HIS PRIZE PUPIL

by Kane, Jessa

  Finally, I slump onto the seat, my hair stuck to my damp neck, limbs sprawled in four directions, my heavy breaths loud in the car’s interior. Gavin gives my sated sex a final, lingering kiss, then replaces my skirt, smoothing the material over my lap.

  I glance up to find we’re alone now and when I seek out Gavin again, he’s climbing out of the car. “Wait,” I murmur, pushing up onto an elbow—and collapsing onto my back again without delay. “What about y-you?”

  Sleep is making my eyelids heavy and I think I lose consciousness for a few seconds, because the next thing I hear is Gavin’s car starting. Then, “I won’t make love to you again until you’ve given me the trust back, Alana. That’s a promise.”

  Trust…promise…

  Exhaustion overwhelms me and I pass out, no idea where we’re going, but secure in the fact that Gavin will make everything okay.

  That turns out to be the understatement of the year. Maybe the century.

  7

  Gavin

  I walk slowly up the stairs leading to my townhouse, wanting to soak in every second of carrying Alana’s sleeping form in my arms. This is part of the fantasy I never anticipated, because I hadn’t met her yet. My hunger was always only supposed to be about fucking, having that forbidden itch scratched that has been plaguing me since I can remember. But this, the caring of Alana, transcends any satisfaction I could have imagined.

  Her lips are slightly parted against my shoulder, her legs dangling over my forearm. The tits that bounce maddeningly every time I take a step are close to spilling out of her neckline, her bare bottom exposed to the night, the dress fluttering in the breeze beneath her.

  She’s my fucking miracle.

  I’ve always been so even-keeled. So unflappable. A planner.

  I wasn’t living at all until she breathed life into me with her smile, her humor, the semi-twisted sensuality we share that she’s managed to make beautiful. If she gets enjoyment, pleasure, happiness from it, how can I ever be ashamed again?

  I stop on the top step and shift her weight while I unlock the door, shouldering it open and carefully bringing her over the threshold. My home takes on new meaning with her inside. There are no lights on, but it already pulses with her life, her spirit.

  Wincing at the floorboards that creak beneath my feet, I carry her up the stairs, take a right and stride to the master bedroom. I’m so anxious to lay her out in my bed and remove her shoes, to tuck her in, my pulse is hammering in my ears. I’ve found my girl, bandaged her injury, seen to her orgasm, now I’ll provide her with rest. Caring for her needs has my dick so stiff, I have to concentrate on not spilling in my briefs.

  As soon as she’s safe under the covers, though, I’m going to jerk myself raw in the bathroom thinking about all the ways I got to take care of her tonight. Thinking of how I’ll feed her in the morning, shower her, brush her hair. Thinking of how she called me Daddy in front of that fucking pipsqueak, then creamed all over my mouth like a good girl.

  Teeth gritted, I lay her down in the center of my bed and pull back one side of the covers. Picking her up once again, I lay her in the sheets, carefully remove her sandals and drape her in my comforter. In my scent. She sighs sweetly and turns on her side, snuggling into my pillow, and I lunge for the en suite bathroom, closing myself inside without a sound. I brace my forearm on the wall and bite my wrist, fumbling my zipper down with the other. Gripping my engorged cock in a bruising grip, I fuck my hand roughly, biting my wrist until I break the skin. My hips thrust furiously into my fist, pre-come aiding my way, and I picture Alana in my bed, instinctively knowing she’s safe, her small fist curled on my pillow.

  Ropes of come land on the tile wall, sliding down as I try not to bellow from pleasure. My abdomen is in a permanent flex, contracting, drawing from the well deep inside me that only Alana will ever be able to tap. I’m a broken man, but I’m whole at the same time, drilling my fist with one final pump, before slumping against the wall.

  When my breathing is back to normal, I leave the bathroom and move toward the bed, standing above her and listening for her even breathing. With every fiber in my being, I want to get into bed beside her, but I won’t allow myself the honor until I’ve gotten her trust back. The trust I crushed in my office beneath the heel of my wingtip. I’m lucky she’s here at all. Lucky she deigned to give me a moment of her time after I abused her faith in me.

  Never again, princess.

  Instead of taking my place beside her in bed, I go back downstairs and out to the car to retrieve her camera and bag, bringing both with me inside. When I hang her bag on the coatrack, there is a beeping noise coming from the inside pocket. After a brief hesitation, I pluck out her cell phone, finding nineteen text messages from her friend Ripley, demanding to know where Alana is and if she’s all right.

  Ripley is worthy of the slumbering angel upstairs—now I just have to prove I am, too.

  One thing at a time, though.

  I text Ripley back with my name and address, letting her know what happened at the party and that I’ll have Alana call her first thing in the morning. Ripley has about fifty follow-up questions, but I sigh and replace the phone, hoping I’ve done enough to assuage her fears.

  Next I bring her camera to my workroom in the back of the townhouse. It’s attached to my darkroom and I have several projects that need work, but my main concern right now is Alana’s camera. It’s an old Nikon. I had one like it once and I should have no problem repairing the lens if I can find the correct parts…

  I must have been working on the repair longer than I realized, because the next time I look up, morning light is spreading across the floor of my workroom. There’s a creak on the staircase, followed by a tentative call of my name and my cock reacts violently, stretching the fly of my jeans with such force, I almost strip the tiny screw I’m turning.

  “In here,” I call, my voice like gravel.

  Alana appears in the doorway rubbing sleep from her eyes—and it becomes painfully fucking obvious that I’m in love with her. My heart is all but tangled around my jugular just being this close to her, having her in my house, knowing she slept in my sheets.

  “I hope it’s all right that I used the packaged toothbrush under your sink—” She interrupts herself with a gasp. “You’re fixing my camera?”

  I nod, still unsure I have the ability to speak.

  “Thank you. I wasn’t sure how I was going to pay to have it fixed.” She clasps her hands beneath her chin and comes forward, watching me work with a growing half-smile on her face. “Goodness gracious. This is very sexy.”

  My laugh sounds like metal churning. “Let me make you some coffee, then I’ll finish up.”

  “I can make it.”

  “Please, I want to.”

  Awareness deepens the blue of her left eye. “Okay,” she breathes.

  I make no attempt to hide my erection when I pass her on the way to the kitchen. And I chuckle over the way she follows me, like a cartoon character following the scent of pie. Then I remember I’ve vowed not to fuck her again until she trusts me wholeheartedly.

  Christ.

  It’s going to be a long morning.

  “Did you take these photographs?” Alana asks behind me.

  I turn to find her studying my collage of framed shots on the wall. “Yes, those are mine.”

  “Oh, I love these.” She trails a finger over a picture of a shelf of books where one of the spines is turned in the wrong direction. “You look for anomalies.” Her hand falls away from the shot, her gaze finding mine over her shoulder. “That’s why you liked my eyes.”

  Dropping a K-Cup into the slot, I depress the coffee maker’s arm and hit the button. “I love your eyes. Because they belong to you, Alana. Every part of you is beautiful.” Stunned silence follows my pronouncement. “How do you take your coffee?”

  “Black, please,” she breathes, turning back to the wall of framed shots. She studies them a little longer, then joins me in the kitchen, in b
etween the counter and the island. She leans back against the island slowly, almost warily. Jesus, if one truthful comment about her eyes can throw her off this much, I have a lot of work to do in the romance department. “Did you happen to notice the picture I snapped before almost breaking my neck?”

  “Yes,” I mutter, giving her a dark look along with her mug of coffee. “You’re not going to convince me it was worth nearly dying over, but…it’s very good. It’s framed perfectly, the moonlight almost gives it a…”

  “Satirical drama?”

  “Yes.” Her blushing smile almost causes me to drop my own coffee. I clear my throat hard, trying to dislodge the lump, but it’s not going anywhere. “I always wonder at the beginning of the semester if there’s going to be a prize pupil. Little did I know this time around that I’d already met her.”

  “I’m…me? Prize pupil?” She purses her twitching lips. “Are you just saying that because we’re…because I’m…”

  “The girl that has turned me into a full-fledged stalker?” Her mouth falls open on a gasping laugh and I sip my coffee to hide my own smile. “I’m not just saying it. I took a closer look through your application, Alana. You already have a very distinct style. Your personality is right there in every shot. Most students still won’t have found such recognizable style by graduation. You’re going to be exciting to watch.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I’d be honored to help you hone that skill.”

  “I would really like that.” She hugs herself around the middle, face flushing with pleasure. “So, um…” She shifts to face me, propping a hip on the counter. “When did you decide you wanted to be a Daddy?”

  Thank God I’m not drinking coffee, because I’d be choking on it. “Jesus, Alana.”

  “Sorry. I don’t take compliments well.” Her eyes squeeze shut. “I had to find a way to deflect the attention.”

  All I can think is, thank fuck I found this girl before another man got their hands on her. She’s the most extraordinary female in all creation and I’ll die before someone takes her away from me. “Last night. I decided last night.”

  A groove appears between her light brows. “I don’t understand.”

  Closing the distance between us, I set down my coffee on the island she’s leaning against, taking her mug out of her hand and leaving it beside mine. The color spots in her cheeks deepen as I frame her in with my arms. “I thought the physical aspects of what we do in the dark would be the part that satisfied me. And fuck, Alana, you know it does. But if I didn’t meet you, specifically, I wouldn’t have realized it’s more than that. Making Alana coffee, bandaging her scrapes, carrying her to bed.” I bring our hips flush so she can feel the severity of my erection, bringing my mouth to her ear. “Those things are what make me your Daddy.”

  She’s staring at my mouth. “I see,” she says unevenly.

  I flatten her more securely against the island. “Do you get satisfaction from me, as well, Alana?”

  “Oh yes.” Her swallow us audible, her small hands coming up to rest on my shoulders. “I can take care of myself, but…I love knowing you’ll take over.” She looks up at me through her eyelashes. “You make me feel important.”

  “Then I need to do better.” I reach beneath her dress and take an ass cheek in each hand, lifting and settling her pussy on top of my hard-on, savoring her helpless whimper, the way her thighs jerk up and circle my hips. “You’re more than important to me, princess. You’re essential.” Pulse crackling in my ears, I bare my teeth and press them to the side of her neck, feeling the wild flutter in her vein. “You’ve obsessed me for life. Life, do you understand?”

  “Gavin,” she whines, rubbing her tits on my chest. “Bring me to bed.”

  I study Alana, searching her eyes for that uncompromising devotion and trust we discovered in the brothel. The hope for us she had the first day of the semester in my office. But we’re not completely there yet. Oh, it’s clear she lusts for my cock, and god willing, her feelings for me run half as deep as mine for her, but I’m not allowing myself to sink inside of her, not a single inch, until she gives me everything.

  “Not to bed, princess. I’ll never keep my cock out of you there.”

  “Good!”

  My laughter is pained. “Not until you’re back to trusting me,” I say, adamant. “But don’t worry. I’ll never leave you unsatisfied.” I flex my hands on her naked ass, kneading her taut cheeks, grinding her into my lap. “Work yourself on Daddy’s dick, little girl,” I pant, ordering myself not to come, no matter how hot her young cunt feels rubbing up and down on my denim-covered shaft. “Let me feel it. Soak me.”

  I can’t help myself, I have to get a look at her tits. I use my teeth to yank down the neckline of the black dress, groaning like an animal when her perky breasts spring free, rosy and puckered in the center. Delicious. Ogling them like a lecher, I begin bouncing her up and down, just so I can watch them jiggle around—and Alana loves it.

  “Bounce me, Daddy,” she giggles. “Higher. Faster.”

  With a hoarse shout, I pin her hips to the island roughly, my control thinning to the point of almost snapping. “Are you trying to kill me?”

  Her expression is a mixture of desire and guilt. “I just want you inside of me so bad.”

  “So you’re testing my willpower?”

  She puts out her bottom lip. “Sorry.” A full minute passes and I still don’t trust myself to continue. If she lets loose another one of those sweet giggles, I’m going to bang her doggy style on the kitchen floor. “I’ve decided something, Gavin,” she says, wiggling on my lap to get free and putting a few feet between us. Though she’s pink from exertion and arousal, she fixes her dress and lifts her chin. “If you’re going to be unsatisfied, then so am I.”

  “No, Alana,” I rasp. “I can’t have that.”

  She turns in a circle, her shoulders set in a determined square. “Are there any more of your photographs in the house? I want to see more.”

  I brace my hands on the island so I won’t reach for her, because she’s played the one card that could get me to break. Denying her own pleasure. “In my office,” I manage, deciding I need a minute to gather my missing control. “First door on the right in the back hallway.”

  It’s not until a few minutes later, when I hear her soft exclamation drift from within the room do I remember what I’ve left sitting on my desk.

  Fuck.

  * * *

  Alana

  Okay, I shouldn’t have been snooping through the paperwork on Gavin’s desk, but thank God I did. Why would he keep something like this from me?

  I stare down at the embossed letter from the university in my hand, reading the words back to make sure I didn’t misunderstand the first time.

  Professor Dennison,

  It is our profound regret that you have decided to decline your spot on the university’s board of directors. We were so looking forward to many years of your valuable input, however, we respect your decision to focus on the changes happening in your personal life. Please accept this as our formal acknowledgment that you won’t be joining us on the board.

  We wish you the best.

  I can’t believe what I’m reading.

  Is it possible Gavin passed on the prestigious position…because of me?

  “Alana,” Gavin says from the doorway, his gaze dragging from the letter in my hand up to my face. “You weren’t supposed to see that.”

  I take a deep breath in an attempt to slow the racing of my heart, but it only seems to beat faster. “Did you decline because of me?”

  Passion flares in his eyes, flaying me where I stand. “Of course I did.”

  Hope curls in my chest. It’s more than that, though. It’s love for this man. There’s so much of it, I fear it will swallow me whole. But if I love him, how can I let him pass up an opportunity he’s always wanted? Doesn’t that make me selfish? “If you did this for me, then why wouldn’t you want me to see the letter? Why would
n’t you want me to know?”

  He curses under his breath, several beats passing while he gathers his thoughts. “Two reasons. One, I worried you might feel guilty—”

  “I do.”

  His complexion pales a shade. “And two, I didn’t want to win your trust back the easy way. By simply telling you I declined. I wanted to earn your confidence back. After what I did to you, after I destroyed your faith in me, you deserved to have me work to get it back.” He prowls into the room, his intense presence filling every corner. “Before you spend a single second feeling guilty, understand that I made the easiest decision of my life. I’ll know more happiness spending one day by your side than a lifetime on the board. Alana, I love you.”

  I’m robbed of breath. “You do?”

  “Obsessively.”

  My chest floods with lightness. So much of it, I could float. “I love you, too.”

  Gavin goes very still, his gaze racing over my face. “There it is,” he says gruffly. “The way you’re looking at me. I wasn’t sure you ever would again. You trust me, Alana?”

  I take three steps and throw myself into his arms. “Obsessively.”

  “You’re coming here to live with me.” His teeth rake up and down my neck, followed by heated passes of his tongue and lips. “You’re mine forever and you’ll share my bed. Forever. You’ll let me take care of you, goddammit.”

  “Yes, I want that, too, but—”

  “I’m going to take you raw. I have to.” He yanks up my dress, leaving it bunched around my hips, his gaze turning predatory. “Give me that tight, little cunt before I go crazy.”

  “But...” His mouth stamps over mine, hard and possessive, his body backing me toward his desk, lifting me up onto the edge and stripping my black dress off completely, leaving me naked. His hands close over my breasts, arching my back on a moan, but I hold on to my final concern, motivated by my worry for his career. “Gavin, what about our relationships being frowned upon by your colleagues—”