Page 4 of Because of Us

“Technically, not until next week.”

One knife lodges itself in my throat. Another hits my chest, and a third finds home in my gut.

Every inappropriate thought from the past ten minutes gathers in my brain, forming a storm I have no hope of controlling. A single word leaps out, and I grasp hold of it. I shouldn’t, but I do.

She isn’ttechnicallya student. Yet.

But I can live with yet. I have to live with yet. Because if I don’t, I might crumble.

Madison doesn’t ask if I’m a student too. I don’t blame her. Although I’m young to be a professor, I’m visibly older than most students. The hair around my temples has a speckle of grey, and the smile lines around my eyes tend to stick.

I should ask her more, offer to get to know her. But I need to get us out of the library. Aside from the fact it will be closing soon, I can’t risk any faculty members seeing us.

“Do you want to go get a drink?”

There’s a glimmer in her crystal blue eyes this time she smiles. The corners of her eyes tilt up with her lips as she nods.

I’m glad the library is almost empty as we leave. No sneaky librarians poking their eyes around corners, spying on patrons. Madison stops to loan the book she won’t put down, and I fight the urge to ask her why she needs it. I don’t want to know.

At the campus bar, I choose a table for us in the back, angled away from the crowd that will no doubt begin to trickle in soon. We share a bowl of fries, and a pitcher of beer, and I can’t help but feel cosy. At ease in a way I haven’t in a long time. As though Madison’s sheer presence is enough to make me forget all my worries. All the worries that shouldn’t feel so terrible but somehow do.

“So, what do you do?” She asks as I pour the last dregs of beer into her glass.

I suck in a breath, worrying my lips. I don’t know what I should tell her. If I told her the truth, would she care? Before the pause drags too long, I blurt out an answer.

“I work at the university.” A half-truth, not a lie. It feels like a lie though.

A smirk tugs at one corner of her mouth. Her eyes dart around the room before landing on mine.

“Are we allowed to be here? Together?”

My knee shakes under the table.

“Technically, only until next week.”

Her gaze darkens as she inhales before letting the air out of her lungs in a deep sigh. Licking her lower lip as she leans forward on the table, her hands reach across for my own.

“We better make the most of it then.”

MADISON

The book on Oliver’s bedside table screams at me. I don’t want to think about what it means. I want to think about the man behind me. His hands roam over my body as he stirs awake, and I push my body closer to his.

I knock the book off the table. Tomorrow, I officially become a student.Hisstudent, if my suspicions are correct. I only have one day left with this man. I refuse to spend it thinking about the predicament we are sure to find ourselves in.

I’d only wanted one night. After we collided and I sobbed into his shoulder, Oliver showed me a kindness I would never have expected. His caring touch, his gentle voice, and the lust that filled his eyes ignited a spark inside me. I had to know what it would be like to let the fire spread.

But even after a whole week, I’m left craving more. Our bodies fit together in the most instinctual and lavish way. As though we were made for each other. The flame has engulfed us both, and feeling his nakedness against my own, I doubt I’ll ever be able to put it out.

A rush of cool air hits me. Oliver pulls the blankets down, ducking low until he rests between my legs.

“Good morning.” He stares up at me, a wicked grin across his face.

I squirm, kicking my legs at his shoulders. “I want breakfast.”

“Me first.”

His forearms find place over my thighs, holding me still while he drags his tongue up my core. Heat rushes through me, filling my belly. I rest back on the pillow, eyes rolling back in my head as he licks and sucks every inch of my pussy. His assault is relentless.

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