Page 50 of Brighter Shades of Light

Cody snapped his head around, and I froze.

“Seb?” Vance said, knocking again. “You in there, buddy?”

Thankfully, there wasn’t a window in the door like some of the other professors had, otherwise he would’ve had a clear shot of me kissing Cody. There was, however, a small window on one side that he could peek through if he was feeling nosy, which given the fact it was Vance, I was sure he’d do. I kept the blinds closed on it, though.

“Sebby?” A shadow appeared on the other side of the blinds as he tried to see inside my office.

“Stand over there,” I told Cody, nodding to the far right corner that put him out of sight once the door opened. “Please.”

He cracked a smile. “Yes, sir.”

I stared at his lips, wanting to taste them again. I straightened my stance and adjusted my shirt before walking over to the door. When I opened it, sure not to let it swing too wide, Vance stood on the other side.

“Did I interrupt something?” he asked, moving his head to try and look behind me.

“No.” My steady tone and indifferent expression came easily, even though I was shaking on the inside. “I was catching up on grading. Is there something I can help you with?”

“You remember Claudia? Well, she’s been asking about you lately.”

“I remember her.”

“Not a fan, huh?” Vance raised a brow.

Was it my bored tone that gave it away?

“We share very little in common.”

“Do you need to have something in common to take her home, Seb?” He laughed and clapped me on the shoulder.

I cringed a little at his touch and tensed. “Is that all you wanted? If so, I need to get back to work.”

“You know, Seb, some people say you have a stick stuck up your rear.” Vance shook his head and stepped back. “I don’t say that, but other people do. I think it’s your tone. You might want to watch it sometimes, so you don’t give people the wrong idea. Don’t want them to think you don’t like them.”

Oh, how unfortunate it would be if they did.

“I don’t mean to be rude,” I said, gripping the door a bit tighter. “I’m just very busy.”

“Okie doke.” He shoved a hand into his pants pocket. “Maybe we can go out again soon. When you’re not busy.”

I closed the door and immediately felt a pressure at my back. Cody wrapped his arms around me and pressed a kiss to my nape.

“We can’t do this here,” I whispered, enjoying the feel of him but knowing I was wrong for doing so. “If we continue this, there has to be rules.”

“Okay.” Cody kissed my shoulder. “But there’s noifabout it, Doctor. I’m kinda stubborn and won’t let you walk away from me again. What are the rules?”

I turned to face him. A weight dropped into my stomach. He was so young but clearly old enough to know what he wanted. But I still couldn’t wrap my head around why he wantedmeof all people. For my reputation?

He said I was his spark, but I failed to understand.

“No coming to my office unless necessary,” I said. “And no more public outings.”

Cody’s face fell. “So, no more coffee dates?”

His disappointment caused a twinge in my chest. “You enjoyed those.”

He nodded. “When will we see each other if we can’t go out or come here? My place isn’t exactly ideal since I live in the dorm.”

“We’ll go to mine.”