Waiting for Love ((Waiting) Book 2)

by Stanton, Dawn

  I hear a knock on our door and when I look through the peephole, I see it’s Professor Hanlon. What the fuck? It’s ten o’clock at night...what is he doing here? He knocks again and I’m so tempted to ignore it.

  “Shelby, I know you’re in there. Let me in.” He sounds angry and that doesn’t make me eager to invite him inside, but I have a feeling the situation will escalate unless I do. I unlock the bolt and open the door to find him standing with his hands in his jean pockets. He’s wearing a Beacon University sweatshirt and he looks young; more like a student than a professor. I remain in the doorway, blocking him from entering.

  “Shelby, can I please come in?” He asks in a much nicer tone than he used previously. I step back and gesture with my arm for him to enter. I’m going to need more wine to get through this, it’s only polite if I offer him some too.

  “Would you like some wine or a beer?”

  “I’d love a beer.”

  “Have a seat,” I say tipping my head in the direction of our living room. As I open the refrigerator and feel the cold air, it occurs to me, that I’m only wearing a white camisole and Red Sox drawstring pajama bottoms. My nipples are clearly visible through my top but there’s not much I can do about it now. All I can do is hope that he says his peace and gets out of here soon.

  He’s seated in the middle of the couch so no matter where I sit, he’ll be next to me. Great. I hand him his beer and pick up my wine glass, refilling it before I lower myself to the cushion next to him.

  “So what brings you to my neck of the woods at this time of night, Professor?” I raise an eyebrow at him in question before drinking a gulp of my wine. I need all the fortitude I can get.

  “Call me Garrett, we’re not at school now. I asked you to stay after class today and you didn’t.” He shrugs his shoulders like it should be obvious to me, before taking a sip of beer from his bottle.

  “Do you make late night visits to the apartments of every student that doesn’t do what you want or am I just lucky?” I ask, in a sarcastic tone of voice.

  “Shelby, I think you know the answer to that question. This is the first time I’ve done anything like this. Why didn’t you stay after class? If you had, we could’ve avoided all this.” I take another sip of my wine and gather my thoughts before answering. I place my glass down on the coffee table, to delay answering. I decide to be blunt about the reason, so he can’t misconstrue what I’m saying.

  “I didn’t wait around because I don’t want to be near you. I’m trying to keep my distance and I really wish you’d cooperate with me. We need to stay away from each other and it’s much easier to do that if we’re not alone at any time. Garrett, we’re on the verge of crossing lines that can’t be uncrossed. I’ve worked too hard to put my future in jeopardy over some hot sex. I can get that anywhere.” He takes another long sip from his bottle before carefully placing it down on the coffee table. He angles his body to face mine, gripping both of my hips in his hands and pulling me into his lap as if I’m light as a feather. I gasp in surprise and before I can push off of his chest, he’s covered my mouth with his. His tongue pushes past my lips, demandingly as his hands grip both sides of my head, holding me in place. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him closer to me as I realize there’s no way to resist him or his kiss. Once I mentally surrender and admit to myself that I do in fact want to be doing this, I shift my weight until I’m straddling his lap. He pushes his hips up against me and I can feel that he wants me, just as much as I want him. I roll my pelvis into his and as our tongues continue to tangle, I can taste the beer he just drank. He pulls away, sucking on my lower lip, before releasing it.

  “As much as I’d like to continue on with what we were doing, we need to talk first,” He says his hands on my arms, keeping me still.

  “Okay.” I can’t say I’m not disappointed that he put a stop to our kissing, but I do agree that we need to discuss some things.

  “From the moment we crashed into each other, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. I was literally speechless at the first glimpse of your beautiful face. The chemistry between us is incredibly strong and I’ve never experienced anything like it before. I’m insane with wanting you and it’s all I can do to control my lustful urges during class.” He pauses and runs his fingers through his hair. I giggle out loud, causing him to quirk his eyebrow, questioningly.

  “Lustful urges? It sounds like a bad line from some historical romance.” He digs his fingertips into my side to tickle me.

  “Are you making fun of me?” He continues to tickle me making me giggle.

  “Maybe.” I grab his hands, interlacing our fingers together as I wait for him to continue our conversation.

  “I know we barely know each other, but for some reason, it’s as though I’ve known you forever. I want to learn everything about you, take you on romantic dates and buy you beautiful things. I’m not usually one for being in a relationship, but I really want to explore what this connection between us is all about. Will you let me take you out on a date...no expectations...just see where it goes and after that we can figure out the rest?” I chew on my bottom lip, lost in my chaotic thoughts. Should I say yes? What should I do about Jeff? How can I even think about getting involved with my professor? All these questions are whirling around in my mind when I answer him.

  “Yes. I’d love to go on a date with you Garrett, but I also have to be honest with you. I’m not a relationship type girl unless you’re talking about a sex-only arrangement. I haven’t been serious about anyone in a long time and I’m not sure I can do the whole relationship thing. If you want me to give you a chance, you can’t try to bulldoze me or push me faster than I’m willing to go. You need to be patient and understand if I change my mind or freak out. I’ll give you two weeks to take me on dates. We’re not going to have sex unless I decide to have a relationship with you. I’m not going to throw my academic future away for a fling. I can have sex anytime I want to. I don’t need to get it from you.” I say the last part flippantly and I can tell it pissed him off.

  “When I read your poem I got the impression that someone hurt you in the past. Is that why you prefer not to be in a relationship?” I nod my head in agreement. I don’t want to get into the topic of Austin, right now.

  “Are you currently sleeping with anyone else?” He asks with a scowl on his face.

  “Yes.” I nod my head.

  “Let me guess, it’s your buddy, Jeff?”

  “Yes, it’s Jeff and we’ve been doing the” friends with benefits” thing for a long time, with great results.” His scowl gets impossibly darker.

  “Are you going to continue to sleep with him while you’re dating me?”

  “No, I’m not. It’s only two weeks. If we work out and decide to take it further, I’ll let him know that our arrangement is over. If we don’t work out, then I'll continue on with him and nothing will change.” I shrug my shoulders. He looks displeased with my answer, but I’m not going to sugar coat it for him. I am who I am. He needs to know up front that I don’t do relationships and the fact that I’m giving him a two-week trial period is unprecedented.

  “You need to get your farewell speech ready because there’s no way in hell, he’ll be anywhere near you, again.” A sexy smirk replaces the scowl he’s been wearing since we started talking about Jeff.

  “Don’t be too cocky, Garrett. I rarely do what people expect me to. If you don’t mind, I think it’s time for you to go. I have a date with some hot vampires and you’ve kept me from them long enough.” He looks surprised that I’m giving him the boot from my apartment.

  I remove myself from his lap and make my way toward the door, hopeful that he’s following me. When I reach for the handle, he spins me around and presses his body fully against mine. I’m instantly overcome with an insane desire for him and it’s all I can do to harness it. He grips both my hands in one of his, holding them over my head, against the door. The forceful way he’s taken control of this moment m
akes my knees weak and my breathing labored. He slowly runs the tip of his nose from my collarbone to my jawline before cupping my face in his palm. I try to turn my head to the side but he prevents it. He leans forward until our lips are only inches apart.

  “Shelby look at me,” He says in a commanding voice. I lock my eyes on him, getting lost in the close-up view of their hazel depths. “You and I are going to happen and it’s not only going to be for two weeks.” He lowers his mouth to mine and nibbles on my bottom lip. “Are you free on Saturday night? I want to take you out on our first date.” I don’t have plans on Saturday but I’m tempted to tell him I do; just to bust his balls a little.

  “No, I don’t have plans. We can go out but I’m just reminding you now that I’m not going to have sex with you.”

  “I’ll remind you of that when you’re begging me for it,” He smirks as I gasp in outrage.

  “You’re such a cocky bastard. I have a feeling that the odds lean more toward me punching you in the face than they do for me to be begging you for it.” He smiles at me before replying.

  “I guess I better keep your hands occupied then.” He winks and releases his hold on my hands before pulling me into his arms for a hug. He holds me tight before brushing his lips against mine.

  “I’ll see you in class later this week. Saturday night I’m picking you up at seven and wear something casual.” He opens the door and turns to give me one final glance before leaving. I lock the door behind him and drop my forehead against it. What have I gotten myself into? How am I going to hold Jeff off for two weeks without telling him what’s going on?

  Chapter Seven

  It’s almost time for Garrett to pick me up for our first date. I’m a nervous wreck and I don’t know how to deal with this unsettled feeling in my stomach. I’ve never been this worried when I’ve gone out with other guys and I don’t like it at all. Who would want to willingly feel this way? This dating shit is for the birds.

  I take one more glance in my full-length mirror and I’m satisfied with what I see. I dressed casually like he suggested. I’m wearing dark blue skinny jeans, a black long sleeve tee shirt and a charcoal gray cardigan that belts at the waist. I have on my black ballerina flats just in case we are doing any walking and there are diamonds in my ears, thanks to my father for gifting them to me for my eighteenth birthday. I’m wearing makeup but I’ve kept it light and my hair is down. I let the natural curl come out since I didn’t feel like fussing with it.

  As I walk back into the living room to sit on the couch and wait, there’s a knock at the door. I take a deep breath and try to calm the nervous energy that feels like it’s going to explode out of me. I open the door to find Garrett standing there with a bunch of sunflowers in his hand and a smile on his face. My cheeks reflexively lift in an answering grin.

  “Come on in.”

  “These are for you.” He hands me the flowers and I raise them to my nose and inhale their strong scent.

  “Mmm, they smell so good. Thank you for bringing me these. Sunflowers are my favorite.” I walk in the direction of the kitchen and he follows along.

  “Let me place them in some water and then we can go.” I quickly arrange the flowers and set the vase on the table. The yellow of the petals is so vibrant it adds a refreshing pop of color to the space.

  “They're beautiful Garrett. I really love them.” He moves in front of me and cups my face with both his hands.

  “Thank you for agreeing to go on this date with me. You don’t know how happy it makes me to know that we have hours of uninterrupted time to spend together.” He takes my lips in a gentle kiss and I realize that he isn’t playing around. He means business and I’m not sure I’ll be able to resist him if he keeps all this sweetness up. Dickhead Garret, I can resist, but sweet Garrett might be another story.

  “So where are you taking me?”

  “We’re going to one of my favorite restaurants. It’s about a twenty-minute drive from here. I didn’t want you to worry about bumping into anyone we know from school. I just want you to relax and have a great time.” He caresses my cheek with the top of his index finger and stares into my eyes. “We better get going.”

  We ride to the restaurant Garrett chose in his Tesla. I’ve never seen one of these up close before. He opened my door for me like a gentleman should. My father always stressed the need for good manners when we were growing up. He told me that if a man doesn’t open my door for me on our first date, that means he’s probably never going to open my door for me and a small part of me is relieved that Garrett did. It’s like he passed a secret test he didn’t even know he was being given. The drive passes quickly and before I know it we’re pulling into the parking lot of O’Neils. I’m guessing from the name that this is an Irish pub type establishment.

  Garrett once again gets my door and he clasps our hands together as we walk to the entrance. His large palm easily encompasses my much smaller one. His hand feels warm and smooth and his gentle yet firm hold on mine is sending tingles up my arm. How much his touch affects me, continues to surprise me. I can only imagine how hot the sex between us will be.

  ***

  We’re seated at a table immediately and a middle-aged waitress comes over to take our order. She takes one look at Garrett, smiles, and lets out a squeal.

  “Garrett, I didn’t know you were coming in tonight. Why didn’t you let us know, dear?” He stands up and they share a quick hug.

  “Megs, I thought I would surprise you guys instead. I’d like you to meet Shelby.” He gestures across the table toward me. I stand up from my chair and extend my hand.

  “I’m Megs dear, and I’m a hugger.” She ignores my extended hand, instead pulling me into her arms.

  “Megs is the mother of my best friend, Colin,” He explains. “Is he working tonight?”

  “He sure is dear. I’ll let him know you’re here. He was just mentioning the other day that you guys hadn’t gotten together for a while. I know he’ll be happy to see you. Okay, how about you both tell me what you’d like to drink.” Garrett nods his head toward me.

  “I would love a margarita on the rocks with salt, please.”

  “I’ll have whatever you have on draft.” Megs leaves to put our order in and we peruse our menus in silence. I’m trying to make up my mind what to order. There are a lot of good selections on the menu to choose from. I’m gnawing on my bottom lip as I'm trying to decide between a burger or steak tips. The thought of having to eat a big, messy burger in front of Garrett makes my decision easy. Megs comes back in a flash with our drinks and takes our order. I order the steak tips and Garrett went the messy burger route. He did tell her to hold the onions, though.

  “I’m assuming you must have grown up in this area since you know Megs and her family.”

  “Yes, I grew up in Fairview. Colin and I were neighbors and thick as thieves. We got into a lot of mischief together when we were kids.” He smiles, lost in his thoughts of days gone by.

  “What about you Shelby? Where did you grow up?”

  “I’m kind of surprised you haven’t already looked all this up on the computer. I’m sure you have access to my file.” I pause to give him a chance to come clean, if he has, in fact, looked up my information. He shakes his head, so I continue.

  “I grew up in Lexham.”

  “Do you have any siblings?” He asks. I nod my head in confirmation.

  “I do, I have four older brothers...Brennan, Hollis, Aiden and Greyson. There was never a dull moment in our house. It’s a miracle the four of them didn’t kill each other with some of the stunts they pulled. They used to beat the snot out of one another and I would cry because I was worried about them. I guess it’s kind of ironic that Aiden and Greyson are both professional fighters. At least, now they get paid for it.” I smile and I know my face reflects the love I have for all of them.

  “It must have been difficult to date with all those brothers looking over your shoulder.”

  “You have no idea. The
only saving grace is that they’re all older than me so Brennan and Hollis were away at college when I started high school. Aiden and Greyson are twins and they were seniors when I was a freshman. That was a pretty bleak year for me as far as dating went. The two of them would scare off any boy that even glanced at me. It was horrible and totally embarrassing. There were some perks to having them in the same school as me, though.” I smile before continuing on. “They were on the football team, so I became friends with all their teammates. When they both went off to college the next year, I dated a couple of the guys that were on the team with them. I guess they weren’t afraid to ask me out as long as the twins were away at school in another state.”

  “What about you Garrett? Are you an only child?”

  “No, I have an older brother, Jackson. He’s married and has a three-year-old daughter Leah.” Megs returns at this point, balancing a tray with our meals on it. She places my steak tips and mashed potatoes in front of me. It looks mouthwatering and I can’t wait to take a bite. Garrett’s burger looks delicious too but after seeing the size of it, I’m happy with the choice I made.

  “Do you dears need anything else?” Megs asks.

  “We’re all set for now,” Garrett says with a smile.

  “Okay, I’ll check back in with you later.” Now that she’s gone, I take the first bite of steak. It’s so tender and juicy. I’ve never had tips this delicious before.