Davis (Thoroughly Educated Book 3)

by Lara Norman

  “Oh.” Reagan sobered. “Well, I didn’t go with Hudson at first when he went home. He told them he was seeing someone, and they got all excited until he told them I ain’t no debutante.” The word sounded funny to Luna as Reagan pronounced it in her thick southern accent.

  “That didn’t go over well, did it?” Luna knew it hadn’t; Reagan walked out in the middle of dinner with Hudson on her heels, and he hadn’t spoken to his parents since. He refused to unless they apologized. No one was holding their breath.

  “They hated me, yeah. They made no effort to get to know me, they pissed all over my profession. They weren’t happy when Hudson said he wanted to be a teacher, so being involved with someone studying to be a teacher was probably the proverbial straw. They are awful humans, though, and the Healys aren’t that bad.”

  “I don’t know about that.” Luna chewed on her lip as she thought about it.

  “They really aren’t, you’ll see.”

  “The problem is, Davis was finally promoted, and I don’t want them to be so mad at him for choosing me, that they use whatever faults they see in me as an excuse to fire him.”

  Reagan chuckled. “That’s so many words to process at one time.”

  Luna was getting worked up about it. That tended to happen every time she considered her future with Davis. “Okay, but you know what I mean.”

  “Yeah, I do, but you don’t actually think they’ll fire him over his choice in a girlfriend?”

  Luna thought again of what Sophia had said to her. Essentially, it was exactly that. “Well, they don’t want him to be with anyone that might be looking to attach themselves to his wealth, and there’s no way to know that for a fact unless the woman happens to be independently wealthy.”

  “That’s just not what I think will happen. What does Davis think?” Reagan asked.

  “Davis, the eternal optimist? He’s too busy fucking me six ways from Sunday to care what his parents might think.”

  “Hot damn.” Reagan clapped her hands, a huge grin on her face. “We all have to get together. I know, I see the frown, but it’ll be fine. Hudson doesn’t hate Davis, not the way Grant hates him,” Reagan laughed.

  “It sure seems like it.” Every time the four of them interacted, Hudson and Davis fought.

  “Naw, he just always thought Davis should leave you alone to make your own choices without him hovering.”

  Luna frowned. “Davis never hovered.”

  “Um, yeah he did, but in the best way.”

  “Like he was stalking me or something and Hudson needed to save me by being rude to him?” Alex was the one to step in last Christmas and set Hudson straight, but it didn’t mean they got along any better.

  “Or something. But since you’re together now, essentially that means Davis was right all along.” Reagan laughed at that idea. “Okay, and he hated him at first because I made it look like Davis and I were dating.”

  Luna’s face registered shock. “When was this?”

  “Back when I was so hot for teacher but trying to convince myself what an asshole he was. He was torn over following the rules and fucking the rules—and me—and it wasn’t working well for either of us. The three of us went for pizza and I let Davis hug me and whisper in my ear. He was talking about you, but Hudson didn’t know that. So there’s a mixture of him thinking Davis was my boyfriend and thinking he needed to protect you from Davis’s advances. He doesn’t hate him, though, honestly.”

  “Um.” Luna wasn’t sure what to say to that.

  Reagan laughed. “I know. I assured Hudson that Davis has always been all about you, but the resentment lingered for a while. Then I guess he felt ganged up on because Grant loves Davis and vice versa. Doesn’t help that Grant kept trying to push me toward Davis.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me any of this?”

  “Well, Grant and Hudson have always had a precarious relationship, and I didn’t want to taint your opinion of Hudson.” Reagan shrugged. “I constantly feel as if I have to defend him, and especially our relationship.”

  “Not to me. As long as he makes you happy, I don’t care how old he is or how you guys got started.”

  “And that’s why I love you.” Reagan leaned in to hug Luna.

  “I love you too, Ray.”

  Reagan sat back. “Do you feel any better about Davis and his parents now?”

  “I don’t know.” Not really. Should she tell Reagan what Sophia said to her? “It’s just that . . .”

  Reagan’s cell phone rang, and she held up a finger while she pulled it out of her pocket. Luna got up and went into the kitchen while Reagan talked to Hudson. She was almost sickeningly sweet as she lobbed innuendos at him. Luna blushed, realizing that Reagan was way more open with her sexuality than she was. She wasn’t afraid to tell Hudson what she wanted or to initiate crazy things.

  “Luna?”

  Luna turned to see Reagan standing in the archway that separated the kitchen from the living room. “Yeah?”

  “How are you holding up with the changes?”

  Luna frowned. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been. It’s such a relief to finally have what I know we both want. It’s like a weight has been lifted because I don’t have to pretend anymore that I don’t want him.”

  “But?”

  “But I’m terrified that it’s too good to be true.”

  Chapter 14

  Davis couldn’t believe Luna had talked him into going to dinner with Hudson and Reagan. He loved Reagan, so that wasn’t the problem. It was just that he had less than a friendly attitude toward Hudson.

  In a nutshell, he couldn’t stand him.

  It was a combination of things, really. He’d treated Reagan like shit after they first met. Reagan could make all the excuses she wanted, but he didn’t like the things she’d confided in him. He could give Hudson credit for pulling his head out of his ass at the last second though. He did treat her like a queen, and he did wait to move her in with him until he was no longer her professor. Davis might have even been able to befriend Hudson when Reagan moved in with him, if not for one thing.

  Hudson made it clear that he didn’t like Davis during their first official meeting. Hudson thought he had the right to tell Davis to back off from Luna and basically never speak to her again. He loved her to pieces, and they were best friends above anything else, so there was no way in hell he was going to stop speaking to her. In short, he found Hudson to be a little too self-righteous for someone banging his student.

  There had been more than a few tense moments over the year that Reagan and Hudson lived together. Reagan wanted them all to hang out and be a unit, but it wasn’t in the cards. He’d heard that Alex laid into Hudson about it over Christmas and told him to back off and mind his own business, but Reagan insisted Hudson was just trying to protect Luna. Davis loved that Grant was still a tad unfriendly to Hudson because then he had an ally. Grant’s reasons were different, of course. He didn’t like the age gap between Hudson and his baby sister, but he hadn’t found any fault with his character.

  Still, Luna insisted it would be different this time. She swore that Reagan would talk to Hudson about it and promised there wouldn’t be any barbs aimed his way. Davis vowed to Luna he wouldn’t rub it in that they were together now, which Hudson had always said would never happen. Davis had been right all along, but there was no reason to say I told you so to Hudson. At least not out loud.

  Though Hudson came from money, he didn’t have access to any. Davis thought the Clarks treatment of their son and his girlfriend was inexcusable. That was one area where he felt sorry for Hudson. He might not think he was missing out on anything by not speaking to them, but there would come a time when it would become apparent that it was the wrong choice on their part. Davis didn’t doubt that Reagan and Hudson would marry someday and have children, and then the Clarks would miss out on their grandchildren. At least Hudson could say he’d made an effort.

  Davis could be thankful that his own parents would nev
er do such a thing. They were tough on him in many aspects, but they valued family above all else. They wouldn’t shun Davis for his choice in a mate, and they would never want to miss out on future grandchildren. It did seem that Luna thought otherwise, and he reminded himself again to ask her why she felt that way. His parents had only visited one time while Luna was around, and they hadn’t really been left alone longer than it took him to run to the restroom. His father was a hardass at work because it was his name and reputation on the line, but he was a good man deep down.

  Davis thought over all of this while he debated wearing a tie, but he decided against it in the end. He had two modes of dress; suits and sweatpants. He wasn’t about to wear sweatpants to dinner, and certainly not in Hudson’s presence. He dropped the tie and undid the top button on his crisp black shirt. He smoothed his dark gray slacks and decided he was good to go.

  He was eager to see Luna. She’d spent the week at her own apartment, and he couldn’t blame her. There was no way she’d be rested enough every morning if she stayed with him. He would have to settle for having her every weekend for the time being. He wondered what she’d be wearing, but then he remembered she wore the same black dress every time they went out. She was clever and varied her accessories, but he knew it was the only nice dress she owned. He also knew better than to suggest he buy her anything else. She didn’t like it when he bought her anything other than a meal.

  Davis went to Luna’s apartment to pick her up and decided to go all the way to her front door. She answered the door quickly, and Davis caught his breath. She wore a dress in a shimmering ocean blue, and she looked—

  “Magnificent.”

  Luna flushed. “Thank you.”

  He pulled her to him and pressed his mouth to hers in a bruising kiss. She clutched at his shoulders and he wanted nothing more than to tell her they were staying in so he could feast on her.

  “God, Davis, when you kiss me like that you make me want to do dirty things to you.”

  “I’m all in. Let’s stay home tonight.”

  Luna sighed. “But you look so yummy, and I want this night to go well.”

  Davis held in the retort about how much more fun fucking Luna would be than having dinner with Hudson. “You’re just so hot, Luna. I don’t know if I can keep my hands to myself.”

  She leaned in, tall enough she didn’t have to stand on her toes, and bit his earlobe. “Then don’t.”

  He was pretty sure he drooled as he followed her out and down the stairs.

  The restaurant was too close by for Davis to have much fun on the ride over. He held her hand on the way in and left his name with the hostess. He’d heard that Hudson put up a fuss over who made the reservations. Well, that was an exaggeration because he just didn’t like the guy. Hudson offered, but Davis insisted he do it.

  “The rest of your party has yet to arrive. Would you like to wait at the bar?”

  “Yes, please.”

  He and Luna chose a spot where they could see the front door from where they sat. They each ordered a drink and then stared at one another while they waited.

  “Why the hell did it just get awkward?” Luna asked.

  “Good question.” He tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “I think we’re nervous over this get-together.”

  Luna let out a breath and slumped on her barstool. “I didn’t realize until now how anxious I feel, but it’s like we’re letting this out in the open a tiny bit.”

  “And for whatever reason, that makes you want to hide in a giant hole?”

  “I guess.” She thanked the bartender for delivering their drinks and took a sip of her wine.

  “I did agree to keep it quiet, but this is not the same. These are your friends.”

  “Our friends.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Okay, our friend and her parasite.”

  “You’re the worst.”

  “But you love me, anyway.”

  He caught sight of them as they came through the front door. Hudson was tall and slender with auburn hair and a full beard, whereas Reagan was short and curvy with long blonde hair. They made for an interesting couple. He lifted his hand to catch their attention.

  “They’re here,” he said, but Luna was already sliding off her stool.

  They wound their way back to the front of the restaurant and greeted their friends. The hostess led them to a table and left them with their menus.

  “It’s been a long time since we’ve all been together,” Reagan said.

  Luna smiled at her. “It has.”

  Nobody else said anything for a few moments, and then the waitress arrived and they all had a few minutes to not make eye contact. It really was awkward. Davis was less enthusiastic over this than he had been, and that was saying a lot. He didn’t have anything in common with Hudson.

  “Ray, how has work been?” Might as well break the ice with the half of the couple he did like.

  “Oh, it’s been amazing. I got my own little three-year-olds now. I have so much fun at work it’s almost not right to get paid for it.”

  “That’s good to hear.” He was genuinely happy for her. She looked buoyant as she talked about it. “And when do you get an internship?”

  “Not until next year. I hope to be as lucky as Luna in that department.”

  Luna nodded. “I did get lucky. We were a perfect fit, and they offered me a spot long before I graduated.”

  “How’s it going there, Luna?” Hudson asked.

  Luna shifted in her chair. “It’s mostly very good. There’s just this one other middle-grade teacher that I don’t care for, but that’s my fault.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Davis hissed.

  Hudson suddenly looked more interested. “What’s going on?”

  “Luna thought she’d dip her toe in the dating pool and picked up a psycho instead,” Reagan interjected.

  “Reagan!”

  “No, Luna, she’s basically right.” Davis leaned toward Hudson. “Luna wanted to prove to me and everyone else that she was so over me”—he shot a look at Luna—“but it backfired.”

  Reagan picked up the story. “This teacher asked her out and she agreed.”

  “First, they went to a coffee shop, and she didn’t pick up any serial killer vibes,” Davis continued.

  “But then they went on a real date after a field trip, and she realized halfway through how much she really does love Davis.” Reagan batted her eyelashes at Luna.

  Davis said, “And then this week he started following her around and watching her like a hawk. He even said a few things that were completely inappropriate for any workplace, much less one full of children.”

  “What are you doing about it, Luna? That can’t stand.”

  Luna shot a frustrated glare at Hudson before she answered him. “I had a meeting with the principal two days ago. She’s promised to keep an eye on him, and now there’s a paperwork trail started.”

  “We all knew how happy the two of you would be,” Reagan practically chirped. Davis caught Hudson’s eye twitch and almost sighed.

  “I’m just so pleased she finally figured it out, Ray.”

  Luna couldn’t help but smile at Davis’s comment. “I know, I know.”

  Hudson wore a tiny frown. “And are you happy, Luna?”

  She gave him her biggest smile and looked directly in his eyes so he would know she was telling the truth. “Happier than I’ve ever been.”

  Hudson relaxed, and so did Luna and Reagan. “That’s wonderful.”

  “How about the two of you? When are you getting hitched?”

  Davis knew he’d hit his mark by the storm clouds that gathered in Hudson’s eyes. “When we feel like it.”

  “Hudson, honey, don’t be defensive.” Reagan smiled at Davis. “Soon after I graduate, I think.”

  “Still trying to prove a point?”

  Their food came and Davis had to wait for his answer. Luna nudged his calf with the toe of her shoe, and he rubbed her thigh. He trailed hi
s hand up under her dress and heard her sharp intake of breath.

  “Davis just thinks the two of you are obviously destined to be together.” Luna pushed her drink away from her plate and tried not to make any sudden moves. His hand was so close.

  “Dear?” he said in her ear. She trembled. “You did say it wasn’t a problem if I couldn’t keep my hands to myself.”

  She faced him. “We’re in public, with friends on the other side of the table. Knock it off.”

  He put his hands back where they belonged, but she was in for it when they got in the car later.