Page 12 of Professor Next Door

7. Tara

I was daydreaming about things I shouldn’t while Rikki happily played in her pen. I was supposed to be typing up a paper, but all I could do was think about Galen. Professor Elliot. My palms were sweating as I stared at the screen, remembering the way he’d looked at me before he left for his late class. He had something he wanted to say, but he’d backed off before saying it.

Over the last week he’d often done that, but then he’d hang around for a while before taking Rikki home. He’d started to ask me about my life and I’d told him about my childhood. We were both a bit shocked when he’d said his had been almost the same, an absent father, the loss of his mother not long after he’d turned twenty. We had something in common at least, but his mother had passed away, mine was either dead or still strung out on drugs somewhere. I didn’t even know where my father was.

He’d had the comfort of having his mom around for longer than I did, but I loved that Gran had raised me. Mom had her struggles, I knew that, but she was just a face in a picture to me, not a real person. Gran was my mother, not her. Galen understood it all since his dad had taken off when he was young.

I’d been dreaming of him every night, those hot eyes and his hard body invading my dreams, invading me, in ways I’d never thought about before. The heat of the dreams had increased each time he’d stayed to talk to me, the scenarios changing until I’d sought out some more movies to find out if what my brain was conjuring up could really happen. Apparently, a lot more could happen than I thought. A lot that I’d dearly love to try.

I was a sucker for a man with a voice that made me shiver, with eyes that made me squirm with need, and I couldn’t say no to him. I wanted an opportunity to show him what I could do other than watching his daughter. I loved looking after Rikki, but I was really developing a thing for her dad.

He made my heart melt in so many ways, and now that Amanda was dating some mystery guy, I had him all to myself when he came to collect Rikki. I tapped a pencil against my notebook as I pondered what it could be that he might want to ask me. To make him dinner? Grade some papers for him? I snorted, he still didn’t acknowledge me at school, so being his class-pet wasn’t really going to happen.

“Daddy!” Rikki called, as lights flashed across the wall. I went to her and picked her up, and she cuddled into me immediately, her face going into my neck to rest there. She knew what time it was and was telling me bye in her own way. I was really growing to love her. I kissed the top of her head as we walked to the door.

“Hi!” I called out as I opened the door for him, his daughter in my arms. I wore a bright smile, my glasses missing for the moment. I’d pushed them up into my hair and hadn’t put them back down yet.

“You have lovely eyes, Tara,” he said, almost absently as he walked in. “I need to talk to you. About a rather serious matter. I can’t put it off any longer.”

He stood in my living room for a moment before making a decision; anxiety making his eyes tight as he went to the couch to sit. “Can I be totally honest with you for a moment?”

The fact he was now sitting on the couch where I’d recently dreamed about making love to him made my cheeks flame. I moved to follow him into the living room where it was darker, hoping to hide my burning cheeks.

“Of course. Would you like something to drink first?”

The amount of energy coming off of him was making me nervous. Tiger in a cage was all I could think as I looked at him.

“Coffee, if you have it. I can barely sleep, but I need to stay focused for a while longer.”

I felt his eyes on me as I left the room to put a pot on. He really was upset about something.

“Tell me then,” I said a short while later, putting the tray filled with coffee, cream, and sugar down on the coffee table with two cups.

“It’s going to be kind of shocking, Tara. And maybe you’ll run screaming, but I have to ask. For Rikki’s sake.” He looked at his daughter playing at his feet, as if he needed reassurance.

“You have me on the edge of my seat! What’s going on, Galen?”

It still felt strange to call him by his first name but he’d insisted.

“I need to get married.” I gasped and he looked up from making a cup of coffee, his eyes drilling into mine with urgency. “I’m sorry to be so blunt, but there it is.”

My heart started to pound. What the hell was going on? I looked around to see if there were hidden cameras or a guy standing outside the window with a camera, but nothing. He meant he needed to marry someone else right? He wasn’t asking me to be his wife?

“What in the world are you talking about?”

He stared at me, frustration making him tense all over. I could see it in the line of his shoulders, in the way his hands grasped at his cup, and how his jaw clenched and unclenched. He took a deep breath and I waited. Nothing could be more shocking than what he’d already said, and I wanted to be certain I’d heard him correctly.

“It’s like this. Rikki’s grandparents want to take her away from me. They haven’t seen her since her mother died, their own choice before you start condemning me! I’ve tried to get them to see her, but they cut all contact. Now they want custody. My lawyer says it’s a stupid idea, but I can’t help but feel that having a wife would sway a judge in my favor.”

He looked like he was about to explode with a combination of anger, frustration, and hurt. I hadn’t known him long at all, but I could see his emotions clearly. I ached with the need to make that all go away, to soothe him, and make him forget his worries. The need shook me, something completely new and unusual for me. I didn’t just want to sleep with him and hear him whisper that he loved me; I wanted to make his pain and frustration go away. I wanted to love him.

“Galen, I…,” but I had no idea how to finish so I stared at him from across the couch. “Are you serious?”

“I am. My daughter means everything to me, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her. I know it’s a shock, I know it’s absolutely insane, but I think it will protect her. There would be rules for us both, of course, and an expiration date after the final court hearing. It’s not forever. What do you think?” He looked at me with his heart in his eyes and I knew I couldn’t say no, but I couldn’t say yes either.

“I, I, uh, well. I guess, I just…” I let the words trail off as I tried to find a sensible response. “Wow. Galen, I need to think about this, please.”

“Of course. No problem at all. I just wanted to put it out there, see what you thought about it. I know it’s insane, like I said, but I have to do something. I can’t keep sitting around while people work to take my daughter from me.”

I stood with him as he got to his feet; his coffee going cold with mine.

“Would we, would we, you know… Have a honeymoon?” I looked up at him, staring into eyes the color of old copper turned green mixed with gold.

“Of course, but sex isn’t really an issue. As I said, there will be rules, precautions, everything has been thought of that I can think of. You will act as my wife and be a stepmother to Rikki. You’ll be compensated as well, don’t worry.” He paused and I could only wait for him to finish, still too shocked to speak. “Look, I know this is a shock, so we can discuss it more tomorrow if you like. I need to get Rikki to bed anyway.”

“Yeah, sure. She needs her rest. I’ll, uh, I’ll talk to you tomorrow then?”

I helped him to gather her things, and we walked to the door together. My brain was still stuck in the past, five minutes ago when he’d rocked my world.

“Why don’t you come over to my house tomorrow and I’ll make dinner? We can discuss it further then.” He gave me a smile but as he looked at me his eyes changed. Curiosity filled them as he looked down at me.

For a moment, I wondered if he was going to kiss me, or touch my face, but he shook himself and moved away. Awareness had filled me as he’d stared into my eyes, awareness of his strong body, of his heat—all of him—had filled my brain with a longing for far more than a marriage of convenience.

“I’ll be… yeah, that sounds fine. A night to think on it, right?” I knew I didn’t need any time, but I did have to think about it. It was insane just considering it!

“See you around six then. Thanks, Tara. It means the world to me that you’d even think about it.”

He leaned over with a sleepy Rikki in his arms and kissed my cheek softly before he turned away. I watched them go, standing in my doorway until long after Galen had carried Rikki inside. I was stunned at it all. He’d kissed my cheek. He’d asked me to marry him. I couldn’t breathe!