Chapter Thirty-Nine

Harper

I had pulled it off. I had sat through his lesson without him seeing me. It had been fascinating to watch him up there. Confusing too. It was a side to him I didn’t know existed until now. I liked watching him up there. If he honestly thought that I wouldn’t like this side of him, then he was very mistaken. I found the fact that he could move between being a college professor and being a cowboy so easily pretty damn sexy. I was glad at how surprised he was to see me, and how we’d locked eyes across the room. The other students had been confused, and afterwards, a few of them had stopped to ask me what was going on. I hadn’t said much, but I knew it was something they were all going to wonder about.

I asked someone where I could find his office and then made my way there. It took me a while to actually open the door. I was so nervous. It was one thing talking to him in a room full of strangers, but it was another thing speaking to him face to face. Finally I took a deep breath and opened the door.

I walked in, and closed the door behind me. For a while we just stood there, looking at one another.

“Harper,” he finally said. “I… that…” he trailed off and shook his head. “It’s just so damn good to see you.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s so good to see you too, Professor.”

A guilty smile played on his face. “I’m sorry.”

I shrugged. “Well, I shouldn’t have assumed. And I shouldn’t have made such a big deal about liking cowboys,” I said and laughed. “Did you think I wouldn’t have liked you if you told me the truth?”

He sighed. “You know, Harper, I’m not even sure. I feel like such an idiot. I don’t know why I didn’t tell you. I hadn’t planned on falling for you. By the time I did, I was already so far into the lie. I was afraid that you’d be angry if I told you. And then… I don’t know… I guess I messed things up.”

“We both did.”

“How did you find me?”

I raised my eyebrows at him. “You’re not exactly difficult to find, you know. Well, I called you.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, only I thought you were still at the ranch.”

“Ah. Why… why did you call?”

“To say I missed you. I was a miserable fool without you. Oh, and Barry and Priscilla have moved to New York. I took them out for dinner with Jillian and Thomas. They’re the ones who convinced me to call you. They said it was ridiculous that the two of us hadn’t kept in touch. They said they’d never seen two people so suited to one another. So, I listened to them. I called.”

“And you found out that I don’t live there. Who did you talk to, anyway?”

“Allison. She had no idea that you didn’t tell me.”

He nodded. “Yeah. I told Mike the night before I left, but not Allison. Mike thought I was completely insane. He also called me a coward.”

I laughed. “Brotherly love, hey.”

“Brotherly love. He was right though. I was a coward. How could I let someone like you go?”

I smiled. “So, you missed me?”

“Oh hell, Harper. I’ve been going insane here without you.”

“Good answer. I’ve been going insane without you too. I’ve thrown myself into my work but it’s not good enough. My mind kept wandering back to you. Are we being ridiculous, Travis? I know there’s a distance problem, but…”

“But it’s worth it. I’d rather have a long-distance relationship with you than not have one with you at all. I… I love you, Harper. I’m madly in love with you. I have been for a while now. I was just too afraid to admit it to myself. I love you.”

I laughed. I felt so giddy, like I’d just had a bottle of champagne. “I love you too, Travis.”

“So you don’t mind that I’m not a cowboy?”

“Are you kidding me? You’re a handsome professor. You have no idea how turned I was during class.”

He laughed. “Really? You weren’t bored?”

“Well, I was a little but that’s because I had no idea what you were talking about. You’re a great teacher. You should see how everyone was hanging onto your every word. Although, you’re very good-looking up there so I’m not sure how much they’re really listening to you.”

“I cannot tell you how shocked I was when I heard your voice. The class must think I’ve lost it or something.”

I chuckled. “Probably. I don’t really care though. I’m just glad they all thought I was young enough to be a student.”

“So… uh… you like that I’m a professor, huh?”

I looked him up and down, taking in his smart suit. This was a man who could look good in anything. I gave a brief chuckle. “Oh yeah,” I said. “I like every part of you, Travis. I don’t care what you do for a living. I just care about you.”

Travis grinned. Then he moved away from his desk and I thought he was going to kiss me. Instead he walked right past me and locked the door. Then he kissed me. I melted into his arms. No wonder I hadn’t felt myself these past few weeks. I belonged to Travis. Kissing him again only reassured me of that truth. I wanted to be with him more than anything in this world. When we pulled away he grinned at me.

“So, you’ve had sex under the stars, but have you had sex in a college office?”

I chuckled. “Why, no, Professor, I have not.”

“Are you interested in having sex in a college office?”

“Why yes, Professor, I am.”

I pulled off my clothes while he watched me. There was a knock on the door and we both froze.

“I’m in a meeting,” Travis called out.

“Okay, I’ll come back later,” the voice said.

I looked at Travis and we both laughed. “This is, by far, the happiest I’ve ever been while at work.” He took off his clothes, walked over to me and picked me up. Then he led me to his desk. I moved a few of his papers away, and moved his laptop to the side. In the movies they always threw everything off, but this wasn’t the movies. This was real life. He smiled at me as he watched me move everything.

“I cannot believe that I have you here with me,” he said.

“I cannot believe that I’m sitting on your desk without any clothes on.”

“I love you, Harper.”

“I love you, Professor.”

He laughed. “Is that what you’re going to call me now? Because I kind of like it.”

After that, we had sex on the desk, a definite first for me. It wasn’t as easy as some people made it look, but by the time we got a rhythm going, it was just as wild and sexy as I hoped it would be. I lay myself back upon the hard wooden surface with my ass scooted all the way up to the edge, and he was able to access my entire body with ease. The unforgiving hardness of the desk was barely noticeable to me as he thrust his own hardness inside my depths, making me whimper as I clutched at the skin of his back, leaving pink abrasions indented in his flesh. Our bodies collided with a fervor wrought by an indescribable passion and longing, and as my pleasure built upon itself, transforming into orgasmic ecstasy, I forgot all about the discomfort of being taken on my dear professor's desk. Instead, I gave in to the sensations and let myself go as the orgasm crashed over me. We were so happy to see one another that we could’ve had sex on a cold concrete floor and it would’ve been perfect. When he came inside me shortly thereafter, he flashed me a big smile.

“Well, I can’t say I pictured that happening on my first day. Please don’t tell me you have to go home after this.”

“Well, my flight is for this evening. But… I can make it tomorrow morning instead, if you'd like?”

“Please. I want to do that again with you. And… I have a bed.”

I laughed. “A bed. What a novel idea.” I smiled. “Are you sure?”

“I’d be devastated if you left now.”

I nodded. “Me too. Okay, I’ll stay the night. But what’s going to happen after this? I mean, we do still live in different cities.”

He grinned. “There’s no way I’m going to let a bit of distance get in between us. I love you, Harper. I know we can make this work. How about we at least give it a try?”

I don’t think I had ever felt as much happiness as I had in that moment. I’d gone after what I wanted and I’d gotten it. “I say... yes. Let’s give it another try.”

He grinned. “Oh and—nice nails, by the way.”

I held up my perfectly manicured nails and waved them in the air and laughed. No more broken nails, and no more broken heart.