Teacher's Pet

I worried that she really did. Did Penn's mother know we were putting on a good show to make her happy?

Before I could pull Penn aside and share my worry, he whirled me into a wild dance around the bonfire. The rest of the evening melted into the long streaks of a slow sunset. The solstice was full of warmth, and when Penn finally led me to a quiet place on the hill, I felt a sudden chill.

He wrapped an arm around me, but I shrugged it off. "I feel like walking," I said.

Penn's lips curved. "Good because there's somewhere I'd like to show you."

He pointed high up the hill, but I was glad for the quiet hike. I carried the pack that Penn had tossed me and concentrated on making the weight seem inconsequential. Still, I was relieved when Penn stopped at an old oak and pointed out the quiet grove.

I dropped my pack and looked up. "The stars are so much brighter," I sighed.

"We're above the fog line." Penn cleared a place and laid out two sleeping bags. "Think you can handle sleeping under the stars?"

I shivered at how close it was to the wedding night Alice envisioned. "We won't be able to see them if we make a fire."

"Then we'll just have to keep each other warm," Penn suggested. He relented when I rolled my eyes. "I also brought a tent if that would make you more comfortable. Want me to start a fire?"

I surprised us both by laying down on one of the sleeping bags. "We won't be able to see the stars if you start a fire."

"So you like it?" His voice hitched. "This has always been my favorite campsite. I can't tell you how many nights I’ve spent here with just a sleeping bag."

I stretched out and smiled. "I'd rather see the stars than the inside of a tent."

Penn frowned. "Corsica, it's just us. You don't have to pretend."

I raked two hands through my hair. "God, you really do think I'm shallow, don't you? It can't possibly be true that I like to camp and that I too want to sleep outside under the night sky."

He squatted down beside me. "I just think I was unfair to mix you up in all this, and I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

"Then lay down. You're making me nervous."

Penn stretched out next to me, and I instantly felt the heat of his body. "I'm sorry about your mother," he said.

"Why me?" I asked, sitting up. "Why did you invite me home with you? Why did you ask me to come along?"

Now it was his turn to study the constellations above us. "I don't know. I appreciated your empathy, and now I know why."

"That's not why you invited me home with you."

Penn smiled. "I did that because you're sexy in a stuck-up sort of way." He caught my hand before I could swat him.

"You're a challenge. I can't figure you out. But I still feel like I know you. Not that perfect and poised image you work so hard on, but the real you."

"Penn?" I asked, leaning over him. "Are you pretending?"

"No." He twirled a strand of my hair around his finger and tugged. "Are you?"

"I'm not pretending." I gave in to the gravitational pull of him.

Penn lifted up to meet my lips, his hand tangling deeper into my hair. His other hand swept up the side of my hip and curved along the small of my back. I pressed my body down against his hard contours and felt that hand slip further down. He gripped the back of my thigh and drew me over him.

I heard his breathing hitch over my own ragged moan when our bodies brushed at the most sensitive spot. "No more pretending," I whispered against his lips.

Penn sat up, encircling me in his arms, his kiss now devouring me as his hands tugged at my sundress. I rode the rising waves of pleasure, straddling his lap as my dress slipped up and over my head. His shirt followed, and it still wasn't enough.

"I can't pretend," Penn moaned. "I want you too much."

I pried my hands off the hard flex of his shoulders and unclipped my bra. The heat of our bare skin brushing together was almost more than I could bear. I rubbed and pressed against him, wanting more.