Page 4

Emma

Ican hardly tastethe catfish. My thoughts are still on the fact that Ben wants me as much as I want him. That kiss was incredible.

In high school, I kissed a few boys, but we never went beyond that, and they definitely never made me feel so hot and needy after just one kiss. I press my thighs together, cursing myself for following grandma’s advice and not wearing underwear.

The inside of my thighs feels slippery, begging me to rub them together to ease the ache between them. I give in, shifting my hips from side to side. “Oh.” I catch my breath at the contact, not expecting it to feel so good.

“Are you okay?” The genuine concern in Ben’s voice makes me feel like a fool for trying to soothe the throbbing need betweenmy legs while attempting to enjoy a nice dinner with him. But based on the hungry look in his eyes, I’d say he’s struggling too.

“I’m fine.” I sip the red wine Ben must have poured before I arrived. “So one other thing grandma told me about you is you’re a world-famous writer.” I set the wine glass back on the table. “Why didn’t you ever tell the class?”

He sips his wine before placing it back on the table. “There’s only one person in the class I’ve ever wanted to tell, but I’ve always thought—” he pauses. I hold my breath, praying he will say what I want him to say—what I need him to say. “That you were unattainable since you were my student and I was your professor.”

The breath I was holding comes out in a rush, “How long have you felt that way?”

“From the first day you walked into my class and sat in the front row, even though you were one of the first students to arrive, you had your pick of seats. Yet, you chose to sit smack dab in the middle of the classroom, right in my line of vision. From that day forward, I always considered that your spot.”

“It was the only place that felt right. It was as if my body guided me to that desk, urging me to claim it before someone else could.”

Four years. I can’t believe he has liked me for four years.

I work up the courage to ask him the question I’m dying to know. “Why didn’t you act on your feelings?”

“I think you already know the answer to that. You were just out of high school, barely even eighteen. You had your whole college future ahead of you. What would you want with a stuffy professor six years older? Plus, it was my first teaching job. I couldn’t risk losing it.”

I nod. I understand. I truly do. We were both young and reckless, not realizing it was okay to take a chance on the love of a lifetime. I’m just grateful we were given a second chance to act on that love.

“Do you know why I’m staying at the lake house alone this summer?” He shakes his head, so I continue. “I felt lost after graduation—like a piece of me was missing. I didn’t know what that piece was until I saw you sitting on the dock that first day as if fate threw you in my path, showing me, without words, what I was missing.”

“I feel the same way. My writing has suffered even having you close by. But knowing you were so close and unable to touch you gutted me. Do you know I spend most of my days staring out the window, watching you lie out on the dock, sunning yourself, and wishing every minute that I was out there with you, rubbing lotion into your beautiful skin.”

My breath catches in my throat. “I want you to be the one rubbing lotion on my back and anywhere else you want to rub.”

He stands, walks over to my side of the table, then drops to one knee on the carpet and takes my hand. “Emma, I wanted to make this night special, but you being here is what truly makes it so. I know it’s only been four years, but I feel like I’ve waited for you my whole life.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a velvet box. “This was my grandmother’s. I’ve been carrying it around with me for four years, waiting for the perfect time to ask the woman I love if she’ll marry me.” He lets go of my hand to open the box, revealing a beautiful princess-cut diamond with two sapphires on either side.

“Yes!” I throw my arms around his neck, pulling him close, covering him everywhere I can reach with a kiss.

He pulls back just enough to slide the ring onto my finger. “Perfect.” He brings my left hand to his lips and kisses my finger just above the engagement ring. “I think it’s time we make this official.” He stands, sweeping me into his arms bridal style, and carries me to his bedroom, making this the best night of my life.

Chapter five

Ben

“Are you sure you’reready for this?” I let her body slide down mine as I set her feet on the floor and take a step back to look into her eyes.

She nods, grabbing the hem of her short dress and pulling it over her head, leaving herself exposed to my hungry eyes. “Is this okay?” She bites her lip making my cock throb wanting those lips wrapped around it. “I’ve never done this before.” My sexy Siren is replaced by the shy freshman I first fell in love with.

“I’ve never done this before either,” I tell her honestly. “I’ve never wanted to until I met you.”

“You’re teasing me. There’s no way a sexy professor like you hasn’t made love to one of his students over his desk in his office.”

Now there is a visual I won’t be getting out of my head anytime soon of Emma bent over my office desk, her firm ass sticking in the air begging from my cock, with her little panties hanging around her ankles.

“I’m not teasing. You’re the only woman I’ve ever wanted to do this with, will ever want to do this with. If I couldn’t have you, I didn’t want anyone else.”

Her eyes glaze over in lust, “Make love to me, Ben.”

Our lips meet in a passionate kiss filled with promises, our tongues tangling as we crave to be nearer to one another.