Kissing Tolstoy (Dear Professor Book 1) Page 17
Victor Hanover was so. . . odd.
And quite suddenly made enormously attractive by his apology.
This abrupt discovery of his attractiveness—especially relative to his previous plainness and firm placement in the asshole column—overwhelmed me.
Maybe because I’d never been this close to him? Maybe because I’d never seen him impassioned? Maybe because I’d never seen him as anything other than a dry, distracted, and aloof goof? Or maybe because I’d never looked at Professor Hanover before and thought of him as a man.
As brilliant? Yes. As funny and witty? Yes and yes. As a sadist who enjoyed torturing his students and forcing them to learn all relevant applications of the chi-square test? Yes, yes, and yes.
But never as a man.
It was overwhelming. He was overwhelming. The crush alarm sounded between my ears and low in my stomach. My face flushed with heat and I swallowed a breath.
Ahhhhh crap.
He was still staring beyond me, lost in his own thoughts, which gave me a precious moment to compose myself. I needed it.
This wasn’t good. I still had two months in this man’s class and he called on every student at least once a week. He might not ever recognize me, but crushes made me tongue tied and stupid. If I were tongue-tied and stupid for this man, he’d squash me like an ant.
Plus—hello—I was standing in the same room as him, stage three naked, lest I forget.
“What’s your name?” He still hadn’t looked directly at me.
“Lavender,” I answered breathlessly without thinking. Had his voice always been so deliciously deep?
“No. What’s your real name?”
I shook my head, my mouth forming a tight smile as I glanced quickly at the camera in the corner, then busied myself with making his drink.
He followed my gaze, then whispered, “We’re being watched?”
I nodded, my smile growing a smidge more sincere as I held out the glass of liquor I’d just poured. After a short moment of hesitation, he accepted the glass, his fingers brushing against mine. A shiver raced own my spine at the contact but I ignored it, stepping, turning, and strolling away toward the open rack of lingerie.
Going through the motions, I decided I’d put the garter ensemble—which consisted of a red and black bone-bustier with garter straps and thigh-high silk stockings—over the bra and thong I was already wearing.
I’d just finished rolling up the second stocking when he said, “You don’t have to do that.”
Looking to him, I lifted a questioning eyebrow. He’d stayed by the bar, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his drink. His posture was relaxed as he took another swallow of scotch, but he’d yet to meet my gaze.
“Do what?”
“Don’t you have a robe?”
I straightened. “Do you want to see a robe?”
“Wouldn’t you be more comfortable? If you were less . . .” He scratched the back of his neck, his attention on the wall behind me.
“Less?”
“If you were covered?”
I blinked at him and answered before I could think better of my response. “No. Would you?”
“You wouldn’t?” Once again, he was strolling toward me, this time his gaze was on his drink. “It doesn’t bother you? Being objectified?”
“Think of me as a clothes hanger.” That’s mostly how I thought about it.
He snorted, his features twisting with amusement and disbelief. “My imagination isn’t that good,” he said to his scotch.
“Fine. Then a mannequin.”
Dr. Hanover’s eyes flickered quickly over my form and he appeared to stand straighter, the muscle at his jaw jumping as he ground out, “My imagination isn’t that good either.”
Sensing his discomfort, I reached for a red, silk kimono and slipped it over my shoulders. “If you’d like to see a robe, I’ll wear a robe.”
“Do you get paid if you put on the robe?”
“Yes.”
“But you don’t like the robe?” His inquisitive stare was pointed at my forehead.
“It’s a lovely robe.” I deflected smoothly, but then stumbled over the next part, “W-would you like to touch it?”
Gah and drat. I had to ask.
Every time we put on a new layer we were supposed to ask the client if they wanted to touch the item. And that meant he could basically touch me anywhere as I was covered from neck to ankle in red silk kimono.
Dr. Hanover drew in a slow breath, his gaze coming to my body, moving lower and lingering this time, as though now that I was no longer naked, he’d given himself permission to actually look at me. His stare moved slowly, caressing a path to my neck, jaw, to my hair where it rested over one shoulder.
Suddenly, his frown returned, and this time he looked thoughtful. He blinked.
And then his eyes shot to mine, growing at once cold and hot, and dread unfurled like a slithery beast in my belly.
He recognized me.
Or rather, he realized he knew me from somewhere, but hadn’t quite figured out who I was. Which meant I had exactly two seconds to do something drastic.
Instead—big surprise—I froze.
“Wait a second.” Dr. Hanover drew closer, until less than two feet separated us. Peripherally, on autopilot, I realized I could smell his cologne. He smelled great and I chastised myself for noticing that he smelled great. Especially now. I needed to act, and instead I was sniffing him.
Do something other than smell him!
His eyes were currently flickering over me with urgency, jumping from my breast to my lips to my neck to my eyes. And when they finally settled, I saw that his irises were dark green.
That slithery beast of mortification punched me in the gut as my professor, holding my gaze hostage, whispered, “I know you.”
** END SNEAK PEEK **
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Friends without Benefits: An Unrequited Romance (#2)
Love Hacked: A Reluctant Romance (#3)
Beauty and the Mustache: A Philosophical Romance (#4)
Ninja at First Sight (#4.75)
Happily Ever Ninja: A Married Romance (#5)
Dating-ish: A Humanoid Romance (#6)
Marriage of Inconvenience (#7, coming 2018)
Winston Brothers Series
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Truth or Beard (#1)
Grin and Beard It (#2)
Beard Science (#3)
Beard in Mind (#4)
Dr. Strange Beard (#5, coming 2018)
Beard with Me (#5.5, coming 2019)
Beard Necessities (#6, coming 2019)
Hypothesis Series
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Elements of Chemistry: ATTRACTION, HEAT, and CAPTURE (#1)
Laws of Physics: MOTION, SPACE, and TIME (#2, coming 2018)
Fundamentals of Biology: STRUCTURE, EVOLUTION, and GROWTH (#3, coming 2019)
Irish Players (Rugby) Series – by L.H. Cosway and Penny Reid
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The Hooker and the Hermit (#1)
The Pixie and the Player (#2)
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