Page 73 of Hello Kitten

“I don’t date students,” Adrian replies sharply. “No matter how beautiful, intelligent, analytical, or how well they write. So no.”

I gape at him. “Rude.”

“You wouldn’t have tried to seduce me. Remember how you looked at me that first day?” he asks.

“Well yeah, I guess. But maybe, once I graduated,” I mumble as my cheeks flush.

He chuckles and rubs my back. “Thank you for sparing my ego.”

“I don’t spare anything. It’s true. Half of your students are in love with you,” I huff.

“Is that so?” Sarah butts in again and I wonder if I should’ve kept that for myself.

“I’ve been propositioned for better grades, but I think those are students who have watched too much porn or read the wrong books,” Adrian laughs. “Grades are final. Even ifsome peoplewant worse grades.”

“It proved you weren’t playing favorites,” I defend.

“Uh-huh,” he grunts.

Sarah looks between us, her fingers tapping impatiently on her leg. “What is my sister’s favorite color?”

I sigh.

“It changes regularly. I can tell by what pen she’s using. Lately, it’s red,” he answers and I blink at him. How did he notice that?

Sarah keeps trying to get him to slip up, basically interrogating my boyfriend. She huffs and leans back. Adrian doesn’t know everything about me, but bounces me on my lap when he doesn’t know the answer, saying we need to have a date where we just ask each other questions.

When the food gets here, I start to go to the door, but Adrian catches me, making me squeal and giggle. He sets me to the side. “Let me be the gentleman.”

“Come on. No way would this give us away,” I say with a pout.

“Go entertain your sister. We don’t want her bored and you’re better with guests,” he advises.

“A please would be nice,” I tease.

“As if I don’t say please when it matters,” he whispers.

I take another step towards the door and Adrian takes a slow breath. I see desire in his gaze, hot and demanding. “Please, Emily.”

I kiss his cheek and bounce over to Sarah. I sigh. “He’sso good to me.”

“He pays for meals, reads with you, talks with you and has sex with you,” she snorts. “That’s a friends with benefits situation.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “I’m sorry, what do you and your husband do? Each work on your computers separately only talking when one of you gets up to go get a meal or to make lovey-dovey eyes at each other like at your wedding?”

She blushes. “Emily, I just ... I’m not seeing anything you couldn’t have with someone else. This is too complicated.”

“You’ve interrogated him, you’ve been staring us down while we talk about books. You can’t say he’s controlling either when I’m goading him the way I do,” I insist.

“What’s up with that?”

“I’m sure you’ve read some naughty books in your time. Even some kinky ones. What do you think it is?” I counter.

She blinks as her brows crease together, then blushes. “Emily!”

I laugh at her red face and keep giggling until Adrian comes over. Sarah can’t even look at him now. Adrian rubs the nape of my neck, twisting his finger around my necklace. “Did I miss a joke?”

“Sarah asked why I keep goading you,” I hint.

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