Chapter 12
CECE
M y car coughed like a lifelong smoker when I turned the key.
White smoke billowed out the back. It was embarrassing but I was used to it.
She was held together with duct tape, super glue, and hope.
The fact that she’d made it all the way from Virginia to South Carolina was already a miracle.
I wasn’t going to ask for another one. I just needed her to get me to The Library, that cursed bar where everything went to hell—or heaven, depending on the angle.
Once I got a good teaching job, I was buying a new used car.
One that wasn’t older than me. A car I could rely on to get me from point A to point B without keeping a pair of sensible shoes and a reflective vest in the back for when I had to push the damn thing.
For now, the tired Honda and I were stuck together.
“Don’t fail me now,” I said and gently patted the dash. “We can’t let Lina sink her harpy claws into him.”
I shifted into drive and rolled down the windows.
The A/C had died somewhere in Georgia, and tonight’s heat was making my bra feel like medieval torture.
Still, I wasn’t turning around. I was driving straight into the fire.
I didn’t know if he was testing me when he threw out the invite but I wasn’t going to shy away from a challenge.
Part of me wondered if he hoped I would decline the invitation so he could spend time with Lina.
And that thought made me incredibly jealous.
I had no right to feel that way, of course.
I didn’t care what he did. If Carver was right, the good professor fucked anything that happened to get in front of him.
Except for me.
I caught myself gripping the steering wheel tighter.
The idea of him with Lina or anyone else for that matter, made my stomach twist in ways that had nothing to do with my car’s rough idle.
This was exactly the problem. I was supposed to be gathering information about his inappropriate relationships with students, not fantasizing about being one of them.
I knew it was a mistake to show up at the bar. The last time I’d been at The Library, I’d damn near started a friction fire grinding against my professor’s cock. I’d left the place needing to change my panties and go to confession. And I wasn’t even Catholic.
There was no way in hell I was leaving him alone with Lina and her push-up bra and baby-voiced giggles.
That woman flirted with anyone. I was pretty sure she had been checking me out.
Or maybe just my boobs. Lina was primed and ready for sex and I really didn’t like the idea of Grady being the one to give it to her.
Grady. In my head, I called him by his name.
I would never dare to do so to his face or in front of anyone.
That was way too familiar. But he was Grady.
Not professor when I was grinding on him.
And the thought of Lina grinding on him made me want to claw her face off.
I didn’t want to be jealous or catty, but it just happened.
Damn him.
I’d dressed cute . Not slutty, but I had thrown on a black wrap top that cinched my waist, showed just a whisper of cleavage, and hugged my boobs.
I had great tits, and if you had one weapon in your arsenal, it seemed only right to make sure your enemies knew you were packing heat.
I paired the top with my best jeans that were meant to flatten the tummy and lift the ass.
At least that’s what the brand claimed. I wore my favorite ankle boots that gave me an extra inch of height and exactly zero arch support.
Tonight wasn’t about being comfortable. It was all about reminding the man what he almost had.
And sadly, what I was still offering despite my better judgment.
I was certain my desire for him was more about wanting what I couldn’t have.
Why were we all hard-wired like that? Maybe I should have gone into psychology if I wanted to get that question answered.
I was already sweaty by the time I parked.
Thank God I sprang for the good deodorant and had practically bathed in my favorite vanilla body spray from Victoria’s Secret.
And my panties and bra matched. Also courtesy of Victoria.
But if there was any chance a certain professor was going to see my underthings, I needed to look like I had my shit together.
Even if the rest of my life was held together with duct tape and prayer, my lingerie game was on point.
I took a look in the rearview mirror. I didn’t go heavy on the makeup. That would just look like I was trying too hard. My minty gloss gave my lips a bit of shine and it tasted good—just in case another pair of lips happened to touch mine.
I walked in the bar and scanned the area. There were a few more people than last time. A sure sign classes were back in session and the kids were back in town. I spotted them right away. Jealousy raced through me, leaving me feeling like there was battery acid sitting in my gut.
Grady wore a button-down with the sleeves rolled up, forearms flexed as he nursed a drink and watched Lina.
She was already mid-performance. Giggling too loud, leaning way too far across the table, one manicured hand brushing his arm.
Her cleavage was clearly popping up and out of the tiny tank.
And it was currently being delivered directly into his line of sight.
I made my way over while doing my best not to trip in my boots and die in front of them.
The little green monster that had taken up root in my chest was making it very difficult to look breezy.
I wanted to give the impression all of this was super casual.
Just a few professionals getting together for a drink. No big deal.
Grady spotted me first, and I swore to God, he undressed me with his eyes. Fire. There were flames in his eyes in that one very heated look.
Be cool. Don’t trip. Look sexy. Sway your hips.
Lina glanced up and flashed one of those practiced smiles.
“You made it,” Grady said, standing up like a gentleman. Damn him.
“You say that like it was ever in doubt,” I replied, sliding onto the stool across from him.
Lina’s eyes narrowed. She looked like a hyena that just figured out she had to share her meat. “I thought you said you weren’t sure you could come.”
“I moved some things around,” I said nonchalantly. “Wouldn’t want to miss a chance to learn more about Professor Stone.” I smiled at him, all innocent-like, but my knee brushed his under the table. I felt him jolt ever so slightly.
He cleared his throat. “Right. So. Drinks?”
“I’ll take a beer,” I said, looking at him, not the waitress. “Surprise me.”
Lina ordered something pink and ridiculous. Both of us watched the hot professor slide out of his chair and walk behind the bar. We were both staring at him like he was the last man on the planet despite being surrounded by men our age.
Grady returned with the three drinks. I reached for the bottle of beer and took a sip.
“Grady was just telling me about the time he uncovered a Minoan altar on the island of Naxos,” Lina said. “Fascinating stuff.”
“Oh yeah?” I said, turning to him. I looked at him, like really looked. He knew I was undressing him with my eyes.
His mouth twitched again. One of those tiny, private smiles he probably didn’t even realize he gave. I lived for that smile. Lina, oblivious, just tilted her head and leaned in closer.
“And he speaks three languages. I mean, come on. Is that not the sexiest thing you’ve ever heard?”
I looked at her. “Not even top five.”
She blinked, confused, but Grady stifled a cough and took a long drink. His knee stayed pressed against mine.
“I said I can read a little and I use various tools to translate,” Grady said calmly. He glanced her way but then his eyes were right back on me.
And just like that, the power shifted. While Lina had her boobs out and was practically offering to fuck him right there on the bar floor, I had him.
Our secret language. The stolen looks that said everything he was thinking.
The private jokes. He didn’t even try to hide the way he looked at me when she wasn’t watching.
This was the problem with the other woman not knowing she was the other woman.
Lina had no idea she was losing a game she didn’t even know she was playing.
For the next twenty minutes, I watched her pull out every trick in the book.
She touched his arm when she laughed. She asked him to explain basic archeological terms she should already know as a graduate student.
She even pulled the classic “I’m so clumsy” move, pretending to stumble so he’d steady her with his hands.
And through it all, Grady was polite. Helpful. Professional.
But his knee never moved away from mine. At one point, he even reached under the table to put his hand on my leg. The man was turning my insides to liquid heat.
“So what made you choose archeology?” Lina asked me, finally acknowledging I existed.
“I’ve always been drawn to uncovering buried secrets.” I took another sip of beer. “There’s something thrilling about digging up things people thought were hidden.”
Grady’s eyes flashed. He knew I wasn’t talking about artifacts.
“That’s so interesting,” Lina gushed, though her tone suggested it was anything but. “I’m totally in it for the hot guys. I just love a man who gets his hands dirty, don’t you, Cece?”
I met her gaze and smiled. “Oh, absolutely. Especially when he knows how to use them.”
Grady choked. She blinked. I could see her trying to decide if I was actually making some sexual innuendo or if I was actually talking about the work. I saw the moment she decided. Her predatory gaze turned to Grady’s hands and then looked up at him.
“Professor Stone, your hands look pretty strong,” Lina purred, reaching across the table to trace her finger along his knuckles.
The subtlety of a freight train. I rolled my eyes so hard I was surprised they didn’t fall out of my head.
Grady pulled his hand back, but not before I caught the flash of irritation that crossed his face. Good. He was getting tired of her act too.
“Well, precision is important in our field,” he said diplomatically.
Grady looked like he needed divine intervention and possibly a cold shower.
It was a thousand degrees inside my body.
My panties were damp. I had to rub my thighs together to take the edge off but that was just making things worse.
One touch and I was going to pull a “When Harry Met Sally” scene.
Being near the man turned me inside out.
I couldn’t begin to understand the chemical reaction that happened in my body when I got around him. Or thought about him.
Lina kept jabbering about internships and career goals and how her mom was so close with the dean, while I zoned out and just watched him.
His hand rested on the table, fingers twitching slightly like he wanted to reach for something.
For me . He kept glancing at me like he was drowning and I was the life raft.
“I’m going to powder my nose.” Lina smiled.
She looked at me as if I was supposed to hop up and join her.
As if.
She pouted and walked away. More like sashayed away.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Peachy,” I replied. “Why? You worried about me?”
“I’m worried about me ,” he muttered.
I knew I should leave. My beer was done.
I told myself I would have one drink and then leave.
But I wasn’t leaving him with her. And I wasn’t quite ready to walk away from him.
I wasn’t going to rub up against him like a cat looking for attention like her, but he was going to know exactly what I was thinking.
I licked my lips, making sure I took my time while he watched my tongue.
Oh yeah. We were both so fucking hot for each other it hurt.