet.”

  “Forgiven you?” Is that how he felt about what they’d done? Something that required absolution?

  “It was inexcusable for me to take advantage of you, and in my office of all places.”

  “No, Davis.” She shook her head for emphasis. How could he think that? “I’m not upset. We both wanted—that. It’s not like I said no and you did it anyway.” She shivered at the memory.

  “I know, but . . .” He moved closer, resisted touching her.

  “What’s your news?” she breathed before she lost all track of her thoughts.

  “I . . .” couldn’t remember.

  “Yes?” Her heart was beating entirely too fast. His closeness was affecting her in the best and worst way.

  “I talked to my dad today. We had the same conversation we always do, and then I said that I was going to go work for Pfizer if he didn’t let me at least give real estate a try.”

  “How did it go?” She leaned forward without even thinking about it.

  Davis pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “He agreed to let me give it a go.” He flashed a big grin. “I filled out the paperwork and I have a horrible little office in the back of nowhere. I know they wanted to push me into a cubicle, but they were afraid to put the boss’s son in anything less than a private office.”

  “You got a promotion!” Luna threw her arms around him. “I’m so proud of you for convincing your father to give you a chance.”

  “Yeah, well.” He pulled back but didn’t release her. “He swore that if I screwed up in any way, he would fly here and fire me in person.”

  Luna frowned. His parents were so hard on him sometimes. “That’s not very friendly.”

  “That’s my dad for ya.”

  She already knew that. “I know you can do it. You just have to prove to him that you can.”

  “Let’s hope that it works out that way.”

  Chapter 7

  “Can I take you to dinner? I feel like celebrating.” He held her close, refusing to let her go unless she made him. Luna tempted him without even trying. He wanted to run with her, to take her in the back of the car, to bring her back to his place and have her all night, to invent ways to fuck her that would put the Kama Sutra to shame.

  “I-I guess I could.”

  Her reticence landed on him like a bucket full of cold water, causing him to take a step back. “Don’t feel as though you have to, Luna. I can go alone.” Like I always do. “Or I’ll just call one of my friends.”

  Her cheeks reddened, and she looked over his shoulder before meeting his gaze unwaveringly. “I would like to celebrate with you, Davis. As long as we keep our wits about us.”

  “God forbid I lose my mind around you. As though I even have a choice.” He turned on his heel and stalked back across the parking lot to the waiting car. He opened the back and waited for her to join him.

  When they were both in the backseat heading away from the school campus, Davis angled toward Luna. He’d sat on the far side of the long, smooth leather seat to give her the space she apparently craved. But he needed to look at her. She soothed his nerves while simultaneously setting them
on fire, all just by existing.

  “Why are you staring at me?”

  He smirked, but she wasn’t looking at him. “Because you seem irritated with me after you said you forgive me.”

  “There isn’t anything to forgive, so technically, I haven’t forgiven you.” Her voice was tight, as were her muscles as she held herself rigidly on the far side of the vehicle.

  Davis sighed. While he normally enjoyed teasing her, he didn’t want to piss her off. “Luna, I’m being serious now. If you want to go home, Sorensen will take you there.”

  “No. I agreed to dinner.”

  “Dinner, not your execution,” he pointed out at her biting tone.

  Finally, she turned to him. Her eyes were molten emeralds ready to scorch him. “I’m a little uncomfortable after what happened. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to celebrate something you’ve worked so hard for. But you keep pushing me to be the same old Luna, and I don’t think I can ever be her again.”

  “Why are you so insistent that anything has changed? We didn’t morph into new people, Luna.”

  She leaned across the space that separated them; he almost cowed back against the door, but managed to hold his ground. “I’m not the same! I’m altered; ruined, even. It’s not your fault, but it is what it is.”

  “My Luna, don’t cry.” Without much conscious thought, he reached out and swiped at her tears with his thumbs. “There are no expectations. No wrong moves. I’ve told you—and I still mean it—you can’t lose me.”

  His assurances didn’t work. She fell apart, fell on him as she sobbed. Bewildered, he held on tight as she hiccupped and sighed as her tears ran their course. He stroked her back, up and through her tangled hair. He wanted to kiss her but he couldn’t make things worse. That would definitely make it all worse.

  “Sweetie, tell me honestly what’s wrong.”

  Despite his pleading, Luna merely shook her head and straightened. With her head against the back of the seat, she looked at him warily. “I can’t explain it any further than I have. I don’t want to repeat myself.”

  “It has been years worth of the same excuses, Luna. You and I both know your reasoning is wrong, but I will give you this; we don’t need to rehash it now.”

  Luna rubbed her fingers under her eyes and sighed. “I want to put this behind us. I want to be your best friend.”

  “Just not my best friend with benefits.” He stated it clearly, with no questioning tone. It was obvious, so why ask?

  “Um, no.” Luna’s voice, on the other hand, came out soft and unsure. Davis knew one thing for certain, and that was that he wouldn’t bring it up again. If she wanted him, she would ask. If she didn’t ask, he would assume the idea remained off the table.

  “We’re just going to have a nice meal together, that’s all. I promise.”

  Sorensen pulled the car smoothly up to the curb outside the restaurant Davis had chosen ahead of time. Davis opened his door before his driver could even get out and helped Luna climb out behind him. They entered hand in hand, and Davis suggested Luna make a stop in the restroom while he checked in with the host. It was something he took for granted, the fact that anyone in his employ could call any establishment and get him in without any hassles. He knew it was a privilege that came with his last name. He made up for it by tipping heavily and being incredibly gracious.

  Luna came walking up to him, her makeup fixed and her hair brushed until it shined like a new penny. “Ready?”

  She nodded and took his extended arm. They walked together into the dining room, and he noticed who watched them and who dismissed them. He found it interesting that a few people stared as if they were trying to figure out where they knew the pair from, while others couldn’t have cared less.

  “Why is that couple looking at us like we have horns and tails?” Luna tilted her head close to him as she asked, and he got a whiff of her perfume.

  He waited until the host sat them at a small table before he responded. “Maybe you haven’t noticed this before, but there’s always at least one person in every crowd that recognizes me. They try to decide if they know who you are and how you’re related to me.”

  Luna snorted. “I could be your lackey, for all they know.”

  He grinned. “Nobody that works for me eats with me, for one, and two, no one that works for me is as beautiful as you.”

  Even in the candlelight he saw the blush cover her cheeks. “What are you going to have?”

  He tore his gaze from Luna to look down at his menu. He knew what he wanted, but he thought she needed a minute without him staring intently. He had to pull himself together or he would scare her away.

  Once they ordered, they discussed Luna’s day, but it wasn’t until she began to describe her trip to the coffee shop that he frowned and felt his heart drop to his toes.

  “Luther is kind of shy, I guess from living in the shadow of his brother, and he hates sports. So naturally, I think there must be something wrong with him.” Davis was barely paying attention as Luna giggled before she sipped from her water glass and then continued on about her new crush. “But he’s incredibly sweet. I agreed to go to dinner with him after the field trip a week from Thursday.”

  “Where is the field trip?” That was the last thing he wanted to know. What he really wanted to know was where Luther lived so he could make sure he lived in the shadow of the cemetery’s tallest tree.

  “The Maryland Science Center. Luther plans the field trips for our grade. He’s so passionate about science and children that it reminds me why I got into this field in the first place. Not that I’m already jaded and need a reminder, or anything.”

  Luna stopped speaking and looked at Davis. He knew he should respond in some way, but what the hell was he supposed to say? I’m happy you found a guy you feel you can date, since I’m not the right one for you?

  He cleared his throat. “Hopefully, it will be many years before you become jaded. You’re an excellent teacher, and you’re just starting out. You have more passion for your career than anyone I know.”

  He thought he’d gone too far when she was the one to remain silent. The waiter came and refilled their glasses, and Davis noticed that Luna wasn’t drinking her wine. He couldn’t exactly blame her, but it sent a clear signal. As if he could forget the way she looked when she told him they were ruining her life by hooking up.

  “Thanks, Davis. You always know how to boost my ego.”

  He chuckled, but it fell flat. “That’s me. Good for an ego boost.”

  Thankfully, the waiter returned with their meals and Davis turned his attention to his plate. He couldn’t watch Luna eat. Her mouth closing over the fork, her tongue peeking out to catch a crumb from the corner of her mouth. Even the memory of past shared meals was enough to have Davis shifting in his seat. He tried to clear his head. The easiest way was to think of the guy Luna was going to start dating. Luther. From what he’d seen, the guy was scrawny, with floppy hair and a face that belonged on a twelve-year-old. What he knew above all else was that he needed to let her do this. If she wanted to date a guy she worked with, or anybody else, he would let her get it out of her system.

  He froze with his fork halfway to his mouth. What if their relationship progressed? What if Luna fell for Luther and let him touch her the way Davis had? What if Davis never got anywhere near her gorgeous naked body again because she was sleeping with Luther?

  He thought he might throw up.

  “Luna.” Davis cleared his throat and continued. “I know it’s a little early, but what are you doing for Thanksgiving?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I promised my parents I’d go home for Christmas this year, so I don’t think I can swing both holidays.” She continued to eat, oblivious to his inner suffering.

  “Would you come home with me?” Even he could hear the desperation in his voice.

  Luna looked up sharply. “To your parents’ house?”

  “Yes, that’s what I mean.” He held his breath.

&
nbsp; “Why would I want to torture all of us in that way?”

  The air he’d been holding rushed out. “Fuck, Luna.”

  She watched him scrub his hand over his face. “This is one of those times where I feel like I have to repeat myself for you to understand me.”

  “No, no, by all means. I get it. You assume my parents are evil, and therefore you won’t have anything to do with them. You assume that my assurances that they don’t hate you are false, and therefore you won’t have anything to do with me.” He plowed on, despite the tears that gathered in her eyes. “I understand fine, Luna, but I don’t agree. Not at all.”