Kelsey wiled away her afternoon at, of all places, the Blue Heron Cafe. She’d spent $48 on plate of four cucumber sandwiches, a tiny scone that was the size of a doughnut hole and more Earl Grey than she’d ever had in her life. The cafe was located on the opposite end of the beach from Lumen Cove, the last stop on the boardwalk before the stairs descended to the semiprivate beach of the Bellengrath neighborhood. It attracted mostly tourists and the wealthy crowd and Kelsey now understood why; the Earl Grey was the cheapest thing on the menu at $8 per cup

She walked away from English class that afternoon without turning back. She passed the bathrooms at the end of the hall, which was where she had originally intended to go, just to get herself together and calm her racing heart, but didn’t stop even after she was out the side doors of the school and into the early October chill. She didn’t know where she was going but it felt good to be moving, burning her manic energy and stretching her sore legs. She just needed to be by herself for a while, did not want to see any familiar faces, longed for an anonymity that was near impossible in a small town like Lambency. It was the first time she ever regretted not having a driver’s license.

When the waiters began wiping down tables for the night, Kelsey reluctantly paid her tab and gathered her things. Despite spending nearly five hours there she hadn’t got much studying done. Her mind was an open cage, thoughts flitting in and out like tittering birds and she couldn’t make herself focus. She felt pinned under the weight of something she didn’t understand and wished more than ever that Gram was here.

She stepped out of the cafe, the setting sun reflected perfectly in the still water of the bay and began the long walk home. She took the stairs down to the beach, walking in the shadow of the boardwalk and listened to clips of conversations as she passed under the people above, some voices familiar while others she couldn’t place. She felt jittery and unmoored, something she attributed to having entirely too much caffeine and nothing to do with what happened between her and Alex - Mr. Danvers.

She didn’t want to think about it. The more time had passed the more embarrassed she’d become about the entire situation. He’d seen her naked. He’d had his face in her- She shook her head hard and closed her eyes trying to will the thought away while wishing the sand would swallow her whole. How was she supposed to go back to being just his student? She chewed her lip as her feet took her past the busy shops above onto the open stretch of beach, the Sand Bar a sparkling oasis of lights and music in the ever growing darkness. She contemplated taking the stairs up to the boardwalk to avoid crossing in front of the tiki bar. What if Sully was there? What if Alex was there?

She swerved over to one of the many access points to First Street, climbing the stairs in unnecessary haste. She kept her head down, ignoring the couples and groups that passed her in their quest to get to Ezio’s Pizzeria or Perkatory, the places to be on Friday nights. She reached the end of the boardwalk without incident, descending the stairs once more, cloaking herself in the shadow of the crag and avoiding the light thrown from the Sand Bar. She rounded the bight and heaved a sigh, trudging across the sand, her way clearly lit by the lights of Lumen Cove.

Kelsey stopped dead in her tracks at the corner of Building One, her eyes flicking up on instinct to Alex’s deck and there he was, leaning on the railing and looking out over the dark ocean. It seemed he noticed her as soon as she noticed him. He straightened, his eyes holding hers. She tore her gaze away, a hot flush of embarrassment heating her cheeks as she began to hurry along down the beach as fast as she could without actually breaking into a run.

Alex didn’t know what he was thinking when he called her name loud enough for anyone within earshot to hear. He fumbled with the latch on the gate, stumbling down the stairs in bare feet to hurry after her. He said her name again but she didn’t stop, nearly running now and he broke into a jog to catch up.

“Kelsey, seriously, wait!” He exclaimed in a heated whisper, his hand slipping around her bicep. She whirled on him, ripping her arm from his grasp.

Alex held up his hands in surrender and took a step back to leave a more than respectable gap between them. They were shadowed beneath the steps leading up to Caroline Munter’s deck, the rental unit below it dark. He could barely see Kelsey’s face but he could tell she was breathing hard, staring down at his feet with her arms crossed over her chest. He could practically feel the words keep out radiating off of her.

They stood there, silent. Alex, despite agonizing all day over when he could talk to her again, couldn’t think of a thing to say. Kelsey had nothing to say, or maybe she had too much to say? She felt as if her skin was on too tight, suffocated and trapped by a paralyzing anxiety of which she couldn’t identify the source.

“What do you want?” She mumbled after a moment, still not looking at him and he sighed.

“We need to talk.” He watched her wince, head whipping to look out at the ocean, arms tightening over her chest.

“No, we really don’t. I get it. Don’t worry about it.” Her words came out in a harried jumble that he almost couldn’t comprehend and while it processed she tried to turn away again to head off to Building Two.

“No.” He reached for her again. “Kelsey, we really do.”

This time she didn’t shake him off, just let her arm go limp in his grasp and looked up at the sky as if she were waiting for some kind of final blow. Alex’s brows creased with concern and confusion.

“What exactly do you think I’m going to say to you?”

Kelsey’s eyes flicked to his and flicked away, too scared to let his penetrating gaze get a foothold. She shifted from foot to foot in discomfort, keeping her eyes on the ocean but felt him take a small step closer, his hand on her forearm uncurling to rest lightly on her bicep.

“Kelsey, look at me,” he said, his voice gentle and low just like he’d spoken to her last night right before he had pushed inside her and she shivered. “Kels,” he said, dipping his head to try and catch her gaze. “Please.”

She looked up at him reluctantly and saw a softness in his eyes she hadn’t seen from him before. The corners of his mouth twitched and he let his palm skim up and down her arm a few times before speaking.

“Look, I know…” He paused, heaving a sigh as he looked at the ground, “I know what I should be saying to you,” he said and she started to pull away, unconsciously or not but his grip on her arm tightened a fraction and she stilled. “It’s probably what you think I’m going to say.”

He reached out with his free hand and hooked a finger under her chin, tilting her face up so that she was forced to meet his eyes, “I’m sorry I… I… don’t even know how to…” He trailed, pressing his lips together, looking up as if he were fighting to find words. Kelsey’s head tipped to the side in wonder at seeing him speechless for the first time. He sighed again looking at her steadily. “I don’t know what’s going on between us.” He released her to raise both hands in the air in a helpless gesture before they fell to his sides with a thwap. He chuckled. “I know the right thing to do would be to tell you that we need to reestablish boundaries and maybe even have you transfer courses,” he said, wincing at the thought.

Kelsey felt herself starting to retreat again but his eyes met hers and it was as if her feet had sunk six inches into the sand.

“But I don’t want to do that.” He pursed his lips and gave his head a slight shake, hands moving to his hips as he chewed on his lower lip and studied her. “I don’t know if I can do that, Kelsey.”

“Wh-wh-wha?” Was her brilliant reply. Alex reached up to rub a hand across the back of his neck.

“Look, this morning…” He stepped closer, delicately taking both her hands in his, her head tipping up to look into his eyes, soft and serious. Her stomach fluttered. “This morning when I woke up and you weren’t there I…” His brows furrowed and he swallowed, grasping for words. “I wasn’t… I wasn’t worried you were out telling someone. I was worried about you. If you were okay.” One hand moved to cup her cheek. “I…” He paused, feeling a trill of bashfulness color his cheeks as he looked down at his bare toes in the sand. “I wish you would have stayed this morning.”

Kelsey’s neck jerked as if his confession had been a physical blow. She brought a hand to his waist without thinking, letting it rest there. “You aren’t mad? A-about… about…that? What we did?”

Alex fought a smile and forced himself to look at her steadily as he shook his head. “No.”

“And… and you’re not…like you don’t…have regrets?” She asked, chewing her bottom lip so brutally he brought a hand up to free it with his thumb.

He was quiet for a moment. “I probably should…” He murmured, watching his thumb swipe across her bottom lip. Her hand reached up to close around his wrist, holding it there. “But I don’t…”

His tongue snuck out to wet his bottom lip. Kelsey felt herself leaning in, her fingers releasing his wrist as both his hands delved back into her hair, closing the gap between them. He kissed her softly, his mouth slanting over hers as her arms wrapped around his ribs, pulling herself flush against him. She sighed into his mouth, her muscles loosening for the first time all day, the anxiety slipping away as she kissed him over and over again.

A flood light suddenly came on, bathing them both in light. “Who’s there?”

A woman’s voice, tremulous and scared above them and Kelsey felt Alex rip away from her, his hands gripping her arms to pull her further onto the patio, pressing her back against the sliding glass door, his body in front of hers. The light from the deck danced and shimmered while the woman’s body blocked points of light across the gaps in the wood as she moved. Alex cupped the side of Kelsey’s face in his hand to get her attention and when she looked into his eyes he held a finger to his lips. Kelsey nodded then leaned in, pressing her lips to Alex’s ear. “Is that Miss Munter?”

“I’m warning you…” The woman said, her voice raising. Alex and Kelsey looked up as the boards creaked over their heads. “I… I have a weapon! A fire arm! A b-big one!”

Kelsey made a soft noise like trying to swallow a laugh and Alex got the terrible urge to cackle himself. Alex untangled his arms from around her and began pulling her down towards his end of Building One, sticking close to the deck structure as they weaved around the privacy screens between patios.

“I have a guard dog! He’ll rip your legs off!”

Kelsey couldn’t hold it in anymore, she let out a high peel of giggles and they broke out into a run, tripping over edging between the patios and racing around the corner of the building. Alex let her in front of him as they reached the stairs both pulling themselves up by the bannister as much as their legs were catapulting them up the steps. She fought giggles as he fumbled with the door knob and they practically fell into his laundry room as their laughter came out in dry gasps.

“Oh my God,” Kelsey panted when she was finally able to catch her breath. “Miss Munter…” She couldn’t even finish her thought, taken over by laughter again, staggering her way into the kitchen to hang on to the counter. Alex leaned against the cased opening, breathing slowly and trying to keep himself from falling into his own hysterics.

He swallowed hard as he staggered his way over to lean on the counter across from her. “She really does have a gun,” he said a chuckle escaping him. “She shot… she shot a seagull that was harassing her Yorkie.”

“Her guard dog is a Yorkie?” Kelsey heaved and she really did think she was going to fall, her legs seeming to buckle underneath her as silent laugher clenched all of her muscles.

“His name is Kibbles.” Alex snorted and laid his head on his arms as Kelsey slapped at him, trying to get him to stop. She couldn’t take it anymore.

Once she was finally breathing normally again, Kelsey managed to pull herself upright, wiping at her eyes and looking down at Alex whose head still rested on his arms. His back rose and fell with steady breath underneath the navy sweater he was wearing. She reached to touch his shoulder and he looked up at her, pulling himself up to his full height again and heaving a sigh.

“I like your sweater,” Kelsey said before she could stop herself and he looked down at himself, bewildered by the compliment.

“Uh, thanks,” he said wiping a hand down his front and shifting awkwardly from foot to foot.

A heavy silence fell between them, their eyes meeting across the counter. Kelsey felt a strong pull in her stomach, a shiver running through her at the intensity in his eyes. She felt bashful under his gaze, remembering once again that he’d seen her naked and she’d seen him naked. Her eyes flicked down to his belt buckle and back again. One corner of his mouth tipped up in a smirk before he ducked his head to hide a full smile.

“We should probably talk,” he said knowingly and Kelsey felt a blush begin to warm her cheeks. This time he didn’t bother to hide his smile. “Come on,” he said reaching his hand out to her.

She took it tentatively, enjoying the feel of his roughened hand around hers as he tugged her over to the sofa. They scooted sideways between the coffee table and couch, lowering themselves to the cushions, knees touching lightly as they faced each other. Kelsey looked at him expectantly and he held her gaze for a moment.

“How do you want to handle this, Kelsey?” He asked, looking at her steadily. Her mouth popped open as if shocked by the question. She looked down at her hands, her fingers tangling together.

“What do you mean?” she asked, her voice soft. Alex watched her face, seeing the anxiety in her eyes.

“I mean exactly that. What kind of outcome are you expecting from our current…” He paused, searching for a delicate word. “…predicament?”

She let out a small chuckle that was all breath and no sound, a smile tugging at her lips. She was still looking at her hands twisting in her lap as her brow furrowed in thought. She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, worrying it with her teeth as her hands reached tentatively for his which were pressed together in his lap. He allowed her to take them in hers, watched her run a thumb over his knuckles, worrying the thin, white scar that marred the ring and middle finger of his right hand.

“What do you want?” She asked and he squeezed her hands, shaking his head as she looked up at him with hesitation.

“You have to decide for yourself,” he said, his stomach doing summersaults. Lord help me with those big brown eyes.

He knew he wasn’t being fair. She had so many responsibilities dropped on her since her grandmother’s death and now he was asking her to be the sole decision maker on something that could drastically affect both their lives. He wanted to tell her exactly what he wanted but he was afraid to influence her decision. He wanted her to walk into this with eyes wide open, to take the risk of her own volition, not because he desired her. That’s a cop out Danvers and you know it, his mind taunted, but he just squeezed her hands again, prompting her to speak.

“I want…” Kelsey tentatively glanced up at him, finding his face calm and open. She looked down at their joined hands again. “I want to… be with you… again,” she fumbled, her face reddening. Alex fought a smile, biting the inside of his cheek.

“Why?” He asked softly. Kelsey squirmed giving him a pleading look, her signature Just tell me what you want to hear, Mr. Danvers expression. He raised his eyebrows at her and she sighed.

“Because I want… I just want to,” she said squeezing his hands brutally and he squeezed back. “I like being with you. I don’t want us to stop seeing each other. I don’t want to switch classes. I don’t want to stop.” She shifted in her seat again and Alex let his eyes close, taking a slow breath and letting his tongue out to wet his dry lips.

“You understand what that would mean,” he asked. She nodded her head solemnly. “We could both end up in a lot of trouble, Kelsey. Me more so than you,” he added with a grimace. She winced. “But there would likely be consequences for you as well…the scholarship…”

“Do you not want to risk it?” She asked, her voice small and quiet and his eyes flicked to hers, wounded and questioning. He untangled his hands from hers to cup her face.

“This is not the best decision for either of us. We know…” He paused pressing his lips together before reluctantly continuing. “We know it won’t last.” He watched Kelsey swallow, her eyes closing as she gave a quick nod. He looked at her face, her eyes cast down to his chest and reached to run his hands over her hair. She looked up at him and pressed her lips together more firmly as if steeling herself for a blow. “But I think we’re both determined to make it anyway.”

Relief flooded Kelsey’s veins and she couldn’t stop herself from grabbing on to his shoulders and pressing her mouth to his. He was startled by her fierceness but wrapped his arms around her waist all the same. Her hands tangled in his hair, kissing him eagerly as he tried to pull her closer his tongue slipping past her lips. She made a sound deep in her throat, her hands moving to his chest, feeling his heart thud steadily against her palms.

Alex let his hands smooth over her shoulders gripping her biceps to pull away, licking his lips as he rested his forehead against hers. “You’re sure?”

She nodded, their skulls grinding together with the movement, her fingers drawing imperceptible patterns on his chest.

“Kelsey,” he said, his voice a warning and she looked up into his eyes. “I need you to say it okay?”

“Yes, Alex,” she said and watched his pupils dilate, felt his sharp intake of breath. “I’m sure.”

He pressed his mouth to hers again and she felt a thrill of exhilaration, her hands pawing at his chest as her stomach pulled tight in what she was beginning to understand was want. Alex’s hands fumbled at her sweater, pushing the sides open and as he dipped his head to kiss along her jaw he caught sight of the front of her shirt.

“Is that… soup?” He asked with a snort and Kelsey shoved his shoulder, annoyed as she reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head, tossing it with her sweater caught in it to the side.

Alex blinked at her, his eyes falling to her chest on instinct, small breasts rising and falling rapidly over the top of her pushup bra. Kelsey swallowed hard, feeling daring and a little embarrassed at the same time. She liked the way he was looking at her, almost hungry as if staring at her body was enough to sate him. His hands reached to cup her breasts over her bra, a sensation that she had felt before on a few dates when boys got bold but she never reacted to it like she was now, goose bumps breaking out over her skin, her inner muscles contracting with want as his mouth covered hers again.

Alex felt her hands rest on his shoulders, a soft sigh passing her lips as he returned to kiss along her jaw. She exposed the long column of her neck to him willingly, making soft sounds as he nipped and sucked at her skin, careful not to leave a mark. She hissed as his hand squeezed again, wiggling restlessly while he kissed along her collarbone, her nails rasping against his sweater.

He pulled back panting, reaching behind him to tug his sweater over his head. Kelsey reached out with shaking hands, attacking the buttons on the front of his shirt and he fought a chuckle as he reached behind her, releasing her bra easily. She stopped her unbuttoning to shake it off before finishing the job.

Alex shucked his shoulders back, aiding her in pushing the shirt off, humming as she pressed her hand to his bare chest, feeling his skin. He kissed her again and she let her body fall back as he crawled over her pressing dry kisses down the column of her throat. He settled between her legs, her hips rolling into his and he panted at the friction, letting his mouth drag down her breastbone, licking his lips before sucking one peak into his mouth.

Kelsey’s eyes flew open, her back arching into him as a sharp jolt of pleasure seemed to jump from her chest down to her center. She felt herself clench in pleasurable agony as his teeth grazed her nipple before biting lightly and she gasped, her nails scraping across his shoulder blades.

He switched sides, not knowing how much more he could take with her pressing up so hard against him, the sounds she was emitting making his pants uncomfortably tight. It’d been a very long time since he’d had a woman be this receptive to his touch, every flick of his tongue eliciting a reaction that told him he was definitely doing something right.

His hand reached for the button on her jeans and she aided him in pushing them down hastily, toeing off her shoes as he sat back on his knees to pull them from her legs. She giggled as he tugged off her socks as well and tossed them over his shoulder before he fell back over her again, kissing her hard. He pressed his hips to hers, panting at the idea of only a few more articles of clothing between them.

“Come on,” he said, pulling back suddenly and she whined, trying to pull him back down. He chuckled at her, standing from the couch on weak legs, pulling her to her feet.

She squealed as he hoisted her into his arms, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist. Her mouth claimed his again as he maneuvered them around furniture and over to his bed, where he laid her gently on the mattress. She watched him panting, pulling herself up to the pillows, not taking her eyes off him as he unbuckled his belt, flicked open his pants and let them fall to the floor. There was a prominent bulge at the front of his gray boxer briefs and Kelsey felt her breathing shallow as he crawled onto the bed, hovering over her in a lithe crouch. Her hands smoothed around his ribs, holding him at his back as he kissed her, her head falling limply back against the pillows. She wanted his hips against hers again, needed that sweet friction but he was letting a hand slide down her body, starting at her collarbone, palm flat against her breastbone before swiping to the side and giving her breast a gentle squeeze that caused her back to arch. His fingers skimmed down her stomach feeling it tremble before he let them slide over her panties, palm moving to cup her and feeling the heat of her center through the fabric.

Kelsey moaned softly as he pressed his palm against her and rubbed, the sensation overwhelming, her hips following the motion of his hand. He kissed along her neck, not being able to resist slipping his fingers underneath the thin cotton finding her so deliciously wet the tips of his fingers becoming coated in it. She gasped as he touched her most sensitive flesh, her thigh twitching and he growled at the deep moan she released when the rough pads of his fingertips found her clit.

“Oh God,” she muttered as he rubbed soft slow circles her hand going up to her hair to tug at it wickedly and his mouth found hers again.

He traced her lips with his tongue as his fingers found her entrance, stroking it lightly and pressing inside as she opened her mouth to his tongue. She pressed her chest to his and he could feel her nipples scraping his skin, the sensation pulling tight in his groin as two fingers slipped easily inside her.

“A-A-Alex,” she panted as he began a steady rhythm and his hips pushed against her thigh, needing just a little pressure, not being able to stand it.

Kelsey gulped in air as his fingers worked in and out of her sore flesh. It had stung for just a moment, the stretch of it shifting almost immediately from discomfort to pleasure and she couldn’t focus on anything else, her feet slipping against the comforter for traction. His thumb slid over her clit and her muscles clenched around his fingers in the most pleasurable way. He groaned against her skin, his hips giving a hard shove against her.

Kelsey licked her dry lips, reaching down to the waistband of his boxer-briefs and slipping inside. Alex’s forehead collided with her collarbone as she gripped him tentatively, his stomach trembling. He emitted a soft whine when she gave him a squeeze, trying to focus on anything but her hand on him or he was going to lose it in his boxers like some kind of teenager. Her grip loosened immediately and her body tensed.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered softly, moving to untangle her hand from his boxers, but he gripped her wrist, squeezing hard and she felt his chuckle more than heard it, a small gust of air against her collarbone.

“No,” he said, his voice raw and he swallowed hard. “No, that’s good.”

He lifted his head to rest against her forehead, breathing deeply and she nuzzled her nose with his, tentatively squeezed again and listened to him hiss. He reached to shove his boxers down, kicked them off his legs impatiently and Kelsey felt the tip of him leave a wet trail along her thigh before she gripped him again. She tried to remember everything Reva had ever told her about sex but his hand was in her underwear again, fingers slipping through her wetness to rub her slowly, the tips of his fingers nudging inside before retreating, rubbing slow circles around her clit again. She panted, allowing her hand to slide along his shaft, a movement that gave him a full body shiver so she did it again.

Kelsey felt clumsy, unable to concentrate or keep any kind rhythm while his fingers pressed steadily in and out of her, his thumb smudging her clit in a way that made her thighs tremble. She could feel the wave building, her nipples tightening, her stomach heaving. In the end she just held him in her hand when her orgasm hit her, her back arching and she let out a sharp cry when his fingers curled inside her and ratcheted the pleasure up to ten. She was whimpering, her face pressed into his shoulder, exhaustion making her limbs heavy.

Alex sat back on his knees, reaching for the waistband of her panties and when he pulled them from her ankles she let her legs fall limply open on either side of his hips, her hands reaching for his thighs, nails scraping against his skin to try and pull him closer.

“Jesus, Kelsey,” he moaned, falling over her again and she grabbed his hips, trying to get him closer to her, her nose nuzzling against the side of his face. “You’re gonna kill me.”

“Please,” she murmured against his ear, wiggling and enjoying the slide of her skin against his. She felt him let out a shaky breath against her neck.

Kelsey hummed as she felt him slick the tip in her wetness, trying to widen her legs even more though her hip flexors screamed in protest. She braced herself for the burn as he began to press in and breathed against it, shivering hard when she felt his hips press flush to hers, pressing against a spot inside her that made her legs tremble.

“You okay?” He asked, his voice pulled from the back of his throat and she nodded against him, letting her hands smooth up the wide expanse of his back, his skin turning to gooseflesh at her touch. “Stop me if you need to,” he panted, before burying his face in her neck and beginning to move.

Kelsey had braced herself for the burn; she’d felt raw all day but after a few long strokes she was staring wide eyed at the ceiling, moonlight dancing above them as a feeling so intoxicating she couldn’t even begin to describe it flowed through her. She panted unevenly, her mouth open and she tried to wet her dry lips but he shifted his hips and nudged a place inside her that sent electricity straight up her spine.

Alex felt Kelsey’s arms start to tighten around him, her back arching and he gritted his teeth against the new position, feeling as if his entire body was going to explode from the pleasure of it. Her palms continued to press into his shoulder blades, her breath panting hard in his ear. When he lifted his head to look down at her, he saw her eyes wide, a savage fire dancing in them, desire and need radiating out at him. He felt a sharp tug in his groin that he had to bite his lip brutally against. He watched her face as he increased the speed of his thrusts, his hips bumping hers with a little more force and her eyes rolled back into her head, her back arching as her arms tightened around him even more.

Suddenly she was clenching around him like a vice, a sharp cry sounding over and over. Alex’s arms actually gave out, the feeling of her inner muscles pulling him deeper being his undoing. He let out a dry sob as her body milked his flesh dry, her cries dying to whimpers as her muscles finally began to relax, settling her body into the mattress. He gasped sharply as her body clenched him a few more times, the sensation shoving the air from his lungs and making him writhe over her, too much and not enough all at once.

He lifted his head from her neck, watching her pant and swallow hard in the soft light from the kitchen, a few wisps of hair laying across her face. He steadied himself on one shaking arm, fingertips brushing lightly against her face as he tucked it back behind her ear. Kelsey looked up at him dazedly, her eyes unfocused and a lazy smile pulled at her lips which he kissed away slowly.

“Ready?” He asked, his nose nuzzling hers and she looked at him confused for a moment. “Or do you want a towel?”

“What?” She asked, still confused and he sighed, guilt gnawing at him. I guess English isn’t the only thing I’m going to be teaching her now.

He cleared his throat. “It’s customary for a gentleman to offer you a towel afterward for… erm… clean up,” he said and watched her face turn crimson, his own ears burning and she giggled.

“Oh, Reva never-” She cut herself off abruptly realizing what she had said and Alex gave her a small smile.

“I figured as much. I promise not to bring it up at parent teacher conferences,” he deadpanned and Kelsey giggled again. “Okay, remember, close your legs, turn on your hip as fast as you can.”

Kelsey nodded and then hissed as he slipped out of her, turning her body so she lay curled on her side, facing the kitchen. Alex clamored off the bed, walking through the kitchen to the laundry and grabbed a clean washcloth. Kelsey looked scandalized as he turned to face her, getting a full view of his naked body, slim hips and broad shoulders, the bare hint of musculature on his abdomen. She licked her lips at the sight of his length, marveling at how unconcerned he was by his own nakedness. She curled a little more into herself, her arms wrapped around her chest. He leaned down to place a tender kiss on her forehead, laying the washcloth next to her and turned his back to saunter back into the kitchen.

“Do you want some water?” He asked, not even glancing over his shoulder and she eyed him, reaching for the towel and unfolding it.

“Uh…yes? Thank you.” She looked at the towel before thinking, Well… and reached down to wipe herself, something she found both amusing and kind of humiliating.

She peeked over at him, finding his back still firmly to her, giving her privacy which she giggled at realizing she’d never really thought about what happened after sex and no one really talked about it either. She figured it was probably best to just follow his lead. She folded the towel over itself and looked around before laying it on the floor beside the bed, telling herself sternly not to forget it was there and drop it in the laundry the first chance she got. She settled back against the comforter, nestling her head against his pillow an odd mix of her body spray and his own clean scent clinging to the fabric. He finally turned and padded back over with two glasses of water, handing her one and drinking his as he stood next to the bed. Kelsey was finding it very hard not to stare at him as she sipped from her glass. He set his glass down on a coaster on the bedside table and climbed onto the bed, crawling neatly over her and she set her own glass down, rolling to face him.

He settled next to her, his arm tucking up under his pillow as his other hand reached for her hip, pulling her closer. He trailed a finger along her cheekbone, sweeping her hair off her neck so it fell behind her and she looked into his face openly, maybe for the first time ever, taking in the heavy set of his brow, the indigo color of his eyes unique and deep; she’d never seen anyone else with his shade of blue. His fingertips were dancing over the cap of her shoulder, his touch light and unhurried giving her goose flesh. She reached a tentative hand up to run the tip of her finger down the straight bridge of his nose, his eyes closing slowly before opening as she traced the full bow of his lips. His hand closed around her wrist, holding her steady to kiss her fingertips, examining them, then her nails with a curiosity and focus that gave her the feeling of being x-rayed.

“Has anyone ever told you how intimidating your eyes are?” She asked him, and he released her so she could cup his cheek, her thumb smudging the delicate skin under his eye. She felt his lashes brush her fingertip as his eyes closed with a chuckle.

“I’ve gotten some compliments on my eyes throughout the years, yes,” Alex replied, propping his head on his hand and gazing at her fondly. “Not sure I would consider ‘intimidating’ to be a compliment though.”

“You never noticed how you can shut up an entire classroom with one look?” Kelsey asked and the corner of his mouth twitched.

“I may have noticed that.”

They were silent for a moment, Kelsey letting her hand wander over his shoulder, down his arm and then to his waist, fingertips skittering over his ribs, his muscles twitching when she accidentally tickled him, but his eyes never left her face. She bit her lip, wondering suddenly how often he’d done something like this. He was so careful not to let himself get close to his students and when he did…well here they were. She didn’t want to think about this now, not while he was letting her touch him as she pleased, enjoying the exploration of his skin, feeling every bump and freckle. He had a thin pink scar that curved around the left side of his rib cage, the skin rougher than that around it. He shifted.

“What?” He asked softly, his thumb capturing her lip and tugging it from between her teeth. She looked up at him, a hint of anxiety in her eyes.

“How’d you get this?” She asked, her fingertip running over the scar again and he twitched but this time it wasn’t from being tickled.

“In the service,” he said evenly and she looked up into his face which was blank and emotionless.

“How?” she asked, resting her hand on his waist.

He didn’t like talking about his time in the Marines, but something about the way her hand rested against him felt almost soothing, something that startled him and reminded him how long it had been since he’d been with a woman he wasn’t just physically attracted to. It was widely known in Lambency that Alex didn’t date anymore. He’d had his fair share of fizzled relationships with local girls when he moved to town but nothing had stuck and most of them had moved on and married. Fitz got him drunk and consequently laid on occasion, mostly tourists looking for a beach fling who were more than happy to send him off in the morning without a breakfast invitation. He and Fitz were Lambency’s most eligible bachelors and the town had become content with letting them stay that way.

“It was a sword fight,” Alex said and Kelsey rolled her eyes. “I wish I were kidding,” he added and Kelsey gave him a dubious look. “I was an FLO in the service. Foreign Liaison Officer.” He frowned, feeling his hand falling asleep and wiggled onto his back. Kelsey scooted closer, her hand resting on the middle of his chest. “Sometimes that job is very serious and plays a critical role in foreign affairs. This assignment, not so much. Basically I was an errand boy between the Marines and the Russian navy in Siberia-“

“Siberia?” Kelsey said astonished and Alex merely nodded and went on.

“-and I ended up playing mediator between these two drunk diplomats who liked to argue over Arctic trade routes.” He rolled his eyes and Kelsey was still staring at him with her mouth agape. “Anyway, one night they were well in to a bottle of пять озер -vodka,” he amended when her brow creased. “and one of them grabs the decorative шашка…uh, saber, from the mantle and draws it. I get in the middle - stupid - and try to get the thing away from him and ended up in the hospital for my trouble.” He smiled and then laughed despite himself. “Actually, I think that’s why I ended up being reassigned. They wanted a marine that wasn’t such a pussy and would let them dump пять озер on the wound and sew him up with fishing line.”

Her eyebrows drew, touching the scar again tentatively. “You speak Russian?” She asked but it wasn’t really a question. There had been a Ukrainian exchange student her Freshman year and the halls had been abuzz about how Mr. Danvers scared the crap outta the kid by yelling at him in Russian when he wouldn’t stop flirting with the girl that sat next to him.

Alex nodded, picking up her hand and lacing his fingers through hers. “Is this where you ask me to say something in Russian?”

Kelsey smiled. “You can if you want.”

He smirked. “Моё су́дно на возду́шной поду́шке по́лно угре́й”

Kelsey giggled. “What’d you say?”

“I said ‘The hovercraft is full of eels,” he replied and Kelsey snorted.

“What?” she asked with a giggle and he shrugged. “It’s an old Monty Python joke.”

“Is that some 80s hair band?” Kelsey asked and Alex blinked at her.

“No,” he said and snorted a laugh. “No it was a- Really you’ve never heard of Monty Python? Monty Python’s Flying Circus? Monty Python’s Holy Grail?”

Kelsey gave him an apologetic smile and shook her head. Alex looked up at the ceiling in wonderment. Generational gap. “Why Russian?” Kelsey asked.

Alex’s eyes met hers then looked back down at her hand again but didn’t respond. Kelsey didn’t ask again, rested her cheek against his arm and watched him let her hand rest on his stomach still entwined in his. She wanted to ask him more, about his life in the marines and how he ended up in Lambency and the question of whether or not he had done this before wouldn’t quit nagging her. She gave his hand a squeeze and took a deep breath.

“Can I ask you something?” She said squinting up at him and his head lolled to the side to look down at her, seeing the hesitation in her eyes.

“I dunno Miss Charming, can you?” he teased and she scowled at him, pinching his nipple which made him squirm.

“Yes, Mr. Danvers,” she snarked back and he fought a smile. “May I ask you a question?”

“You may,” he said with a nod and then rolled his head to look down at her again. “But I’m not guaranteeing I’ll answer it.

Kelsey gave him a contemplative look, untangling her fingers from his and resuming the lazy drawing on his chest with her forefinger. The silence was heavy between them for a moment before she finally sucked in a breath and asked, “Have you… have you ever done this before?”

Alex blinked down at her. Surly she wasn’t asking him if he had been a virgin. He almost laughed but it died in his throat when the real meaning of her words clanged into place. He bristled, shifting his body and she pulled her hand back, sensing his displeasure at her inquiry but he raised his arm over his head, inviting her to rest her head on his shoulder, his hand warming her bicep.

“No, Kelsey,” he said seriously as he pressed his face into her hair. She rubbed her cheek against his skin. “I worked very, very hard for a very long time to avoid even the rumor of something like this.”

She nodded reaching out again to continue her investigation of his body, feeling a fine smattering of hair along the center of his chest, not even visible but it tickled the tips of her fingers. He wiggled so he could see her face, reaching to run his hand through her hair lazily, his fingers catching on tangles and working them out slowly. He watched her with interest, her face open and innocent as she circled one of his nipples with the pad of her thumb, her fingers moving to splay along his rib cage and she let her hand rest there for a moment, rising and falling with his deep breathing.

She really had a beautiful face, he finally allowed himself to admit. He wasn’t sure what was different about it tonight but her eyes seemed larger, a deep chocolate brown, the flecks of gold shimmering in the low light flung from the kitchen. The thin smattering of freckles along the bridge of her nose were invisible tonight, her lips full and red, a side effect of being kissed so thoroughly for so long. She jumped when he leaned in to kiss her again, her hand reaching to hold the side of his neck. His nose nuzzled hers as he pulled back, his gaze intense and wondering.

“What about you?” He asked, knowing full well the answer, but he liked the color of her cheeks when she blushed. “How many poor English teachers have you lured in with your siren song?”

“Oh God I can’t carry a tune in a bucket,” she said with a giggle and Alex laughed.

“Has anyone every told you how uncompromisingly literal you are?” He reached to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and she scrunched up her nose and shook her head. He stared at her for a moment, enjoying looking at her face then said, “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever heard about you dating anybody.” His head tilted to the side as he laced his fingers through hers, turning their hand this way and that. He grinned as she looked down, turning redder still. He cupped her cheek, feeling the heat there.

“Nobody ever asks me out,” she admitted with an embarrassed smile. “Or if they do it’s because they’re playing wingman so their friend can get to Reva.”

Alex shook his head with a chuckle. “I don’t believe that.”

“Oh, it’s true.” Kelsey sat up a little to roll onto her stomach and rest her chin on his chest. She nudged his arm when he openly laughed at her. “By the time we hit sophomore year I was just like ‘Look, we both know why we’re here. You buy the movie tickets I’ll get the snacks and we should sit a row in front of them because the sucking noises get really distracting during the quieter scenes.’” Alex’s back arched against the bed laughing and Kelsey blushed at her confession but thrilled that she had made him laugh. She apologized to Reva in her head. “She’s just boy crazy.”

“I can tell,” Alex said his head lolling to the side to look at her.

Kelsey nudged him. “If you want to know the truth…” Kelsey bit her lip, wondering if she should confide in him. It almost felt like a betrayal.

“What?” He asked, his eyes piercing and she was perilous to stop herself.

“She dates so many guys because they ask her,” Kelsey said, giving him a small guilty smile. Alex looked confused. “Like she doesn’t like turning them down. Especially if she doesn’t know them very well. A lot of boys in our class had their first date with Reva because she always said yes. Probably because Ezio always told her she was a pretty girl but she had to remember to be kind because it takes a lot of courage to ask a girl out. He told me that too.”

“That’s actually…” Alex trailed, his brows drawing as he thought of ditzy, flirty Reva Sarno in an entirely new light. “Very sweet.”

Kelsey snorted. “Oh yeah it was going great until they got the bright idea to have a Sadie Hawkins dance in eighth grade and every guy she asked turned her down because every guy in seventh and eighth grade was holding out to see who Elizabeth Grath was going to ask. Reva. Was. Livid.” Alex laughed and Kelsey smiled at the memory. “When Elizabeth picked, of all people, Logan, Reva was even more pissed and refused to ask anyone, which meant I couldn’t ask anyone and we just went together. She’s actually very picky now about who she goes out with but you know how reputations go in small towns. She figures she might as well have fun with it.” Kelsey shrugged then shook her head. “All that flirting. She gets away with murder. ”

“Why don’t you date? Outside of being Reva’s wing woman?”

“Who says I don’t date?” She asked. Alex blinked at her.

“You think the gossip mill is bad in the halls? You should hear it in the teacher’s lounge.” Kelsey’s mouth popped open in surprise. Alex nudged her chin for her to close it and kissed her for good measure.

Kelsey blushed, licking her lips. “I’ve dated, I guess but, I dunno. It always seemed kind of pointless to me. I mean what are the odds of anyone ending up with their high school sweetheart in the long run?”

Alex narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you sure you’re not 35? Is this some 21 Jumpstreet shenanigans?”

Kelsey laughed, her eyes dropping to his chest again. “Gram always said that,” she said softly, letting her nail skitter lightly down the center of his chest, a chill running through him at the sensation. “She said I needed to be less practical and not think so much. Always telling me to follow my heart and put myself out there.” Kelsey frowned looking up at him. “Except, I never really understood what that meant. I feel like I’m ‘out there.’ I talk to people. I pursue things that matter to me.”

Alex tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear, watching her face darken as she pondered this. He had to admit Eleanor was right. Kelsey was practical to a fault and while Hilary assured him over and over again that she was the most creative mathematical mind she’d ever encountered, none of that imagination carried over into everyday life. It was hard for Alex to imagine now that he’d spent the past six years passing her on the beach and in the halls but he understood why. There was nothing remarkable to him about her then. She was just another young face in a sea of young faces. Until suddenly she wasn’t and now she was naked in his bed and he was breaking every rule he’d set for himself and risking his livelihood for what?

“You’re sure you’re okay with this Kels?” He asked quietly and her face cleared, her eyes looking into his and it was his turn to feel pinned.

“Yes, Alex,” she said leaning into him and he shivered at the seriousness in her voice. “I’m following my heart.”

And she kissed him so hard all coherent thought was gone.