Page 10 of Finley

“Okay. Have it your way, then.” Jordan snatched a black shirt from the hanger and a pair of shorts and threw them at him. “Black and casual always looks good on you, even though it’s a rare fucking occasion we ever see it. This shows him you’re cool, calm, and?—”

“Not freaking out?”

Jordan walked over to him and took his face between his hands. “Stop freaking out. You’re sexy. You were sexy back then, and you’re fucking sexy now. Don’t make me say it more than once. My own vanity won’t stand for it.”

“Please,” Brantley said as he looked over Jordan’s olive skin, full lips, and high cheekbones. His Dutch and Mediterranean heritage kept his skin smooth and made him appear years younger than he actually was. If he wasn’t such a kindhearted human being, he’d be easy to dislike—and envy. “You get more ass now than when you arrived from good ole Wyoming.”

“That’s because I decided to embrace being feisty, rich, and irresistible. Once I did that, men couldn’t resist me. Now, go and get dressed. I’ll meet you there. I, too, got an invite from the lovely Mrs. Finley this afternoon.”

Of course he did.

Brantley took the clothes from his friend and stepped into the bathroom to finish getting ready. Maybe Jordan was right and he was worrying about nothing. Daniel knew who he was—he’d known all along the difference in their ages, and that had never stopped him in the past.

It had madehimwary as hell, but it hadn’t once seemed to faze Daniel.

BRANTLEY KEPTA discreet eye on the final student to leave for the morning as Mr. Finley strode down the stairs to the front of the classroom. They were three weeks into the semester and he was ashamed to admit that with every day that passed, his fascination with the young man grew.

At first, he’d tried to convince himself that it was purely academic. The kid was smart. He’d aced all the weekly quizzes, and Brantley was more than aware of the way he watched him lecture with keen, intelligent eyes that never strayed from him.

Oh, Brantley was fascinated, all right, but he made sure to tell himself at the end of every class that it had nothing to do with the mischievous grin Daniel would flash at his friends or the easygoing laugh that would bubble up out of him at any given moment. But he knew he was lying. Daniel was quite possibly the happiest person he’d ever met, and his joy of life lit up the room and everyone in it. Including him.

When Daniel stopped in front of him and dropped his paper on the desk, Brantley acknowledged him with a glance before returning his gaze back to the notes he was going over.

“Any big plans this weekend, professor?”

The question had been so unexpected that he didn’t think to catch himself before he replied, “Nothing too big. Just going out with some friends. You?”

Daniel smiled at him as he shoved his arms through the loops of his backpack, and Brantley couldn’t help but look at his shirt as it stretched across his broad chest.

“I’m going to hit the beach. Such great waves right now.”

“Ahh, you like to surf. That explains it.”

When the side of Daniel’s mouth crooked up, the effect was charming as hell. The kid was a knockout.

“Explains what?”

Annoyed that he’d made such a stupid slip-up, Brantley looked back at the papers in front of him, hoping Daniel would get the message and leave.No such luck.

“Explains what?” Daniel asked again.

Brantley sighed and rested his arms on the desk as he studied Daniel’s inviting face. “It explains your hair.”

“My— Oh,” Daniel said, touching the ends of it. “Do you like it?”

Stunned by the direct question, Brantley sat back in his chair and fought the smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Do I like your hair?”

“Yeah.”

“Does it matter?”Jesus, fuck. Stop it. Stop flirting with him.

But it was too late. Daniel put his hands on the desk and leaned forward. Brantley toed the ground, shoving his chair back.

“It could…”

“No. No, it couldn’t,” he said as he got to his feet, shaking his head.

Daniel straightened and tucked his thumbs into the straps of his backpack, no doubt to taunt him. His eyes were too knowing for someone his age, and when they held his longer than was acceptable, Brantley’s heart skipped a couple of beats.