Page 32 of Troy Story
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Dusty’s heartwas beating so loudly she was certain Stuart could hear it. With a shaky hand, she set down her wineglass before she dropped it. Though she wished he’d admitted he was secretly in love with her, this was a damn fine start.
As she looked into his eyes, the warmth in those ocean-blue depths filled her with a heady glow. She was torn between vaulting across the table and kissing him, and barraging him with questions. How long had he felt this way? Had he dreamed of her when he was with Shelby? Did he want more than just a few nights of passion? But right now, only one issue needed resolving. “What about Clarissa? I thought you were into her.”
“Nope. She’s sweet and smart, and I like working with her, but there’s no spark.” He gave her a sly grin. “Never once have I imagined her naked, underneath me, moaning while I do unspeakable things to her body.”
A flush of heat rose in Dusty’s cheeks. “Unspeakable, huh? You’ll have to give me more details.”
She wished he knew the truth—that he’d done alotof those things to her during that one evening of drunken passion—but she hesitated to bring it up. What if he was upset she’d never told him about their botched hookup? Since he didn’t remember any of it, maybe it was better if they started fresh.
Aware her face was still prickling with warmth, she tried to focus on the half-empty meze platter, spearing a piece of grilled eggplant with her fork, but she was too conscious of Stuart’s eyes on her. “What?”
“You’re cute when you blush like that. It’s not easy getting you to blush.”
“Stop it. We need to finish dinner. And even then…” She gnawed on her lip as she considered the logistics of their situation. “I don’t think we can have sex in the field house. The walls are paper-thin, and…”
And going from best friends to fuck buddies was a huge leap. Though she’d never had any qualms about jumping into flings before, she’d never felt this strongly about any of her romantic partners. Stuart wasn’t just a hot guy she wanted to nail. She was in love with him. If all he wanted was a romp in bed, she could get her heart broken.
As if sensing her unease, he reached across the table and took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. “Maybe it’s better if we don’t rush. This is all pretty new.”
She released a tight breath. “Right. It’s kind of overwhelming. But in a good way.”
“In the best way. I’m glad you weren’t upset. I wasn’t sure how you’d react.” His lips quirked up in a smile. “For all I knew, you might throw your wine in my face.”
“And waste perfectly good wine? Never.” She squeezed his hand. “Thanks for being honest. I didn’t say anything before because I didn’t want to mess up our friendship.”
“We won’t mess it up. I promise.”
His earnestness was so sweet that her eyes misted over. She blinked quickly, trying to get her emotions under control. But their server interrupted the tender moment by asking if they wanted more wine. Somehow, they’d drained the entire bottle.
“I think we’re okay,” she said. “Let’s get the check. Could we also get a few pieces of baklava to go?”
“Dusty, I promised you a whole dinner,” Stuart said. “All we’ve had is wine and appetizers.” But he was fishing his wallet out of his pocket, like he couldn’t wait to get going.
Sure, they could take it slow. And sex wasn’t an option until they could find somewhere private to do the deed.
But that didn’t mean they had to rush back to the field house yet.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
After Stuart paid the bill, Dusty grabbed the box of baklava and followed him out of the restaurant. When he took her hand and led her along the gravel path leading to the beach, butterflies spiraled through her. This was real. Not a dream, not a fantasy, but real life.
Stuartwantedher.
Upon reaching the sand, she kicked off her flip-flops and basked in the feel of the cool, damp grains beneath her feet. The wind tugged at her hair, brushing it across her face. Pushing it away, she looked up at him. Without saying a word, he pulled her toward him, stroked his fingers across her cheek, and kissed her gently. Just the faintest brush of his lips across hers. She opened her mouth a little wider and swept her tongue against his, tasting red wine. The sensation filled her with a delightful, fizzy happiness.
It wasn’t their first kiss, but it felt like it. The promise of a brand-new relationship with someone she’d loved for years. As his mouth claimed hers again, she pressed her body closer, her toes curling in the sand. He wove his hands through her hair, sending tingles of desire through her. Around them, gulls wheeled overhead, and waves broke against the shore. She couldn’t have asked for a more romantic setting.
When he pulled away, he sighed and smoothed a strand of hair from her face. “I wish we could keep going.”
“Me, too.” She leaned her head against his chest, taking comfort in his nearness. Even with the surf crashing in the background, the faint thump of his heartbeat was audible.
“I hate to ruin our delightful buzz, but we should probably figure out how public we want this to be,” he said.
She hadn’t even considered the optics. “I don’t want to get you in trouble. Technically, you’re a professor and I’m a grad student, so this isn’t a good look, but…” Her heart constricted with uncertainty. “I still want to be with you.”
“I do, too. But we don’t have to worry about the professor-student thing since you’re not one ofmystudents.”
