Authors: Stella White
Alone.
The thought made him frown.
The
last
person he needed to be thinking about right now was Alice Cantor. She’d already distracted him enough, and if the way she continued to act towards him was any indication, she had long gotten over whatever had once been
between
them.
A
twenty-five-year-old
woman was ready to move on before an experienced professor – he didn’t know whether to be insulted or amused. Alice continued to surprise him- which was
probably
why he wouldn’t be able to forget her anytime soon.
Setting his pen down, Thomas ran a
slender-fingered
hand through his hair, removing his reading glasses.
What he
needed
to do was get some fresh air. He had long learned that, as much as he loved his books, there was little that a jaunt around campus couldn’t solve. It was important to hone the body as well as the mind – and sometimes, his
little
sessions could be his salvation. He didn’t think he’d had a decent run since he and Alice had fallen out.
Maybe it was time to get back to his
normal
routine.
With a soft chuckle, he rose
from his desk
to reach for the bag
handing
on the coat rack just next to the window. He always kept a set of jogging clothes there for when he decided to exercise on a whim, and he had no issue changing in his office. It was more convenient than making a visit to the men’s room, in any event, and cramming his
tall
form into a stall.
The
statuesque
man shucked his sweater off over his head and was in the process of unbuttoning his dress shirt when the door to his office creaked open unexpectedly.
Surprised,
she
turned to see one of his students standing in the doorway – a blonde in a second or
third-year
class, he recalled. Her name might be Stacy or Stephanie, but her face was familiar because he remembered the way she licked her lips whenever he passed close by her desk.
In an almost
Predator-like
fashion.
It amused
him,
to say the least. Before Alice, Thomas dealt with his fair share of overzealous female students trying to throw themselves at him – half of them more than a decade younger than him. Somehow, he always managed to call on his British breeding to let them down gently, though he’d sent
a number of
them from his office in tears. American women, he’d decided, were brazen, and he’d have to be careful on a college campus where hormones were running high.
Of course, at the time, his
own
hormones hadn’t been in question.
“May I help you?” He paused with his hands on the second button of his shirt, slightly irked that the young woman had barged into his office without knocking.
Without saying a word, she stepped into his office, closing the door behind herself.
It was then that Thomas noticed the manner in which she
was dressed
.
Practically
transparent
t-shirt and no brassiere – despite the fact that it could barely be above freezing outside – a skirt that barely reached her mid-thigh, high heels, and enough makeup to be the star performer in a drag show.
Dear God.
“Professor Lerner, I need to speak to you.” When she addressed him, her voice was breathy with anticipation. “I have some questions about my term paper.” She crossed the room in four quick strides to all but plaster herself to his front, enveloping him in the scent of cheap perfume. Reaching up, he took firm hold of her wrists, his mouth pulling into a tight line.
“If you need to speak to me, I suggest you take a seat there and allow me to button up my shirt, Miss-”
“You can call me whatever you like.” She cut him off silkily, blue eyes half-lidded with lust as she all but wrapped a leg around him. “Just as long as you promise me a few private sessions,
sir
.”
Well, this one was certainly aggressive.
Clearing his throat, Thomas forced himself to swallow his annoyance, one hand curling into young woman’s thigh in an attempt to get her to release her death grip on him. “I’m sure you’re aware of the policy between students and teachers here, and I have no intention of-”
Catching him off guard, she pressed her mouth firmly to his, and
a low
sound of surprise escaped him.
She tasted as if she’d been drinking, and Thomas grimaced against her lips, cursing his body’s reaction. If it weren’t for his mind’s recent turmoil, no doubt he would have been with a woman recently enough that he didn’t become aroused
from
the touch of an undoubted floozy – but as things were, he could hardly help himself.
Not that he intended to see
things through
. One kiss from his inebriated, dogged student was quiet enough.
Tearing his mouth from hers, Thomas opened his mouth to reprimand her – only to freeze in place.
His unwelcome visitor wasn’t, it seemed, the only student to come and see him.
Standing silhouetted in his doorway was none other than Alice, her eyes wide at the sight that greeted her.
It took a moment for Thomas to realize how compromising his position must look –
and at
that moment, Alice’s expression crumbled into one of the most intense pain he thought he might ever have witnessed. Without a word, she turned on her heel and fled –
Leaving him in the arms of the campus harlot.
He snapped out of his trance quickly. “Jesus Christ,
sod off
.” The words left him
on
a snarl as the professor shoved his way from the blonde’s embrace. He paused just long enough to grab his coat from the rack next to the door before racing down the hall after Alice.
Bloody
hell
, he’d done it this time.
It was just beginning to snow as he burst out into the parking lot – and it took him a split second of searching before he discovered Alice’s hunched form making her way towards the library. “
Alice
!” He hurried to catch up with
her
though he had no idea what he planned on saying. “Alice, wait. Please!” His legs were far longer than hers – and besides that, he was accustomed to running long distances. He caught up
to
her within a minute, taking one of her shoulders in a gentle but firm grip. “I don’t know what you saw, but that wasn’t-”
“
Don’t!
” She cut him off, the sweet voice he hadn’t heard
in
so long taking on a sharp edge. “You don’t have to explain anything to me, Professor, trust me. You don’t owe me anything.” He didn’t know what hurt him more, her words or their tone. “It’s none of my business who you chose to fuck.”
He inhaled sharply. He wasn’t used to such vulgarities from her – at least, not outside
intimate
circumstances. He found it both angered and aroused him.
“I’m not
fucking
her,” He hissed in reply, his cultured voice
low
and taut with tension. “Though I’m sure that was her aim.”
“Well, it’s not very gentlemanly of you to leave her waiting like that.” Though the dark-haired woman’s voice was firm, her lower lip trembled slightly, as if she were on the edge of tears –and guilt consumed him. “No need to worry about me. I’ll catch you at a better time.” She attempted to pull away from him only to have him tighten his grip incrementally.
He wasn’t about to let her go now – not after going so long without her. “What did you need, Alice?” He forced his voice to remain neutral, even if there was nothing he’d rather do then toss her over his shoulder and carry him back to his car to desecrate the ever-loving hell out of the back seat. She was gorgeous, even angry, with snowflakes caught in her raven hair, her cheeks flushed with the passion he so adored. “To discuss a thesis, perhaps? Feedback on
paper
subject?”
To his surprise, Alice jerked from his grip in an unusual show of strength, her eyes gleaming with intense emotion. “You
asshole
.” The words snapped from her mouth like the crack of a whip. “I’m pregnant.”
For a moment, silence hung, thick between them, swirling
among
the snow.
Thomas just stared at her, his mouth slightly parted in shock.
She was…
what
? “…Pardon?” The word left him in a hoarse rush as he stared down at her, completely flummoxed.
The young woman trembled visibly, wrapping the thin sweater she wore more tightly around her chilled form before she spoke again, blue eyes fixed on his. “I wanted you to know…I’m not asking you for anything. It’s just
…
I suppose that if I’m going to keep the baby, you should know. And if you’re at all interested in seeing him or her…I’m not going to keep you from it.”
“I…” He ran a hand brusquely through his hair, immediately assaulted by a plethora of emotions. “
Bloody hell
.
How long?
”
Her arms crossed protectively over her midsection. “Seven…maybe eight weeks. I thought…I thought it was just
stress,
but then I went to the Doctor and
…
” Her breath
hitched
before she released it slowly, breaking his gaze. “
Anyway
, that’s all. I…I suppose I’ll keep you updated.” With that, she turned
on her heel
to begin towards the library once more, leaving him staring
after
her for almost a full minutes.
Until something within him finally snapped.
He was on her within seconds.
**
“
That’s all
?”
It was the only warning Alice got
before
a steel-like arm locked around her waist and dragged her
backwards
. She yelped as Thomas lifted her from her feet, her heart leaping into her throat. Shock and warmth immediately flowed through her, even as she struggled, and she forced a protest through her lips.
“Thomas, put me
down
!”
In reply, the man landed a hard swat on her left
buttock,
and she cried out at the sharp pain. “
Sodding Christ
, Alice, you’ll close that sweet mouth of
yours,
or I’ll put your bare arse over my knee in the middle of this damned car park.”
Well, that got her. Alice’s mouth snapped shut as Thomas carried her back across the parking lot to his waiting car. Without a word, he unlocked the passenger side door and bundled her inside before shutting it with a sharp
thud
that made her jump.
In a trice, he was sliding into the driver’s seat, frowning fiercely. He started the car, barely letting it warm up before he shot out onto the main road.
She had no idea what to say. While it was obvious to the young woman that
she’d pissed
him off, she didn’t know how she’d done it. She wasn’t asking him for anything. She didn’t
want
his
support;
she told herself. She didn’t want a single penny. She just wanted to forget him and the awful pain he caused her.
But, somehow, his
severe
expression kept her from uttering a word. Instead, she tried not to tell herself how gorgeous he looked, even when he was obviously furious – those dexterous fingers of his curled tightly around the steering wheel, elegant jaw tight, biceps stretching his coat sleeves taut.
They drove for a good ten minutes in complete quiet – not even the radio eased the tension between them. It wasn’t until they pulled into
a fairly
posh apartment complex across town that Alice found herself squeaking a nervous question. “Where are we?”
Thomas’ answer was curt. “Get out of the car.”
She all but scrambled to obey him, caught between intense arousal and fright
at
his firm tone. The moment the chill air hit her, she shivered – but Alice didn’t have long to be cold. Within seconds, she was wrapped in Thomas wool trench
coat,
and the man’s arm was once more leading her away.
It wasn’t until they were inside of the warmth of a cozy third floor flat that the man finally rounded on her, his dark eyes blazing. “Let me tell you something, Alice Cantor: That is
not
bloody all.” The young woman inhaled sharply at the molten fire in his tone. “If you’re carrying
my
child, that means you will
not
bloody well walk around in freezing temperatures without proper clothing. You’re
not
going to starve yourself for the sake of your
studies,
and you are
not
staying in that bullocks little flat across town that barely has
decent
heating. You’re staying here, with me, where you
belong
.”