Page 109 of Dear Mr. Brody

“What job was she talking about?” he asked.

“She was here auditing the class. She wants me to take a full-time position.”

“Why don’t you sound thrilled?” Parker stared at me with the same unsettling look on his face from earlier. “Is that because of us… because of me?”

“No…” I lied and took his hand in mine. The room had emptied, leaving Parker and me alone. There wasn’t another class after this, lowering the chance that anyone would catch us. “A professor’s salary is nice, but not that nice. And who knows about benefits, and I only have a masters, I’d never get tenure. And maybe I want to look at other schools first.”

He gently squeezed my hand before letting it go. “Van, you love teaching, and this offer could be everything you’ve wanted.”No, that’s you.“Don’t leave Winchester for me.”

“I’m not.”

“You can’t lie to me, professor.” He leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Though, I do love a grand gesture, I don’t expect you to give up on something you’ve always wanted. We’ll figure it out. Stop thinking so hard. Look at the offer.”

“You’re bossy tonight.”

“I get that way when I’m starving.” He pressed a quick kiss to my lips. “Look at the offer.”

“Yeah, okay. I will.” I grabbed my bag off the desk, and decided we needed a change in subject. I didn’t want to think about jobs and choices I didn’t want to make anymore. “Is Marcos actually going to come?”

“He is. I texted him your address. He said he wanted to run home and take a quick shower. By quick, he means he’ll be at least thirty-minutes late, and you should probably also know, he loves to overstay his welcome.”

“I’ll kick him out,” I said. “I have plans.”

“Are they sexy plans?”

“Perhaps.”

Parker laughed and reached for my hand but caught himself as I opened the classroom door. A few students lingered outside. He pushed his hand into the back pocket of his jeans and smiled. But again, there was something else, an undercurrent of disappointment he’d failed to hide, and despite what he’d said, it made me want to email Vivian first thing in the morning to decline her offer before she even had a chance to send it.

Donovan

“How come you never use the dining room when Anne is here?” Parker asked as he walked into the kitchen. “You guys should have tea parties and shit in there.”

“Tea parties?” Smiling, I asked, “Does she seem like a tea-party type of girl to you?”

He shrugged, pulling open a cabinet and grabbing plates. “No, but I mean, how do you know if you’ve never had one? My sister used to dress me up in her princess dresses and make me have tea parties with her. It wasn’t terrible. The cookies were decent enough.” I laughed and he grinned at me as he set the plates on the counter. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he said, “I even wore a tiara.”

“I think I need to see pictures.”

“No pictures, unfortunately, but if you ever want me to get dressed up in something frilly…” He leaned in and whispered in my ear, his five-o’clock shadow scraping against my cheek as he spoke. “I could probably borrow something from Marcos.”

“Mmm, as fun as that sounds, I prefer you naked.” I curled my fingers into his sweater and pulled him in for another kiss.

“Careful, professor. We have company.”

Ethan’s voice carried into the kitchen from the small dining area next to the living room. If Parker and I moved a few feet to the right, we’d be able to see him from where we stood.

“Then, it’s probably not a good time to tell you I want you to fuck me tonight?”

“Van…” His pupils were wide as he leaned back. “You can’t say something like that to me and not expect me to throw everyone out, like right now.”

“It’s my house.”

“And?”

I laughed and rested my forehead against his.

“Are you sure that’s something you want?” he asked. His hand was on my neck, his thumb pressed against my pulse, and I wondered if he could feel how sure I was.

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