As I turned to leave, I heard him whisper, “Don’t go.”
My steps faltered, and I looked down at his sleeping form. My rational side told me I should walk out and go home, but the rest of me wanted to stay with him. So, against my better judgment, I sat down in the recliner and made myself comfortable.
Before I realized it, I fell asleep too.
* * *
The following day,I woke with a jolt, momentarily forgetting where I was. I looked around and saw Hayden still sleeping on the couch beside me. Knowing he’d likely have a hangover and would need to eat, I decided to make him breakfast after a quick trip to the bathroom to freshen up.
Once I started a pot of coffee, I began searching for ingredients in his state-of-the-art kitchen. His fridge was well-stocked, and I opted to make some eggs, bacon, and toast.
From the corner of my eye, I watched Hayden enter the kitchen. His slightly messy honey brown hair and wrinkled clothes didn’t detract from how hot he was. If anything, it made him sexier.
“Good morning,” I greeted.
His eyes widened. “You’re making breakfast?”
“Uh, yeah. It’ll be ready soon, and I made some coffee.” I pointed to the coffeemaker on the counter.
“Thanks,” he grumbled before pouring himself a cup and taking a sip. “I … I think I owe you an apology for my behavior last night.”
I waved him off. Despite knowing we probably needed to have a conversation about what happened, I didn’t want him to feel bad. “Don’t worry about it. I live in a frat house. Dealing with drunk guys comes with the territory.”
“But I’m not one of your frat brothers. I’m your professor.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m well aware of who you are. You’ve reminded me of that fact several times, yet you’re the one who invited me over.”
“I shouldn’t have—”
“Why don’t we eat first and then we can talk?”
He stared at me for a second before nodding. “Okay.”
While frying a couple of eggs for both of us, I couldn’t stop thinking about how our conversation would go.
Would we finally admit we couldn’t stay away from each other, or would we call an end to things once and for all?
10
HAYDEN
While sippingmy coffee and willing my headache to go away, I watched Tyler move around my kitchen as if he were familiar with it. He stood at my stove and cracked an egg into a skillet. His jeans hugged his lower half in all the right places. My gaze moved to his ass, and I couldn’t stop staring even if I tried. No matter how much I told myself I had to stay away, I found I was drawn to him. Like he was some sort of light in the darkness that had consumed my life for so long.
I didn’t know why it had to be Tyler because all the red flags were there telling me to stop. But each of those warnings weren’t about the man himself but rather the consequences of being involved with him. Not once since I’d been single again had I wanted more than one night with someone and I didn’t understand why after all these years, he came along now. And, of course, he had to be my student.
“Sunny-side up or over easy?”
My eyes flicked up to his, and I cracked a smile. “Over medium.”
Tyler grinned back and said, “Okay, I can do that.”
“Where’d you learn to cook? Doesn’t your frat house have a chef?” At least we had a chef when I attended Hawkins University.
He reached into a cabinet and pulled out a plate. “Before I left for college, my mom made sure I could prepare a few things so I wouldn’t starve.”
“There’s always the campus cafeteria.”
Using a spatula, he slid the egg out of the pan and onto the plate with ease. “Yeah, I ate there when I lived in the dorms, but she insisted I learn what she considered the basics just in case.”
