Addiction

26

I went over to James and clasped my hands behind his neck. "You seem to have won over my dad."

"You never told me how intimidating your father is."

"I didn't know he had an intimidating bone in his body until today."

"Maybe it's because I had to zip up my pants when they came in."

"Do you think they heard that?"

"Well if they didn't, the accelerated heart rate may have tipped them off. Or my rambling about sleeping next to you."

"You were so flustered. It was cute. And mortifying, of course."

"Or I guess they could have just been surprised that you finally had a boyfriend after all these years."

"Shut up and kiss me."

He laughed and placed a kiss against my lips. "I like that I'm your first boyfriend, Penny."

"And I like that you're my first boyfriend. I feel like we're a normal couple right now. It's refreshing."

"Do normal couples usually hang out in hospitals?"

"No. Can we go back to your place now?"

"Yes." He picked me up in his arms.

I couldn't help but laugh. He seemed so happy today. I had forgotten how wonderful he could be. We had fought so much. "You don't need to carry me. My legs work fine."

"I know." He pulled me to his chest. "I want to."

I rested my head against his chest and breathed in his familiar scent. "You smell really good. Have I ever told you that?"

"No, you haven't."

I looked up at the scruff under his chin as he stepped into the elevator. He hit the button with his elbow.

"You can put me down if you need to."

"I don't need to." The elevator doors opened and he stepped out onto the main floor. He carried me out the entrance and set me down on my feet. It was pouring. "I'll pull the car up."

"I like the rain."

"Yeah, you're not getting a cold on top of everything else. I promised your parents I'd take care of you." He pulled his hood up and gave me a peck on the lips. "I'll be right back."

He ran into the rain. I watched him until he disappeared from view. I put my hands in my pockets and felt the envelope. I didn't want to think about it. Right now I just wanted to enjoy being with him. Maybe we could have a more serious conversation in a few days.

His car pulled up under the veranda. He quickly got out and opened the door for me. I walked over to him. He was completely soaked.

"You're really handsome."

"Get in the car, Penny."

"You love bossing me around."

"I like when you listen to me."

"I know." I slid into the seat and he closed the door behind me. When he got into his seat, he unzipped his wet hoodie and threw it into the backseat. His abs looked even sexier when they were wet. He turned on the heat and pointed one of the vents at me. After I buckled my seatbelt, he put the car in drive and we sped off.

When we were on the highway, he put his hand on the center console, palm up. I put my hand on top of his. He intertwined his fingers with mine.

"So you liked my parents okay?"

"Your parents are fantastic. And I appreciated that they tried to ignore the fact that we're, well...you know."

"Banging?"

"You're very eloquent with your words, Miss Taylor." He flashed me one of his smiles that made my knees weak.

"Are you going to get in trouble for canceling so many of your classes?"

"I haven't canceled that many classes."

"You cancel class all the time."

Professor Hunter laughed. "Well, no one has said anything to me yet. I doubt any students would complain about having more free time."

"True. But I really do feel better. Maybe we should both go to class tomorrow."

"The doctor specifically said to take tomorrow off."

"I know. But I've been skipping class a lot recently. And when I went I barely paid attention."

"I noticed."

I bit my lip and looked out the window. "I'm going to fail statistics. I've never failed a class in my life."

"Then why do you think you're going to fail?"

I looked back at him. "My Stat professor has a really thick accent and it's hard to understand him. I was teaching myself by reading the book but I was so unmotivated recently that I've fallen really far behind. And there's a test next week. And I don't even understand why I'm bad at it. I was great at math in high school. I took A.P. Calculus and I never had a problem."

"It's more business oriented than math oriented."

I laughed. "I guess I suck at business then. That's not great for the major I chose. Either way, I think I need to hire a tutor."

"I can tutor you."

"In Stat? You're a marketing professor."

Professor Hunter laughed. "So you really haven't read that much about me online then?"

"Not much, no. Are you secretly a statistics expert?"

He laughed again. "No, I wouldn't say that. But it is your lucky day, because you're dating a genius."

"I know that you're intelligent, but you took Stat ages ago. You're forgetting that you're an old man."

"Do you want my help or not?"

I laughed. "Yes."

"Good. You're definitely not going to fail Stat."

"That's very sweet of you to take such an interest in my education, professor."

"I have selfish motivations."

"And what are those?"

"I don't like to see you upset. And I'm pretty sure you'd be upset if you failed a class."

"Yeah, probably." I ran my fingers across the palm of his hand and up the inside of his forearm. "Any other reason?"

"If you have to retake classes you'll be in school forever."

"And that would bother you?"

"Yes, it would bother me." He pulled into the parking garage underneath his apartment building. He parked between two of his other cars and turned off the engine. "When you graduate I can finally have you all to myself."

He grabbed his sweatshirt out of the back seat and climbed out of the car. All to himself? When he opened the door for me, I grabbed his hand and we walked over to the elevator. After sliding his access card in the reader, the doors slid open and we both stepped on.

"Well after I graduate, I'll get a job. If anything, we'll probably have less time together."

"Maybe."

"You don't think I'll be able to find a job?"

"I didn't say that." He let go of my hand and leaned against the wall beside me.

"Then what do you mean?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I just meant that you won't really need to work."

"Of course I will."

"Not necessarily." The elevator came to a stop and Professor Hunter swiped his other access card through the reader. He lifted me into his arms and carried me into his apartment.

"So that's your master plan for after I graduate? You want me to stay in your apartment all day while you work? I'd be bored out of my mind."

"Well, it would be our apartment, not mine."

"No it wouldn't. I wouldn't have any money to pay for my half of the rent."

He laughed as he put me down on the couch. He knelt down on the floor beside it. "I have enough money for both of us, Penny. Besides, I don't rent this apartment. I own it."