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“You’re a bit of a tease, Professor,” I accused in my best formal speech.
“The reality is, I don’t trust myself when we are so close. I want to do unspeakable things to you, Maye Farsey, and I’m doing my very best not to frighten you.” He said it all so plainly, like we were discussing the bread on the plate in front of me.
“I’m not inexperienced, Andrew. You’re not going to scare me.” I chuckled then because really, men were men, no matter their age. Apparently he held his sexual prowess in high regard, as a lot of guys seemed to do.
“Are you amused?” he asked in an even darker tone.
“A little, yes,” I said and sucked in a fuller breath when I met his intense stare.
Quickly I added, “But not by you specifically. More of a private conversation going on in here.” I tapped my temple while he carefully listened.
A girl could really get used to this level of attention. Was this another difference between men his age and the boys mine? The guys I had dated in the past were more interested in themselves than anything else. You would think after spending that much time only considering themselves, they’d have a better understanding of who they truly were. What they wanted. Maybe the by-product of all that self-focus when younger was the sure, sexy, self-aware man before me.
There were so many things to consider from just the few hours I’d spent in his presence. I was thrilled intellectually and, my God, so damn aroused physically. After a few more bites of the sandwich, I pushed it away a few inches.
“Thank you so much for feeding me. It was delicious.” I smiled until I met his steady gaze and the stern appearance of the rest of his features. “What’s wrong?” I asked, and it came out sounding like a pitiful croak.
“Finish what’s on your plate, please. It was one sandwich. Not even a full meal.”
His whole tone rubbed me the wrong way. I looked at him for a few seconds before having to look away. His stare was so intense, he reduced me to a nervous, ungrateful child, and I didn’t appreciate any of it.
“Listen,” I began and barely had the courage to say more. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and forced the rest of my thought out in words. “I have a mother and a father. I’m not in the market for another parent-figure in my life. I’m twenty-two years old and am fully aware of when I’m full. I don’t want you to think I’m ungrateful for the food you gave me. I just can’t eat more than that right now.” After giving it a bit more thought, I finished my little speech with, “Especially after the evening I’ve had. My stomach can’t handle any more.”
“Okay.” He nodded but didn’t look impressed with any of what I’d just said. In fact, his mood seemed to turn a bit sour.
“I can call my sister to come pick me up,” I offered and began to dig for my phone. “Can you tell me the address?”
He rounded the island to stand in front of me quickly and gracefully, completely catching me off guard.
Andrew planted a hand on the stool by each side of my thighs and spun me away from the island. Leaning closer, he nearly growled, “Parenting you is the very last thing I had in mind, Maye.”
I paused a few beats to let the meaning of his words sink in.
“I’d like you to stay but won’t force you to. If I’ve made you uncomfortable, or unhappy, I apologize. Whether you believe me or not, my wanting you to eat is from my concern for your system and the pain reliever I gave you,” he explained matter-of-factly. “That was stronger than your average over-the-counter stuff, and I don’t want it to hit you too hard because you’ve barely eaten all day.”
This was definitely going to take some work. Time and patience, too. Yes, he was older than me, but that didn’t always mean he knew what was best for me. My parents raised me to be an independent woman, and I didn’t need a babysitter to ensure I took care of myself.
I just had to figure out a way to get him to understand that.
CHAPTER NINE
ANDREW
Fine. Maybe that was a little much. She’d either get used to it or run in the opposite direction. One thing was for certain—I wasn’t likely to change at this point in my life. My personality always fell into the domineering category. Even as a young boy, my mother said I was a leader, not a follower. Didn’t mean I couldn’t successfully be a part of a group. It just wasn’t my naturally preferred place.
Now if I were the group’s leader, then I was in my element. I did my best work and was most creative and thoughtful as the guy in charge.
Concentrating on the fresh-faced woman before me while she made herself clear on a few points wasn’t difficult. I could be laser-focused when something mattered to me. And this girl mattered. She mattered in more ways than I fully identified with yet, but my gut knew she would become an important point of light on my horizon. I’d always trusted my intuition, so it was easy to give her all my attention and ensure we laid a solid foundation from the start.
The big-picture goal was that a true relationship could come of this insane physical attraction we shared, and along the way, we’d discover all the things we had in common and could celebrate.
Maybe I should feel embarrassed about how much thought I’d already given all this. But I’d had Maye in class for a full semester. Tons of time to observe her in different situations, listen to the way her mind worked when we had an open discussion in class, and learn what a truly kind and genuine human she was.
It might seem like I’d made plans based on our short time together in my office, but that wasn’t the case at all. From the moment she’d taken her front-row, far-left seat in my class, she’d stolen my breath, focus, and, very recently, my careful control.
“Now it’s my turn to ask you where you drifted off to?” she asked while standing. She picked up her plate, and I instantly took it from her grip.
She huffed. “I can clear my own dishes. You did the cooking. It’s the least I can do.”
