“I’m glass waiting to fall,” she whispered.
“I won’t let you break.”
His lips found hers and she gave over to the press of his lips, the weight of his body.
He removed her bra and she stretched beneath him. He could have been the first. No one had ever touched her with such tenderness. As his mouth closed over her nipple she held him to her, knowing he likely heard the rapid beating of her heart.
She pulled at his shirt and he sat up, lifting it over his head. He was beautiful. Regardless of his age, Alec was in impeccable shape. His chest was dusted with dark hair and his skin was dark in contrast to hers. Her fingertips dragged over his tapered abdomen. She’d never seen a man quite like him.
He slowly stood and reached for the buttons of her jeans. She kicked off her shoes and toed off her socks as he lowered her pants. As the denim peeled off her legs she waited, waited for the emptiness to seep in, waited for the darkness to return and blank her mind, but it didn’t and all she saw was him.
He bent and when he stood he was naked. Her breath sucked tight, filling her lungs. He was different, older, handsome in a distinguished sense she’d never seen before.
The mattress dipped as he crawled beside her. He didn’t just get to it. He held her, touched her. It was sexual, but on so many levels it wasn’t. His hand traced over her ribs, her hips, her jaw. She was there, ready, but he was in no rush.
“You take my breath away, Sheilagh.”
Her lashes lowered as he pressed his lips to hers. His warm hands danced over her flesh and she was amazed she remained in the moment, feeling, experiencing every breath and beat of his heart.
When he eased on top of her she could only see him, his hazel eyes, his dark hair, his broad shoulders. She parted her thighs and he fit himself to her sex. “Look at me.”
She’d been looking, but now she saw, saw that this was more than just an encounter to him, saw how much he wanted her. He pressed into her and she inhaled deeply.
He was large and filled her completely. His hands lifted her back off the bed as he began to move. She stretched and preened with each slow thrust, feeling every bit of his presence inside of her, around her, creeping into her soul.
His mouth kissed her shoulders. This was different. He held her in a way no one ever had before. She broke every time in the past, but now she was held in the safety of his arms, protected by the strength that emanated from him. It was as though he was healing all the tiny fractures.
As they rocked slowly her body tightened. He breathed into her shoulder and she cried out as her climax took her to a place where sound silenced and color was born.
His fingertips dragged over her spine. Her feet pressed into the mattress as he thrust with long, deep strokes. It went on and on, and she’d never experienced such a unique sense of unity.
He thrust deep and held her. His dark lashes lowered and his face transformed as bliss took hold of him. Heat bathed her sex and she quivered.
As he lowered her to the bed, his lips pressed a kiss to her temple. Without separating their bodies, he turned them to their sides. She blinked at him, so close she could see every fleck of gold and dark splash of green in his irises.
Slow fingers toyed with the hair behind her ear. “Do you want to sleep?” he asked quietly.
“For a little.”
They slept just as they were, bodies connected, face to face. She slept peacefully, knowing he held her and tonight she wouldn’t break.
* * * *
Alec awoke with his arms wrapped in pure heaven. He breathed in her scent and committed it to memory. Tonight he realized something about Sheilagh he was surprised he’d missed until now. Sheilagh was severely depressed.
It all made sense, the whiskey, her procrastination over the past six years, her isolated existence, her fear of introspection. He ached for her and wanted to protect her, because he sensed her preparing to run again. Not from him, but from the life she couldn’t escape.
She shifted and he tightened his arms as her copper lashes lifted and soft jade eyes stared into his. “Hi.”
Her full burgundy lips curved. It was a genuine smile, a gift for him. His body hardened. While they slept their legs had separated them, but he found her warmth and pressed back inside.
She sighed. “What time is it?”
“I don’t know.”
She curled her knee over his hip and he rolled slowly to his back. Lowering herself to take all of him, she lifted and slowly began to ride him. Everything she did was sensual.
Her fingers pressed into the hair at his chest and her vibrant hair fell over her shoulders as she glided up and down. It had never felt so right to be inside of a woman.
He brushed the strands over her shoulders and she flexed her hips, rotating slightly and causing them both to moan. Her head tipped back, and he was engulfed by pleasure.
Her beautiful breasts hung full, tipped with perfect peaks. His thumb traced down her velvet skin and she moaned as he teased her nipples. Dropping his other hand to her hip, he lifted and thrust into her.
She cried out as his fingers found her clit and teased her to climax. Watching her quiver over him, jaw slack, throat working, pulse fluttering, he didn’t know if there had ever been such a pure display of beauty.
When her climax finished she tumbled onto his chest. He rolled her to her back and thrust hard, filling her. Her legs wrapped around him, ankles knotting at the base of his spine. He pressed into her, going as deep as he could and soon he was shuddering as his own release took hold.
He collapsed beside her and they caught their breath. “We didn’t use a condom,” she whispered, dousing the soft moment with reality.
He swallowed hard. “I haven’t been with anyone in two years. I’m healthy.”
“Pregnancy, Alec.”
He cleared his throat. “I can’t get a woman pregnant. I had a vasectomy after my divorce.”
She was quiet. They were only living in a moment, although he wanted more than that, but the fact that he couldn’t have children shouldn’t affect her. She should be relieved since they’d slipped up.
“What are you thinking about,” he finally asked.
“My nieces and nephews.”
Was she contemplating children because he couldn’t have any? That would mean she was thinking into the future, a place he wanted to visit with her but wouldn’t yet mention because he didn’t want to push too hard.
“Do you want children?”
She shrugged, but he sensed she was trying to appear indifferent. If they became a couple and actually managed to make this work, there were ways around his situation. It was considered permanent, but he’d known men who had the procedure reversed.
“I come from a big family. That’s all I know.”
He let that be the last comment on the subject. “Are you hungry?”
“I could eat.”
“I can order a pizza. Plain?”
“Okay.”
He reached for his phone and dialed the pizza parlor in town. Once the order was placed he stood and used the bathroom. As he emerged from the bathroom he asked, “Do you want to shower?”
She nodded and followed him into the bathroom. Her body was incredible. She had a perfect hourglass figure.
He reached into the stall and turned on the water. She gave him a sheepish look. “What?”
“I need a minute to myself first.”
Oh. Right. He nodded and backed out of the bathroom and shut the door. A few seconds later she called, “You can come back in now.”
When he entered she was already in the shower. He climbed in behind her and she faced him. Her hair was already wet and darker from the water. Her eyes were large and she smiled at him. Unable to resist, he kissed her.
Their wet bodies wrapped around each other. Everywhere she touched burned. He wanted her again, but the pizza would be there soon.
Reaching for a washcloth, he soaped it up and dragged it over her lily-white flesh
. When he reached between her legs she looked away and blushed. He kissed her shoulder then turned and made quick work of washing himself.
She rinsed and stepped out and he followed suit. “I have a robe hanging on the back of the door. You’re welcome to use it,” he said as he dried himself off.
The robe swallowed her as she slipped it on. “Do you have a comb I could use?”
He reached in the drawer and handed her his brush. Something inside him tightened at the sight of her using his things and wearing his robe. He liked it.
Tossing his towel in the hamper, he left to find pants. Sheilagh followed him, as quiet as a shadow, and his heart skipped a beat every time their eyes met. “We should go downstairs and wait for the pizza.”
Once downstairs she settled onto the sofa. There was a knock at the door and he grabbed his wallet as he let the delivery guy in.
“Hey, Dr. Devereux. How’s it hanging?”
“Hey, Steve. I’m good. You not going home for holiday?” he handed over a twenty.
“Nope. Gotta work.”
“Well, keep the change.”
When Steve looked up to thank him, his eyes caught on Sheilagh. He smiled and nodded. “Thanks. Enjoy your night.”
Alec shut the door and turned, box in hand. “Did you want to eat in the living room? I could make a fire.”
She had a peculiar expression on her face. He liked that smile. It was mischievous.
“What’s so funny?”
“He’s in my Astronomy class.”
Alec’s breath stilled and then he relaxed and shrugged. “Steve’s a good kid. I had him last semester. He won’t say anything.”
He placed the box on the table and went to get plates and napkins. When he returned she said, “You call us kids.”
“No, I don’t. Well, maybe I do, but I don’t think of you as a kid.”
“You better not.”
She slid two slices onto two plates and he thought for a moment. He didn’t think of her as a kid. He thought of her as a woman, so much so, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
“Does our age difference bother you?”
She shrugged and bit into her slice. “No. You don’t look forty. And I haven’t been a kid in years. When we talk, you make me forget we aren’t the same age.”
“You don’t act like my other students.”
She snorted. “I should hope not. If that were the case we’d have a serious problem.” She stilled. “Have you ever had an affair with another student?”
The term affair struck him as tawdry and wrong. “No. I was with my wife for a long time. It took years for me to date again. I never met anyone I really wanted to pursue things with. I’ve been with a few women since the divorce, but never anyone associated with the college.”
He pulled off another slice. “Have you ever been with someone my age?”
She placed her plate on the table. “Maybe. I don’t usually check their ID.”
He blinked at her cavalier reply. “How many were there, Sheilagh?”
She looked away and he regretted asking. “Enough. Every time I wanted it to be different, but every time it was the same. We’d do it. I’d enjoy it for a split second. When it was over we’d ignore the awkward feelings and say goodbye. I never sleep with the same person twice.”
“You slept with me twice.”
“You’re different.”
Her words leveled him. He tossed his pizza on the box and pressed her back into the couch as he kissed her. When they pulled apart, he whispered, “You know you’re different too.”
She looked away. “You didn’t finish your pizza.”
“I’m hungry for something else.”
She smiled. “I like when you do that.”
“What?”
She glanced down at her hips. “That.”
“I have a confession,” he whispered as he licked her neck.
She arched and he pulled open her robe. “What?”
“I love doing that. Especially to you.”
“Really?”
He kissed down her breasts and over her tummy. “Yes.”
Her thighs parted and he scooted lower. Her soft pink folds glistened and he leaned in to taste her. She moaned as he kissed her clit. His thumbs parted her and his tongue speared between her folds.
He fucked her slowly with his mouth until she was writhing beneath his touch. Slipping two fingers inside of her, he reached for her G-spot. Her spine stretched when he found it. His lips closed over her clit and he suckled, pressing into the soft tissue behind the bundle of nerves.
She came hard, her throaty voice calling his name and he licked up every taste. When he finished he rested his cheek on her hip as she panted. “I’ll do that as often as you like. You taste amazing.”
She sighed. “Sounds like a plan.”
Eventually he stood and lit a fire. It wasn’t cold, but a fire was nice. He rarely found cause to have one, living by himself. He spread the quilt onto the floor and tossed some pillows over it.
Grabbing a bottle of wine and two glasses, he met her on the floor. “This is nice,” she said as he passed her a glass of merlot.
“I haven’t done anything like this in years,” he admitted. “My romantic side is badly out of practice.”
She smirked. “Well, I haven’t done this ever, so you’re scoring pretty high right now.”
They lounged with their backs against the foot of the sofa and stared at the fire. “Are you still going home tomorrow?”
“I have to. My family’s expecting me.”
“Do you no longer want to?”
She gave a slight motion with her bare shoulder. “You’ll be here all alone all week. Everyone’s gone. I could hide out here and no one would know.”
True. The thought of her staying the week with him, without worry of who might see, sounded spectacular. “That’s an option.”
“I wasn’t inviting myself,” she quickly said.
He turned and frowned. “Of course not. I want you to stay with me.”
They were silent for a moment. “When I get back everything will go back to the way it was, won’t it?”
He didn’t know how to answer that. “I need to find out exactly what the policy is for dating students.”
“I thought it was against the rules.”
“I’m not really sure. It’s definitely thought of as inappropriate by the majority, but I haven’t found anything in writing yet.”
“You looked?”
“Guilty. After the other night I was curious. It took everything I had to leave you like that. I’m sorry.”
She wiggled her toes and looked away. “I don’t understand why it’s taboo. We’re adults. I’m not in your class anymore…”
He wished she were. He missed reading her essays and seeing her every few days. “It’s a moral issue. If you were still in my class our relationship would be seen as inherently exploitative. It’s also a matter of professional conduct. Some might view the relationship between student and teacher as that shared between a therapist and patient. The lines are blurred, as every situation is different, but there is definitely a line there. It’s an issue of power and trust.”
“I don’t see why it’s anyone’s business but ours.”
He twirled a piece of her hair around his fingers. It was still damp from their shower. “It isn’t. If we keep our business private we shouldn’t have a problem.”
After a few minutes she asked, “Are we just sleeping together? Is that what this is?”
He turned and faced her. She was so tough yet so fragile. “If it’s just sex, Sheilagh, I’m not interested. I want you, all of you.”
She smiled ruefully, as if afraid to believe his words. “Nobody’s ever said that to me before.”
His heart raced. He didn’t want to push too hard. “I’d like to show you a lot of the things I think you’ve missed along the way. I know I’m not always easy, but I would never intentionally hurt you. I…I want to know that wha
t we have is something I can count on, something we can both count on.”
Her smile grew. “Are you asking me to be your girlfriend, Dr. Devereux?”
That was exactly what he was trying to do. “Yes.”
Her lips pressed tight, but the smile was there, impossible to hide. “I’ve never really had a boyfriend. I mean, I’ve dated and had sex, but…”
Mind-boggling. “How would you like one?”
“I think it would be nice.”
He kissed her, tired of seeing that cheeky smirk. She was taunting him. Against her lips, he asked, “Does that mean yes?”
She giggled. “Yes.”
An hour later she sat across from him and made the call.
“Mum?”
The voice on the other line was loud and he could make out the words almost perfectly.
“Sheilagh, love! I’m cooking up a storm, getting’ ready for your return home. The boys have a surprise for you.”
“What?” He saw she was happy when she spoke to her family.
“I’m not supposed to say a word, but you know me. My loose lips have been sinking ships since I learned to talk. They’ve fussed with your room.”
She stiffened. “What do you mean?” Then she growled. “What did they do?”
“It’s nothin’ too terrible. They’ve painted it pink.”
“What? Those cocksuckers!”
“That they are, love, but they did it because they’re missin’ you. You know how they rag on you out of love.”
“I’m going to kill them.”
Alec wasn’t sure why this was such a big deal. It sounded to him like her brothers cared for her very much.
“So what time will we be seein’ you tomorrow?”
Her scowl faded. “About that… I don’t think I’m leaving until Wednesday now.”
“Oh?”
“I sort of volunteered to help out one of the professors at the school.”
Gaping at her, Alec silently laughed and nibbled her knee. She kicked him.
“Oh, that’s nice of you. I can’t say your brothers will be happy. They still have paint left.”
“You tell them the next person who screws with my stuff is losing a kidney.”
“Will do, love. Call me Tuesday so I know when to expect you.”