Studious Desires Read online

  Whoa. The man had a killer smile. Kat looked away, not wanting to become mesmerized by him. She’d nearly done so tonight during dinner, when the conversation turned to all sorts of topics, and she found out that she still had much in common with him. No, she had to keep it together. She couldn’t throw herself at him like a young, love-struck school girl.

  “I have a great view,” she said. “Want to come back to my place?” Okay, so much for the not throwing herself at him. She’d laid the offer on the table. Her heart pounded as she waited for his response.

  “A great view, huh?” Neal turned to face her, holding their clasped hands between them, almost like some kind of a barrier.

  Kat’s heart beat faster.

  “I think there’s an awesome view right here.” He focused solely on her face, her lips, which she parted in anticipation.

  “Really?” she breathed. No one had said such things to her before. She moved forward, drawn to him like iron fillings to a lodestone. “That’s—”

  Neal closed the space between them. His free hand cupped the back of her neck, threatening to undo her careful coif, and his lips slanted across hers.

  It wasn’t a gentle kiss, a nibble or a taste. It was a full-on assault. The pressure of his lips coaxed hers to open wider, and suddenly, his tongue delved into her mouth. Against his lips, Kat moaned. Heat blossomed in her pussy, her nipples drawing into tight little beads. Yes, this was what she had been wanting to do over his desk in class earlier today. In college, he’d applied the same discipline to lovemaking as he had to his studies—total immersion, completely thorough. As a man, Neal surpassed all her expectations.

  A groan rumbled from his chest. He completely closed the space between them, their clasped hands trapped between their bodies. Fingers clenched on the back of her head, and Kat fought to keep from drowning in sensation. The feel of Neal’s tongue sliding along her own, an intimate dance that bespoke of her carnal needs, made her ache for the feel of his thick cock buried deep inside her pussy. The hand he had between them opened, fingers brushing the underside of her breast.

  He drank from her, consumed her, until the sounds of pedestrians and bars and college students faded away, leaving only the two of them. Neal pulled away long enough to suck in a ragged breath, and then his lips were on hers again. Wrapping her arm around him, she splayed her fingers against his taut buttocks, wanting him, needing him closer. As his hand moved toward her breast, her fingers, now free, traced the ridges of his abdomen through his shirt.

  “Hey, get a room,” someone yelled.

  The drunken laughter and whoops pulled her from the moment. Kat stepped away, her breathing ragged. For long moments she stood there, staring at him, struggling to draw in breath. “We should go,” she managed to breathe. “Back to my place.”

  “Yeah, your place.” Neal’s words were a husky growl, a counterpoint to the promise shining in his eyes. Kat didn’t need to look down to know how aroused he was. Right now, if she saw the length of his cock that was pressing against his trousers, she didn’t know what she might do. Probably drop her to her knees and worship him with her mouth, and damn all the college students and their boisterous night life.

  Yet, neither made a move to leave. On one of the main streets a police car roared by, sirens blazing. Car horns honked, and the sound of laughter and revelry spilled onto the pedestrian mall from the many bars. A car’s booming bass thundered down the road behind them, and finally, Kat reached for Neal’s hand. “Let’s go,” she said, caressing his palm with her fingers. “I don’t want to share you with anyone else.”

  From where this vixen came from, Kat didn’t know. She didn’t care really, not when Neal fell into step beside her on a direct path to his car parked in the nearby ramp. In less than ten minutes, Neal held open the car door for her, and soon they were driving back to her apartment. In the small confines of the car, Kat remained quiet. Small talk seemed irrelevant at this point, and she knew what would happen once she brought him up to her apartment.

  It was too soon, a part of her mind countered. Even now, her lips still tingled from his kiss, her nipples hard and wanting. She’d waited and waited to make love to him back in college, and then as soon as she did, it seemed their lives parted. Would the same thing happen again? He parked in front of her apartment building.

  Kat leaned across the bucket seat and brushed her lips against his cheek. “I want to invite you up, I really do. But we just got acquainted again. I don’t normally fall into bed with men on the first date.” She babbled, and she hated herself for it.

  “It’s all right.” Reaching up, he caressed her cheek. “I want you. I won’t lie and say I don’t, but you’re my student.”

  She hadn’t thought of that. She’d thought of them only as old friends. Reaching into her purse, she handed him a business card. “Call me.” Then before she could change her mind, Kat opened the car door and hurried upstairs.

  Chapter Two

  So close to perfect. Finally after months of meticulous calculations and research, Neal almost had the compound for his formula complete. Soon, he could apply for a patent and submit it, and publish his trials. His mind ran away with him thinking of the future, a future in which scientific studies could be conducted with complete and utter dispassion. No more emotions tainting the outcome to an experiment. No more slanting the article one way or another. Pure, unadulterated truth.

  Neal smiled. And then there was Kat. She’d knocked him for a loop last night, devouring her meal and rubbing her foot against his leg under the table. So coy, so seductive, and then to tell him no, that it was too soon. Damn, but he’d had a hard-on all the way home, and once there, had taken matters into his own hands. He didn’t blame her. It had been ten years after all. No, he just hoped to get to know her more so that soon, real soon, she’d continue their relationship where it left off—with her in his bed.

  He glanced at the computer screen holding his calculations. His vision blurred. Instead of numbers and symbols, he saw Kat’s face. Lips parted, eyes half-lidded, looking completely and thoroughly kissed. The feel of her palm branded against his ass. His cock jerked with awareness.

  Swallowing hard, Neal struggled to focus on the computer screen again. Another hour, maybe two tops, then he’d call her and see what they could do. With his promise firm in his mind, he shoved thoughts of Kat away.

  Only to have them intrude once more. See, this was exactly why he needed to perfect his formula. Of course, he had to work on some sort of duration for it, so he’d know how long it would last, but this was the perfect reason why. If he had his formula finished he could sit here in the lab, work on his project, and be completely focused on it.

  Neal shook his head and keyed a few more calculations into the computer. That’s what he wanted, right? A way to focus specifically on his science and not think about anything, or anyone else. Dragging his fingers through his hair, he stared at the computer screen. And what had focusing on his science gotten him? A damned near entry-level teaching position at a large university, a modest apartment, no social life to speak of, and trouble relating to anyone outside of academia or the sciences. Yeah, he had a poster-life that everyone else should be clamoring to have. Neal snorted, then remembered his formula and put a lid on the top of the beaker, afraid of contaminants.

  If he had his formula finished, he wouldn’t worry about any of that. It felt strangely like running, and Neal made it a point never to run away from problems. He faced them head-on with a level head and the scientific methods. Science geeks were hot. He was hot. He couldn’t miss the looks some of his students gave him, or younger members of the faculty for that matter.

  “This is stupid,” Neal muttered to himself. “This whole line of thinking is an absolute waste of time.” With a firm set to his jaw, he removed the cover off the beaker, set out several Petri dishes, and prepared to make several different strengths of solution. Then, he’d dose up the rats living in their happy little wire cages in the back of hi
s lab and see what happened. With any luck, they’d ignore the temptation of cheese and crackers. He quickly prepared the solution, then poured it into water bottles, which he dutifully hung on each cage. “Okay little guys. Drink up. I’ll be back in half an hour to see if you have any interest in your treats.” He paused for a moment, watching the rats mill around the water bottle filled with a bluish liquid. First one, then the others began to drink. Soon, he’d have the results he was looking for and would be able to type up his first papers.

  After checking the cages and putting the rest of the solution in the refrigerator, Neal decided to head outside. A walk across the quad might serve to clear his mind. He needed an angle for this first paper, something to whet the appetite for more information about his research. Releasing a sigh, he strode out into the sunlight.

  The sight of a couple sitting beneath the limbs of a large oak tree brought his thoughts back to Kat. Obviously lovers, their heads tucked in close together, legs touching, the two looked completely absorbed in one another. Exactly the same as he and Kat had been last night. Turning on his heel, he returned to his lab. He’d call her, and then tonight, perhaps they could take their acquaintance further. With a wolfish grin, he unlocked the door to his lab and headed to the phone.

  No answer, just the answering machine. Leaning against the wall, Neal pressed the palm of his hand against his eyes, as if to banish the images that had haunted him last night and returned with a vengeance. He thought of her in her apartment, getting ready for bed, stripping her clothes off inch by delectable inch. Would she sleep in the nude? Or did she pull some frothy lacy thing over her head and sleep in it? His cock throbbed, twitching behind his fly.

  Tonight. Tonight he’d find out.

  ****

  Sitting at a scarred, wooden table in the library, Kat traced the initials of someone who had sat in that every spot, albeit bored. A couple of science books sat open on the table around her, a list of notes and potential topics for a paper for one of her classes in the notebook sitting by her left hand. She picked up her pencil and tapped it against the paper, then stopped when it sounded horribly loud to her ears.

  She should be working. With one paper due within a few days and another two papers by the end of the month, Kat knew she needed all the research time she could get. Picking up the pencil she brought it to her lips and chewed, then stopped herself. It was an old habit, one she wanted to break. She glanced back at her notebook, knowing the topics, and then turned the pages in the magazine spread out before her. Yeah, she could write a paper about biochemistry looking at a fashion magazine. She grinned.

  Maybe she needed people around her to study. Back in the day, she’d visit her friends at the sorority, have mini-makeovers, all while discussing a literature or humanities course, one of her electives. After meeting Neal, she’d go with him to the library, or they’d sit in the quad and ignore the teasing of frat boys. Neal even saved her from some unwelcome advances once. The quietness of the library weighed on her.

  She couldn’t live in the past. What had happened back then was dead and gone, and she couldn’t go back in time and change things. And really, if she had the ability, would she even want to go back in time? No, what she and Neal had, and she placed the emphasis on had even though she wanted something more, worked. On some basic, fundamental level it worked. So why had she skitter away from him like a startled deer last night?

  Kat pressed her lips to the pencil, determined not to chew on it, but needing to think. She should have brought a lollipop. Digging in her purse, she found a red one, and pulling the wrapper of it, popped it in her mouth before she could mar another pencil. Neal always did tease her about her oral fixation.

  Just thinking about it sent a strange lassitude through her body. Her nipples pebbled, aching for his touch. She’d use her need for oral stimulation on him. In his lab, on his desk, yeah, on his desk. She pictured him sitting there, legs spread, jeans pulled down to reveal boxers. His cock, thick and long with a flushed purple head, would poke through the opening, and she’d wrap her lips around it and suck.

  Closing her eyes, she imagined his musky scent, the salty taste of him as she captured a drop of pre-cum with her tongue. She’d work his shaft, sliding her tongue along the underside, and stroking that sensitive ball of nerves just underneath her head. Reaching in to his boxers, she’d cup his balls, her other hand braced on his lower abdomen. And she’d suck.

  Oh how she’d suck with her cheeks hollowed out, her lips flush around his cock. She’d work him like he hadn’t been worked in a while until his balls tightened against his body and he exploded in her mouth. Oh yeah, that’s what she’d do if she had Professor Graves in front of her.

  She paused, aware she’d been tonguing the lollipop in her mouth, legs spread wide on the chair. A discreet look around showed no one saw, but a heated flush crept over her cheeks anyway. Get a grip. I’m here to research my papers, not fantasize about Neal. Her mental admonishment did little good.

  Kat glanced at her watch. Nearly an hour to go before she left for her class. Closing the fashion magazine, she set it aside in favor of Scientific American in the hopes of finding some cutting-edge science on which to write her paper. She used to work for NOAA, still did really, even if she was on an educational sabbatical. With the hurricanes, about which she intimately knew, she could easily write a paper about forecasting methods or global warming, or any number of hot button topics. But none of them appealed to her. Part of going back to school for her masters was so that she could find another direction in which to apply her learning and her schooling. She wanted something different.

  Skimming an article on super volcanoes, she wondered if that might be a good article topic. With her interest rekindled, she hurried to an empty computer to find more magazine articles and disappeared back into research mode again. Lusty thoughts of Neal faded as she thought about the heat generated from such natural phenomena. And then the time flew.

  Kat finished up her research with her paper outlined and started, with several references cited, and some preliminary notes for the next two papers due. Luckily, they were for three different classes, so if she branched out her volcano research into talk about the atmosphere and gasses, the other two professors probably wouldn’t notice, and even if they did, it was taking her specialty, weather, and bringing it into a new light. A grin on her face, she slung her bag over her shoulder, dodged past two freshmen giving her admiring glances, and hurried outdoors so she could rush over to Neal’s classroom.

  Her stomach gave a familiar flip-flop, and her heart beat double time at the thought of seeing him again. Her sexual daydream returned with a vengeance, except this time, she imagined herself spread-eagled on his desk. Moisture flooded her pussy, and she narrowly missed colliding with a jogger, as she dreamed of him standing there, taking her, pounding into her as her legs wrapped around his hips. Last night she’d gotten cold feet. Tonight, she’d be the one who needed cooling off.

  ****

  All during class, Kat struggled to pay attention to Neal’s lecture. Instead, her attention wandered to the man himself. His hair looked as if he’d dragged his fingers through it multiple times, and a hint of stubble grew on his cheeks. Her palms itched to feel the sandpaper texture against her hand, to caress it and run her thumb over his lips. Her breathing hitched, and she forced herself to smooth it out. Casting a surreptitious glance at the young male student sitting at her table, she realized he hadn’t noticed, and grinned.

  Neal didn’t help. He looked her way several times during class. Though he tried not to focus on her, she felt the heat in his gaze, the way it followed the scoop neck of the blouse she’d pulled on before coming to class, the way it rested on the swell of her breasts. Like a caress, the gentle touch sent a shiver down her spine and nearly made her squirm on the stool on which she sat. Kat focused on taking notes, not wanting to be caught daydreaming over the professor like the young students two tables over. And Neal didn’t even notice. Kat foug
ht to keep the smug smile from her face.

  The lecture segued into a movie, okay a tape of a past Nova program from PBS, and without Neal’s distracting presence, she actually focused on the program documenting some interesting theories in organic chemistry. Watching the show reminded Kat why she was in college, the fact that she’d hit a glass ceiling at her government job aside. She wanted to learn something new, be challenged, work with theories she might not otherwise have a chance to study. She rested her cheek in her palm as she made notes, a smile on her lips.

  Turning her attention back to the television, she caught Neal watching her. A hungry look covered his face, his gaze directed specifically at her. Kat licked her lower lip, and in the dim classroom lights, she watched him follow the motion. With a smile, she turned her attention away from him and back to the television. No sense in letting the rest of the class see, though a hot flush crept over the back of her neck at the thought that some of them might have caught the wanting in Neal’s gaze. She fought back a wide grin thinking how some of her other female classmates were probably jealous. Score one for the over thirty student.

  The show ended, and Neal fiddled with the VCR, giving her a good view of his tight ass covered with worn denim. Fighting the urge to lick her lips, instead, she focused on making sure she understood her notes and that they were legible. He wheeled the media cart back into the corner, then turned to face the class.

  Not for a boring lecture. Instead, he divided them into groups and set them around four of the tables, then started having them complete a basic experiment. Something simple, yet it elegantly demonstrated the principles shown in the television show. Sounds of comprehension filled the room along with the scratching of pens and pencils taking furious notes. And then, the class ended.