Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 61922 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61922 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
He brushed my damp hair aside and kissed my forehead before joining me on the floor with his knees bent. “I’ll have one, please.”
I passed him the package, sighing heavily. “I’m sorry, Alistair. I’m so, so sorry.”
“Stop. I know you are.”
See? I knew he’d let me off too easily.
“I’m…wrecked about it. Totally repellent.”
He wrinkled his brow. “Repentant?”
“Yeah, I didn’t mean to start a brouhaha in the middle of your speech. I swear, I didn’t punch him. I wanted to ’cause he’s a smug shithead and he has a very punchable face, but violence isn’t my style. That doesn’t explain how I ended up on the floor. I get that. I pushed him…it was an accident, but maybe I was rougher than I needed to be. I don’t know what came over me. I’m just…sorry.”
“You think Colin has a punchable face?” he asked, biting into his cookie.
“Very punchable. I don’t like him, and I don’t like that Gerard basically told hundreds of your fans that you didn’t do your research. How dare he?”
“That was rather annoying.”
“Annoying?” I huffed. “No, it was sucky. He tried to make you sound like a slacker, as if you owed him that research. And why that art piece? It’s erotic, and it wasn’t on your agenda. Was he outing you? Would he do that? Or am I paranoid and looking for a reason to hate your ex? Please…don’t listen to me. This is a breakdown in progress. I’d steer clear if I were you and—how is this funny?”
Alistair chuckled softly. “You stood up for me.”
I nudged his knee and grumbled, “Hysterical, huh?”
“I’m not laughing at that. I’m touched. I am.” He put an arm around me and squeezed. “It was unnecessary, but I appreciate the sentiment. You’re more fierce than I thought. You’re also not wrong. Academia can be a cutthroat environment, and people have a habit of posturing to make sure the light shines at the most flattering angle on them. Human nature, I’m afraid.”
I was quiet for a moment. “Did I leave a mess for you? What does a professor do when his assistant gets kicked out for disorderly conduct?”
“That was a first for me,” he said with a laugh. “I have no idea.”
“I’m glad you’re amused, ’cause I’m devastated. And I’m not proud of this, but…I was jealous too.”
“Jealous? Of Colin?”
“Everyone, I think. I feel really dumb here, and it’s hell on my complexion.” I pinched my cheeks and made a face, hoping to add a little levity.
“You’re not dumb,” he snapped, adding, “Someone else’s doctorate degree doesn’t lessen your intelligence.”
“Good. I don’t want the extra degrees, and honestly, I don’t think I’d survive a day of digging for treasures in the desert. Let’s be real. I’m so me, it’s a situation.”
Alistair tilted my chin and traced my jaw, smiling sweetly. “I have no idea what that means, but as I’ve told you many times…you’re perfect just the way you are. Please never change.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I’m not good at change.”
“Winnie, you—”
“I have a job interview…in LA,” I blurted, lowering my eyes.
He cocked his head curiously as if confused by the segue. Who could blame him? I was talking nonsense, floundering like a sad fish on dry land.
“That’s fantastic. Congratulations.”
“It’s just an interview, but it could be good for me.”
Alistair went still for a beat. “Tell me about it tomorrow. For now, just…come here, love.”
I leaned in, practically melting in his arms as he lowered his mouth to mine. So gently, so tenderly. He was comforting me and buoying me, giving me so much more than I deserved…and I took it.
I climbed onto Alistair’s lap and wrapped myself around him, gliding my tongue alongside his and deepening the connection till we were both panting for air.
He eased me off his knee and pulled me into the bedroom. He undressed me and claimed me, licking and kissing every inch of my body before pushing his thick cock in my hole. He was demanding yet patient—pinning my arms above my head as he thrust hard and rough. We’d done this so often, but it was never the same.
Sometimes it was just a hot and horny release. Sometimes it was playful or even a little savage. And always consuming. We moved with purpose and meaning, communicating with our bodies. We gave pieces of ourselves I instinctively knew no one else had ever seen.
Or maybe that was just me. I opened myself wider, arching to match his rhythm, my heart beating wildly while a voice in my head chanted, “I love you, I love you, I love you.”
And I did.
I was in love with the professor.
Hopelessly in love.
When he came inside me, filling me as he shuddered in my arms, I almost blurted my truth. Almost. I held on to him like a lifeline, tears blurring my vision, and swallowed the words.