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“Yes?”
Her chin started to quiver, and I sent up a quick prayer that tears wouldn’t follow.
“If I fail this paper I won’t get to go to Venice for spring break.”
Zac’s cough in the corner was barely muffled by his hand as she stood there, waiting for me to feel some sort of sympathy for her situation.
I didn’t.
“That’s unfortunate. I hear it’s nice this time of year.” I pulled up my email and began to respond to the most pressing ones, giving her a clear signal that this discussion was over.
She hesitated like she wanted to say something else, but then nodded and left the room.
Zac wasn’t looking my way, but I could still see his lips pressed together out of the corner of my eye as he tried not to chuckle.
“Something you’d like to add?” I asked. “You think I was too harsh?”
“Actually, I think you did her a favor, sir. Venice in late March is a little chilly.”
A grin threatened to crack through my controlled exterior, but unlike Zac, I’d had many more years of schooling my expressions.
I did appreciate a smartass, though.
“Speaking from experience?” I asked.
“My parents dragged me to every restaurant in Italy when I was growing up, so yes. What about you? Ever been?”
“No. I’m not really a European vacation kind of guy. Give me the Caribbean, a private beach I can lie out on in the sun with a cocktail in hand, and I’m in heaven.”
Zac’s eyes ran down over me as if he were imagining that exact scenario. “Sounds nice.”
I knew I shouldn’t continue with this conversation, but the dark flash of arousal that flickered in his eyes was very similar tothe one I’d seen when he looked at me the first time he slid inside of East.
“The private beach? Or my lying on it?”
Zac sucked in a quick breath, but before he could answer, I gestured to his laptop.
“Better get to work on today’s first lecture, yes? You don’t want to end up like poor Holly and get in trouble.”
Zac swallowed and returned his attention to his laptop. But it wasn’t lost on me the way he reached down to readjust himself beneath the table.
Had I crossed the line I’d promised myself I wouldn’t this morning? Yes. But then again, I’d already crossed every line on Friday, so what was one more?
As Zac worked away quietly, I allowed myself a moment to appreciate the fact that I was right—he’d turned out to be exactly as expected, yet completely unexpected at the same time. He knew how to keep himself together even after learning information that must’ve shocked him, and he had a hidden fire in him that, once unleashed, wasveryappealing.
Something I was glad to have learned with only months left in his scholastic career as opposed to years. I wasn’t sure I could’ve resisted temptation otherwise.
But for the time being, I had to. Here, I was his professor, and though he must’ve been brimming with a multitude of questions, he continued to keep his mouth shut, typing away like any other day.
It was exactly what I would expect from my diligent TA. James Easton, on the other hand? That remained to be seen.
SIXTEEN
east
I’D HAD EVERY intention of going to class, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what was happening behind closed doors with King and Zac. Were they talking about our hot, forbidden night? Making plans for a round two? Was King checking out the way Zac filled out his tailored pants? Was Zac unable to sit still every time King uttered a deep, authoritative word that only reminded him of the professor’s sexy, dominant side?
This wouldn’t do. Being left out of even a moment of sexual tension was killing me, and that was why I found my feet moving in the direction of King’s first class.
