by Lara Norman
“Professor Clark?”
Everything came to a standstill as she heard the shocked voice coming from behind Hudson. Her heart stopped beating, his hands stopped moving, the earth stopped revolving. Keeping her body shielded with his, he turned very slowly.
“May I help you, Ms. Powell?” Reagan flinched at the hardness in his tone.
“I—um, never mind.”
It was only once the door slammed shut that everything went back into motion. Hudson backed all the way to the wall, an entire room’s length away from Reagan. Her eyes were wide as she took in the expression on his face. It was a mixture of feelings, and the one that seemed to win out was rage.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” she said on a whispered breath. She didn't even believe that herself.
“It won’t.” He wouldn't meet her gaze, instead looking at the floor as he grasped his forehead in one hand while the other fisted at his waist.
“I need to go.”
“Yes, you do.”
She bolted for the door, not stopping to look back at Hudson. She was fairly positive he was going to have a meltdown and she didn't want to be there to witness it. She hurried to her next class but spent the time chewing on her thumb as she worried over the ramifications of being caught. Hudson had just become comfortable with their relationship, but it was more than obvious he was going to shut her out. After an agonizingly long class where she learned what torture she’d be faced with for the next few months, she made her way to her interview. Despite the shaking in her hands and the trembling in her gut, she got the job. She was expected to show on Wednesday afternoon for her first day. The offer was bittersweet.
She finished her last classes of the day and went back to the dorm. She was supposed to meet Luna and Davis for dinner, but she needed time to herself first. She was alone, and though she liked Gabby, she was glad she wasn't there yet. Reagan sank onto her bed and cried but she didn't wallow for long. She changed her clothes and spent a few minutes in the bathroom washing her face before heading out. Davis had promised to pay if she met up with them, since she’d explained how broke she would be until she received her first paycheck. She didn't feel like celebrating, but she would make an effort for them.
She walked into the pizza place and spotted the two of them standing off to the side of the line. The first thing she did was walk up to Luna and wrap her in a hug, followed by one for Davis.
“It’s been too long,” she said.
Davis grinned at her. “It has, little freshman. Can you believe I missed you?”
She snorted. “Can you believe I missed you?”
Luna laughed at her. “I know that feeling. He’s obnoxious, but he grows on you.”
“Hey, now.”
She merely smiled indulgently at him and linked her arm with Reagan’s. “Let’s order so we can sit and talk about how horrendous this first day back has been.”
Once they were seated, Reagan let Luna talk about her day. Her alarm didn't go off, she was late to her first class, she spilled half a bottle of water on herself in the middle of the day and had to go home to change, and she broke a fingernail. Davis watched Luna as she spoke, and Reagan got the feeling of intruding on their alone time, something she had struggled with before, but never really let bother her. Reagan waited until Davis got up to get their order before she spoke up about her own day.
“Someone walked into the professor’s office while I was in there with him.”
Luna’s mouth popped into an O as she dropped her hands to the table and leaned closer to Reagan. “What were you doing at the time?”
Reagan sighed, blinking back tears. “He was kissing me after saying something particularly crude. He blocked me from whoever it was; a student, I think. He was basically in shock.”
“Oh, honey.” Luna covered Reagan’s hand with her own, knowing she didn't want to talk about it in front of Davis.
They changed topics when he came back. Reagan mentioned that she got the job at the daycare, and Davis talked about annoying the hell out of his parents while he was home.
“They complain constantly about my choice of classes, but they only demanded that I attend a four-year college, not that I get a specific degree.”
Luna chuckled. “And I’m sure your stellar grades thrill them.”
“I’m not flunking, if that’s what you mean.” He rolled his eyes indignantly. “I do the projects and pass my exams, I just don’t do the homework.”
“Well, aren't you special,” Reagan muttered. She saw the look that Davis and Luna exchanged, but neither of them said anything.
All Reagan wanted to do was go back to the dorm and call Hudson. She had a pounding headache by the time they were finished eating. Luna hugged her and promised to text her later, and even Davis gave her a hug and didn't give her any crap.
Gabby was there when she returned, reminding her that it wasn't the same as back home. She couldn't have a private conversation in the tiny dorm room. After getting something for her headache, Reagan headed out to the common area to find a spot that wasn't busy with students. She sat in an armchair in a corner and called Hudson. When his voicemail kicked in, she hung up and pulled up their text conversation instead. She told him that she was sure it would be fine since she hadn't been seen, but that she was sorry it happened at all.
She waited for his response, playing around on her phone in the meantime. When thirty minutes had passed and she didn't hear from him, she checked the message she’d sent. It appeared that he had his read receipts turned off because she couldn't tell if he’d received her message. Frustrated, she sent another text assuring him that she was there for him if he needed to vent. With tears pricking her eyes, she went back to her room and climbed in bed.
Chapter Twenty-One
Reagan wasn't surprised that she didn’t hear back from Hudson that night or the next day, but that didn't mean she wasn't affected by his silence. She didn't have his class on Tuesday, which meant she couldn't even see for herself that he was okay. As much as she wanted to, she wasn't going to continue to try to get ahold of him. If he wanted to talk, he’d call or text. She refused to feel guilty for what happened; there were two people involved, and he was the one that forgot to lock the door. She was pretty sure he wouldn't be accused of inappropriateness with a student, but she didn't know how much trouble he would be in for having a woman in his office at all. Tuesday shaped up to be a better day overall, despite not hearing from him. At the end of the day, she picked up dinner in the cafeteria and made her way back to her dorm, where Gabby was already there eating soup.
“Hi, Gabby,” she said as she came in.
Gabby looked up from where she was eating and reading a magazine at her desk. “Hi, Reagan.”
Reagan sat at her own desk and picked at her food. Instead of worrying over Hudson, she decided to ask Luna how her first day back at the middle school had been. Time flew much faster as Reagan exchanged texts with her friend.
Wednesday dawned under a cover of clouds and steady rain. Determined not to be in a bad mood, Reagan was cheerful with Gabby and left in plenty of time to get to lit comp. She was eager to see Hudson and ask him how things were going. The last thing she expected was to walk into class and find someone else standing at the whiteboard. With her stomach full of butterflies, Reagan hurried to her seat and pulled out her phone. Her message to Hudson was blunt and in all caps.
Reagan failed at her attempt to focus on the new guy and not on the screen of the silent phone on the desk in front of her. She needed him to answer her, to tell her why he was absent. If he was in trouble because of her, she had to try to find a way to make it right. If it was more like he was hiding in shame, she really had to make him see that it wasn’t necessary. She tried to form a plan, but she had her first day of work later on and didn’t have many options.
Reagan approached the new professor at the end of class, squeezing her bag nervously in her hands. “Excuse me.”
He looked up from the tab
le where he had papers spread around. “Yes?”
“Where is Professor Clark?”
He gave her a tiny smile. “I’m not at liberty to discuss that with students.”
She frowned. “Can you at least tell me how long you’re going to be filling in for him?”
“At least for the remainder of the month, maybe more.” He turned his attention back to what he was working on.
Reagan’s jaw dropped. There was really nothing else she could say.
The remainder of the day passed agonizingly slow. Every minute of her next class was torture. She was called on by the professor, and her guess made it obvious she was daydreaming. She had to walk to her car in the pouring rain and she’d forgotten her raincoat in the dorm. The line in the cafeteria was long and she had to eat and run in order to make it to her afternoon class. The only bright spot was starting her new job. She was lucky to be able to wear comfortable clothes and throw her hair into a ponytail, especially since she wasn't in the mood for anything else. She was shown around the center after filling out her employment packet. She would be an assistant to the woman in charge of the after-school kids, and the age group was perfect for her to gain experience for the future.
Reagan was finished at six-thirty and completely exhausted. She didn't realize how much work it would be, but she should have known after her conversations with Luna. She barely had the energy to walk through the cafeteria line again, but she chose to sit at one of the tables and eat instead of going back to her room. It was boring and claustrophobic in there more often than not. Despite having a decent roommate, finally, Reagan wasn't feeling any more endeared to dorm life. It was noisy in the cafeteria and Reagan found that she couldn't focus on her growing apprehension there, either. She refused to acknowledge that she was hoping to see Hudson come walking through the doors.
It was a whole other story when she went home. Having to be in the tiny, quiet room was more than she could handle. She paced what little space was afforded to her until Gabby came in, then she sat on her bed and turned her cell phone over and over in her hands.
“I know we don’t really know each other, but do you want to talk about it?”
Reagan stilled her hands and looked up at Gabby’s sweet, patient face. “It’s just guy problems.”
“Oh, I had a feeling.” Gabby sat on her bed so she was facing Reagan. “I dated a guy last year that I thought was going to be my one. We planned to come here together and we were going to continue dating. Well, the closer the time came to accepting an offer to attend college, the less and less I heard from him. He eventually ghosted me.”
Reagan’s brows went up. “You didn't even see him at school anymore?”
“Nope, he avoided all the classes we had together and stopped answering my calls.” She shrugged. “It was so hard at the time, but then I realized that he wasn't worth my time and my tears.”
“I wish I could say the same, but I’m positive that something happened to keep him from calling me. I don’t have time this week to go see him, but I’ll go this weekend to make sure he’s okay.”
Gabby shifted on her bed. “If you’re sure.”
Reagan considered Gabby’s advice. “I appreciate it.”
“No problem. Just don’t let him trample all over you.”
“That’s sound advice.” It really was, and she gave it honest consideration. She didn't want him to act cold toward her like she had done something wrong, but she wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt if he was freaking out.
Reagan did her best to work on her homework assignments before fatigue won out. Thursday was marginally better simply because it wasn't raining, but Friday was the longest day of her life. She got stuck at work until seven, and her battery was dead when she tried to leave. She had to get a jump from the only other employee that was still there, and then she called Grant for help paying for a new battery. Saturday was meant to be the day she went to Hudson’s, but she had to rely on Luna giving her a ride to buy a new battery, courtesy of Grant’s emergency credit card. Once that was taken care of she let Luna buy her lunch, promising to reciprocate after her first paycheck.
“Have you heard what happened after you were caught?” Luna asked in a quiet voice.
Reagan shook her head as she added ketchup to her plate. “Nope. He won’t respond to my texts, the last of which I sent on Wednesday when the other guy showed up.”
“That’s just frustrating.”
“He’s hiding, I know it. He’s brooding over whatever punishment they handed out. It’s his entire goal to be prestigious and get his parents off his back.”
“What a joyful life he must lead,” Luna said with a roll of her eyes.
“Exactly.” Reagan pointed a fry at Luna. “I want to bring levity and fun to his life, if only he’d let me.”
“So you really like him?”
Reagan chewed and thought about it. She’d had this conversation in her head before and shied away from the word love. “I like him a lot. I want to see him happy.”
“At this stage, that’s exactly where you should be.” Luna eyed Reagan as she sipped her drink. “You’re not all head-over-heels, are you?”
Reagan blushed. “I wouldn't go that far. I’m in lust, that’s for damn sure.” She grinned.
“I can’t blame you.”
They finished eating in comfortable silence. Reagan promised to let Luna know how it went after she showed up on Hudson’s doorstep. She was apprehensive over it, but she was resolved. She dug out a pack of mints and popped one in her mouth as she pulled up his address in her texts and then plugged it into her navigation app. It would take her ten minutes to get there, a thought that made her palms sweaty. She was going to make sure he didn't forget her while he was in his self-imposed purgatory.
Before she knew it, she was pulling into a complex that was more upscale than the one she lived in back in Virginia. She found the building numbers and parked in front of the one that was his. She spotted his car a few spots down and felt comforted by that. He really was home. Her efforts weren't wasted. She realized as she locked her door that her hands were shaking. She wiped them on her jeans and took a deep breath, heading up the walkway to his building. She looked at the apartment numbers next to the doors and stopped with a knot of anticipation in her gut in front of his door.
With another deep breath, Reagan knocked. Her heart was stuck in her throat as she stood there waiting. When he threw open the door, her reward was the shock on his face as much as it was the mere fact that he looked so gorgeous.
“Reagan.” His tone was too resigned for her taste, but she noted the surprise in it as well.
“Hudson.”
There was silence after that, and she finally crossed her arms and glared at him. “Are you going to let me come in, or make me stand here?”
“I’m debating.”
She sighed. “Let me in.”
He stepped away from the door, backing into the foyer and letting her come inside before closing the door—and locking it. He wouldn't be forgetting that again any time soon. “Why are you here?”
“And it’s good to see you, too.” She spun to face him, standing in the middle of his living room. His apartment was too white, too boring.
“I’m on suspension, Reagan.”
“I noticed you weren’t there, Hudson. You might have noticed I asked you what happened.”
His face hardened. “I was reprimanded for having a woman in my office. The only thing keeping me from being fired is that they don’t know it was you. I need to stay away from you.”
Reagan clenched her jaw, a muscle twitching in her cheek as she regarded him. She knew he believed that. He thought all of his problems stemmed from his attraction to her. “In public, sure.”
“At all. I can’t stress that enough.”
“And yet, here I am.” She took a step closer. He didn't move away but looked down at her like she was going to jump on him at any moment.
“Reagan, I—”
“I know. You’re scared.”
“I’m so close to losing my job.”
“Which is important to you.” She moved closer, leaving a foot of space between them.
“Yes.”
“I’m important to you, too, though.” She ran her hand over his arm. “Right?”
He watched her carefully. “Why is it you’re always trying to seduce me?”
She laughed lightly. “You were seducing me pretty damn well over the phone last week.”
He groaned. “That was before we were caught.”
“So you’re going to avoid me every time the going gets rough?”
“That’s not fair. This is different than some argument.”
“That’s true.” Reagan moved into his personal space until her breasts pushed against his chest. “We’re all alone.” She bit her lip and looked up at him from under her lashes. “Fuck me, Hudson.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Hudson had no real desire to deny her, though he knew it was the smarter choice. After all, he’d missed her enough to be careless about locking the door to his office on Monday. It wasn't Reagan’s fault he was an idiot, and he didn't want to punish her. He wanted to spend the rest of the weekend with her, wrapped around and inside her. He watched as her dark eyes swam with uncertainty; he made his move before she could pull away.
He wanted the first time in his house to be slow, gentle, and sweet. He doubted very much that he had the strength to give that to her, but he figured she deserved the effort it would take him. So instead of grabbing her, he held his palm to her cheek and leaned down to kiss her. The slow meeting of the lips, her hitched breath and the way her skin felt under his hand were the only things he focused on. Not the raging need that flickered to life as soon as he saw her delicious body on the other side of his door. Not the straining of her nipples under her loose-knit sweater. Not on the thunder of her heart as he placed his other palm on her chest. Hudson plied her mouth with his in a skillful way, doing his best to convey what he wanted in return; simple pleasure.