All Bets Are Off

by Marguerite Labbe

  Ash leaned forward and caught Eli’s lips in a hungry kiss. “I’ll see you in the afternoon, Doc.”

  Chapter Ten

  There was something odd going on with Eli. At first Ash thought it might be because they were both tired. They’d both had big days today, and Ash didn’t even want to remember how late it had been before he’d finally crashed last night. Still, that didn’t explain the air of reserve that hung around Eli today.

  Every once in a while, Eli would tug on one of the leather cuffs, toying with the D ring, and it made Ash crazy with desire each and every time. Then Eli seemed to realize what he was doing and he would pull his shirt back down over them.

  Ash wasn’t sure of what to make of it all. But he damn well did like the sight of the cuffs on him. And he was too tired to concentrate on much else. At least this would be a short class. They were just going over what topic they’d chosen for their upcoming papers. He was actually rather proud of his. He’d put quite a bit of thought into it and picked a subject that suited him, just as Eli had suggested. That had to be a first for English class.

  “Well, Ash, what day did you want to meet to go over the outline for your paper?” Eli glanced up from the appointment book balanced on his knees, and the firelight glinted off the frames of his glasses. He looked so serious that Ash wanted to grin.

  “Do you have the last hour free on that Thursday?”

  Eli glanced down at his book then gave him a wary glance. Ash wasn’t sure if he was going to hedge or not. What had gotten into him? There hadn’t been one naughty glint in his eyes yet. When Eli actually met his eyes.

  “As a matter of fact, I do.”

  “Then put me down for that.” Ash planned on using all of his charm to get Eli to meet him someplace over the weekend. They could do whatever Eli wanted, he didn’t much care what. Eli had a camp out of town where he went sometimes. It might be a perfect place to hole up just the two of them.

  “Be sure to have your outline with you,” Eli said absently as he noted it down. There were shadows under his eyes from the late night, and Ash was struck with the urge to pull Eli into his arms to kiss those shadows away. The man was turning him into a sap. This was the first fantasy he’d had that involved cuddling.

  “Not a problem, Doc,” Ash drawled and was rewarded with another glance, this one finally with a heat that warmed those oh so cool blue-gray eyes. Was he shameless for using his accent like that when he knew how much it got to Eli? Maybe; he didn’t much care.

  Eli tucked his schedule book into his overstuffed satchel and leaned back into the cushions of the chair. It was a cozy setting for a chilly day, and honestly, Ash could look at Eli in the firelight for hours on end. He twirled his pen between his fingers and met Ash’s gaze. “Okay, you’re the last one, and then we all can go a little early today. Do you have a topic for your paper yet?”

  This time Ash did grin, because Eli had tried without success to get that information out of him on several occasions. “I have given it some thought.”

  “Ooohh, you should do it on Oscar Wilde and his lover,” Kerry burst out. “That was so tragic.”

  Ash smiled at her. She was such a hopeless romantic. Talk about somebody who would be on their side if the news ever got out… her and Nori both. “That would be fun, but cheating, I think. I covered most of the points during my presentation, and the story didn’t get any happier after that. I was actually wondering if I could do a paper on a broader scale. Everyone else seems to have picked letters between two people but me.”

  “That shouldn’t be a problem. Isaac’s doing his on Ronald Reagan’s letters, and those aren’t specific to one person.” Eli tucked his foot under his knee, his gaze curious. Ash liked how he did that, how he made each and every student there feel like all of his attention was on them when they spoke, without it being judging. More like he was genuinely interested in their opinions. “What do you have in mind?”

  “I wanted to do my paper on the Victory mail from World War II.”

  Eli’s brows furrowed as he tapped his pen against his jaw. “That’s something I haven’t heard of before.”

  “It was pretty neat. The Brits developed it to save space on shipping war materials while still allowing for servicemen to get letters from home.” Ash leaned forward, elbows on his knees as he warmed up to his subject. “They’d basically take these one-page letters, reduce them down to microfilm, and ship off the film instead of bags and bags of letters. Then when it got to the post, they’d blow it back up again and deliver the letters.”

  “Sounds like you picked the perfect topic, and it ties right back in to why you took the class.” Eli gave him his first real smile of the day and Ash found himself warming under that more than the fire. God, the man really did turn him into such a sap inside. At this rate he’d end up just like Kerry, sighing over the corniest things.

  Ash waited as Eli dismissed the rest of the class. He tried not to stay behind too often. And damn, all this worry over people talking was starting to get to him, but he wanted to know what was bugging Eli.

  “Can I walk with you back to your office?” Ash asked out of reflex and was surprised when Eli paused.

  “Sure,” Eli replied, grabbing his satchel, his face turned away to hide his expression. Ash kept silent until they were outside. The bright sunshine did nothing to dispel the bitter, raw cold. Eli lifted his face to the sun. “It’s probably going to snow tonight.”

  “Oh, well. If my nuts are going to freeze off, I might as well have something to enjoy about it. That first snow is like magic to this Savannah boy.” Ash waited until they reached one of the many copses that dotted the campus before taking Eli’s elbow and tugging him to a stop. They were on the bridge over the stream near where they used to sit outside for class. They’d be able to hear anyone before they got close. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, just got a lot on my mind and little sleep.” Eli leaned his hip against the bridge rail and looked out over the trickle of water. “I’m surprised you’re as awake as you are.”

  “I’m used to running around on no sleep.” A flash of light gleamed from the trees, stabbing at his eyes. Ash hesitated, not sure whether to pursue Eli’s distraction or not, when that flash of light came again.

  A cold sensation settled in the pit of his stomach, and Ash narrowed his eyes, staring hard at the trees where the light had come from. He’d seen a very similar gleam one too many times while on tour—the glint of sunlight off binoculars. Overseas, he’d be thinking ambush and he wasn’t sure if it wasn’t too different here.

  Was someone looking to hurt Eli, or get some dirt on him, or were they just keeping tabs on him? Ash didn’t like any of those thoughts. He quickly judged which course of action to take, and it was the bright sunshine and middle of the day that decided him. Eli should be pretty safe getting back to his own office, and Ash dearly wanted to get a glimpse of whoever their watcher was.

  “I’ll talk to you later, Doc,” he said, clapping Eli on the arm. He gave him a startled look followed quickly by what Ash would’ve sworn was relief. Ash stamped down the irritation and nip of hurt. It was just another damn mystery and one Ash would track down as soon as he finished this hunt.

  Eli’s insides stirred up a mess in his gut as he watched Ash veer off the path and disappear into the trees. He was doing it again: falling hard for a man who wasn’t going to stick around. Ash would be number four, and Eli wasn’t sure he really wanted to go through all that again, no matter how hot the sex or how comfortable the companionship.

  Only he didn’t think holding Ash at a distance would be his wisest decision. He got the impression that Ash would be as tenacious as Jabbers when he got hold of something he really wanted. There was no getting it away from him.

  The walk back to his office soothed him some, and Eli looked forward to burying himself in grading essays so he could stop obsessing over Ash for awhile. He wasn’t going to get any answers by going over the same thing in his mind and blo
wing it all out of proportion. The peace he was searching for shattered the moment he turned down his hallway and saw Whitney Grenier waiting outside his door.

  Eli bit back a sigh and wondered what sob story she was going to come up with to explain missing class today. Maybe if he turned around and sneaked back down the stairs quietly she wouldn’t spot him.

  “Dr. Hollister!”

  Eli groaned inside as a slow smile crossed Whitney’s face. “I’m so glad I caught you. I know this isn’t your normal office hours but I was wondering if we could talk.”

  “Of course.” Eli fumbled for the keys in his pocket and opened the door for her. He might as well lay it on the line for her now. They’d almost reached the midpoint of the semester, and if she didn’t change her ways now she was going to fail the class. “Why’d you miss class today?”

  A plain white envelope on his chair distracted him from the faint sound of the lock sliding into place on the door. He picked the envelope up and turned it over to see his name scrawled across the front.

  “Actually, I came to talk about something else.”

  Eli pressed his lips together at that response and looked up from unsealing the envelope. “Sit down.” He stabbed a finger toward the chair. “That is what we’re going to talk about, and afterward, if there is something else you want to address, we can do that as well.”

  Whitney swallowed hard and sank down on the chair. Her coat rode up, revealing a surprising amount of bare thigh. It was a wonder that the girl hadn’t gotten frostbitten last winter if she’d run around like that.

  “Please, Dr. Hollister, I don’t want to fail.” Nervous fingers fiddled with the top button of her coat. She drew in a deep breath and seemed to collect herself. The look she cast Eli through her lashes gave him an odd sense of foreboding. “I’ll do anything,” she said in a breathy kind of voice.

  “Anything?” Eli leaned back against his desk and crossed his arms.

  A little smile crossed Whitney’s lips and she rose, walking toward him in a slow kind of strut. She stopped in front of him, standing too close for comfort. It felt like more than an invasion of his personal space. “Anything, I swear it.” She looked up at him through her lashes and ran a hand up his arm.

  “Okay, I have an idea.” Eli captured her hand and gave her a hard look. “Why don’t you try coming to class, on time, ready to discuss the material?” Whitney’s eyes widened with incredulity as Eli continued on. “I’m not into playing games, and I give everyone the grade they deserve. Unless you buckle down, attend the rest of the classes, ace that paper that’s coming up and the final exam, you will fail.”

  “But—”

  “There are no buts. There is no room for discussion. You’re a bright girl, Whitney, if an unobservant one. Looks and charm and skimpy clothes are only going to get you so far. You can do better than that.”

  Whitney took a step back, looking thoroughly confused. “I don’t understand.”

  Eli sighed and turned to toss the letter on his chair instead of onto the mess of his desk. “I thought I said it pretty clearly. I don’t know how else I can say it.”

  “I’ve seen the way you look at me. You’re always looking at my legs.”

  Eli should’ve kicked her out of his office. She had this idea stuck in her head, and it didn’t even seem like she was considering actually doing what she was supposed to. But if he did that, she probably would never show up for class again and would fail for sure. Damn, he wanted a drink and his camp up north.

  Eli tried to think of a polite way to phrase the biting remarks that were on the tip of his tongue. He turned back around to see Whitney sliding out of her coat. The girl stood there; completely unashamed in some pale-blue, silky, fluttery scrap of nothing that barely brushed the top of her thighs.

  Pure shock lanced through Eli, followed by a spurt of panic. “What in God’s name do you think you’re doing?”

  The only thing that would make the situation worse would be if Britton decided to show up to bellow at him. The man had amazing timing. He was going to pick this very fucking moment to harass him about something. And there was no defense he could come up with for this.

  “I’ve seen the look in your eyes during class and I wanted to tell you that I feel the same way about you too, Elijah.”

  He took a startled step back and collided right into his desk. The next thing he knew, Whitney had closed the distance between them and flung her arms around his neck. How the hell could she move so fast in those heels? It wasn’t natural. Holy fuck, there were jiggly bits pressed against him. Oh, dear God, the irony.

  Eli pried her arms from around his neck as he tried to get his panicked thoughts working again. Because repeating “holy fuck” in his head wasn’t going to cut it in this situation. “Whitney, there has been some kind of a misunderstanding.” He pushed her back and retreated a few steps before forcing himself to stop. He was not going to be trapped in his own office playing race around the desk with a student.

  She leaned on her hands over the desk and her breasts threatened to spill out of her indecent negligee. Eli looked away, grinding his teeth together so hard his temples began to throb.

  “It’s okay, no one has to know you think about me the way I think about you. It’ll be our little secret.”

  “You are out of your mind.” Eli caught Whitney by the shoulders as she advanced on him again and glared at her. Whitney’s eyes widened as Eli pushed her back and sat her unceremoniously down in the chair. “Young lady, you and I need to have a very serious conversation.”

  “Eli.”

  “It’s Dr. Hollister. You have no business calling me Eli.” He scooped up her coat and handed it to her, keeping his eyes averted. “Now put this on.”

  He circled back behind his desk, and when he looked at Whitney she was sitting there with a stunned and confused expression on her face with the coat still in her hands. “That wasn’t a request, Miss Grenier.” Eli gave her a hard look. “Put it on now and have the decency to cover yourself.”

  Whitney flushed a dark red and tugged her coat on. She sat awkwardly in her chair, hugging her arms around her chest. And if Eli hadn’t been so infuriated, he would’ve felt sorry for her. This clearly wasn’t the reception she had been expecting, and she looked humiliated. Well, she chose to do this, not him, and in the process she had risked Eli’s career, all so she could manipulate him instead of doing her own damn work. So her humiliation and embarrassment were on her.

  “Thank you,” Eli said, softening his voice just a bit. “As I tried telling you, there has been a misunderstanding on your part. I don’t have….” Damn, he couldn’t really say he didn’t carry on with students since he was throat deep in one whether they were screwing or not.

  “I don’t have the feelings for you that you seem to think I do. I’m already in a relationship.”

  Whitney’s mouth fell open and she flushed again. She rose, clutching her coat to her. “Excuse me.”

  “Sit right back down, young woman.” Eli stabbed a stern finger toward her chair. “I’m not done talking.”

  Whitney sank back down, tears welling in her eyes, and Eli prayed that she wouldn’t start crying on him. “But I saw the way you were looking at me.”

  “I think you saw what you wanted to see, or perhaps what other professors had given you. I don’t know, but you didn’t see it from me.” Eli started throwing his weekend work into his satchel. He was anxious to get off campus and find some balance in his life. First, Ash and all those feelings Eli needed to come to terms with that were growing too strong, too fast. And now this bullshit from Whitney. “I’m surprised you haven’t heard the rumors on campus, but I’m gay.”

  “No way.” Whitney’s eyes widened with shock.

  “Yes way. Now, are you ready to come to class and actually work?”

  “You still want to see me in your class?” Whitney asked, her tears drying up.

  “I want to see you pass my class the right way.” Eli sighed and m
ade a shooing motion toward the door. “Go home, put some clothes on, and I’ll see you Monday afternoon.”

  Whitney rose and took a few steps toward the door before pausing and looking back at him uncertainly. Eli grabbed his belongings before he opened the door, giving her a pointed look. “Good day, Miss Grenier.”

  Eli left her in the middle of the hallway and headed out. Tomorrow was supposed to be his research day, but all he wanted was to get out of town for a few days to think. He’d leave a message with Lu, collect Jabbers, and he could be up at camp before bedtime.

  Some of the tension left his shoulders as he made the decision. Now if he could only make one about Ash.

  Ash knocked on the door to Eli’s office and then tried the doorknob when he didn’t answer. It was unlocked and the office empty, so he must have been planning on coming back sometime soon. Ash figured he’d just take a seat and wait him out. Only when he entered did he realize that Eli’s satchel and coat were gone.