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“Hmm. Quitting your degree is a bit dramatic. You don’t want to do that—”
“I can’t anyway. I’ll lose my position on the team unless I do something else.”
“Well that sucks.” Addy was indignant, her watery eyes sparking with anger. For him. She was frustrated for him too, even though the mess he’d gotten himself into was entirely self-inflicted. The rock sitting on his chest crumbled just a little, his lungs expanding with air warmed by the sunshine she radiated. “Can you change degrees? Do something else that will get you a similar qualification?”
He shook his head, spinning his mug slowly. “I can’t. My grade point average is too low. Failing the subject twice killed it. At this point I’d struggle to get into pretty much anything else.”
She steepled her fingers and rested her chin on her thumbs, quiet for a moment. Her eyes snapped up, her spine straightened, and the smile that appeared on her face was excited. Over what though, he had no idea. But it didn’t much matter. She was radiant, her eyes bright and her pretty bow lips totally kissable. His body reacted like a puppet on a string.
Addy rushed out, completely oblivious, “I don’t know why I didn’t think of it earlier.” She bit her lip and Liam’s cock bucked hard, the semi he was sporting hardening even further. God damn this longing thing he had going for her was set to kill him. He had no idea how his dick was even still attached after last night’s session. But getting it up again was nothing short of a miracle.
He raised an eyebrow and adjusted himself under the table, shifting to loosen the pressure of his shorts on his cock.
“Okay, so you’re stuck in your degree with a subject you can’t get out of doing. I think your best bet is to re-enrol and get a private tutor. Some maths genius, perhaps?” She was looking at him expectantly, as if she knew a secret.
He huffed. At this point in time, anything was better than facing that stupid subject again. If he could get extra help, he might actually have a snowflake’s chance in hell of passing it. But who? His tutors wouldn’t spend any more time with him than they already had. The other students? Doubtful. “I’m shit outta luck with options and if I fail again, they’ll kick me out of the uni.”
“You do realize that my boyfriend is a maths teacher, don’t you? He’s brilliant at it.” She frowned. “But I don’t know if he knows statistics. You could ask him.”
“He is? Huh. Makes sense.” He had intentionally not asked any questions about the man, and the times they’d had dinner, he’d made sure to sit next to Lij so they could talk among themselves rather than being involved in the broader conversation. The less he knew about King, the better, because his dick was already obsessed. He didn’t need his heart falling for the bloke too.
The news shocked him. But perhaps it shouldn’t. King looked like a teacher—at least one of those model-esque teachers they pictured on social media memes that started with “what subject are you studying?” He had one of those kind voices too and was patient with everyone. Pop loved him and Addy’s mum thought the world of him. Liam had wanted to hate him. He’d acted like a dick that first time they’d met, and hadn’t been much better since, and yet the warmth that King radiated still drew him in.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She was defensive, but curious too.
Liam didn’t hesitate. He couldn’t blow his cover now. “He looked like he knew how to handle you, brat.” He wiggled his eyebrows and flashed his teeth in a grin, laughter escaping him when Addy barked out a laugh, flushing a pretty pink across her cheeks. Her eyes lit up with humour. He loved seeing it, especially when he’d seen the disappointment in her gaze earlier.
“He’s used to dealing with moody teenagers. When you start carrying on like you usually do, he’s right at home. He says you’re like his fourteen-year-olds.”
“I don’t act like a teenager,” Liam protested a little too vigorously. She was right, but he couldn’t help reverting to provoking a reaction out of both of them just to have a moment of their combined attention on him when they were together. An exaggerated eye roll was her only response.
“Call him. Maybe he can help.” She stood and walked the phone around the eight-seater square table. King’s number was already up on the screen.
He blew out a breath and looked up to her. Nerves assailed him, his belly flipping around as if he was doing cartwheels. On a roller coaster. Addy grasped his forearm reassuringly and Liam bit back a moan. His skin tingled where she gripped him and squeezed. His mind had conjured up infinite possibilities where she did exactly that to him, but never had those fantasies been so PG-rated.
King answered on the second ring. “Hey, beautiful.” His tone was warm, and the deep baritone sent a ripple of awareness through Liam. Images of thrusting hips and breathy moans with deeper growls assailed him. Broad shoulders and blunt fingernails raking down sweat-slicked skin flashed in his mind’s eye. The man had a voice made for sex. He could just imagine it being whispered in his ear. Growled as rough hands circled his hard cock.
Liam startled.Fuck me.
Blood rushed to his groin, his cock going from a semi to rock-hard, twitching and leaking pre-cum in a split second. Christ on a cracker. Even just hearing the man’s voice in his ear sent Liam’s thoughts spiralling. King was potent and Liam’s body’s instantaneous reaction had knocked his feet out from under him. He scrambled to regain his equilibrium. Choking out a self-conscious laugh, the quip flew off his tongue, his own inner brat making an appearance again. “I’m used to sexy and manly myself, but if you want to call me beautiful, go right ahead.”
The rasp in his voice gave away just how turned on he was. Clearing his throat, and shifting in his seat, Liam hoped like hell that the wet patch he could feel on his shorts hadn’t leaked all the way through.
“Who is this?” King demanded, the warmth in his voice replaced with a harsh bark. Anger and protectiveness, and a healthy dose of fear coated the words. Liam kicked himself, hating that he’d automatically reverted to an attention-seeking dickhead again.
Chastised, he put the phone on speaker. “Sorry, it’s Liam. I’m here with Addy. She suggested I call you and…” This was stupid. He didn’t deserve King’s help, and even if he got it, he’d likely screw up over and over until King hated him.
There was silence on the other end for a moment. “And? What did you need, Liam?”
“Never mind—” Addy squeezed his arm again, grumbling about stupid men and tried to snatch the phone out of his hand. He held on tight, his lips turning up in a smile when she growled at him and smacked him gently across the back of the head.
“Ask him,” she ordered impatiently.
“She suggested I ask you for help.” He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ve failed statistics twice and I was hoping you could tutor me when I retake it. It’s running again over the summer. Do you know statistics? Is it something you could help me with? I’d pay you.” He was rambling, his words tumbling out of him like an avalanche, nervous energy at having King on the line and Addy’s hand still on him coalescing.
King’s voice was relieved, a sigh and a smile both in his tone. “Statistics? Yeah, I’ve taught it before at high school level. Do you have the materials from this semester I can take a look at? Yours might be a whole lot more advanced than what I’ve done.”
For the first time in a long time, hope flared in his chest. Even if King hadn’t taught it at the same level, he knew some of it. He understood the basics, which was more than what Liam did.
