AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I hug my phone to my chest.
“His place,” I whisper. Full ofhisthings. His books, his clothes, his smell. His bed... I haven’t felt raw, unabashed excitement like this since I was a kid. Sure, Gavin’s a lot older than me, and my dad would go ballistic if he knew we were seeing each other.
But I’ve been living the life my father chose for me for over twenty years. I want to make a decision for myself for a change.
So today, I’m choosing Gavin.
I reply:I’d love to.
Chapter Five
Gavin
The nice thing about first days is there isn’t much to do besides make quick introductions and go over the syllabus. My back-to-back Lincoln in History and American Civil War classes go off without a hitch.
I let my students out early for lunch and then head upstairs to my office. On the way, I pass Erica Kelley descending the antique wooden staircase with a hand on her belly.
“Afternoon, Erica.” I point to the heavy-looking tote bag hanging off her shoulder. “Need a hand with your bag?”
The stony glare she shoots my way is the only reply she affords me. Seeing as how our offices are on the same floor, I have a hunch these less-than-friendly interludes are bound to be a weekly, if not daily, occurrence.
Too bad Erica isn’t the member of the Kelley family I’m dying to see more of. My phone’s been burning a hole in my pocket since I felt it vibrate in the middle of my last class.
I invited Alexis to my place for dinner Friday, and even though I’m almost positive she’s going to accept my offer, part of me feels like a middle schooler who’s just passed a note to the prettiest girl in class.Will you go out with me? Circle yes or no.
I hope to God she says yes.
After exchanging some quick words with my colleagues, I head into my office. I’m convinced the closet at my old house has more than a few square inches on this place, which is par for the course when you’re the new guy in an old building. There’s barely enough room for my desk, a couple of chairs, and a bookcase, but I left my previous teaching gig before I could graduate to a room with a window, so I consider this office an upgrade.
I power up my laptop and then pull out my phone. Anticipation makes my thumbs shake as I tap the notification bar and select Alexis’s message.
She’d love to have dinner at my place Friday night.
Excitement and desire surge through me. I catch myself grinning at my phone. In three days, Alexis will be in my apartment.
I type,Great. See you then. <3, hit send, and immediately second guess my response.
Fuck me, the heart was too much. But now that it’s there, I can’t delete it. And, if I’m honest? I don’t want to.
No one in my life has ever triggered such a rush of emotion. She’s got me coming on stronger than I have any right to, given how long it’s been since we knew each other, but she meets my fervor head on like she’s not afraid to lose. I know she’s had her heart broken before—twice by me. Yet she doesn’t flinch at the thought of us getting involved.
There’s no denying that the stress from Bonnie’s affair and our messy divorce jaded me. Seeing Alexis so eager to jump in with both feet is as impressive as it is exhilarating. I feel more alive than I have in years, high on the promise that I’m going to see her again soon.
I scroll up to look at the selfie she sent me this morning. My God, she’s gorgeous. A very big, very hard part of me regrets leaving her last night. I still can’t fucking believe I sent her a video of me stroking my dick.
My ex and I exchanged sexy pictures on occasion before we were married, but those pics were chaste compared to the video I made for Alexis. I don’t know what possessed me to hit record instead of the shutter button.
As soon as the red dot started flashing, I just did what came naturally.
I wanted to make certain she knew that my leaving wasn’t a form of rejection, and the easiest way to do that was to show her the effect she had on me. I needed her to see and hear that I was thinking about her. There should be no doubt in her mind that I’mstillthinking about her today.
It’s a damn good thing I don’t actually have to teach this week, because I won’t be able to focus on anything until she’s back in my arms.
But that’s not the only reason I invited her to my place.
My attraction to Alexis is undeniable. I have every intention of finishing what we started last night, but I also can’t wait to sit across from her and actuallytalk. I want to know what she’s been doing the last five years, what college she went to, if she went to college. For all I know, she could’ve graduated early and be working on her master’s now.
A series of knocks on my open door wrenches my attention from Alexis’s cleavage.
