16. Bethany
Chapter 16
Bethany
T he doorbell rang just as I hang up the phone. My meeting with Dean Bellows didn’t go as planned. Apparently, the Stewarts are making a huge donation to the university—or a bribe, in my mind. To avoid upsetting them, she wants me to be the bigger person and allow Theo to finish the class.
Is she fucking kidding me?
Now that I’m department head, she patronized me with that tired line about the importance of happy supporters. The family, she continued, wasn’t just offering a significant donation—exclusively for the psychology department—but also a scholarship for students interested in the field. Which tells me they knew I was a professor at this university and didn’t think twice about sending their spoiled little boy here to harass me.
I hate people who have more money than sense. They think money solves all problems when it typically causes bigger ones. Although the urge to tell her to shove her blood money where the sun doesn’t shine is strong, the words catch in my throat. Many of my students would find a scholarship like that valuable, allowing them to further their studies with less financial strain.
I’m dying to know how much they donated. A sick suspicion warns me it’s the exact amount I turned down. I wouldn’t be surprised if they gifted the SUV I refused to the university as well, and concocted some outlandish excuse about why I should get it. I won’t drive it, even if it came down to something like that. I’d park it at the school and let it sit unused just to spite them.
The thought makes me grin, knowing how irritated that would make Teddy, Theo’s father. He’s already going to hate the fact I’m rearranging my staff and switching classes with another professor. I don’t want to do it, but I cannot in good conscience continue to teach that class. It wouldn’t be fair to the other fifty-three students enrolled. Tomorrow, at our eight a.m. department meeting, we will thoroughly discuss it.
My doorbell rings again as I shuffle my way through the house. I’m not sure I’ll be great company tonight. I should’ve called and canceled, maybe I’ll do that now.
Nolan jumps on me as soon as I open the door, not giving me a chance to speak. The walker slips from my grasp as his arms encircle me, a comforting weight; his lips press against mine, silencing all other thoughts. It’s not gentle like it has been in the past when he’s saying hello. The carnal need has me moaning, stirring up a desire inside me that’s been dormant for longer than I want to admit.
After a few amazing minutes, he pulls back. “Hey.”
“That was unexpected. Not that I’m complaining.” With my hands on his shoulders, I lean back so I can look at him closer. “You okay?”
“Better now.” He sighs and then slowly plants my feet on the ground. “Susanne just knows how to get under my skin. Always has. She’s probably watching us now.”
“Is that why you kissed me like a man dying?” I peek around his broad shoulders and sure enough, a woman who looks slightly older than me is standing behind his glass screen door, glowering our way.
“What? No.” Nolan takes my chin in his hand, compelling me to meet his gaze. “No. I did that because I wanted to. Are you ready? I have a plan, but we’re on a tight three-hour deadline. How hungry are you?”
“I’m a little stressed, so I’m not sure I can eat much.”
His grin is followed by a heart-skipping action that sets the butterflies in my stomach in flight. I’m no longer standing but in his arms as he carries me to his truck.
“I need my walker.”
“I’ll go back and get it. But this is faster.” The sparkle in his eyes, a bright, fleeting gleam, is something I’ve only seen on a few precious occasions. “You know I could just carry you. Fulfill that fireman fantasy of yours.”
“Don’t tempt me.” A warm sensation spreads across my cheeks, making them feel flush. “But no, I need my walker. If I want to get rid of that stupid contraption, then the more I use it, the faster I can toss it aside and graduate to a cane. Which I know will be super attractive and make me irresistible. I might just keep it so I can whack people when they irritate me like my grandfather used to do.”
Somehow, he opens the passenger door and deposits me inside with very little effort. He hasn’t even broken a damn sweat.
“You can’t possibly be more irresistible than you are now.”
Before I can tell him how ridiculous that sounds, he closes my door, and walks back to my house. I watch him fold the walker with ease, close my front door and then lock it with the key I gave him when I was in the hospital and my dishwasher broke. It was the same weekend Alicia left to grab her vehicle back in DC and he was the only one around I trusted enough to help. I never asked for it back. At first, I told him to keep it while I was gone just in case. Then I told him to keep it in case the boys got locked out. Even though we have a keyless garage entry. Knowing he possessed a key eased my mind. It meant I didn’t have to go through the trouble of giving him one later, when I wanted him to come over for some late-night fun.
Shifting my gaze, I turn to look back at his house, where his mother-in-law still stands, watching us with disgust.
How dare she?
He’s not doing a damn thing wrong. The man has been a saint since the day he moved in. He has never brought a woman home before. And Lord knows his next-door neighbor Cindy has done all she can to catch his eye. All but strutted right up to his front door, stark naked, and jumped him. Which actually shocks me, because Cindy snuck over to my house during a party and hit on three guys, practically dry humped them and was aiming for number four when Jodi kicked her out. We didn’t invite her because her standards are different from ours. The parties aren’t about hooking up, they’re about having fun with the people we like and if it leads to more then that’s between the people involved, no one else.
As he opens the backdoor, I can’t help but let my eyes fall on him, my gaze lingering. He cleaned up for tonight. He put on a crisp, light blue cotton button-down shirt, sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and a pair of dark wash jeans, a step up from his usual work-around-the-house attire. His face isn’t clean shaven, but it’s trimmed. The only time he shaves is when he has a shift. The rest of the time, he lets it grow.
I’m not sure what I prefer. Clean shaven, he looks younger, but he doesn’t have a baby face like some men do. That light stubble makes him look more sophisticated, distinguished, and mature. It’s possible I like it because it helps bridge the gap between us, considering I’m ten years older. Not that I care about our ages, I don’t. Either way, he looks like Nolan, handsome as all fuck and a man I can’t wait to get under.
Riding him hard will have to wait until I heal more, but I’m okay with him being in control in the meantime. When it comes to the bedroom, I usually prefer to be the one in control. My life is all about control, and my sex life is no different; it’s always been my way. It might be fun to see what Nolan can teach me; his skills could unlock something new and exciting. Later, I’ll show him a few things about what it’s like to be with a woman who takes control. I bet he’s never been with one before. Most men haven’t.
He hops in the truck, starts it up, and then looks at me. “What?”
“Would it bother her more if we didn’t go out?” I gesture toward my house. “Because if so, I’m fine with that.”
“And what would we do if we stayed home?”
A simple eyebrow raise gets my point across. The way he reaches down and adjusts his growing problem proves he understands.
“I should feed you before. You’ll need your energy.”
“What if we grab our food to go? Or even DoorDash it? Then we’d have more time to just do whatever we wanted to do. Even if that simply means enjoying my backyard fire pit. She won’t know. But I bet it’ll bug the hell out of her.” As I lean closer, my fingertips graze his cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin. “You look as stressed as I feel, and when I get like this, there’s only one surefire way to work it off.”
As Nolan switches off his truck’s engine and exits, his eyes grow dark. He’s around my side in five strides before he has my door thrown open. “I sure hope that’s not some innuendo for something other than sex. Because I would love to strip you down and have my way with you.”
“Good, because that’s exactly what I was talking about.” I lean forward, grab his face, and kiss him until I’m breathless and there’s a throbbing ache between my legs. “Fuck me, Nolan. After we’ve worked up an appetite, we can decide what we want for dinner.”