Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 103033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
“Oh crap,” Gael mumbled. “Um, hello, Professor Aavik.”
“Hello, dear.” Dean was as amused as I was. “If we pretend I didn’t already know you’re my student, you just gave yourself away.”
“Aw, man.” Gael made a face and zipped up his jacket higher, as if he was trying to retreat into it. “So this is embarrassing.”
“More like entertaining,” I offered.
Dean inclined his head to me, then decided to put Gael out of his misery. “There’s no reason for you to hide from me, Gael. I’m sure we can keep things professional in class despite the lifestyle we have in common. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Gael shuffled forward a couple steps. “Maybe. I guess I’m not very good at being a sneak.”
“That’s a good thing, sweetheart,” I told him.
“Very much,” Dean agreed. “We can leave the sneaking to Macklin. I’ve already renamed him troublemaker.”
Fitting name—though, I liked troublemakers too, Macklin included. It’d been a while since I’d seen him. And played with him. I knew he was finally back with his husband, something we’d all been waiting for. Sometimes, two stubborn men just needed to get their shit together and communicate better.
“I’ll admit I’m curious, though.” Dean tilted his head at Gael. “Why did you feel the need to hide from me in the first place? I’ve seen some of your interactions in Mclean’s history group, and you’re clearly vocal about your opinions—which are all correct, for the record. Screw what that Alpha imbecile is rambling about.”
Oh, I had a guess for this.
I eyed Gael and sensed his growing discomfort, how he broke eye contact and fidgeted with the zipper on his jacket.
“Maybe we let the boy keep some secrets,” I suggested. I gave Dean a brief, pointed look. “I’m sure he had his reasons.”
Knowing Macklin, he’d tried to set up Gael and Dean because he’d noticed someone’s interest.
Dean didn’t seem to get it but let things go, and out on the terrace, Reese welcomed everybody to the munch. In other words, it was time to get back out there.
“Excuse me, I just have to go to the bathroom.” Gael hurried down the stairs.
He wasn’t escaping again, was he?
I could give him a couple minutes.
“What am I missing?” Dean asked.
I rolled my eyes and leaned against the wall. “He’s into you, you lucky bastard.”
I could admit I was a little jealous.
“Oh.” Dean furrowed his brow. “Then there must be something wrong with him. I’m more than twice his age.”
So?
We were all consenting adults here, weren’t we?
“It’s not like he’s fresh out of high school.” I frowned. “He turns twenty-four in a few weeks”
He cocked a brow at me. “And I turned twenty-four thirty damn years ago.”
I grinned, having really missed his semi-uptight personality. It was all a ruse. A front. Have a couple drinks with him, and then… Nothing about him was uptight.
“Don’t give me that smile, Joshua.”
Or what?
I just wanted to…ruffle those sweater-vest feathers and get under his skin. I wasn’t sure anyone had ever succeeded in riling him up. He was always so composed and well-spoken. And he was the only one who refused to call me Santiago. He’d told me once that my name was Joshua and that it was beautiful. Then he’d downed his whiskey and left me hanging.
“Are you seeing anyone?” I had to ask.
Because that’d always been our problem. We’d never been single at the same time. We’d…flirted over drinks, we’d acknowledged each other from across a nightclub, we’d ended up in group play together—but commitment to others had kept us from exploring why we had this chemistry. He felt it too.
He sighed and took a step closer to me. “No. What about you?”
I shook my head. “I have my fingers crossed Gael will let me take him out to dinner at some point. That’s it.”
Dean hummed and took another step. “Are you telling me we’re both available, for once?”
“Sure sounds like it, doesn’t it?”
The disbelief and excitement I felt, not to mention the deep-rooted desire, were reflected in his eyes as he closed the last distance and ghosted the tip of his nose across my cheek. Lust flooded my senses, and I slipped my hands up his sides, picturing us naked and grabbing at each other, with him eventually pushing me down to fuck me hard.
I shuddered and nipped at his jaw.
Our bizarre little reunion took place in the shadows to the background noise of Reese and Colt entertaining a crowd…while I was waiting for Gael to return. Christ. This day was already everything I hadn’t dared hope for when I’d woken up.
Dean brushed his lips to the corner of my mouth. “Didn’t we agree once that we’d probably be trouble for each other?”
Something like that.
“I think we were drunk,” I said quietly. “We shouldn’t listen to ourselves when we’re drunk.” I tilted my face just enough, and I was right there, about to kiss him, when we got interrupted by a beeping signal.