Page 6

Liam

Bright sunshine filters through the gaps in the curtains, telling me it’s past nine AM. Since I don’t have any morning classes today, I’m treating myself by waking up late.

Stray curls fall over my face as I push myself to sit up. Flicking them away, I pick up my phone from the bedside table.

An email notification immediately grabs my attention. Clicking on it, I open the email which has been sent by the Physics department.

Sub: Tutoring Assignment Notification

Dear Mr. Meyers,

You have been assigned to tutor Hayden Bastian in STATS 404 for this term. Please help him keep up his academic grades so that they meet the requirements of the student-athlete program.

Your first meeting has been scheduled for ten A.M. today at the student center near the ice hockey rink.

All the best.

Hannah Davis,

Assistant Director of the Department of Physics.

What. The. Hell.

Running my fingers through my unruly curls, I glance toward the clock on my bedside table and gasp out. I barely have twenty minutes to get to this meeting.

“Pirate!” I growl, throwing my phone on the bed like it bit me.

Closing my eyes, I try to calm my breathing. I can curse Hayden when I see him at the student center but for now, I have to hurry.

Throwing my covers away, I climb out of bed and head toward my closet.

Since I’m living in an apartment outside the university’s campus, it takes me at least fifteen minutes to walk to my department. With no time for a shower, I change into a fresh T-shirt and jeans and grab my backpack.

A yawn escapes me as I climb down the shadowy staircase of the apartment building. Thanks to Hayden, I couldn’t even manage a sip of coffee this morning.

A distant echo of people arguing reaches my ears as I walk past a graffitied wall leading toward the exit doors. The decades-old, crumbling building isn’t the poshest place to live but the rent is cheap and it’s close to the university campus. For a scholarship student like me, it was the best available option when I moved to Knightswood.

It's a beautiful fall day but my mood doesn’t reflect the bright blue sky or the gentleness of the cool breeze blowing past me. I sprint down the campus lane, my desperation rising as I’m already running late.

Out of breath, I reach the hockey rink and look around for the student center building. A couple of guys walk past me in Knights hoodies, laughing and shoving each other. I’m about to ask them for directions when I spot Hayden.

An infuriating smirk lifts the corner of his lips as he strolls toward me. He doesn’t stop until his toes are nearly touching mine. I try to take a step back but he wraps an arm around my waist, preventing me from putting a gap between us.

Heat rises to my cheeks as I feel his hard muscles press against me.

“What are you doing?” I hiss, squirming. “Aren’t you afraid someone will see us?”

Keeping me pressed against him, he scans the place. “No one’s around,” he says, grinning at me.

I push hard against his chest but can barely make him move. Towering over me, Hayden is like a solid wall of muscle.

Letting out an impatient huff, I glare at him. “We need to talk.”

“Should we go to the library or something?” he suggests.

“This place is just fine for what I’m about to tell you,” I say, swatting at a curl that falls into my eyes. “Did you seriously go to the Physics department to get me assigned as your tutor?”

A chuckle escapes him. “Well...not exactly.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, narrowing my gaze.

“I got my coach to do my dirty work for me,” he says with a shit-eating grin. “I told him I needed help with advanced math and you’d be the best tutor to help me.”

“How do you know I’m any good? I might be the worst tutor in this university!”

“You’re good enough for me, Liam.” The sudden sincerity in his voice sends a jolt through me. As I look up at him, I notice how his grin has faded. His chiseled jaw is tight and his hands are balled into fists.

Is Pirate afraid I’m going to reject him and walk away?

I shouldn’t care about him. He’s just another jock with an overblown ego.

But is he really like that? My heart questions, confusing my logic.

He’d looked so damn vulnerable when I met him back in Long Island. Maybe he isn’t as bad as he pretends to be. Maybe it’s his way of keeping himself protected.

“I need you, Liam,” Hayden’s voice breaks me out of my thoughts.

“All right, fine,” I say before I have another chance to consider the impact this decision will have on both our lives.

A hopeful grin brightens his face. “Fine?”

“Yeah, I’ll tutor you,” I say, taking a step toward him and looking him boldly in the eye. “But we’re going to do this my way. No skipping sessions and no last-minute cancellations. You will take this thing seriously and work hard to achieve your goals. Is that clear?”

“Crystal,” he replies, grinning.

A sigh escapes me.

“What’s with that look?” he asks, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

“I’m regretting this already,” I say, glancing up at his too-handsome face.

“Nah. I bet you’re the kind of guy who loves a good challenge.”

I can’t help but smile at that. Even though he barely knows me, he’s not wrong.

I don’t mind challenges in life. No matter how hard I have to work toward my dreams and goals, I never back down.

“So, we’re heading to the library?” Hayden asks.

“Yeah but first, I need to get some coffee,” I mumble, gesturing toward the small café outlet near the hockey rink. “I was supposed to have a couple of free hours this morning but this tutoring session came up. I had to run all the way here just to make it on time.”

“How do you like your coffee?”

“I usually have it black,” I answer. “But today, I need the sugar rush. A caramel macchiato with an extra shot will be perfect.”

“I’m on it,” Hayden says, slipping his arm away.

Before I know it, he strides forward and reaches the café’s stall. By the time I reach him, he’s already ordered for both of us.

For a moment, I wonder whether our interaction last night had been a dream. He’d been rough with me, choking me until my vision blackened, threatening to destroy me if I revealed his secrets to anyone.

An easy smile tugs at the corners of his lips now. His dark strands, wet from a recent shower, fall over his gray eyes, giving him an edgy look. He leans against the counter, absolutely at ease with me.

“Here’s your order,” a young woman says, pushing a tray over the counter with two lidded foam cups. A stack of fat cookies rests beside them, surprising me.

“I got the cookies for you,” Hayden says, picking up his coffee cup. “You must have missed breakfast this morning because of me, so it’s my treat.”

Surprise flickers through me. I never expected him to be so caring. “Thanks,” I say, feeling a rush of warmth.

A cool breeze blows past me, chasing my bad mood. I sip my hot, sugary coffee and walk beside Hayden as we head toward the library.

Even though Hayden’s wearing a regular jacket, people keep glancing at him. He stares ahead though, completely oblivious to the attention he commands. I get a few curious looks but it’s nothing compared to the desire-filled gazes of the young women we pass by.

It’s almost a relief to enter the quiet, vacant space of the library.

“Let’s look for a cube,” I say, walking toward the area with several small, closed cubicles. They’re mostly to allow small study groups to gather and discuss stuff without disturbing others.

“You’re new in town but you seem to know your way around the library,” Hayden says, keeping pace with me.

“I come here almost every day,” I tell him, pushing open the door to an empty cubicle. “My apartment building is noisy at all hours of the day, so I do most of my studying here.”

Entering the room, I suddenly realize how small these cubicles really are. Hayden strolls in behind me, dropping his gym bag onto the table like he’s claiming the space.

“Where are you staying?” he asks, fixing those steel-gray eyes on me.

Trapped in this small space with him, I feel my pulse flutter. “It’s an old apartment building on Havanna Street,” I reply, struggling not to stare at his broad shoulders or his thick, muscular neck.

Damn it! Focus, Meyers , I silently chide myself. You’re his fucking tutor.

“So, let’s start with some introductions, shall we?” I say, bulldozing through the waves of heat lashing at me from the man sitting way too close to me.

Hayden takes a swig of his coffee and nods.

“What’s your major and what kind of help do you want from me?”

“I’m an economics major,” Hayden says, leaning casually in his chair. “There’s always a lot of math involved in my subjects, so I need someone who’s got a good knowledge base of differential equations and matrix algebra.”

I nod, knowing I can help him with all the math stuff. “I’ll be able to help you with those,” I say, unzipping my backpack and bringing out a notebook. “How about we start by listing all your subjects that heavily lean on advanced calculus? After that, we can—”

“Wait, don’t I get to ask you some questions too?”

I glance at him as he leans in close to me.

“Uhh, sure,” I say, catching a whiff of his cologne. “What would you like to know?”

“Do you hate me?” His eyes burn with an intensity that has my heart pounding against my chest.

“I don’t hate you, Hayden,” I say in a quiet tone. “Just...don’t jump on me like you did the other night.”

“Why did you look like you were enjoying yourself?” Hayden says, smirking.

“Did the opposing team hit you in the head or something?” I drawl, leaning away from him.

A husky chuckle escapes him at my reaction. Undeterred, he shifts his chair closer so that our thighs keep touching.

I almost stop breathing in a bid to stop inhaling his cologne and his overpowering musk. It’s my last resort to hold onto the last shred of my professionalism and not react to him.

Something dark and unreadable flickers in his eyes as he reaches out and wraps a curl of my hair around his finger. “Are you wondering why I picked you?”

The air in the room crackles with the sudden tension between us.

“You want to punish me for discovering your secret?” I say, refusing to cower before him.

“Is that what you think this is?”

“Isn’t it?”

“I wanted someone I didn’t have to pretend with,” Hayden says. “I didn’t want someone fawning over me all the time without knowing how truly fucked up I am.”

I feel trapped under the intensity of his stare. This was the last thing I expected to come out of his lips.

Closing my eyes, I struggle to calm my racing heart. Hayden is younger. And he’s my student. He can afford to act this way but I can’t. I have to stay professional and ignore the butterflies thrashing their wings against my clenching stomach.

“Now that we’ve cleared things up, how about we start by taking a look at your most recent assignment?” I say, forcing myself to stay focused on the task at hand. “You can try solving the problems first and if you get stuck, I’ll help you figure out the solution.”

“You’re the boss,” Hayden says, leaning away to dig inside his gym bag.

He brings out a pair of notebooks, a laptop, and a thick textbook.

Now that he’s decided to focus on his homework, I’m finally able to breathe again.

As his laptop boots up, I pick up his textbook and flick through it to check out the subject matter. For a fleeting second, I glance at my student.

Hayden’s lips twitch as he stares at his laptop’s screen. He looks smug, like he knows he’s in control of the situation between us.

And just like that, I know I’ve been given the most challenging tutoring assignment of my career.