Page 37 of Echoes of Us
"Holy shit," Sarah breathed from the doorway."You're serious, and you're going to war!"
Ashley smiled something wicked and anticipatory curling in her chest.If Cole wanted to play professor, she'd make sure he remembered exactly who he was dealing with.
Her heels clicked against ancient stone as she climbed Sterling's steps, each sharp sound matching her heartbeat.Warm May sunshine spilled through the Gothic windows, casting long fingers of light across worn marble.The usual study crowd had thinned - most already done with finals or holed up in Bass Library's fluorescent-lit depths.
Three minutes to noon.She took the stairs instead of the elevator, letting the anticipation build with each step.The dress moved with her, the soft fabric brushing against her thighs.Second floor.Third.She turned down the corridor, her footsteps muffled by thick carpet.
Room 304 waited at the end of the hall, afternoon light slanting through its leaded glass window.But it was the figure beside the door that made her steps falter.
Cole leaned against the wall, one ankle crossed over the other, reading from a battered physics text.The sight of him stole her breath - dark jeans that fit him perfectly, a black henley with the sleeves pushed to his elbows, revealing corded forearms.His signet ring caught the light as he turned a page, the motion drawing attention to those elegant hands she knew so well.
He looked up at her approach, and for a moment - just a heartbeat - something hungry flashed in his eyes.Then it was gone, replaced by cool professionalism that had to be practiced.
"You're late," he said, though they both knew she wasn't.
"You're early."She moved closer into his space, catching a hint of his cologne - something fresh and masculine that made her want to bury her face in his neck.
His eyes flickered over her once, assessing rather than appreciating."Shall we?"He pushed open the door, revealing a small study room that felt more like a confessional booth - all dark wood paneling and filtered light.
One table.Two chairs.Not even three feet of space between them.
Ashley's mouth went dry as she followed him in.The door clicked shut behind them with a finality that made her shiver.
"Before we begin, I’d like to see what I’m working with," Cole said, spreading his notes across the table."Show me how you'd approach this problem."
She leaned forward, deliberately letting her hair fall forward over her shoulder.This close, she could feel the heat radiating from his body, and she could see the steady pulse at his throat.His eyes remained fixed on the textbook as if she were nothing of particular interest.
Fine.She had four hours to make him break.And Ashley Carter Westwood had always been good at playing the long game.
The next hour was torture of the sweetest kind.Cole kept a careful distance as he explained concepts, but in the small space, every movement brought them closer.His arm would brush hers as he leaned over to correct an equation.His breath would warm her neck when he looked over her shoulder at her work.Each accidental touch felt deliberate, charged, though his face remained impassive.
"You're thinking about it too hard," he said, his voice low and close to her ear."Physics isn't about memorizing formulas.It's about understanding patterns."
She fought back a shiver."Easy for you to say."
"Here."He reached around her to draw a diagram, his chest almost pressing against her back."Think of it like a dance.Each particle follows specific steps and specific rhythms.Once you understand the basic pattern..."His hand moved across the paper, creating elegant curves that somehow made perfect sense."Everything else falls into place."
She turned her head slightly, putting them almost nose to nose."And if I miss a step?"
For a fraction of a second, his eyes dropped to her mouth.Then he straightened, putting careful distance between them."Then we practice until you get it right."
The next problem involved calculating force.Ashley bent to retrieve a fallen pencil, making sure the movement showed off every curve the dress emphasized.But when she straightened, his eyes were fixed firmly on the textbook as though the perfect arc of her ass was less interesting than Newton's laws.
Something inside her bristled.Her Cole - future Cole - couldn't keep his hands off her in moments like this.The way this version maintained such rigid control made her want to break it.
She noticed other things, too - things that surprised her.The way his explanations stripped complex theories down to their bones, rebuilding them in ways that actually made sense.How he'd approach a concept from different angles until something clicked.The slight furrow in his brow when he concentrated, the same one she'd seen a thousand times across their kitchen table.
"You're good at this," she said, surprise coloring her voice.
His eyes flicked to hers, sharp and assessing."Did you think I wasn't?"
"No, I just..."She hesitated."You don't seem like someone who enjoys teaching."She heard the irony in her own voice.Her husbandwasa professor and a good one at that.
"I heard you asked Dale about summer research."His voice turned cool."You need to stay focused and do better than this if you don't want to be a burden."
The sudden shift in his tone made her chest tight.She dropped her head into her hands with a groan."God, I hate physics."
"Then why are you here?"
