Page 37 of After Hours Lectures

Grabbing the creamer from the fridge, I poured an ungodly amount into the mug of liquid caffeine and took a sip. I definitely needed the jolt of energy after all the late-night sex.

“It snowed more last night than they had predicted it would,” Hayden stated.

I moved to stand next to him at the window. “Oh wow. That view is gorgeous.”

“If we have some time after breakfast, I’d like to get some pictures of the lake before we leave.”

“Well, let’s start cooking then. I’ll get the bacon going since I don’t have a clue how to make those fancy pancakes you promised me.”

Hayden smiled. “Deal.”

Thirty minutes later, we sat at the small dining table with two plates piled high with fluffy pancakes and bacon in front of us.

“Oh my god. These are fantastic,” I practically moaned after the first lemony bite. “You’re definitely on breakfast duty from now on.”

“You plan on us sharing more breakfasts?” he teased with a wink.

“If you keep making food like this, you’ll never get rid of me,” I replied, before shoving a piece of bacon into my mouth.

“Good to know.” He took a sip of his coffee, his eyes never leaving mine. “So, how are you feeling this morning? Sore?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Are you fishing for compliments on how well you fucked me last night?”

He choked on the bite of pancake he’d taken. “I meant from snowboarding.”

“Sure, you did.”

“Smartass.”

“You like my ass,” I retorted.

“You really do have a one-track mind, don’t you?”

“Show me a twenty-two-year-old who doesn’t.”

“Damn,” he mumbled.

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s just”—he took a breath—“sometimes I forget how young you are. I know it sounds stupid since you’re my student.”

Shit.I knew my being a student had been a roadblock for us, but I hadn’t considered my age might be an issue too. “Is that going to be a problem for you?”

“Clearly not, since I’m here.” He took another bite of food.

“How old are you, anyway?” It seemed odd that we’d already slept together a few times, and I still didn’t know something as simple as his age. Now that we were dating—if that was what we were doing—we still had a lot to learn about each other.

“I’m thirty-three.”

“Damn. I didn’t realize you were that old.” I winked.

“Funny. How old did you think I was?”

I took the last sip of my coffee. “When we met, I assumed you were maybe twenty-seven or twenty-eight.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I thought you were older. I think the facial hair threw me off.”

I rubbed the side of my face. “Oh really?”