Page 26 of The Professor's Holiday Surprise

The lump in my throat is too big.

His arms circle my waist as he leans over me, holding me through the aftershocks. When I finish shaking, he lifts me up and turns me around, cradling me in his lap again.

I’m vaguely aware of him reaching for his glasses and putting them back on his face before he hands me a metal bottle. “Here. Have some water.”

That helps.

He rubs my back as I sip at it.

I never want to leave the warmth of his lap, but I know I have to soon.

And beneath me, he’s hard.

Putting the lid on the water bottle, I set it on his desk.

Noah catches my hand and kisses my knuckles. “I should probably offer you a snack or something, but I wasn’t planning on this. I’ll do better next time.”

My heart leaps at the promise of more.

“That was amazing,” I finally whisper.

He smiles, and it goes all the way to the depth of his gaze. “The desperate way you demanded I not stop was a good clue.”

I blush and wriggle my hips. “What about you?”

“That was for me.” His expression turns serious. “And the rest can wait until I’m not your professor anymore.”

The reminder of how important it is this stay a secret is like ice water in my veins. “Okay.”

He brushes his knuckles over my cheek. “Hey, listen to me. It’s a few short weeks. And then…”

I kiss his nose lightly. “And then more kisses.”

“And then everything.”

“Can—” I cut myself off.

“What?”

“Could we talk on Sunday night? Maybe…have a video call?”

He groans. “You temptress. Yes, we can talk. And not just Sunday. Can I call you tonight?”

I give him my phone number, which I think he’d probably have already as my professor, but it feels better seeing him put it into his phone like I’m a real date.

He texts me a message, and then I kiss him. He tastes like me, like sex and secrets, and I savour every last sip before he eases me off his lap, and I slide back into the chair where students sit.

He returns his chair to the other side of the desk, and on the way, he unlocks the door and opens it a crack.

“The coast is clear,” he says under his breath. “If you want to go now?”

I gesture at his desk. “Are you going to do some work?”

He crosses back to me and leans in, bracing his arms on either side of me. “I’m going to think of crop prices and will this erection away.”

“Would it be a distraction if I stayed here for a bit and worked on homework? With the door open?”

He kisses my forehead. “The best kind of distraction. You can stay until someone shows up with a question during office hours.”

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