Chapter 17
Shawn woke up slowly, and the first thing he registered was a very naked and very warm body against his back. Rutledge.
They were spooning. Rutledge was spooning him.
Telling himself not to be silly—the bed was just very narrow, and there simply wasn’t much space—Shawn opened his eyes, blinking groggily.
And found himself looking at two little girls staring at them curiously.
“Shawn’s awake,” Bee whispered, sucking on her thumb. “Can I be loud now?”
Emily shook her head. “Mr. Rutledge’s still sleeping.”
A tiny furrow appeared between Bee’s brows. “But what is Mr. Rutledge doing in Shawn’s bed?”
“He’s sleeping, silly!” Emily said, forgetting to whisper.
Shawn felt the man behind him stir slightly and tighten his loose grip around Shawn’s waist. Rutledge mumbled something unintelligible, his lips brushing against Shawn’s ear.
Shawn grimaced and tugged the sheets higher, making sure the girls couldn’t see anything they weren’t supposed to see.
Bee pointed at Rutledge. “You told me to be quiet, but see, you woke him up!” She beamed. “Good morning, Mr. Rutledge!”
“Good morning,” Rutledge said hoarsely right into Shawn’s ear.
Goosebumps covered Shawn’s skin. He squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip. Get a grip.
“Morning,” he said at last, turning his head.
It was weird to see Rutledge’s hair so messy, but that, coupled with the dark stubble and all that naked skin, did strange things to Shawn’s insides. Rutledge’s dark eyes roamed over his face.
Shawn wasn’t sure how to act. He wasn’t sure where they stood.
“Why Mr. Rutledge slept in your bed?” Bee asked. “He doesn’t have a bed?”
Rutledge’s lips twisted. “Something like that, midget,” he said, still looking at Shawn.
“Don’t call her midget.”
“I don’t mind,” Bee said. “I’m short!”
“She doesn’t mind,” Rutledge said.
Snorting, Shawn reached for his shorts and pulled them on, wincing a bit in discomfort.
“Sore?” Rutledge murmured, sitting up as well.
Shawn hopped off the bed and threw him a narrow-eyed look.
Rutledge’s face was mostly inscrutable, but there was a hint of something in his eyes…
“Drop the smug look,” Shawn said and glanced at the clock on the wall. “Don’t you have a class to teach soon?”
“Yes,” Rutledge said, getting out of the bed. He looked so out of place in Shawn’s tiny, shabby room it wasn’t even funny.
Shawn turned away, grabbed the girls, and pulled them out of the room.
Don’t be ridiculous, he told himself. It had just been sex.
Yes, sex with another man—sex with his professor—but just sex.
He had no reason to feel flustered. They were adults, they had wanted each other and they’d fucked to scratch the itch.
Simple. Nothing complicated about it. It didn’t have to be complicated.
Shawn was still telling himself that while he prepared breakfast for the kids when the doorbell rang.
He went to open the door.
“Good morning!” Mrs. Hawkins said, pushing past him. “Morning, girls.”
“Good morning, Mrs. Hawk,” the twins said in unison.
“Have they already eaten?” Mrs. Hawkins asked Shawn.
“No, I was just going to feed them, but I’m running a bit late and I’d really appreciate if you—”
She waved him off. “Of course, go take a shower. I’ll do—”
Rutledge walked out of Shawn’s bedroom, shrugging into his jacket. His hair was still wet after his shower.
Mrs. Hawkins stared. Then her gaze moved to Shawn.
Shawn felt a blush creep up his face. One didn’t have to be a genius to guess what they had been doing last night.
Mrs. Hawkins’s lips pursed into a line. Without a word, she nodded stiffly in Rutledge’s direction, took the girls and ushered them into the kitchen.
Shawn blinked at her back. Just a few weeks ago, Mrs. Hawkins told him to live a little and get a girlfriend, but apparently this was a problem for her. What the hell. His sex life was none of her business.
“Find another babysitter for the children if you don’t want them to grow up narrow-minded.” Rutledge headed to the door. “I have to go. I need to change before work.”
Shawn hesitated before following him to the door. Was it his imagination or was Rutledge really avoiding looking at him?
“Okay,” Shawn said, forcing nonchalance into his voice. “See you around, I guess.”
Rutledge went still before turning his head to him.
A beat passed.
Rutledge reached out, hooked his fingers in the waistband of Shawn’s shorts, and pulled him close.
He bent his head and pressed his nose against the side of Shawn’s neck before sucking hard on his skin. Shawn gasped from the mix of pain and pleasure.
In a blink of an eye, Rutledge was gone, and Shawn stared at the empty space he had occupied a moment ago.
What was that supposed to mean?
* * *
“Well?” Christian said when Shawn sat down next to him a few hours later.
Slumping in his seat, Shawn looked down at his hands on his stomach. “What?”
“Did you—you know?” The curiosity was clear in his friend’s voice.
Shawn nodded. “Yeah,” he murmured. “I fucked him again.”
“So what now? You get over him?”
Shawn said, “Sure.”
And then Rutledge entered the classroom.
As always, the hush was instant.
Rutledge walked to his desk, clad in a pristine three-piece dark suit that hugged his muscular frame. His strong jaw was clean-shaven—
“Yep, totally over him,” Christian murmured.
Shawn flushed and averted his gaze. “I am.”
“Sure you are. But wipe that drool off your face. Seriously, you’re freaking me out. It’s Rutledge. The guy is a total dick, he has no sense of humor, no heart—and he’s not even handsome to compensate for his personality.”
“He is handsome,” Shawn muttered.
“He’s not. All right, he has a great body and the confidence, but his nose is too big, and his eyes are cruel.” Christian smirked. “Unless you’re into that kind of thing, I guess.”
Shawn rolled his eyes and accidentally caught Rutledge’s gaze. Suddenly, Shawn could acutely feel the hickey hidden by his turtleneck, the bruises on his thighs, the soreness in his ass.
Rutledge looked away and cleared his throat.
* * *
“Look, he’s come to pick Mila up again,” Christian murmured, motioning with his head as they crossed the parking lot after their classes. “See, I’m not the only one who stares at him.”
Shawn followed Christian’s gaze.
Sure enough, there was a man leaning against a white Lexus, and yeah, he was attracting quite a bit of attention. The guy didn’t even seem aware of all the staring students, looking bored and glancing at his watch from time to time.
“Damn, he’s so gorgeous,” Christian said.
Shawn eyed the guy critically. He really was rather startlingly handsome: tall and dark-haired, with strong, classically handsome features, a firm sensual mouth and striking deep-blue eyes.
Yeah, Shawn could understand why Christian was attracted to him, though the guy seemed Christian’s complete opposite: all buttoned-up, serious and proper.
“I dunno, man,” Shawn said. “He looks like he has a stick up his ass.”
Christian wiggled his eyebrows. “Trust me, guys like that are usually the best in bed—kinky and intense.” He sighed. “Damn, why are all the hot guys straight? It’s so fucking unfair.”
Shawn snorted and patted him on the shoulder. “At least you’ll get to see him naked this weekend.”
Christian grimaced. “Like a kid looking in the candy store window.”
Shawn opened his mouth but shut it when a familiar black Mercedes stopped in front of them. The door opened.
“Get in,” said Rutledge, without even glancing at him. He looked as though he was doing something very unpleasant.
“No, thanks, I’ll take the bus,” Shawn said.
“Get in,” Rutledge said again.
Shawn glanced around. They were attracting quite a few curious looks. Shit.
He gave Christian a shrug and climbed into the car.
Rutledge slammed on the gas pedal.
“Are you crazy? Everyone saw us!”
Rutledge was silent, driving at a blinding speed.
“That’s how nasty rumors start!”
Rutledge said nothing.
“Stop fucking ignoring me!”
Rutledge slammed his foot on the brakes.
Before Shawn knew it, Rutledge’s lips were on his and his tongue was in his mouth.
Shawn moaned and kissed back, burying his hands in Rutledge’s thick hair. Oh god, oh god, god.