Page 15

Tucker

My date with Sam is not going according to plan.

First, she discovers my lie, and then a guy on the football team spills soda on me.

I’m having no luck lately, not even with women.

Since Sam came back into my life, the universe has been trying to tell me something. And I can’t seem to catch a break.

She hates me.

Then she likes me.

Why do I even care?

Because you like her, jackass.

She’s intelligent, beautiful, and probably one of the most infuriating women I’ve ever met. But I can’t ignore how much I like her.

After I wash the soda off my hands, I meet Sam in the hallway. Standing with her back against the wall, her right foot kicked up against the brick, Sam toys with the seam of her Harry Potter shirt. She looks deep in thought, her eyes pointed down at her feet. But she seems peaceful.

Approaching her, a smile stretches across my face. “You ready to head back?”

She glances up at me, the edge of her shirt twisted between her fingers. She holds my gaze as if searching for something in my eyes. We stand there, frozen in time, staring at each other.

What is it about this girl that pulls me to her?

And why didn’t I see it years ago?

She stares at my extended hand, unsure if she wants to cross the line. We both want to step over the invisible barrier that should separate us. But the line is thinning by the second. She’s technically my teacher, and I am her student who’s about to fail another class if she doesn’t help me.

Apprehensive, she places her hand in mine, and my fingers curl around hers, stroking her soft skin. She peeks up at me and bites her bottom lip. It’s playful, most likely not done on purpose, but it lights a fire inside me. A simple gesture that sends my body into overdrive.

Without thinking, I push her back against the wall. Acknowledgment sparks in her eyes when I pull her to me. Our mouths are inches apart, the tension between us burning like a match.

“What are you doing, Tucker?”

I brush my lips against hers. “I want to kiss you.”

“I don’t recall inviting you to kiss me,” she challenges, her tone soft and playful. Her lips move against mine from the smile on them.

Moving my hand from her shoulder to her jaw, I cup the side of her face and look into her eyes. “I’m not asking for permission.”

Before she can protest, I push my tongue into her mouth, and she matches my pace, our tongues tangling in harmony.

My skin pricks with heat, the dangerous flames crawling up my arms. I’m consumed by her, each of her kisses like a drug.

I need more, taking what I need. And she’s more than happy to give it to me.

She threads her arms around my neck and hooks her leg around me, digging her heel into my ass. She moans into my mouth. I growl into hers like a ravenous beast who wants to devour her. It doesn’t matter that we’re in the middle of the SAC, where I can hear voices moving toward us.

But Sam steals her lips from mine, unable to catch her breath.

Taking a peek over my shoulder, she sighs in frustration when she sees students approaching us.

She stands up straight to fix her hair and clothes.

My dick is rock hard, but I had enough sense to wear jeans instead of track pants tonight.

“That can’t happen again,” she says, her tone now serious. “Someone could catch us and tell Professor Frazier. I can’t afford the risk. If I lose the TA position, I won’t graduate on time. Because I won’t be able to pay the tuition.”

“No one will catch us,” I assure her.

“I don’t share your confidence,” she counters. “You’ve been the focus of several editions of Dethroned . Someone has it out for you.”

I stare at her in shock. “You read that garbage?”

She nods. “Doesn’t everyone on campus? I don’t want to be another headline. I have a reputation at this school and can’t afford to lose it.”

“We can still be friends,” I offer.

She turns her head away from me, unable to meet my gaze. “Friends don’t kiss. Friends don’t want to rip each other’s clothes off.”

“Friends with benefits do,” I add.

“You need a tutor more than another girl to hook up with,” she says, looking at me again.

“And you want to be my tutor?”

She smiles. “For a price.”

I frown.

Everyone wants something from me. Money, status, or an invitation to a party. Why would she be any different?

“You won’t pass the class without my help,” she says, and I know she’s right.

Judging by my grade on the quiz, I don’t understand the material. She knows it, too.

I cross my arms over my chest, and her eyes roam over my body. “What’s the price?”

“Same as before. Fifty bucks an hour.”

“Is that all?”

She tips her nose to the ceiling, thinking over my question. “No, that about covers it.”

“I’ve never felt more used in my life,” I admit.

She chuckles. “Put yourself in my shoes three years ago, and then we can talk about feeling used.”

Even though I told her I wanted nothing more than sex that night, she still hasn’t moved on from the past.

“Give me one month,” I tell her.

She cocks an eyebrow at me. “For what?”

“To prove you wrong.”

Sam smirks, her silence louder than words.

Our time together this semester is my chance to prove I’m worth her time. That I’m not the guy she remembers. Now, I have to make her see that people can change.