Page 29 of Praise You

My mind is a giant clusterfuck right now, and I don't know up from down. I'm second-guessing everything. I would never have imagined I'd have feelings for my student.

And that's exactly what's happened. I have feelings for Ronan that are outside of the whole sexual thing. I was feeling something for him before I knew he was masked_menace.

Fuck.

I throw my pen onto my desk, watching it bounce and roll onto the floor. Glancing at the clock on the wall, I see there's only ten minutes until class starts. I can't stay locked in here forever, so I gather all the papers, grab my laptop and water bottle, then start my way toward the lecture hall.

Walking into the room, I keep my head down, not making eye contact with anyone. But it doesn't matter. I can sense him in the room. I can't describe it, but my body knows when his is nearby. It’s like there's an electric current traveling through my body that I only ever feel when he's close by.

I stroll up to the lectern, setting my stuff down, and then I face the class. I look out toward the crowd and I'm still in awe that this is my life. I get to do what I love, which is to teach others. Scanning the room, my heart skips a beat when it lands on Ronan.

What if I could do what I love and have someone by my side?

Seriously, Oliver? It's way too early to even be thinking anything like that.

Shaking my head to rid it of my thoughts, I snatch up the papers and walk towards the students, handing them out. There're groans and whoops, everyone either grimacing or smiling when they see the score they got. Shifting my head toward Ronan and his friend Noah, I try not to make it obvious, but I'm excited to see his reaction. His friend bounces in his seat and then hands Ronan his. When Ronan sees his 'A' on the paper, his eyes flick up to mine, the question brimming in them.

Fuck, he probably thinks he only got an A because of what happened between us. But honestly, it was all him. Though, by the look in his eye, he doesn't think that, so I need to make sure I tell him he earned it.

Time passes quickly, my gaze only landing on Ronan every so often. I signal that class is over, so students start making their way out of the room. I stand behind the lectern, packing up my things, waiting to see what Ronan does.

He's sitting in his seat, his stare tracking each student in the room. Once everyone has left, he smiles before striding up toward me. He gets up close, but still far enough away that if anyone was to walk in, they wouldn't think anything out of the ordinary was happening. But there's nothing ordinary going on. My heart is beating fast and I can't stop the grin that's just for him.

"You earned that, you know."

"Huh?" he tilts his head in confusion and I chuckle, gesturing to the paper in his hand.

"Your paper. You earned that A. I saw the way you were looking at it, like you didn't believe it."

"Oh." Shaking his head, he grins at me. "I mean, I know I've been working hard, but it was still a nice surprise to see. It means I've actually been paying attention to what you're saying and not just ogling you."

"You've been ogling me?" I ask in disbelief that he would see me that way.

"Seriously, Oliver. I thought I had made it too obvious. The way I couldn't take my eyes off you, hanging on to every word you said." He steps closer to me, then glances around the room. I follow his movement, making sure no one else is nearby. "I need to do this again."

Before I can ask what he means, his lips are on mine. They're plump and soft and so fucking delicious. Groaning, I wrap my arms around his toned waist, dragging him closer to me. His erection bumps into mine, and I groan louder, grinding myself against him. His hands wrap around my neck, neither of us stopping the kiss. I’m so fucking desperate for this man. This was what I wanted the other night: Ronan in my arms.

He pulls away slowly, putting some distance between our bodies. "Fuck, you kiss so damn good."

Dipping my head, I smile, my cheeks getting warm at his compliment. His finger touches my chin before he tilts my head up to look at him.

"You're so damn gorgeous. And these freckles are my weakness." His thumb brushes against my cheekbone, and I lean into the touch, closing my eyes. His thumb traces my bottom lip before his soft lips touch mine again in a brief kiss.

"What are we doing?" I whisper, opening my eyes to look into his brown ones. Gorgeous brown eyes with an amber glint that suck me in and hold me hostage.

"I don't know. We're seeing where this goes," he shrugs and his hand falls away to his side.

"I think as long as you're my student, we should stay away from each other." I suggest walking backward, putting more distance between us. I’m trying to be smart about this even though it sucks to say the words aloud.

"What? Why?" He starts to walk closer and I raise my hand, effectively stopping him in his tracks. He huffs and crosses his arms, annoyance crossing his face.

"It's not forever. Just for now. We can't risk anything happening while you're still my student."

"Okay. I wouldn't ever want to do anything that could hurt you." His body sags and I want to reach out and pull him back to me, but I don’t.

"Or you," I counter.

"So, I guess our study sessions are over."

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