Page 5 of Hidden Intentions (Quick Bites: MM Short Stories #3)

Kevin

The first thing I saw when I woke up was Matt’s face, his features soft in the dim light. It was still dark outside. I glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand. Five a.m.

I let out a deep breath, leaning back on the pillow to get a good look at Matt. Man, it finally happened. I’m so fucking lucky .

I wasn’t one to sleep over after a hookup because what was the point? But sleeping in the same bed with Matt was a different story. It felt like a dream I never wanted to wake up from. Hell, I could see myself waking up to him every day.

Freaky little shit. I knew it. Men like him always had a dark side. I’m happy he was comfortable enough to trust me with it. Just thinking about everything we did last night already had my body heating up. It was the best sex of my life. No lie. Paired with his voice, always so prim and proper, begging me to let him come?

Yeah.

Best. Sex. Ever.

I pulled him closer, and he stirred, his soft snoring making me smile. Fuck. I even liked the way he snored.

I snuggled up against him, letting his warmth lull me back to sleep.

When I finally came to, Matt was setting a toothbrush on the nightstand. It was bright outside.

“Hey...” I greeted him, stretching. “How come you’re up already? Did you sleep well?”

His face had a slight flush, but I wasn’t sure if it was from the memory of how much he enjoyed our time together or something else. Shyness maybe?

“I did. I was just setting this down for you to brush your teeth with. You can also use any of the towels in the bathroom. I washed your clothes and hung them in the closet, so you can wear them after you’re done, or you can...” He paused briefly as he swallowed. “You can wear anything of mine you find in the closet that would fit.”

I smiled, watching as he avoided making eye contact. Maybe I was overstepping boundaries, but I didn’t care in the slightest. I reached out and pulled him down on me. He gasped before landing on my chest with a huff.

“You can’t do things like that.”

“Really? You didn’t seem to mind any of the things we did last night,” I whispered, placing kisses along his jaw.

Beneath the T-shirt and sweatpants he wore was a body I wanted to hold against me for as long as I could, but it seemed Matt wasn’t one for morning affection. He peeled my hands off and pulled himself to his feet. He huffed again, giving me a pointed look.

“Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

Whatever he wanted to say died in his throat when I threw the covers off, my naked body and morning wood on full display.

“What was that, Matt?”

He closed his eyes and dragged in a deep breath. “Brush your teeth and come downstairs,” he said before turning on his heels and hurrying out of the room. Running away from me. Again.

I shook my head, smiling. Was he aware I could go after him and remind him in more ways than one of all the things we did yesterday that he was now shying away from?

I’d hoped he would ditch the formality and jump my bones in bed, but a man like him wasn’t that spontaneous. He probably lived according to a rule book he couldn’t let go of.

I hurried to the bathroom to freshen up, eying the hickies Matt had left on my chest during round two as I brushed my teeth. Or was it during round three rather?

Yep, it really did happen. I loved seeing his marks on me. It felt like he’d branded me as his or something. And damn, I liked it. I liked it a lot.

I showered quickly, then slipped into the silk robe I’d found in his closet before heading downstairs

The aroma of pancakes, eggs, and bacon greeted my nose and I smiled. When did hooking up end with a breakfast date? Well, it couldn’t count as breakfast since it was almost noon, but whatever, I’d take it as it was . A brunch date, then. Did he treat all his hookup dates like this or was I a unique case?

I really hoped I was.

“Smells great,” I commented, walking over to the kitchen island, taking in the white granite countertops and dark wooden cabinets accented with gold handles. I slid onto one of the stools just as Matt turned to me. He eyed the robe I had on like he hadn’t told me I could wear any of his things. Without saying a word, he slid a plate toward me and topped it with a generous serving of eggs.

Well, I definitely needed all the protein after the way he emptied me out last night. The pancakes, butter, and bacon were on different platters, neatly arranged.

“Coffee or juice?” he asked.

“Juice.”

Matt poured me a glass of orange juice and placed it beside my plate before settling onto the stool next to me with his own plate, his eyes looking everywhere but at me. Before he dug into his food, he took a deep breath and leveled me with a look.

“I need you to know that this doesn’t change your schoolwork. You only get one chance to redeem yourself with the assignment.”

“Not five?”

He blinked, clearly thrown. “What?”

“I made you come more than once, Matt. Shouldn’t you take that into consideration as well?”

Matt’s eyes went wide in what looked like pure horror before he broke into a coughing fit, slapping his chest. He grabbed his glass of water, downing it between wheezes, then turned to glare at me when he finally relaxed. I bit my lip to keep from laughing out loud.

“That was never an objective,” he said hoarsely, clearing his throat. “And for the record, we were equally pleased from what I recall.”

I chuckled, turning my body to face him properly. “Oh, do tell. Tell me all about what you recall. Especially the pleased part.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “You’re ridiculous.”

“And yet you’re hanging on my every word,” I teased, tilting my head. “Go on, don’t stop now. Paint me a picture of this mutual... pleasure.”

He groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “I don’t know why I let you do this to me.”

“’Cause I’m irresistible,” I shot back, unable to suppress my smile. “And you like it.”

His eyes narrowed, but the corner of his mouth twitched upward. “You’re insufferable.”

That was it. I broke with laughter, clutching my sides as he rolled his eyes at me. He watched me for a moment, a small smile tugging at his lips, before he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Kevin, I need you to understand. The assignment must be submitted by Monday at eight a.m. No later than that because there won’t be any more chances for you to redo it.”

“Of course! Monday. Eight a.m.”

“No exceptions.”

I nodded, wishing he could believe me when I said I would do it. I didn’t want to disappoint him either.

“And you need to score at least a B on all your classwork going forward,” he added.

“Aye, Professor.”

“I’m serious.”

“Trust me. I keep my word. I started the assignment as soon as I got back to the dorm after our meeting, and I’ll start going in for tutoring.”

Matt’s shoulders relaxed slightly as he began digging into his food, letting out a soft moan as he took his first bite of pancake. “That’s good. What’s inspiring the sudden commitment to your studies?”

“Do you have to ask?” I winked.

He rolled his eyes. “I hope there’s something more than that.”

I shrugged. “There is. My dad runs an insurance firm with branches in Scotland and Northern Europe. I’m supposed to intern at the Scotland branch after graduation, then I’ll fall right into the company as planned.”

“That’s very lucky,” he remarked dryly.

I held up my hands. “Hey, nepo baby me all you want, but for me it’s normal.”

“I suppose it is,” he said with his voice taking on a pensive tone. “So, your family’s based in the UK?”

“My dad is currently there, but we’re from and based in Philadelphia.”

He nodded. “I see.”

We continued to eat in comfortable silence, like it was normal.

However, there was nothing normal about the way I watched him like a pervert. Even as I ate, I couldn’t look away. After last night, whatever I felt for him had deepened to another level. I wanted to know more about him. What was his childhood like? What made him tick? What kept him up at night? What were his plans for the future?

I wanted to know everything about him. And I wanted him to be mine.

Mine.

What did that even mean? I wasn’t the relationship type. My first and only was at sixteen, and since then it had been nothing but casual flings. Nothing serious.

But one night with this man had me reconsidering everything.

Matt was perfect for me. Every part of him just fit. We could really have something here; I knew it in my bones.

Now I just needed him to see it too.

“You’re staring, Kevin. You need to stop doing that.”

I smirked, sipping my juice. “No can do. How can I stop looking at the hottest professor on campus?”

“Hottest?” He snorted, shaking his head. “You’re only saying that because we slept together.”

“Believe me, I thought you were the hottest long before I saw what was under those clothes.” No one else on campus had caught my attention so effortlessly, and I couldn’t tell if that annoyed me or made me want him even more.

His eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he looked away, but the slight pink that colored the tips of his ears didn’t go unnoticed.

Matt ignored my comment, focusing on his food while I kept the conversation going. He eased up as our conversation progressed, even though his clipped responses made it sound like he wanted me out of his house. But—and it was a big but —I knew better. The look in his eyes said the opposite. His pupils were dilated and he had a weird obsession with my mouth, sneaking a look at my lips whenever he got the chance. Micro shows .

He didn’t want me to leave just yet... and he wanted me to jump his bones again.

I opened my mouth to say so, but he cut me off.

“Have you already made plans for your travel?” he asked, finishing the last piece of his pancake.

Ah. I see. Small talk it was, then. “Yep, that’s one of the reasons I couldn’t sign that fucking withdrawal form.”

“Language.”

“Oh, come on.” I rolled my eyes. “Aren’t we way beyond that?”

Matt simply arched his brow. What a tight-ass. Adorable and annoying at the same time.

I sighed, returning to the conversation. “I’ll be gone for three months, five at most.”

He shifted in his seat, looking down at his now empty plate. “I see. You won’t be around for long, then.”

Something in his tone made me pause. Was that... disappointment? Was he sad about that?

I leaned toward him. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back before you miss me too much.”

He straightened up, fixing me with a scowl. “Who says I’ll miss you? Or that this will go any further?”

I chuckled, shaking my head. Oh, he had no idea. This wasn’t over. I had every intention of keeping this going. The problem was how to bring it up so he wouldn’t freak out.

My mind ran through the ideas.

“I think I might like you, Matt.” Too direct. He’ll never want to see me again.

“What do you think about us being a thing?” He’ll shut that down in a heartbeat.

“Let’s date?” Instant fail.

Yeah, I didn’t have a lot of options at the moment. Instead, I chose to stick to something a little more... normal.

“So, what made you decide to become a professor?” I asked, changing the subject.

He looked relieved I didn’t push about him missing me.

“Well, at first, I considered going into business to help manage my parents’ law firm—”

“Law firm?” I cut in. “I can’t picture you in that setting.”

He smiled. “They don’t practice anymore, but my sister and brother followed in their footsteps. They’re starting their own firm in Boston.”

“That explains a lot. Family of lawyers, no wonder you’re such a stickler for the rules.”

He chuckled, his face brightening up in a way I’d never seen before. Damn, he was handsome.

I cleared my throat, forcing my gaze back to my plate before I stared too long. “What made you switch to academia?”

He shrugged, swirling the coffee in his mug. “I think teaching has always been my true passion. After a year at my parents’ firm, I realized I hated it, so I went back to school for my graduate degree and became a teaching assistant. Eventually, I decided to pursue a career in higher education.” He met my gaze. “Though I’m not sure I’m doing a good job if my student is failing.”

Right.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever had a failing student.”

“Wow.” I swallowed the pancake in my mouth. “Must be really disappointing.”

He snorted. “I really hope you start taking your studies seriously, Kevin. You have so much ahead of you.”

I nodded, then reached across the table for his hand. He flinched at the unexpected touch, but I didn’t let go. “Of course.”

Our eyes locked for more than a beat and I fought the urge to pull him closer. I wanted to kiss him. Hell, I wanted to do many things to him... drag out this moment so it never ended.

“I know this is none of my business, but I wouldn’t be able to bear it if I didn’t ask. Do you have a partner or someone you’re seeing?”

“None of that. I’m single,” Matt replied, pulling his hand from mine to grab his coffee mug. He took a slow sip. “Why would I sleep with you if I was with someone?”

I shrugged, watching him over the rim of my own glass. “People do things they don’t understand all the time. It wouldn’t be the first or the last time.”

He huffed. “You would’ve gotten involved with me either way.”

“I would have. As long as you wanted me as much as I wanted you.”

His eyes met mine and I didn’t like the look in there. Like I’d disappointed him again or something.

“That’s called cheating.”

Of course he would think that. I faced him again, not wanting him to get the wrong picture.

“Matt, it wouldn’t be cheating because the second you choose to be with me, whoever you’re with has to go. I don’t share.”

His throat worked in a swallow as his grip tightened around his coffee mug. For a moment, I thought he might argue, but he didn’t.

I picked up his empty plate and mine and headed to the sink.

“You can just leave it. I’ll wash them later.” Matt said behind me.

“Nope. You cooked. The least I can do is help you clean, sweetheart.” I gave him a wink and he smiled back, shaking his head. I could swear I heard him mutter insufferable before he picked up his phone to browse through.

He was still busy on his phone when I finished up. There was nothing left but the dawning realization that it was time for me to go. I excused myself from the kitchen and hurried upstairs. Once I got to the bedroom, I closed the door and leaned against it. There was still a lot I wanted to say to him, I just didn’t know how to bring it up without freaking him out.