The Risque Contracts Series(73)

“I know, sweetheart.”

I narrowed my eyes at his placating tone. “No, I don’t think you do. Don’t try to feed me some macho bullshit about how you’ll talk to me about this later, not until you actually stop and think about this. We both know there will be a next time, an instance when we’re faced with an important decision and you’ll want to decide what’s best. I need to know that we’ll make those decisions together. Do you get how huge this is to me?”

“I get it,” he murmured. “I’m not just telling you what you want to hear so you’ll be quiet. I saw a problem and I looked for a solution. It’s how my brain works. I needed to keep you by my side, couldn’t risk you going to California without me. It killed me to know you had that option and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it because I can’t go with you, sweetheart. Not until my contract is done.”

The last little bit of his speech jumped out at me. “What if I defer my acceptance to both schools? Buy us some time while you finish out your contract here and see what happens before I have to make a final decision.”

“There isn’t anything to see,” he growled. “You said yes last night, sweetheart. You want to marry me, same as I want to marry you.”

My head was spinning. “Someday, yeah. But this is going so fast.”

“Four months we wasted, both of us devouring every written word we could find from the other while we couldn’t be together. One hundred and twenty-nine days is not too fast. Not when we fit together perfectly as a couple.”

“I’m scared,” I admitted.

“I get that,” he replied, turning in his chair so he could pull me onto his lap. “I really do. But what I haven’t heard you say is you don’t want to be my wife.”

Of course he hadn’t heard me say that, because there wasn’t any way I could force those words past my lips. Not when it’s what I wanted more than anything in the world, but I needed to know he wanted it the same way I did—a fear he’d vanquished the second he’d told me the exact number of days we’d known each other, because I’d counted each of those days too. Now, there wasn’t anything else holding me back.





Chapter 13


Gabe


I sat in my car in the employee parking lot running over the events of the last several days. After our big talk, Charlotte seemed more at ease and accepting of our decision to get married. Her solution to defer for two years was perfect, but something about it was bothering me.

She’d completed her last final and we’d begun moving her into my apartment. Okay...I started moving her in while she was taking her exam. She was a little irritated at my “high-handedness.” But, it didn’t take me long to convince her around to my way of thinking. Especially after the third orgasm.

No matter what she said though, I could see that there was disappointment under a false bravado. She was eager to finish school and become a teacher, like her parents. I knew she would be amazing, the teacher every kid remembered years later. I wanted my sweet, genuinely happy Charlotte back. But, I didn’t have a fucking clue how we could make it work.

I sighed and climbed from the car, grabbing my bag and heading for the main office to drop off final grades. While I was there, Dean Whitehall happened to step out of his office, and when he saw me, he called out and motioned me inside.

“Gabe,” he said, holding out his hand.

“Dean Whitehall.” I shook his hand before taking a seat in front of his desk.

“Call me Paul,” he offered as he walked around and sat down. He leaned his elbows on the desktop and his fingers formed a steeple beneath his chin.

“Miss Young was in my office yesterday,” he said casually. I nodded, aware that she’d been in to file for deferment.

“You know she’s putting off school?”

Again, a nod. I didn’t see the need to speak.

“Is it because of the fraternization rule?”

I sighed, “Yes. We couldn’t live without each other and there was no way for me to go with her. So, she’s putting off school until my contract is up.”

Paul leaned back in his chair and studied me, making me feel like a kid who’d been sent to the principal’s office.

“Gabe, we love having you on staff here. The students and the faculty have nothing but wonderful things to say about you. And, one of the things that makes you a good professor and role model is your dedication and sense of responsibility. This is why I was rather surprised that you never approached me about being let out of your contract. I could have gone to the board and presented your case.”