Page 4 of Baby for the Professor
She hesitated for just a second. "Okay."
Chapter 3
Sabrina
This is crazy!A voice in my head shouted.You're out of your mind.Going home with a stranger?
But I couldn't refuse Jackson. This guy was drop-dead gorgeous. Okay, he was close to thirty and much more mature than Kevin. But he had the sexiest voice, not to mention the rest of him. At least six feet, muscular, dark and handsome. His blue eyes are so stormy they made my knees weak.
So, I let him wrap his arm around my waist and followed him out of the bar without even saying goodbye to Emily. I texted her, though, and told her I would be fine. But in fact, I had no idea what would happen. Frankly, I didn't even care. I pointed at my car to Jackson in the parking lot and asked him whether we should drive.
“No. We could just walk to my place. I’ll walk you back to your car later,” he said and assured me it’d be fine. Ruby’s wouldn’t close until two.
“Okay,” I said as we walked past my car. I didn’t worry so much, as if I had done it before, abandoning my car in some strange place and going home with a guy I had just met.
All I knew about him was that his name was Jackson, he had gotten his Ph.D. in econ just a few days ago, and he was here having some graduation party with grad students in the same program.
I had no idea why I trusted this guy. It wasn’t the alcohol but a gut feeling. The moment he came up to me, offering to buy me a drink, I was nervous but not afraid. He just felt reliable. His broad shoulders would protect me from any harm, and I needed just that. That irrational feeling compelled me to spill my guts to him. Well, maybe the beer helped too.
Shit. I hadn't felt so cherished for a long time. Kevin and I started to date soon after meeting at the New Student Orientation. He had treated me like his princess for a while, and then, little by little, he acted as if he owned me and became careless. I didn't like it, but I accepted it because I thought all couples would change the same way. My dad didn't always treat my mom like his queen. In fact, my mom would probably laugh at him if he did.
Jackson's apartment was an old building with a fire escape. He shared a two-bedroom unit with another guy but his roommate had already moved out, so the apartment was all his for now.
“I’m moving too, in a few weeks, and supposed to be packing,” Jackson said as he opened the door of his unit on the second floor. “But I’m procrastinating.”
I followed him into a spacious living room with a real wood floor and old sash windows. “Where’re you moving to?”
“Massachusetts,” he said casually. “I got a fellowship in Harvard.”
“Wow,” I exclaimed. This guy must’ve been smart. “Congratulations!”
He shrugged. “Thanks.”
“You don’t look that excited.”
“It’s just the weather. I grew up in the Boston area. I preferred LA’s sunny warm weather.”
That reminded me of Kevin’s decision to move to New York. “That’s why I don’t want to move to the East Coast,” I said. “But my boyfriend, I mean, ex, is going there.”
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“No,” I waved a hand. “Like you said, he isn’t worth my tears. Actually, I’ve forgotten him since you danced with me, until now.”
“Good.” He went into the kitchen to bring me a glass of water, and I glanced around at his apartment. It was very clean. He didn’t have much furniture, but everything was in its place. Nothing strewing around on the floor or on the couch, like in my dorm room.
I had only been to one guy's apartment—Kevin's, and it was messy. We didn't live together because my dad objected to the idea. My parents’ house was an hour’s drive from school, so I lived in the dorm on campus for four years.
"So how is it like to be an English major? Lots of reading?" Jackson asked me as he handed me the water.
"Yeah," I said. "But I like it. I can't handle math or too much logical thinking."
He chuckled. "I like both math and reading. It's why I enjoy being an Econ major so much."
Obviously, this guy had been an A student. But he didn’t look like a nerd at all. Instead, he could be easily mistaken for an athlete who hated school. I glanced at him with an appreciation I seldom felt for guys I met for the first time. Jackson was standing two feet from me but I felt the heat emanating from his tall body. His cheeks were slightly red from the alcohol he had consumed earlier, and his eyes were also bright as they roamed over me. My body flushed, and my thighs tingled, suddenly aware of what I was here for. I took a long drink from the glass to quench my thirst.
Why was I so reckless? I dated Kevin for a month before letting him kiss me and another month before getting to third base. But tonight, I was about to throw my caution away. I could still change my mind, but I didn’t want to. I had gone that far, and I wanted this guy. Why? Maybe because I wanted to be bad just for once in my life. And this guy was going away soon, so we would have no strings attached.
Suddenly a hand reached over and held my glass. Jackson took it away and placed it on top of the breakfast counter. He then put both hands on my shoulders. “What are you thinking?” His voice sounded strained.
