“Are you going to tell me where you’re going?” Amelia asked as she flopped down on my bed and idly flipped through a magazine.

I crossed the room to the closet and yanked it open so hard I was surprised the door didn’t fly off its hinges. “No.”

“For someone who’s getting dressed to go out, you’re in a pissy mood.”

I ignored her and pulled the sweater over my head. Dark-wash skinny jeans sat low on my hips, and I’d opted for flats instead of heels. I must’ve changed my shoes like five times.

“I’m fine,” I grumbled, nerves twisting my stomach. I fixed my hair in the mirror before turning back to my best friend. I wanted to tell her, and I almost did. I opened my mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. I knew what her reaction would be.

You’d risk everything for a good lay?

She wouldn’t get it. No one would. They wouldn’t know how thoughts of Gabe Harris filled my mind day and night. How the memory of his body against mine was burned into my brain.

It still shocked me how heated things had gotten between us. I wasn’t one to act on my impulses, my desires. I was one to wait and wait. It took me six months to sleep with my last boyfriend. Yet, I’d shaved tonight as if sex was perfectly acceptable on a first date.

With a student.

A student!

My student.

I closed my eyes with a deep sigh.

Sometimes it felt good to break the rules. I was being rebellious for the first time in my life. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, and I was ready.

Amelia was still waiting for an answer, but she’d be waiting a very long time.

“I’m out of here.” I grabbed my jacket and keys near the door and walked out to my car.

I drove towards campus where the entire rugby team lived in a crappy house on the outskirts. Gabe didn’t have a car at school so it was up to me to pick him up. My eyes darted between windows to make sure no one saw me in the neighborhood.

Yep, I was paranoid.

I parked one street over from his house as we’d planned and texted him I was there. There was no need it seemed, because as soon as I hit send, he came jogging toward the car with graceful movements and a wide grin.

He climbed in and threw a duffle bag in the back. I stepped on the gas and sped down the road.

“This whole stealth thing is kind of fun.” He laughed.

“I had to lie to my best friend, so speak for yourself.”

“Hey, at least your best friend isn’t likely to beat your ass if he finds out.”

“Brett can beat your ass?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Well, he can try.” He laughed again and relaxed back into the seat.

I didn’t know how he was so cool about everything. My muscles were so tight I feared they would snap. My hands clenched around the steering wheel as I started to second guess myself yet again.

“Turn here,” Gabe instructed.

“Where are we going?”

“Somewhere no one is likely to see us.”

My shoulders relaxed with relief. We couldn’t stay anywhere near campus. The ride was silent as we drove for a while. Neither of us knew what to say to each other.

“Right there.” Gabe pointed to a small road that turned off of the main drag, and I knew instantly where we were going.

I’d grown up in town and knew every inch of it, including the more secluded parts. The narrow road wound around before dead ending in a tiny parking lot. I pulled in and shut off the car. The heavy silence became too much so I threw my door open and jumped out.

Walking a few paces away, I put my hands on my head and breathed deeply. When I turned, I realized Gabe had followed me. His broad chest blocked my path back to the car.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Are you kidding me?”

“Madison.” He put a hand on each of my shoulders and turned me to look at him. “I’m your student. You’re my professor. There’s no changing that and frankly, if you can’t get over it, then we’re done here.”

“You think it’s as simple as getting over it?”

“Yeah, I kinda do.”

I looked up into his eyes as he stared right into me, knowing he was right. That was the moment. I could decide to play by the rules or I could decide to do something that I wanted for a change.

“Fucking hell,” I breathed seconds before raising up on my toes to crash my lips against his.

He groaned, and it was the sexiest thing I’d ever heard, sending shivers right down to my bones. He spun me around and pressed me against the hood of the car, his fingers digging into my hips.

I threaded my fingers through his hair and tugged. He kissed me harder, his tongue waging a war for dominance with mine.

With a grunt, he ripped his lips away and took a step back. “Promise you won’t go back to telling me we can’t do this tomorrow.”

“I promise.”

An elated grin spread slowly from one side of his face to the other. “Then we have a date to get started on.”

He leaned into the car and pulled out his duffle, swinging it over one shoulder and extending his free hand to me. I took it and let him lead me down the path.

Beyond the trees surrounding the parking lot was a small field with a water tower looming over it. Bright yellow dandelions dotted the grass. I knew they were nothing more than weeds, but I’d always loved them anyway.

As a kid, I’d spent hours upon hours on this field playing soccer with my friends.

“This is where we’re going for our date?” I asked skeptically.

His grin turned sheepish. “It was the only place I could think of where we wouldn’t be seen.”

Of course. Secrecy. I’d secretly hoped he’d brought me here knowing it was a place I belonged. But that was a silly fantasy. Gabe and I barely knew each other.

He set the bag down and started pulling things out. First was a blanket, then two packaged sandwiches and a bag of chips. When he pulled out a bottle of Jameson, a laugh burst out of me.

“I would’ve brought wine,” he explained. “But, honestly, I can’t stomach the stuff, and didn’t know what kind to buy. I stood in the wine aisle of the store staring at all the bottles for so long my head started to hurt. I wanted it to be perfect for you though. I hope the whisky is okay.”

The unexpected sweetness brought a smile to my face. I reached out and touched his cheek as a shy smile played on his lips.

“I know you’re probably used to more than sandwiches and whisky in a park.”

I took the bottle of whisky from his hands and unscrewed the cap before taking a small drink. It burned going down, but I’d always preferred it to wine anyway. My parents bought the most expensive wines. It was used to impress. Gabe didn’t want to impress me, he wanted to know me.

“This is perfect.”

We didn’t talk much as we began to eat, but our eyes connected in between bites.

I’d finished half my sandwich when I decided to speak. “Growing up, this was my favorite place in the world. I’d always come here to escape my parents.”

“I use it to get away from campus,” he said. “It’s like a whole other world. It’s quiet and…”

“Private,” I finished for him.

He nodded. “I don’t get much of that being on the rugby team.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you don’t love being a star at school.”

He chuckled briefly. “There are definitely perks. But there are also expectations.”

“I get that.”

“Can I ask you a question?” He finished his sandwich and set the wrapper down.

“Sure. Can’t promise an answer though.”

“Why are you here?”

I shifted nervously. “Because I can’t seem to help myself around you.”

He grinned. “That’s good to know, but I actually meant in this town. You obviously don’t like teaching.”

“Oh.” My cheeks reddened. “How do you know teaching dumb college jocks isn’t what I’ve always wanted to do with my life?”

He leaned close. “Dumb college jock, huh?”

I couldn’t breathe when he was so close, and he’d seemed to realize that.

Ass.

He gave me a quick kiss before leaning back with a smirk firmly in place. “Come on. Give me a real answer.”

I sighed. “It’s near impossible to find a job in anthropology.”

“Are you trying to go on some dig in Egypt or something?”

I laughed and shook my head. “You don’t actually know what anthropologists do, do you?”

“I might if my professor wasn’t so distracting during class.”

“I want to get into marketing research. There are firms that study various cultures and what works regarding that culture.”

“Then why aren’t you doing that?”

“I didn’t find a job in a suitable time-frame for my step-father so he and the dean set me up with this gig.”

“Hmmm.” His eyes scrutinized me, and I wouldn’t have felt more exposed if I were naked. “Do you always do what’s expected of you?”

I watched him for a long moment and then rose on my knees to move towards him. He stayed frozen as I straddled his lap, feeling him harden beneath me. I leaned over to grab the bottle of Jameson and took a sip. I was feeling the whisky now as it buzzed through me. I set it back down, making sure to shift in Gabe’s lap as I leaned forward.

I stopped with my lips inches from his. “No one would expect me to be here with you.” I leaned in as if I was going to kiss him and then rolled to the side and jumped to my feet. “And you expected different from me right then.”

“Oh, you’re cold.” He adjusted himself openly and leaned over to pull a rugby ball from the duffle.

I scrunched up my face in distaste.

“For some unknown reason,” he said. “You seem to hate the game I love more than just about anything. Have you ever even played?”

“I prefer soccer.”

“No shit.” He chuckled. “And I prefer red-heads, but here we are.”

I ran my hand through my short blonde hair and laughed. “If you’d like, I can leave and go find you your redhead.”

He jumped to his feet and caught me around the waist. “Not a chance. I prefer you, everything about you. Have I told you how fucking hot you are?”

I ducked out of his arms, taking the ball with me. “So, what? Do I just kick this thing? It’s really not any different than soccer.”

He sucked in a breath like I’d just shot him.

I laughed. “Relax. I’m not that big of an idiot. So, where’s the basket I shoot it in?”

A groan sounded in his throat, and I laughed again, throwing the ball in the air before catching it easily. I was a born athlete, but had always hated rugby on principle. Growing up in a town obsessed with it would do that to you. Not to mention my brother who lived and died by the game.

I kicked off my flats and dug my bare toes into the soft grass as I looked back at him. “Damn, that feels good.”

“Uh huh.” His gaze blazed as it travelled the length of my body.

“I meant the grass, perv. I hate shoes.”

He wiped a hand over his face and plucked the ball from my hands. “The first rule I’ll teach you is to always pass the ball backwards.”

“What? I was hoping you’d teach me that huddle thing you guys do.” I smiled innocently. “You know, where you get close.” Stepping up to him, I pressed my chest against his and lowered my voice. “And you jump all over each other.”

He dipped his head and when he spoke, his breath was warm on my face. “I’m trying to be a good guy here with the romance and the talk. I don’t do this for just anyone, and you’re making it very difficult.”

“Good is overrated. Don’t you think?”

In one swift movement, he tossed the ball to the side and brought his hands to my back as his mouth claimed mine. I let my hands wander up his solid arms before gripping him tightly.

I wanted more. I wanted everything.

All thought of consequences was pushed to the back of my mind and locked tight in a box with no key. I no longer cared about the job I didn’t even want.

Without breaking our kiss, I walked him backwards toward the blanket and pushed his shirt up. I needed to feel his scorching skin. We finally came up for air and he looked down at me with an expression I couldn’t place.

“I want you,” he said, his voice low as he looked around the field. “But not here.”

“We’re less likely to get caught here than if we go back.”

A flash of emotion crossed his face. “Right. We have to hide.”

Tension stretched between us like a string pulled tight, and I wanted to cut it; to be like we were only a moment ago. I took his hand and sat on the blanket, pulling him down with me.

“You knew the score,” I whispered as I pressed my lips to his and pushed him back. He hesitated before kissing me back with even more fire than before.

His muscles bunched and flexed as he helped me pull the shirt off over his head. His fingers were rough on my skin as he yanked my sweater off in a quick movement. I pressed my lips to his shoulder, tasting and nipping his sweet skin as he deftly unclasped my bra and threw it to the side.

A burst of cold air blew across the field, and I shivered as I used my hands to try to shield myself from Gabe. He clasped my wrists and brought them above my head.

“Don’t hide,” he said with a growl as his eyes swept over me.

My breasts rose and fell rapidly as I tried to catch my breath. Gabe released my arms and brought a hand down to palm my breast. He lowered his head to the other one.

I moaned and squirmed beneath him. He shifted to pin me with his legs to keep me still. His hands travelled down over my stomach and stopped just under the waistband of my jeans.

“God, you’re so fucking sexy,” he moaned.

His words sent a wave of warmth through me.

“Take your pants off,” I said.

I felt his lips curve up against my stomach as he kissed every bit of bare skin.

“A little bossy, aren’t you?” he asked, sitting up to do as he was told.

I pulled my pants down my legs, leaving my lacy white underwear in place.

“Boxers too.” I don’t know where my boldness was coming from, but the power I felt was intoxicating.

He obeyed, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him. His smiled slackened as he began to rub himself, and I’d never been more turned on. I scooted forward and put my hand on top of his. He removed his hand and I felt his hard length as I stroked slowly.

When a groan started deep in his chest, I felt empowered to keep going, knowing that I was in control.

He leaned forward to kiss me harshly as his breathing became choppy.

“Madison.”

“I never do this,” I whispered. “I barely know you, but I can’t seem to stop.”

He threw his head back and closed his eyes. “Ohhh.”

I leaned down boldly, wanting to taste him, to give him everything I could.

“You’re fulfilling every hot teacher fantasy I’ve ever had right now.”

My eyes flicked up to his hooded ones. “What did those hot teachers do in this fantasy? Did they take you in their mouths?” I gave his tip a brief kiss before lowering my voice. “Did they climb on top of you?” I crawled up his body, pushing him back as I straddled him, my underwear providing the final barrier. “Did she take you deep and ride you like it was the last thing she’d do?”

I leaned back. “At least I’m assuming it was a female teacher in these fantasies.” There was humor in my words, but a growl ripped from his throat and before I knew it, he’d flipped me onto my back and hovered over me.

“Gabe,” I breathed.

“It was you.” His words sent a jolt of heat through me. “I just didn’t know it at the time.”

His body pressed into mine, and his lips punctuated his words with a torturously slow kiss. I moaned as he scraped his teeth against my bottom lip. His hands squeezed my breasts so hard it hurt, but the pain felt good.

When he finally broke away, he knelt between my legs and hooked his fingers into the strings of my underwear.

Before he could drag them down my legs, the sound of a car engine made us freeze. We couldn’t be seen from the parking lot, but the path was short.

Car doors slammed and the spell between us broke. I scrambled towards my clothes and began pulling them on, not bothering with my bra. Gabe did the same, grumbling the whole time.

By the time we’d begun shoving the rest of our things in the duffle, a group of teenagers had appeared. There were four of them. The one in front was kicking a soccer ball in front of him. Thank God, I didn’t know any of them.

Talk about disaster.

I slipped on my shoes and followed Gabe wordlessly across the field toward the parking lot. One of the little punks gave me a knowing look, and I could’ve punched him.

All buzz from the whisky had worn off, and Gabe was silent as I drove us back to campus. Did he regret it? Was I too much trouble for a guy who could have a woman in his bed at any time?

Had the teacher fantasy been played out?

I pulled to the side of the road a street over from where he lived and cut the engine. He sat motionlessly for a moment before turning to me and curing any doubts with one fiery look.

A smile curved one side of his mouth, and I was a puddle. How did he do that?

“This isn’t over.” He leaned over the center console for a sweet kiss that seemed so out of place after our heated exchange. I wanted more.

When he tried to pull away, I gripped his arms and kissed him harder, not stopping until we were both breathless.

I leaned my forehead against his, breathing heavily.

“Until next time.” He shot me a wink before opening his door and stepping out.

I watched him walk down the road until he disappeared and then started the car and drove home. As soon as I got inside, my phone dinged with a text.

Gabe: I’m going to be dreaming of hot teachers tonight.

I grinned and Amelia looked at me curiously from her place on the couch.

I texted him back.

Me: I speak for all teachers when I say I’m glad we can help you sleep.

Gabe: Night, Teach.

Me: Night, Stud.

Gabe: LMAO did you just call me stud? I feel like I should be in a Grease movie.

Me: Fuck. I was just trying to shorten student.

Gabe: I like your dirty mouth.

I grinned, staring down at my phone.

Me: See you in class, Mr. Harris.

I collapsed onto the couch next to Amelia and she turned down the volume on the TV before offering me a sip of her beer. I took a long drink.

“Okay,” she said. “Spill.”

So I did. I told her everything because having someone else know made it real, and I wanted more than anything for it to be real.