Page 50 of Teach Me Your Ways

21

GRADY

Ilived in a little house pressed up against the dunes. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for me. And I was rarely in the house. At least, I tried not to be.

I didn’t go through a bunch of trouble decorating the place. It wasn’t a big deal because the only guest I ever really had was Felix and that guy didn’t give a shit. But a woman? Shit. Not just any woman. Cece. She was different than any of the one-nighters I had.

Those women were nameless. Some were even faceless. I never invited anyone to stay over. I usually preferred to go to their place or a hotel. It was cleaner. No fuss, no muss.

I heard her car coughing and sputtering in my driveway. I cringed and shook my head. The thing was a death trap. I walked to the door and opened it, waiting for her to make her way up the walk. My cock jumped at the sight of her. Why in the hell did my body have such a literal hard-on for her?

She showed up in shorts and a loose T-shirt, hair pulled back but still perfect in a messy, casual way. Despite the plain clothes that were absolutely un-sexy, she was still absolutely stunning. My pulse kicked in like I’d just sighted the wreck of a Spanish galleon, right in front of me.

“Hey,” I said quietly, stepping aside. “Come in.”

She slipped inside. I closed the door and turned to face her. I wasn’t super worried anyone would notice her car in my driveway, but just in case. I didn’t want to have someone from the university driving by and see me talking to a student on my doorstep.

I wasn’t sure how to start the conversation I knew we needed to have. I was out of my element.

I cleared my throat. “You sounded serious in your text.”

She swallowed. “I wanted to talk.” Looking me in the eye, she exhaled. “We need to be adults. We have to see each other and work together and this weird vibe we’ve had going isn’t going to work for me. I think we have to figure this out.”

I nodded. “Yeah. We do.”

She looked relieved.

“Can I get you a drink?” I asked.

“Uh, yeah, please.”

“Beer? Water?”

“Beer.”

I walked to the fridge and grabbed two bottles. I quickly twisted the caps and returned to the living room. She was still standing there awkwardly.

“Sit?”

“Uh, yeah, thanks.”

She sat down on the sofa while I moved to sit in the only chair in the living room. Sitting on the sofa was too tempting. We had to keep our distance if we had any chance of having an actual conversation.

I watched as she took a long drink. “We can’t do this.”

It was direct. Simple. No bullshit. That was exactly why I liked her. She didn’t waste time on stupid games.

I exhaled. “Yeah. We can’t.”

“For so many reasons,” she murmured.

“Look, I’d be fired. The university’s code doesn’t just forbid fraternization—it punishes it. As your professor and boss, I’d be on Dean Carver’s most wanted list for policy violations.”

She nodded, taking another sip of beer.

“There’s also the age gap,” I continued, running a hand through my hair. “We are in different phases of life.”

“You’re not that old,” she said quietly.