by London Hale
Seducing His Student
By London Hale
The Dirty Bits from Carina Press give you what you want, when you want it. Designed to be read in an hour or two, these sex-filled micro-romances are guaranteed to pack a punch and deliver a happily-ever-after.
The last thing a newly hired dean should be doing is one of his students…
Dirty flirting with the unbelievably hot barista at Bundt & Grind café is not how Elliott Goodridge should be spending his time. Temperance Falls College hired him to counteract a scandal—not burn through his paychecks on overpriced coffee with a side of impure thoughts.
For the amount of time college student Samantha Monroe spends fantasizing about the new guy in town, she should know more than just his name. But despite putting out all kinds of signs that she’s down for, well, putting out, Elliott hasn’t made a move. Yet.
By the time the truth is revealed, it’s too late to stop the charge between them. Sparks fly, but so do rumors. For Elliott, a day without his hands on Sam is too long—and two orgasm-free weeks until graduation is flat-out impossible.
For those times when size does matter. The Dirty Bits from Carina Press: quick and dirty, just the way we like it.
This book is approximately 23,000 words
One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!
Edited by Angela James
Dedication
To all the hot teachers who made it that much easier to attend those early morning classes.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Epilogue
About Reunion by London Hale
Acknowledgments
Also by London Hale
About the Author
Chapter One
Elliott
Coffee shops were not my thing. I loathed the crowds and the lines, the need to already have caffeine in your body just to be able to make it through the ordering process. It seemed like such a production to get something you could make at home. So complicated and chaotic. I preferred directness, action, and organization in all things. I liked simplicity and order.
But I more than liked the barista at Bundt and Grind, which was how I found myself walking past the crowd of locals and tourists alike every weekday morning. So I could spend a few moments in her presence. My Sam.
“Your favorite customer’s here,” the guy behind the counter said, smiling at me as he nudged Sam. Sadly, that was almost more physical contact than I’d ever had with the woman I’d come to think of as mine. I had yet to inform her of that opinion, though.
Sam was the object of every fantasy I’d had since I’d stumbled into the coffee shop my second day on the island. She was also the source of my greatest frustration, which was saying a lot considering the work that had brought me here.
“Morning, Dean.” Her smile was wide, her light brown eyes showing more than a little interest as they swept over my body. A fact that had me shifting my weight from one foot to the other to hide my physical reaction to her. My body responded to her in ways I hadn’t dealt with since I finished puberty, and I could only imagine what I’d do if she called me by my actual name instead of my title. Probably throw her down on the counter and show her exactly how good mornings with me could be.
Not yet…
“Good to see you, Sam.”
She was already halfway to the coffee station, giving me a fabulous view of the sway of her hips, when she called, “Usual for you?”
“Do you even have to ask?”
“Nope.” She caught my eye over the machine as she wrote Dean on a cup. “You’re predictable that way.”
My retuning grin was unstoppable, the blood rushing to my poor, lonely cock unavoidable. Two months of lusting after this woman had left me with a perpetual hard-on whenever I so much as smelled coffee brewing. Being anywhere near her sent me into a state of arousal I couldn’t control. A fact that only brought me greater frustration.
While reaching for something on the side of the counter, Sam bent just enough for me to get a good view of her cleavage. Her chest seemed a bit pinker than when I’d seen her last, her freckles more pronounced. I refused to think about how soft her breasts would be. How they were just the right size to fill my hands.
Not thinking of all that was impossible. “You look like you got some sun yesterday.”
Her lips twisted, her expression turning into the most adorable sort-of scowl I’d ever seen. “Three hours of sailing, and I came back with more freckles. It doesn’t matter how much sunscreen I wear; they multiply like bunnies with even a hint of sun.”
“I think your freckles are beautiful,” I said, making sure to keep my eyes on hers instead of letting them slide lower. “Completely unique to you.”
The way she grinned and ducked her head made me want to do all sorts of wonderfully dirty things to her. I had to hold myself back from reaching out to run a finger down her cheek, had to plant my feet to keep from jumping over the counter to be near her. We weren’t there yet, weren’t at that point of affection and intimacy, but we would be soon if I got my way. I already knew so much about her: that she was patient and kind, that she loved to sail and couldn’t wait for spring every year to get out on the water, that she was the most interesting woman I’d ever had the pleasure to meet. But I had yet to make a move.
I’d been buried under a mountain of work for two months, leaving me no time to interact with Sam in more than the casual, daily banter she’d no doubt come to expect. But I would make her mine eventually. I’d wanted her since the first time I’d seen her, and she certainly seemed interested. I just had to make the switch from flirting to pursuing in a way that didn’t scare her off.
While Sam made my coffee, I stood off to the side and watched. She captivated me—the way her dark hair escaped the knot at the back of her head, how her movements were so fluid and graceful. The faces she made as she poured coffee and sprinkled sugar to make my drink exactly how I wanted it. I couldn’t look away. At least, not until the word dean reached my ears.
I looked out of reflex, catching the eye of a blonde in the back. A couple of female students with Temperance Falls College sweatshirts were huddled in the conversation area of the shop, leaning over the table between them as they whispered and glanced my way. I tried to ignore them, to stay focused on Sam, but their giggles and stares distracted me, no matter how used to the attention I’d grown. Being the new guy in a small town was never easy. Being one of the youngest men in my field only made things more difficult, especially considering the number of hours I spent on campus surrounded by young, beautiful students. Many men more experienced than I had fallen prey to the glances, the teases, and the flirting. They’d brought scandal to their departments by engaging in relationships that crossed the line of professional behavior. I knew men and women who had given in to temptation and lost their jobs along with their personal relationships for as little as one night of lust. But no quick fuck with a coed was worth destroying my career, or my shot with the barista I’d been obsessing over.
“Here you go, large coffee with two sugars.” Sam handed over my cup, shooting me a quick wink. “Plus my secret ingredient, just for you.”
Coeds forgotten. Good goddamn, the woman was trying to unman me right there in the middle of a coffee shop, and I’d happily let her. I may not have been interested in the girls watching me, but Sam? Sam wasn’t a coed, and she would be way more than a quick fuck. A fact I couldn�
��t think about without wanting to drag the woman into the back and finally taste those teasing lips.
Soon…
“Thanks, Sam. You save my life every day.”
“I doubt it’s that serious.”
“It’s coffee. Coffee is always that serious.” I should’ve turned to go, should’ve waved and headed out the door as I’d done every weekday for two months, but her smile captivated me, rooting me to the ground and making it impossible to leave. Soon had become now. “You mentioned you’d been sailing—the Temperance Falls Lights Festival is this evening. Are you going to be somewhere along the route?”
She cocked her head, looking at me with a bemused sort of expression on her pretty face. “I forget sometimes that you’re not from around here.”
“That’s good, isn’t it? Means you’ve come to expect me.” I leaned closer, completely surrendering to my need to be near her. “Perhaps even…been wanting to see more of me. Maybe you’ve been wanting me to ask you on a date.”
“Let’s not get cocky, Dean.” The way she licked her bottom lip as her eyes flicked down to my mouth belied her words.
I rocked back on my heels. “Cocky is the one thing I do best.”
“I may have noticed that, now that you mention it.”
“So are you going to answer me, or am I going to have to walk all around the route looking for those freckles?”
“Since it’s gonna be pretty hard to spot them at night, I should probably tell you…” She lifted a shoulder. “Or maybe I’ll keep you guessing.”
Such a tease. I loved it. “Brutal, Sam. Truly brutal.”
“I never said I was easy,” she said, tossing me a saucy grin.
Oh fuck. I leaned across the counter, letting my fingers rest against hers, letting my lips come awfully close to those freckles that haunted me. “I never once thought you were easy, Sam.” I brushed the back of her hand in a figure eight before heading for the smooth skin of her wrist. “All I’ve done is work since I moved here. Worked and walked over here to get coffee from you.”
Her breath caught, and she trembled just enough to let me know I was affecting her. “You should invest in a coffeepot.”
I held her gaze, my thumb rubbing against her wrist. “I have one.”
Sam blinked, looking almost shy for a moment. Her pink tongue flashed against her lips. “You said you’ve been working a lot. I never asked, but what—”
Before she could say anything more, one of her coworkers came up behind her. “I hate to interrupt, but I could use some help.”
Sam spun around, frowning when she saw the mass of people facing the register. The line had grown while I’d been distracting her, and now was no longer the time to ask the woman out on our first date. But I wasn’t giving up just yet.
“I should let you go,” I said, keeping my voice low. Just for her. “How about we talk at the lights show? Maybe we can meet up at the after-party the marina is hosting and grab a drink.”
“How do you know I’ll be there?” Sam crept around the pastry case, heading back to her station at the register. I followed, brushing past the patrons waiting.
“I don’t, but I’m hoping.” I waited for an older man to order before leaning against the counter again. “C’mon, Sam. Don’t make me beg for your time. I will, but I won’t like it.”
Her eyes lit up, and she bit into that plump, pink bottom lip as if holding something back. “Fine,” she finally answered. “I’ll be there. Look for me by the boathouse once the college ships dock.”
Good God, I could fall in love with that smile. “Excellent.”
“I still might make you beg, though.”
I’d rather make her beg, but I had a feeling we weren’t to that level yet. I bumped the counter twice with my fist and headed toward the door. “Looking forward to it.”
*
Being the new guy in a small town could be difficult at times. It could also be downright unbearable. Two hours into the Lights Festival, and I wanted nothing more than to leave. I’d probably spoken to four hundred people, most of them knowing exactly who I was while I knew practically no one. The more they drank, the more they laughed and grabbed and flirted, and the less I wanted to spend another minute at the marina. If only I could find Sam.
“Dean Goodridge. So good to see you,” said a balding man who was definitely not Sam. I gripped his hand and met his piercing blue eyes, having no idea who the hell he was but feeling as if I should.
“Hello. It’s nice to meet you, Mister…”
“Monroe. Charles Monroe. We met at the trustees meeting when you first came to town.”
Shit. The trustees were the governing board of the college and essentially my bosses. “Yes, of course. I’m sorry, it’s been such a busy couple months since that first meeting.”
Charles waved me off. “Understandable. I’ve heard good things, Dean Goodridge. After that last jackass was fired, I really worried if we’d found the right fit for our needs with you. President Graham has nothing but good stories to tell, though. I hear you’re even saving us money without affecting the programs at the school, something we hadn’t realized was possible.”
“Well, I appreciate that. I’ve spent all my time auditing the past five years and bringing the funding allocations back in line with where they should be. There were a lot of discrepancies with the previous department, all of which seemed focused on moving money away from our inclusion and diversity programs.”
“Damn embezzler, stealing from the kids who needed him the most. We never saw that coming.” Charles threw an arm around my shoulder, leading me toward the boathouse. “The sailing team is docking by the boathouse already. Have you met with them?”
“No, sir. Not as of yet. Dealing directly with students has been put off until after we get the strategic plan for the department finalized.”
“Too bad. You’ll probably miss meeting my daughter, then. She’s the commodore of the sailing team.”
Of course she was. “I hope to meet her one day, even if not on official business.”
“No time like the present. Come on, we’ll mingle as they get situated,” Charles said, making my teeth grate. More fucking people when all I wanted to do was escape and find Sam. “I know you’re working hard, but I think you should take a little time off to come sailing with the wife and me. We’ll bring my daughter along, let her explain what she hopes the program will become now that she’s graduating.”
“That sounds amazing, but I don’t—”
“No buts about it. I’ve heard all about our new dean of students who never does anything but work. The end of the school year is coming up, so you can take a day off to enjoy the island a bit.”
We crested a hill and the marina appeared below us. Multiple docks lined the shore, which ringed a small, protected bay. Lights burned the length of each dock, sparkling off the dark water. But my eyes were drawn to a huge round building sitting at the center point of the entire bay. The boathouse. Sam.
I was done dealing with work. “Mr. Monroe, I—”
“I see my daughter over on dock five. Let’s go get you two introduced, and we’ll set something up for a future sailing date. Plus, you can see the boats we donated to the team.”
I sighed and followed him, counting down internally. I was giving him ten minutes to introduce me to his daughter, then I was tracking down Sam.
Charles pushed past a small crowd of people, smiling and greeting ones he knew along the way. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, which only made the trek slower. People wanted to say hi, to chat, to share a drink with the new dean of students. Charles kept us moving toward the water, though. A fact I was perfectly happy with. Sam had said she’d be at the boathouse. Once I was done meeting Charles’s daughter, I could head there and find her. Maybe share a drink with her. Maybe share a little more than just a drink. There were plenty of shadows to hide in, plenty of spaces to pull her lithe, little body against mine and kiss those fucking freckles. If I could just ge
t away.
“There she is.” Charles pointed to a boat lit up in the school colors that was being tied off to a dock a few yards away. “My Samantha.”
“Samantha?” I glanced up, dread turning my gut to ice. And, of course, there she was. My Sam, standing on the side of a boat with her long legs and those delicious curves completely on display. Her red shorts barely covered her ass, and the white T-shirt she wore pulled across her breasts in a way that made my mouth water. But the logo on the front of that shirt confirmed the suspicions Charles had initiated—she was the commodore of the Temperance Falls sailing team, which made her one of my students. And completely off-limits, not matter how much my entire body responded to the sight of her.
“Hey, Sam,” Charles yelled, catching her attention. He led me all the way down to the base of the dock, blocking my view for the most part. Blocking hers as well, I’d bet. “I want you to meet someone.”
“I just need to finish tying off,” Sam hollered, her tan skin practically glowing against the ever-darkening evening as she stretched for a cleat on the dock. Stretched far, her shirt riding up to expose some seriously lickable curves. Jesus, fuck.
“Always busy, this one.” Charles stepped out of the way just in time for Sam to catch my eye. For her to go from focused to confused. “Sam, I want you to meet Dean Goodridge.”
“Hi,” she said, a smile forming on her lips. One I knew wouldn’t last.
“Dean Goodridge—it’s Elliott, right?” her father asked.
I nodded, unable to look away from Sam. Unable not to notice the way her smile fell and her eyes went wide.
“Elliott Goodridge,” Charles said, still completely unaware of the growing tension between me and his daughter. “He’s the new dean of students, honey. You two should really get to know each other.”
I was about to say something along the lines of we already had when Sam’s shock seemed to wear off. She jerked as if coming out of a stupor, but that motion seemed to make her lose her footing. One second, she stood on the side of her boat and the next—