The idea of them working so closely gnawed at me. “Isn’t there anyone else you could write for?” Even as the words left my mouth, I knew I Dig It! was the best out there in the field of archaeology reporting.

  Her eyes locked on mine. “I really don’t see him often, Harrison. I work from home. All communication is digital. You don’t need to worry.”

  I blew out a breath. I couldn’t ask her to leave what she loved. That would be the same thing Sue had done to me . . . asked me to give up something I loved because she was worried what it would do to us. Unfortunately, as good as her intentions to keep us together may have been, they were the exact thing that pulled us apart. “Okay, but if he steps even one toe out of line—”

  Kat grinned. “Okay, Professor. You’ll expel him. I get it.”

  “You deserve to be happy, Kat. He doesn’t get to ruin your dream job.”

  She shook her head. “He isn’t. He should know better.” Frowning, Kat took a sip of her drink. “Although . . .”

  “What is it?”

  “Never mind. Let’s eat and get over to Elvis.”

  Once dinner was over, we made our way over to the theater. As I opened the door for her, the smile that lit her face let me know I’d made the right decision in bringing her here. I’m almost in love. The only question that remains is, am I ready?

  Chapter 15

  Kat

  Seeing Ashton Olsson’s name up in lights alongside his picture was surreal. I couldn’t believe I was here. This was the best first date I could have ever imagined. Harrison had certainly read me well.

  The grin on my face stayed there the entire evening as Ashton ran through the King’s songs. Harrison and I bopped along until “Love Me Tender” filled the room. He pulled me into his arms, and we swayed. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, the scent of cedarwood and mint filling my senses. In this moment, dancing to Elvis, I knew one thing—this man was mine. He was meant for me, and I would never let him go.

  Burying my face into his chest, I knew it was all worth it. Sure, sleeping with my interview subject wasn’t ideal, but he was no ordinary subject.

  Harrison brought his finger under my chin, tilting my face up so I could gaze into those hazel eyes of his. His hand trembled, but he leaned down, brushing his lips against mine softly and tenderly. It was gentle and sweet, and I responded in kind, pouring a bunch of emotion into the kiss. While most of our exchanges had been amazing, this one said so much more, and it was clear I was falling for this man.

  When Harrison pulled back, his eyes searched mine. “Kat, I . . .”

  My breath caught in my throat as I wondered where he was going with this conversation. It was obviously way too soon for declarations of love, but the way he looked at me with glassy eyes made me entertain those kinds of notions. “Yes?”

  “This has been one of the best nights of my life. I don’t ever want to go back.”

  I swallowed the lump in my throat. “But your students . . .”

  “The final is next week, and then I’ll be free until my trip in a few weeks.”

  “Sounds like we could spend a lot of time together before then.” I grinned, running my hands up his muscular arms.

  We quieted as the song wrapped up, continuing to sway as Ashton called out, “Thank you, thank you very much! Now, let’s end the evening with something upbeat, shall we?” He nodded to the band behind him as the beginning notes of “Bossa Nova Baby” began.

  I laughed and swayed my hips faster as I turned toward the stage, Harrison’s arm still on my hips. He moved with me, although not as smoothly as he had while slow dancing. I smirked as I turned back to him, pulling him along with me. Placing my hands on his hips, I encouraged them to rotate. Leaning toward him, I said, “So you know how to use your pelvis in the bedroom, but not in public?”

  “That part is only for you.” Harrison grabbed my hips and pulled me against his body to feel his semi-erect cock. “If I keep dancing like this, we may have a problem.”

  I leaned up toward his ear and whispered, “I want to grind my ass against you,” the words for him only.

  At the mention of my ass, Harrison’s hands dropped to it, giving it a light squeeze. “You really shouldn’t say things like that in public.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “All these promises of punishment, Professor, but I’ve yet to see them eventuate.”

  He chuckled. “It is getting unbelievable. I’ll have to remedy that.”

  We barely made it inside the door to my apartment before Harrison pushed me up against it. My breath hitched. It was fucking hot how he leaned toward me, boxing me in against the door with his arms.

  “This is a good move,” he said.

  “And you’re stealing it.” I drew in a sharp breath as he stared at me, his gaze heated as it dropped to my chest.

  “You love it, but I suppose you ought to have that punishment before we have any fun.” He grabbed my hips, and my core throbbed as he stroked his hands over my ass. “Turn around and lean against the door, ass up and legs spread.”

  Wetness instantly rushed to my pussy at his words. “Yes, Professor,” I said, spinning and doing as he instructed, the anticipation almost too much.

  He caressed my ass again before pulling my dress up to reveal my lacy underwear. Harrison fingered the edges for a moment, and my legs trembled from the anticipation. He rubbed my ass again before taking his hand away. The removal of his warmth made me shiver before a loud slap made me jump, and a stinging sensation traveled through my rear. He spanked me.

  I was dripping now, my underwear drenched as he turned his attention to the other cheek. Holy hell.

  He rubbed both of my cheeks to soothe them. “Now, are you going to be a good girl?”

  “Hell no,” I said, defiance raging through me. I was so needy and wet and needed him to touch me, so I wiggled my ass, then pushed it back against his hands.

  Harrison hummed, the sound shooting right to my core. “What am I going to do with you?” I angled my ass higher into the air, his hands slipping down. His fingertips shifted, playing with my soaked underwear against my folds. “Holy shit, Kat. You’re dripping for me.”

  “Please, Harrison,” I said, shifting against him.

  “Oh, the bad girl can beg.” He ran his fingertips over my folds, but still outside.

  I wanted to scream. “Please touch me. I can’t take it anymore.”

  “Certainly, but only because you asked so nicely,” he said, brushing my underwear aside and finally touching me. His fingers slid across my folds easily since I was so wet. Harrison parted them, finding my clit, and used my juices to circle it. I clawed at my door, trying to stay in place as he slid two fingers from his other hand up and into me.

  “Oh, fuck,” I said, pushing back as he worked me with both hands.

  “You like that, baby? Check this out.” He pulled his fingers out, and I growled before he replaced them with his tongue, pushing it inside me as he kept circling my clit with his fingers. I ground back against his face, and he moaned as I came, the sound vibrating through me as I struggled to stay in place.

  As my orgasm ebbed, he pulled more pleasure out of me.

  “Fuck. You taste like ambrosia,” he said.

  I spun around, ripping my dress over my head and my underwear down my legs, discarding them both beside us. Quickly unbuttoning his shirt, I ran my fingertips over his muscular chest and down to the fucking sexy V of his hips, pointing me toward the thing I desired most—his cock.

  He hissed as I unbuttoned his jeans, pulling them and his boxers toward the floor as I knelt in front of him, his cock standing at attention. “You got to taste me. Now, it’s my turn.”

  His eyes widened as I leaned forward and licked the tip of his cock, which was dripping. I lapped up his precum, fingering his balls as he groaned. “Shit, Kat. Please . . .”

  Looking up at him, I met his eyes and grinned. “Now who’s begging?”

  “Gladly. Please, Kat. Take me all the way in.” He hissed as I licked the tip again before swirling my tongue over the top. Without any further warning, I sucked his cock into my mouth as far as it could go, humming at the groans coming from him. Massaging his balls, I continued on his cock as his hands gripped the back of my head. He thrust into my mouth, and I loved the feeling of him. “Kat, I want to come inside you. Not here, but in that tight pussy of yours.”

  I let his cock slide out of my mouth with a pop, because that was exactly what I wanted too. I pulled his pants and boxers the rest of the way down, and he kicked them off. Leading him to the couch, I pushed him down. “Sit.”

  “Looking for another punishment? You’re so bossy,” he said, his eyes gleaming.

  “You love it,” I said, my gaze dropping to his cock, still standing at attention. Straddling him, I braced my hands on the back of the couch, teasing him with my dripping entrance.

  “You really do enjoy torturing me,” he said.

  Harrison grabbed my hips, but I held firm, staring into his eyes. Instead of pulling me down over him, he waited, and it was fucking hot. I slid down an inch, taking in just the tip of him as he groaned. His hands shook, and there was no doubt in my mind that he wanted to take me the rest of the way. The fact that he held onto his restraint and let me lead was a fucking turn on. I hadn’t thought he could get more sexy, but here we were. He held on as I eased myself about halfway down before that restraint snapped and he thrust up into me, bringing my hips slamming down against him as he stretched me, filling me completely.

  Letting out a cry of pleasure, I rode him, grinding against him and chasing that high. His cock rubbed against my clit, pushing me higher. Those hazel eyes locked onto me before he grabbed the back of my neck, pulling me down to him. The kiss he placed on my lips was searing, causing my hips to thrust faster as his tongue slipped into my mouth. My heart accelerated, our skin-slapping symphony mixed with the sounds of our moans. Pulling my lips away, I shifted, biting into his shoulder as I came, him shuddering against me with his own release.

  Our chests heaved as we remained in place, coming down. I kissed his neck before sitting back up to look at him, his cock still inside me. As I clenched my pelvic floor muscles around him, he shuddered. I chuckled as he rolled his eyes before kissing me deeply, his tongue tangling with mine before pulling back. Letting out a sigh of bliss, I ran my hand through his disheveled, sweaty hair. “How about a shower?”

  Chapter 16

  Harrison

  After we’d cleaned up, I sat on her purple bedspread, waiting for her to come back out of her closet. I’d have preferred for us to sleep naked, our flesh pressing up against each other, but she’d insisted on me seeing her pajamas. And if that wasn’t the cutest fucking thing ever, then I didn’t know what was. When she stepped out again, my eyes shot right down to her bright yellow pants . . . with Elvis heads and bananas on them. I snorted. “You really weren’t kidding about being an Elvis fan, were you?”

  She grinned as she sat next to me. “Emma made them. She has a matching pair.”

  I laughed. This sister of hers sounded like she was a handful. “I’m not going to lie; that’s pretty awesome. I don’t have any siblings, but my cousin JJ feels like a brother. For years he’s been telling me that I needed to get back out in the field and on digs, that Sue wasn’t good for me, but I tried to hold on for so long.” Kat put an arm around my shoulder, and I leaned into her touch. She made me feel understood in a way no one else did. Now that was something worth holding onto.

  She cleared her throat. “Change is fucking hard.”

  I took a deep breath, and the smell of her strawberry shampoo filled my senses, calming me. “It really is. You said you’ve never been married?”

  She stiffened for just a moment. “No, but I was engaged once.”

  “What happened?” I asked, tilting my head up to see her face. She pursed her lips, and I almost wished I could take the question back, because there was obviously pain there. Then again, I wanted to build something with her, and if she stayed closed off, it would never happen. It was obvious that whatever had gone wrong still shook her.

  She blew out a breath. “I was only twenty-one when we got engaged. I thought it was what I wanted… that he was what I wanted, but then my dad died right before our wedding. I couldn’t walk down the aisle without him, and Wade rejected the idea of taking in my sister. Emma was only fifteen, and they would have put her into foster care. I couldn’t let that happen, so I broke it off and did what I had to do. I should have broken things off sooner than I did.”

  I trailed my fingertips down her cheek, wiping away the tear that had escaped. “If he couldn’t understand what you had to do, then he wasn’t right for you. You were faced with an impossible decision to take on responsibility for your sister. I can’t imagine any of my students taking on that kind of responsibility. You were so brave. Braver than me. I was scared to let Sue go when I should have. I should have done it years instead of months ago.”

  Kat leaned down, kissing me so softly that my chest grew tight. The amount of tenderness behind it almost hurt. She was trying to comfort me. How long had it been since someone tried to comfort me? Since someone understood and wanted to be with me anyway? Kissing her back was like a balm for my soul.

  She pulled back. “I’m exhausted. How about we go out for breakfast tomorrow?”

  I grinned. “I’d like that.”

  She grabbed my hand and pulled me up the bed, and we slid under the covers.

  I woke the next morning with my phone vibrating on the table and Kat snuggled into my side. Frowning, I shifted away, grabbing my phone to see a text from JJ.

  JJ: Dude, did you see what this magazine wrote about you?

  My heart dropped to my feet as I got up and padded into the living room. My heart raced as I clinked on the link containing Kat’s article, her name proudly displayed at the top.

  The headline practically screamed at me.

  Harrison Keeler - A Name We’re Sure You’ve Forgotten

  As I read it, it only got worse, citing my unsubstantiated claim that I was gearing for a comeback and calling me a has-been grasping at fame. Betrayal and rage poured through me at my quotes taken out of context and ridiculed throughout. Holy shit. I grabbed my discarded jeans and shirt, pulling them over my boxers. How could she do this to me? She hadn’t even asked me for sources. I would have gladly given them to her.

  Is this what she really thought of me? Had last night meant nothing to her? My mind a mess, I quickly grabbed my bag, needing to get out of her apartment and get my head on straight before confronting her about any of it. I hoped there was an explanation, but I couldn’t hear any of it right now.

  Rage stiffened my muscles as I fled, jumping into my car and pausing for a moment behind the wheel. I wondered if I was reacting too harshly, but I couldn’t calm the hurt enough to care. I put my car in gear and headed back for Chicago.

  Chapter 17

  Kat

  As I stretched, the sore muscles reminded me of all the fun of the night before with Harrison. I grinned, reaching my hand out, but only encountered an empty bed. I blinked and opened my eyes before sitting up. Maybe he was already awake. After noting the open bathroom door, I headed down the hallway. Dread settled in my stomach when I realized the rest of the apartment was empty as well. The overnight bag he’d left in the living room and his clothes were all gone. Biting my lip, I headed back to my bedroom and scooped up my phone from the nightstand, noticing I had a message. I clicked on it quickly, hoping it was Harrison with an explanation of where he was, but it wasn’t.

  Emma: Damn, girl. I thought you liked this guy.

  Me: What the hell are you talking about?

  Emma: Your article. You crucified him. What the fuck happened?

  My hands shook as I found and pulled up my article—if you could even call it that—and read it in horror. Jamie had hacked it up and changed the tone without consulting me. What the actual fuck was going on? I immediately texted Jamie.

  Me: What is this piece of shit with my name on it?

  Jamie: Hello to you too. I couldn’t confirm his new trip, so I had to add doubt to his claim. I knew you had a date this weekend, so I decided not to bother you with it.

  My mouth dropped open. He knew? Was he jealous? I thought we’d left things on a good working relationship, but I guess I was wrong.

  Me: And all the comments basically calling him a liar and washed up . . . you just felt like adding those, hey? I can’t believe you overhauled my article without consulting me.

  Jamie: Yeah, well, guess you were too busy fucking him to bother with backing up the claims you made.

  Me: It’s none of your business who I fuck. How did you even know any of this?

  Jamie: You forget, darling. He’s not the only one to take you to The Melting Pot.

  I slammed my phone down on the counter as rage poured through me. So that’s how he knew. He had friends who had seen us. With my head in my hands, I wondered if Harrison had seen the article. Was that why I’d woken up alone? Picking my phone back up, I sent Harrison a text.

  Me: I did not approve the changes my editor made, I swear. My original article was NOTHING like that. Where are you? Please come back so we can talk about this.

  As the minutes ticked by and no response came, my mind spiraled. I paced my apartment, realizing he was probably on his way back to Chicago. Shit. Even if I hadn’t written a bunch of that article, my name was still on it, and I’d made the mistake of not confirming with a second source. Jamie had nailed me with it too because of his jealousy. Rubbing my face, I came to a decision and sent my boss an email, noting my mistake but also that a misleading and false article had been published instead of allowing me time to fix my error. I didn’t want to leave this job, but if my editor was going to sabotage me, I couldn’t stay. I’d always be worried about him changing my articles without talking to me. It was my own fault for dating him, but I’d beaten myself up about it enough.

 

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