Tempting(60)

Celeste: Dad would be more than happy to support you, financially, if you were going to school for something that you didn’t already know how to do.





I resisted the urge to throw my phone across the ice, mostly because I couldn’t afford to replace it at the time. Because Celeste was right; I wasn’t supported financially because of my choice of study. When I’d announced my major, my dad had been silent, as usual, but he hadn’t offered any kind of financial support—the only thing he could have offered me.

And I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been tempted by the idea of changing my major to have his help. Being broke and living meagerly was stressful. But I’d stuck to my guns all the year before and this year—too proud to admit I needed anything from him. But Ramen and toast for the majority of my meals was getting old. And the student loans looming over my head were another reminder that post-graduation, the Ramen and toast situation wouldn’t likely change.



Celeste: Mom worries about you. And Dad wanted me to let you know if you changed your major, he’d support you fully. Tuition and rent.





Fuck. The word dragged out in my head. The offer was tempting. But I couldn’t give up writing, not when I loved it as much as I did.



Me: That’s nice.





It was the only reply I could come up with. I clicked back to my list of messages, glancing my eyes from Leo’s unread message from days earlier. I only saw a preview of it: I think we should…

I wasn’t ready to read what he thought. I was miles away from where I’d been when I’d sloppily kissed him. I’d been confused, lonely. Now, I was being thoroughly fucked by my professor and getting high off just being around him. So I continually put Leo off, hoping that by Thanksgiving I’d yank the tail out between my legs and apologize.

I clicked on Nathan’s name.



Me: What are you doing right now?





His reply took a minute and I tucked my hand into my jacket to warm up my fingers until his message popped through.



Nathan: Waiting for you to come to my office.



Me: Oh?



Nathan: I recall you wanting me to bend you over my desk once.





My thighs clenched in excitement. Gingerly, I stepped around the ice and made my way to campus, a smile on my face.



* * *



“Come in,” he answered my knock.

Entering the office, I took in the lone light from his desk lamp. The rest of the room was washed in darkness. “Nathan,” I said softly.

He lifted his head from his book and peered at me, eyes traveling the length of my body. “You’re quick.”

My lips twitched. “I can be.”

My innuendo didn’t go unnoticed. Swiftly he stood, coming around his desk and reaching behind me to lock the door. He turned me around and pulled the zipper of my coat down, pulling it off me quickly and gracefully. He tossed the coat into the chair and turned back to me.

“How are your knees?”

The immediate blush warmed my cheeks. “Sore.”

He smiled, tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’m glad.” His eyes moved over my face. “Look at you. Flushed cheeks. Messy hair. Were you excited to see me?”

The unexpected tenderness of his words softened the thudding of my heart. “I’m always excited to see you,” I admitted quietly.

He brushed the hair from my eyes and cradled my face with his hands. The warmth from his fingers burned into my windblown skin and I sank into his hold. “You’re beautiful, you know that, right?”

I’d expected a quick fuck, something fast but satisfying. But instead, he held me carefully as if I might break under the pressure of his touch. He disarmed me when he touched me like this, and surprisingly—to me—I seemed to need what he gave me, whether his movements were quick and punishing or slow and tender. I was an animal begging for scraps from him, but he always nourished me no matter how he fed the desire that burned within.

Leaning forward, he brushed his lips over mine. He wasn’t hurried in his tasting, savoring the moment with me. His hand cupped my ass and squeezed, causing me to hiss. “Ouch.”

He let go, his eyes searching mine. “What’s wrong?”

Sheepishly, I smiled. “I ate it out in front of my apartment today. The fucking ice.”

“Oh,” he pressed his lips against my forehead. “My,” he said, pressing his lips against my temple, “poor,” he pressed a kiss to my lips, “baby.” He breathed the word right into my mouth, causing my complete undoing in his hands.

My hands found his chest, fingers digging into the softness of his sweater. “Nathan…” I murmured. “I have class.”