Besides, Saylor had a class to teach at one. She forced herself out of bed and visited the bathroom to relieve herself and take a shower. Like a goofball, she buried her face in Max’s damp towel and inhaled his scent.
If someone could bottle that yummy aroma, they’d make a million dollars. Immediately she shook her head. Saylor didn’t want anyone else getting to experience that appeal. She was already territorial about sharing him.
“I’ve got it bad,” she announced to the empty house as she pulled on her clothes.
Planning to leave Max a note, Saylor stopped at the kitchen island. A bright orange octopus stuffie sat on the island with a note propped up on its tail. She stroked her fingers over the soft fur.
“Hello! You are so soft, sweet boy. Who do you belong to?”
The stuffie continued to smile at her as he offered the sheet of paper. Grinning back, Saylor picked up Max’s message.
Good morning, baby girl!
I hope you slept well. I left a buddy for you to play with today. I found him on the doorstep early this morning, delivered especially for my favorite little girl. He’ll need lots of hugs today. I’ll see you in a few short hours.
XOXOXOX
Daddy
Saylor picked up the stuffie and hugged him close. He was the softest! She rubbed her cheek against him, instantly in love. “What should I name you?”
Extending her arms, she looked the stuffie over and considered possibilities. An octopus. Octo was too obvious. Pussy—no way. She looked at all his arms, or were those legs? How about Tapper? An image of a tap-dancing octopus entertained her brain, and she held the stuffie over the island, letting it romp around the flat surface. Happiness bubbled out of her as she giggled at the fun he had.
Maybe she should check that the stuffie would be happy with his name. Looking at her friend, she asked, “Can I call you Tapper?”He looked back at her and seemed to demand to dance again. Taking that as approval, she hugged the octopus tight against her chest. Saylor loved him already.
A thought crossed her mind. Was she supposed to leave Tapper here? He’d get lonely all by himself. Instantly, Saylor shook her head. She couldn’t abandon him.
Turning over the paper, she looked for a pen to write Max a message on the other side. When she found one in a drawer, she hurried back to the island, but hesitated. She wanted to keep Max’s note. Quickly, she decided to text instead.
Daddy,
Thank you for Tapper. He told me he’d be too lonely here by himself, so I took him with me. I hope that’s okay. I’m off to run home to change clothes for my afternoon class. Will I see you when you’re off work?
Saylor
After reading her message, she typed one more line.
PS. Can I sleep over again?
She hovered by the island for several seconds, wondering if her message was too much. She could rewrite it without that last line and throw the note away. Saylor reread his note. He’d left hugs and kisses. That meant he wanted her back, right?
Stiffening her spine, Saylor decided to leave her message as is. Even if he were too busy for her to come back over tonight, thatdidn’t mean that he wasn’t interested in her. They didn’t need to go from teacher and student to a dedicated couple spending all their free time together after two nights.
Crap!She was his teacher. That was completely frowned on by the university. They were both adults. He wasn’t eighteen, but a man who had faced so many challenges in life. Max also wasn’t an art major. This was an evening class he was taking because he enjoyed drawing.
The grading scale for these classes was fairly easy. Plus, anyone seeing his work wouldn’t question Max getting a good score. As long as he completed all the assignments, no one would question if favoritism played a role in her grading.
Saylor squeezed Tapper tight and pushed any worries from her mind. She deserved to be happy and wouldn’t fret over anything negative that might happen. Picking up her phone, she texted one more line:
PPS. XOXOXOXOXOX.
Driving back to her condo with Tapper on her lap, Saylor couldn’t believe how much had changed since she’d left her driveway to go to Max’s class. She didn’t feel isolated and cut off from everyone. Teaching could be a very lonely profession. The other university professors in her department were friendly enough, but they’d lived in this community for years. She was the newcomer.
Feeling lazy, she visited a drive-thru for a quick breakfast treat. That would have enough carbs to fuel her until after her class. She set Tapper carefully in the passenger seat so she didn’t drop any crumbs on the stuffie’s soft fur. One bite of the greasysandwich made her groan with delight. Somehow, she was going to have to share with Max that she enjoyed food he probably never ate.
They did have steak, she reminded herself. A man of Max’s size would need a lot of protein to fuel his body. Still, she couldn’t see him eating a triple bacon biscuit. He was in way too good of shape to have many of those empty calories.
Her mind drifted to his body. Damn, he was built like a Greek statue. Chiseled and powerful, Max had to be aware of how handsome he was. Saylor hadn’t noted a drop of over-inflated ego or conceit. Max was completely aware of his power and athleticism. That showed in his every move.
