The Valentines Day Proposal

by Bella Winters

  CHAPTER 2

  Liam

  I was entering my tenth year teaching after working with friends at school tutoring and assisting in classes while I got my doctorate. Once I came back to Washington to take care of my mom as she succumbed to breast cancer, I stuck around when this job was offered. I liked this city and had grown up here, after all. I let my sister Marie have the house that we grew up in while she went to school and bought myself a condominium with some of the money that Mom left for me after her tragic death. It wasn’t fancy, but it was mine. I could sell the three-bedroom unit if my life changed and I ended up with a family, but I was already thirty-nine, and it hadn’t happened.

  It wasn’t that I didn’t like women. I loved them and was well-aware that they enjoyed me as well. Before I started teaching, I played the single card frequently when out with friends, but I had to be careful now. College students were forward when they wanted me, men and women, alike. Some of the girls were fucking gorgeous, but that was against every rule when I took this job. Hell, I had to be careful when I was out at bars and check that the girls weren’t students at my school. I didn’t want to lay a finger on a girl that attended U-dub.

  Admittedly, that slowed me down some. Seattle was a big city but the early mornings and evenings doing my job took over as I got older and I didn’t want the casual sex as much as I once did. I saw my friends but the late nights of drinking so much that I had to think about the evening before for a beat after waking up were done, as far as the weeknights went. I kept it to a couple of beers at most with dinner or just watching a game.

  This semester, I was teaching every day in the mid-morning and then helping the tutor with some of the work she prepared. It took more time than one might think. I kept the same tutor after my fifth year teaching this class until Sarah graduated in a couple of years. Before that, there were teacher’s assistants and worked well enough, but Sarah was a steady worker.

  People asked if she and I were hooking up, making me shake my head. She was a sweet kid and smart as hell, but no. There was no way that I’d touch her even if I found her attractive. Sarah was on the geeky side with large glasses and dirty blonde hair that was often in a bun. Then again, friends asked me if I ever sampled the hot sorority girls that were scattered throughout my classes as well, as if life was one big orgy.

  I didn’t like the vapid sorority type to begin with. They had grated on my nerves when I was in college, for fuck’s sake. They hit on me all the time, and I went for it sometimes. They aimed to please, but that was all it ever was: one night.

  That all changed for me this year when I walked in that first day, feeling the eyes on me as I prepared my podium and fought the yawn that threatened to come. I let my eyes take in everyone and halfway up, wide green eyes got my attention. She was a pale girl with those dark eyes and wavy brown hair but beautiful, and I took her in for a moment before she looked up at me.

  Jesus, I felt my body stirring. I needed to get laid soon at this rate.

  I continued to look over the class as I explained about my seating chart and what was expected of them this semester. These were college students, and I wasn’t going to be holding their hands. They came and sat in their assigned seats for attendance credit, no questions asked. I handed out a syllabus and dismissed the class a few minutes early before I started for real tomorrow.

  I watched as the girl tucked her stuff into a pretty teal backpack and left the class after giving me a look. Yep, she noticed me like a few of the other women in the class. Nothing new.

  The problem was that I noticed her as well. I saw her curvy body and those eyes that begged for me to take her. I needed to keep this in check for the next several weeks because women rarely affected me this way.

  I sent out the seating chart the following day, telling everyone to pick a spot they were happy in. I collected it about halfway through the class and set it on my desk before I continued with my first lecture. I heard the bell and watched them leave before I sat down and held up the chart to compare it to the seats.

  Elena Carter was her name. She was a Junior. She was hot as fucking hell and would test my patience for the next few weeks.

  The class seemed to settle down and get serious after that since I jumped head first into lectures. I noted who was paying attention and seemingly getting the information, with Elena being very intent on what I was saying. She took notes, and I liked the way the tip of her tongue stuck out slightly when she was concentrating. She wore glasses when she was reading and looked like a hot, nerdy librarian in them.

  There were always the students that seemed to nod off during class, making me smirk. If they missed anything at all, they would be behind and beg me for help from the tutor. I always had those students and expected it, getting a certain amusement from them before I explained to them what they had to do to fix the situation. After that, some would pull their grade up, and others would just disappear.

  I was surprised a few weeks in when Elena was one of the ones coming to me for help. Her lovely dark eyes looked scared, and there were circles under them as she approached me after class. I told her to come to my office where we could talk, feeling her behind me as I led her across the campus even though I’d rather be following her. Her worn skinny jeans made her ass look amazing, and the gray shirt that she wore buttoned over a camisole showed off her cleavage just enough to make me want to see more. We sat down in my small office, and she licked her full lips nervously as I took in the movement with rapt attention. “So, I got a bit lost in last week’s material when I missed a day because I was sick, and I am just drowning now. I was hoping that you had some way to help me.”

  It was criminal what I was considering offering her to bring up her grade, even though I knew she wasn’t that far behind. I refrained and told her the standard information, passing along Sarah’s email before I leaned back in my seat and took in the grateful look on her face. I was shocked by the words that escaped my mouth next and judging from the look on her face, so was Elena. “You’re a stunning girl, Miss Carter.” She blushed as she told me to call her Elena and thanked me awkwardly. She was quiet for a few moments before thanking me, giving me the chance to tell her to call me Liam, which I never did. Not with students and not even Sarah, who called me Professor Forsberg even though I told her I was okay with her using my first name. She was just formal that way.

  Elena looked shaken and excused herself to leave, making me rest my head in my hands. I couldn’t believe that I came off as that forward with her, but I couldn’t help it. There was something about her that drew me in without that invisible wall that every student here had for me.

  With Elena, it just fell away, and I wanted to get to know her more. I wanted her, something that would risk everything that I’d worked for. Fuck, I was in so much trouble, and I stood as if to go look for her in the hallway, swearing that I heard footsteps walking away as I reached for my door.

  I always looked at her in class, trying to play it down. I could tell that she was tired a lot, making me wonder if she was working her way through college and keeping up with several classes. That wasn’t easy, and I was lucky to have parents to help me. I wondered what her story was. Sarah told me general information about the students that reached out to her since I usually didn’t ask for specifics. I didn’t care under normal circumstances.

  After the first test, I could tell that Elena was getting back to speed and smiled when her test was corrected. She got a high B, and if she kept that up, she’d be even in her GPA. I suspected that her major wasn’t anything like Econ based on her more creative look, probably making her an Art major or something along those lines.

  I ran into her at the coffee shop in town two weeks after our meeting in my office and watched as she ordered her drink at the counter in front of me. Her hair was wound into a low bun at the nape of her neck and covered with a dark gray beanie as I smiled and looked at her hungrily. Elena leaned forward to pay for her stuff and turned to look around as the g
irl scanned it, meeting my eyes as heat flushed my skin. Her eyes went wide before she turned and took the card back, scooting to the left to wait for her order. Elena shuffled her feet, and I approached the cashier, placing my order of a large black coffee with the same girl that helped Elena. She flirted with me relentlessly, and it took everything that I had not to roll my eyes at her. She was a freshman at best, and her actions were embarrassing as I found my eyes wandering to Elena. She was leaning against a back wall, and her eyes were locked on me as I offered her a small smile, ignoring the girl telling me how much I owed her. I glanced forward in annoyance and handed her a bill, dropping the dollar and coins into the tip jar so I could get closer to Elena. She was just getting her coffee, and I scanned the room to see if any students would recognize us. We were far enough from the school that it might be safe and I grinned when there wasn’t a familiar face in sight.

  I caught her gaze as she turned to leave and mouthed for her to get a table as she smiled shyly. Elena turned and seemed to look the room over before finding a bistro table in the corner by a small fireplace and taking a seat. I grabbed my drink and the two slices of pumpkin bread that I’d ordered on a whim.

  CHAPTER 3

  Elena

  I sat down at the table and looked around again, feeling nervous as I searched for faces that looked familiar. There were none, and I looked down at the backpack that I’d set on the ground since I was considering getting some work done here today.

  Someone was sliding into the seat across from me, and I glanced up to see Liam smiling at me, his smile so charming that I lost my breath for a moment. “Good afternoon, Miss Carter.” His voice was low and husky as I blushed and looked at the table. “How are you?”

  “Good.” I sounded breathy, and I closed my eyes for a moment. “How is your day?”

  “It just got better,” he replied as I stared at him and turned my cup on the table.

  “Mr. Forsberg…is this okay for us to do?” I asked in a whisper as he licked his lips with the tip of his tongue. “I mean…there are rules.”

  “Right now, we’re just sharing coffee and some pastry. We’re discussing class, Elena. Nothing more,” he assured me softly as I finally took a sip of my coffee. It felt like more to me and judging from the heat in his eyes, it was the same way for him.

  Luckily, the shop was loud, and we could have a conversation without anyone noticing. We talked about the class and how I seemed to be doing, and Liam told me about his own years at school. He was thirty-eight years old and lived in Seattle in a condominium, making me feel so young as I thought about my small studio apartment. I wasn’t accomplished at all, just finishing school, and working several hours a week on my computer.

  Liam asked about me once we fell silent for a little while, and I chewed on my bite of the bread before I answered. “Well, I will be graduating in a year and a half or so, and I am an Art History major.”

  “I thought so. You have that look about you,” Liam mused as I smiled again. The guys that I met on campus were fumbling and never impressed me, but Liam had an ease about him that came with maturity and age. “Do you do anything else other than school? You look tired some days to me.”

  “I do some freelance writing at night to pay some bills. I got a partial scholarship, but the extra money helps me eat and have a little bit of a life, though I am a homebody by nature.” I smiled as he nodded. “I have a best friend here. Ginger. She is into the parties and knows the entire world. She always wants me to come with her, but I just feel awkward. I feel like I’m not good enough for them or something.”

  “Elena, don’t say that. College is tough and making friends is difficult, but you have Ginger. You’ll meet other people along the way.” I stared at him across the table.

  “I’m a Junior, Mr…Liam. I’ll be out of here soon enough, and it won’t matter.”

  “Are you dating anyone?” He asked me as I swallowed slowly and shook my head.

  “Dating is a hundred times harder than making friends,” I told him with a small smile as he took in my face with a slow sweep of his eyes.

  “I don’t know why. You’re beautiful.” I shook my head, looking down at the table to try and clear my thoughts.

  “You can’t think that,” I argued lightly as he cocked an eyebrow at me.

  “Why not?”

  “I meant that you shouldn’t think that. You’re my…teacher,” I barely said the last word as a chill raced down my spine and I gazed at him. “Liam, we can’t go there.”

  “I just want to get to know you,” Liam told me as I frowned. I never took risks in my life. Everything was planned to benefit my future, and I never strayed from my path.

  The weeks leading up to this encounter with Liam, I’d noticed a lot about him. Of course, he was gorgeous, but there were things about him that I memorized along the way. I loved the passion on his face during a lecture, when his enthusiasm filled the room. I didn’t share that for the subject at hand, but I appreciated that he did. I liked the way that his hands moved while he spoke, so large and manly as I wondered what it would be like to have him touching me sometimes.

  I saw the way that his eyes passed over me during class, feeling the short points of heat that washed over my body every time that we made eye contact. I knew that something was building between us and as much as it scared me, it also excited me. His eyes were so beautiful, and when he wore a certain blue button up shirt to class, they seemed to burst with color.

  He was wearing that shirt today under his jacket, and I took in the buttons that nearly went up to his neck, revealing his skin as I licked my lips. His skin looked soft, and I wondered what it would be like to press my lips against him as I blushed deeply.

  We had talked for another hour before I excused myself, knowing that I didn’t want to leave him. I wanted to go home with him and let him touch me the way that I’d been dreaming about for the past month. My need for him was strong, and I ducked outside into the cool air as I bit my lip in frustration. I wanted to go back to him and beg to go somewhere we could be alone, together.

  I was just turning to go when the door opened beside me, and I smelled him. I’d never been close enough before tonight, but now I knew that he smelled like the outdoors and a hint of mint. There was a cologne as well, but it was subtle under the other two scents, something woodsy. I looked up at him as he stepped close to me and touched my arms as he leaned down over me. “What are you doing?” I realized that this was the second time I’d unconsciously waited for him as he stroked my arms through the thick jacket that I wore.

  “Come home with me,” Liam whispered as I stared up at him in shock. “I need you, Elena. I fucking need you.”

  All the looks we’d exchanged in the class played through my head as I felt my desire for him bubbling to the surface. I had never wanted anyone the way that I did him and right or wrong blurred before me as he begged me with his intense gaze. “Liam,” I groaned as I struggled with my moral core. “God, we shouldn’t do this.”

  “You don’t think I know that? You don’t think that I fight this every damn second that I see you?” His voice was low and sent shivers down my spine as someone brushed by us, bringing us both back to reality. “I am going home, Elena. What are you going to do?”

  I reached out my hand once I was loose from his grip, telling him that I wanted his phone. He handed it to me with a curious gaze, and I sent myself a text before sliding it back to him. “Send me your address, Liam.”

  I turned to walk away as my heart pounded in my chest, terrified of what I was considering doing.

  Liam was my teacher. Liam was taboo. Liam was wrong for me.

  I fucking wanted him anyway.

  CHAPTER 4

  Liam

  I walked to my car, playing back what just happened. The time I spent with Elena was intoxicating, and I couldn’t help but to want more from her, following her from the shop as she left. She told me to tell her my address with a hungry look in her eyes, and I sa
t in my car and pulled out my phone to do so. My condominium was at the back of a complex and private, so I felt okay with her showing up. If she showed up.

  Logic might take over her senses, and I knew that it should. I knew that this shouldn’t happen, not with me being a teacher and her a student. Not with Elena being my student. Not at all.

  I made the drive home, acceleration rushing through my veins from all the coffee that I had as well as the hope to see Elena tonight. I wanted her alone, feeling my cock jerk in my pants at the thought of touching her. I wanted more every day that she sat in my class. I had the curve of her ass in skinny jeans memorized by the second week in class and fallen in love with her sweet smile as she met my eyes.

  I lived just a few miles away and pulled into the complex, parking in the very back of my house as my phone chimed. I glanced at the screen, and my heart jumped into my throat as I read that Elena was coming over.

  I rushed inside and picked up a little bit, wiping down a mess on the counter that I’d walked out on. I glanced in the fridge to see that I had wine, beer, soda and some juices and water to offer Elena. We just ate so I didn’t need to think about that, and there were a lot of places that delivered in Seattle.

  Jesus, I was acting like this was a date. She might decide not to even show up for all I know, and it wasn’t a date. I had no fucking idea what it was but the fact that I wanted her was primarily on my mind.