Page 69 of She’s Worth the Risk

Jesus Christ.

I take my glasses off to wipe them with shaking hands, and when I slide them back on, I see Zinnia studying the painting again, as if nothing is wrong. As if I haven’t just crossed a huge line, kissing her here.

She turns to me with a polite smile. “While you’re here, Professor, we could look at a few more paintings,” she suggests innocently, but I catch the glint in her eye. The one that tells me I could kiss her again at any moment, and she’d be fine with it.

She’d love it.

God, I want that. I want to kiss her all over this city, in the open, for everyone to see.

But it’s not in the cards. Even if she is about to leave town, I can’t risk it. Can’t risk someone from the university discovering I’m involved with my former student.

Instead, I offer her what I can. “Sure. Let’s look at some art.”

Zinnia and I spend the next two hours at MoMA, respectfully keeping our distance from one another, but I can’t shake what she said about Pollock. And when we step out into Midtown in the early evening, I know I’m not ready for the day to end. The longer we talked about art, the more I wanted her. Now, it’s not a question of if.

It’s a question of where.

“What are you doing now?” I ask thickly.

“Nothing.” Zinnia’s eyes sparkle as she gazes at me. “What about you?”

“Nothing.” I glance around, making sure there’s no one I know nearby. The busy street creates its own kind of privacy. “Want to come back to my place? We could order in. You could stay over…” I trail off, letting the suggestion of what else I want hang, and Zinnia nods vigorously.

“I very much want that.”

Happiness warms my chest. That she’s as eager for me as I am for her. Maybe it’s risky to take her there, but given she’s staying with her grandmother, her place is out of the question, and I need to be alone with her again. Need to undress her and touch every inch of her beautiful curves.

I rake a hand through my hair, considering the best way to get us there. The subway is too exposed, but we could take a cab. As long as no one sees us getting in or out of it together, we’ll be fine.

I motion for her to follow me, and we head along to Fifth Avenue, where I hail a cab. With a quick glance over my shoulder, I usher Zinnia into the backseat, then slip in after her. She turns to me with a grin, sliding her hand into mine. It sends a thrill through me, and I lift it to brush a kiss on her soft skin. It occurs to me that she won’t have her things to stay over, and even though she managed fine last time, I’m sure she’d be more comfortable with them.

“Do you want to stop in at your place to get anything?” I ask, and she shakes her head, patting her purse.

“I came prepared,” she says, smiling sheepishly. “In case.”

I glance at the small bag on her shoulder, surprised. “You pack light,” I joke.

“Yep.” She laughs awkwardly, glancing out the window.

I’ll be gone by Labor Day.

Her words echo in my head, and my hand tightens on hers. She’s probably made an art of packing light, given how frequently she moves. Something uncomfortable stirs in my chest, but I push it away as we head toward my place, telling myself not to think about it.

To make the most of what little time we have.

28

NICK

We make it out of the cab and into my apartment in one piece, but the moment we step inside, I’m not sure how to proceed. In truth, I want to take her straight to the bedroom and undress her, but hesitation tugs at me. That gnawing sense of what could go wrong if I don’t stay in control.

“How hungry are you?” I ask as Zinnia sets her bag on the counter. “We could eat now, or—”

“I’m starving,” she says, but when her eyes fall to my lips, I know she’s not talking about food. “Can we go to bed, Nick? That entire afternoon was like extended foreplay.”

I chuckle, relieved. “I thought it was just me.”

“Hell no. But…” She takes my hand, considering her words carefully before speaking again. “I wonder if you’d be open to… trying something.”