To Professor, With Love (Forbidden Men 2)

My hands fisted at my hips. “Well, it’s not funny.”

“Hey.” Growing serious, Ten set his hand over his heart. “When—and I say when, not if—this thing between you two goes south, I’m going to be right there for you, man. I’ll hand you every woe-is-me beer you need and find you that next rebound chick to get her out of your system. But until then, it is my God-given right as your best friend to lovingly harass you about it as often as possible.”

I let out a long, weary sigh. “So, basically, there’s no shutting you up?”

He grinned, wide and ornery. “Oh, Hell no.” Then he plopped down into the seat next to me. “So what’s she like, anyway? She make you do it with the lights out? Cut away a little hole in the sheet to fit your whacker through?”

“Seriously.” I waved him away as if swatting off an annoying fly. “You’re not getting anything out of me. You might as well zip it.”

“But I’m dying of curiosity here. This is big. Like huge. And if I can’t talk about it with anyone else, I’m talking the shit out of it with you.”

I groaned. “Dear God, save me.” Picking up my pen again, I tried to get back to my homework. But my roommate just wouldn’t stop.

“So really, have you actually seen her naked? Like total birthday suit nude? She have a decent little body under all those clothes or what? I could get that, you know, her hiding her light under a bushel. I bet she turns into a fucking animal once you strip her down. Bam!” He slapped his palm on the top of the table. “She has nipple rings, doesn’t she?”

I rolled my eyes. “She doesn’t have...” Realizing I was about to confess that I had indeed seen her nipples, I quickly revised with, “...a belly button ring.”

“But her nipples?” Tenning pressed, leaning in and really getting excited as he slapped the tabletop. “Oh, fuck. They are pierced, aren’t they? I knew it! God damn, you are the luckiest son of a—”

I cut him a glare. “I didn’t say they were pierced.”

“But you didn’t say they weren’t.”

“I didn’t say she didn’t have a tattoo and you haven’t automatically assumed she has one of those, now, have you?”

“Oh, hell. She’s got a tat too? I think I’m in love. Where is it? Is it a tramp stamp? Bet it’s a butterfly.”

With a groan, I tried to concentrate on my history lesson, but Ten slapped the tabletop again. “Seriously, cut that studying shit out already. Watching you turn scholarly gives me hives. Now get your ass into your room, change into some club-thumpers, and come with me to drunk it up.” When I just glared at him, he grinned. “I’m not going to stop harassing you about her until you agree to hang with me tonight.”

***

So Ten talked me into going out with him. When I called Aspen to bemoan my change of plans, she sided with my roommate, saying I needed to socialize as I always had or people might become suspicious. I still didn’t want to go, but I did.

I was bombarded as soon as I stepped into the frat house. I guess it’d been a while since I’d been out partying. Fellow football players slapped me on the back and stopped me for a chat. Girls slid me sidelong glances. And people kept refilling my cup as soon as it was close to being empty.

It was all so very typical, and yet now it felt off. Nothing here had changed, but I felt as if I had. I yearned for a quiet, peaceful evening at Aspen’s, watching a movie on her couch or experimenting on different takeout foods in the kitchen.

We’d cooked together. We’d showered together. We’d eaten and slept together. Worked on homework together—her grading, me writing. It was all so very domestic and maybe even boring, but I’d never been bored with her. And I’d always wanted to go back for more. And right now, in this crowded, music-thumping, party-blasting house, I just wanted to head to her place.

“Hey, Noel, baby.” Warm feminine fingers crept up my arm, making me jerk away and spin toward the redhead grinning at me.

Tianna’s friend. Marci, if I remembered correctly. “Hey,” I called over the noise, tipping my head to greet her in a vague kind of way.

She reached up on tiptoes and leaned in to talk into my ear. “Ready to cash in on the rain check?”

The threesome. Shit, I’d totally forgotten about that. As I glanced around, I spotted Tianna closing in on us. She waved, and my stomach swirled with unease.

Feeling cornered but wanting to let the girl down gently, I smiled at I shook my head. “Bad night.”

Biting her lip, she wrapped her arms around my bicep. “Tomorrow then? Please.”

Great. She wasn’t going to give up, was she? I winced. “Look, I appreciate the offer but...”

Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Who is she?” she asked, no longer smiling, and actually looking as if she was ready to cut a bitch.

Alarm raced up my spine, but I kept playing it cool. Clueless. I wrinkled my eyebrows. “Who’s who?”

“The new girl you’re fucking? I haven’t seen you with anyone around campus.”