Page 21 of Filthy Professor

Harrison

After we’d cleaned up, I sat on her purple bedspread, waiting for her to come back out of her closet. I’d have preferred for us to sleep naked, our flesh pressing up against each other, but she’d insisted on me seeing her pajamas. And if that wasn’t the cutest fucking thing ever, then I didn’t know what was. When she stepped out again, my eyes shot right down to her bright yellow pants . . . with Elvis heads and bananas on them. I snorted. “You really weren’t kidding about being an Elvis fan, were you?”

She grinned as she sat next to me. “Emma made them. She has a matching pair.”

I laughed. This sister of hers sounded like she was a handful. “I’m not going to lie; that’s pretty awesome. I don’t have any siblings, but my cousin JJ feels like a brother. For years he’s been telling me that I needed to get back out in the field and on digs, that Sue wasn’t good for me, but I tried to hold on for so long.” Kat put an arm around my shoulder, and I leaned into her touch. She made me feel understood in a way no one else did. Now that was something worth holding onto.

She cleared her throat. “Change is fucking hard.”

I took a deep breath, and the smell of her strawberry shampoo filled my senses, calming me. “It really is. You said you’ve never been married?”

She stiffened for just a moment. “No, but I was engaged once.”

“What happened?” I asked, tilting my head up to see her face. She pursed her lips, and I almost wished I could take the question back, because there was obviously pain there. Then again, I wanted to build something with her, and if she stayed closed off, it would never happen. It was obvious that whatever had gone wrong still shook her.

She blew out a breath. “I was only twenty-one when we got engaged. I thought it was what I wanted… that he was what I wanted, but then my dad died right before our wedding. I couldn’t walk down the aisle without him, and Wade rejected the idea of taking in my sister. Emma was only fifteen, and they would have put her into foster care. I couldn’t let that happen, so I broke it off and did what I had to do. I should have broken things off sooner than I did.”

I trailed my fingertips down her cheek, wiping away the tear that had escaped. “If he couldn’t understand what you had to do, then he wasn’t right for you. You were faced with an impossible decision to take on responsibility for your sister. I can’t imagine any of my students taking on that kind of responsibility. You were so brave. Braver than me. I was scared to let Sue go when I should have. I should have done it years instead of months ago.”

Kat leaned down, kissing me so softly that my chest grew tight. The amount of tenderness behind it almost hurt. She was trying to comfort me. How long had it been since someone tried to comfort me? Since someone understood and wanted to be with me anyway? Kissing her back was like a balm for my soul.

She pulled back. “I’m exhausted. How about we go out for breakfast tomorrow?”

I grinned. “I’d like that.”

She grabbed my hand and pulled me up the bed, and we slid under the covers.

I woke the next morning with my phone vibrating on the table and Kat snuggled into my side. Frowning, I shifted away, grabbing my phone to see a text from JJ.

JJ: Dude, did you see what this magazine wrote about you?

My heart dropped to my feet as I got up and padded into the living room. My heart raced as I clinked on the link containing Kat’s article, her name proudly displayed at the top.

The headline practically screamed at me.

Harrison Keeler - A Name We’re Sure You’ve Forgotten

As I read it, it only got worse, citing my unsubstantiated claim that I was gearing for a comeback and calling me a has-been grasping at fame. Betrayal and rage poured through me at my quotes taken out of context and ridiculed throughout. Holy shit. I grabbed my discarded jeans and shirt, pulling them over my boxers. How could she do this to me? She hadn’t even asked me for sources. I would have gladly given them to her.

Is this what she really thought of me? Had last night meant nothing to her? My mind a mess, I quickly grabbed my bag, needing to get out of her apartment and get my head on straight before confronting her about any of it. I hoped there was an explanation, but I couldn’t hear any of it right now.

Rage stiffened my muscles as I fled, jumping into my car and pausing for a moment behind the wheel. I wondered if I was reacting too harshly, but I couldn’t calm the hurt enough to care. I put my car in gear and headed back for Chicago.

Chapter 17

Kat

As I stretched, the sore muscles reminded me of all the fun of the night before with Harrison. I grinned, reaching my hand out, but only encountered an empty bed. I blinked and opened my eyes before sitting up. Maybe he was already awake. After noting the open bathroom door, I headed down the hallway. Dread settled in my stomach when I realized the rest of the apartment was empty as well. The overnight bag he’d left in the living room and his clothes were all gone. Biting my lip, I headed back to my bedroom and scooped up my phone from the nightstand, noticing I had a message. I clicked on it quickly, hoping it was Harrison with an explanation of where he was, but it wasn’t.

Emma: Damn, girl. I thought you liked this guy.

Me: What the hell are you talking about?

Emma: Your article. You crucified him. What the fuck happened?

My hands shook as I found and pulled up my article—if you could even call it that—and read it in horror. Jamie had hacked it up and changed the tone without consulting me. What the actual fuck was going on? I immediately texted Jamie.

Me: What is this piece of shit with my name on it?

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