Rowen St. Paul has watched his friends find their mates for years, waiting patiently for Fate to give him his own. When Wesley O’Connor—a troubled eighteen-year-old—is transferred to the school where Rowen teaches history, he’s shocked to discover that the senior is his other half. While Rowen realizes quickly that Wesley returns his desire, he plans to keep his distance…at least, until the school year is over. All that changes when the young hooligan breaks into his home and messes with his computer. Catching him in the act, they begin a steamy affair with one rule—keep it off school grounds. Between Wesley still being in the closet and Rowen needing to explain that he’s a shifter, they have enough obstacles. Still, in a small town, a secret of this nature doesn’t stay secret for long. Just as the truth is discovered by Wesley’s school bully, bad choices from the young man’s past complicates matters further, endangering not only their relationship, but their lives. Can Rowen prove to Wesley that together they can withstand the pressure?
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Sauntering up the aisle, Wesley gripped his backpack strap with one hand where it rested on his shoulder. He shoved his left hand into his low-hanging jeans’ pocket, knowing the move drew attention to his erection-filled crotch. Hunching his shoulders and bowing his head, Wesley pasted a smirk on his lips and watched Rowen through his lashes, seeing the exact second his sexy professor noted his approach.
Bingo!
Wesley did a mental fist pump. He’d seen the slight flaring of his teacher’s nostrils, the widening of his eyes, and the tick in his jaw—all unconscious indicators of Rowen’s desire. Wesley’s mental excitement mounted. Rowen had a lousy poker face.
As Wesley moved toward the front of the room, Rowen leaned against his desk with one hip and watched him approach. He slid one hand into his pocket and rested the knuckles of the other on the desk. The move pulled his jacket away from Rowen’s crotch just enough to reveal a peak of his erection.
Perfect.
“Thank you for staying after class, Wesley,” Rowen began. “I can only imagine how difficult switching mid-senior year is.” His dark eyes narrowed just a bit as he added, “While you won’t need to complete the assignments from the first half of the year, you will need to review the material so you’ll be prepared for the final. Would you like me to assign you a tutor to help you?”
Wesley listened to Rowen talk, the man’s deep voice rolling over him almost like a sensual caress. He didn’t know what it was about the guy’s voice, but damn. Then, Wesley focused on the words themselves.
Wait. What?
“Uh, no. I ain’t sittin’ for no tutor,” Wesley immediately snapped, giving Rowen a mutinous look. Thinking quickly, he slid on what some of his fuck-buddies had called his come-hither look. “Not unless it’s with you,” he added, purposefully lowering the timber of his voice. Wesley licked his lower lip, pleased at the way Rowen watched his mouth, then stepped forward and pulled his hand free of his pocket so he could settle his fingertips against Rowen’s knuckles where they rested on the desk. “Maybe,” he continued softly—hell, he didn’t want anyone in the hall to hear. “We could even talk about a little extra credit, since I’m so far behind and all.”
Rowen growled in his throat—fucking growled! He pulled his hand out of his pocket and grabbed Wesley’s upper arm, tugging him the couple of steps around the corner of the desk so that when he bent his head, he could whisper directly into his ear. He lifted his knuckles off his desk and flattened his hand over Wesley’s fingers, stopping his play.
Yes! Wesley’s body practically vibrated with the closeness of this man, the barely controlled passion he could see blazing in his dark eyes. It was hotter than anything he’d ever experienced in his young life.
“You are trying too hard, pup,” Rowen murmured. “Don’t belittle yourself.”
Rowen rubbed his thumb down Wesley’s t-shirt sleeve. He found the edge of the fabric, then slipped his digit beneath it and moved his surprisingly calloused thumb over the muscle of Wesley’s upper arm. Wesley felt his prick tighten at the simple touch. He opened his mouth on a pant as he struggled to comprehend the older man’s words.
“Ain’t is not a word. You should have used am not or will not,” Rowen whispered, his voice sounding far too seductive to be correcting Wesley. “You also used a variation of the word no twice in the same sentence, making it a double negative. That means they cancel each other out.” His grip on Wesley’s fingers tightened as he lowered his voice just a bit more. “In essence, you just agreed to a tutor.”
Wesley swallowed hard, feeling completely overwhelmed, but doing his best to hide it. Holy shit, what was it about this guy? He’d never wanted someone to plug his ass so badly. As he sucked in a deep breath, filling his lungs with the man’s earthy scent, he thought of pines and fresh autumn leaves. He wondered if that was the man’s natural scent, because he wanted to wallow it in.
Finally, Wesley actually registered what the sexy teacher said. Scraping together a bit of self-control, he turned his head and leaned close until their lips were an inch apart. “Does that mean you’re going to be my tutor after all?”
Rowen’s eyes narrowed and his jaw ticked as he straightened. “That would not be appropriate.”
Wesley smirked and gave Rowen a sultry smile. “Oh, Prof. We both know neither one of us want to be…appropriate,” he purred. He pulled the hand in his pocket free and reached out to rest it on Rowen’s thigh, digging his fingertips into the crease of the man’s groin. The tips of his fingers slid across the side of the older man’s erection.
Fuck, he’s big!
Hissing through clenched teeth, Rowen released Wesley’s arm. He gripped Wesley’s wrist and pulled his hand away from his hip. As he took a step backward, Rowen released the grip he had on both of Wesley’s hands.
“You are my student,” Rowen rumbled, his voice grating roughly. “I can’t.” He swallowed so hard his Adam’s apple visibly bobbed. “If you don’t want a tutor, prove you can keep up.”
Wesley smirked and took one slow step backward. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep up,” he assured softly. Then, he winked as he turned partially away. “And in the meantime, I look forward to changing your mind about what we can’t do and what we can do…together.”
As Wesley ambled out of the room and ideas bounced through his mind, he made a point of shaking his ass just a little bit. A glance over his shoulder confirmed the big man watched and appreciated.
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