Bad Professor (An Alpha Male Bad Boy Romance) (87 page)

"So she licks at her ice cream in
front of me and promises me a good time if I come back to her place with her. I
ditch Brian-"

I cut him off, rubbing my hands over his
chest. "Poor Brian."

"Hush, woman. Jeez." He laughed
and turned toward me, lifting an eyebrow. "Stop rubbing all over me or I'm
returning the favor."

I rubbed my hands on his chest in a
frantic fashion and he rolled his eyes. "Women, I swear. So anyway, I got
over there and this was in my skinny jeans phase."

"No, you weren't wearing skinny
jeans." I laughed and moved back to the couch.

He joined me and pulled my legs into his
lap, starting to massage my feet as I melted into the side of the couch.

"I did, but you'll never find
evidence of them. I burned all of those fuckers."

"As you should." I moved the
other foot in his way, wanting a turn for it.

"So, she attacks me the minute we get
in the door, and to make a long story short, I can't get the fucking pants off
without her help. The zipper catching my crotch hair, and yanks a patch of it
out, which causes me to lose my erection because I'm now bleeding everywhere
and... Yeah."

I was laughing so hard that I'd pulled my
legs from him and was curled up on my side in pain.

He swatted my butt and got up, walking
back to the stove.

My phone buzzed and I pulled it out as I
wiped tears from my eyes. It was my brother and he was tired of being alone.
Dad wasn't there and he was starving.

I looked over at Finn and sighed.
"That's my little brother. I need to go."

"Sure. No problem. This is almost
done. Let me just package some of it up for you guys and I'll drop you
off."

"I hate for you to go out. Just let
me take your truck and I'll pick you up for work in the morning."

"What? No. I want to take you home.
Get your shoes on and we'll get going."

I did just as he said and walked languidly
to the door. "It's a good thing he called, right?"

 
Finn smiled wickedly as he handed me the stew
and leaned over, kissing me softly. "Would you want to spend the night
with me? To let me fuck you? Are you ready for that?"

I leaned in and pressed a long, hot kiss
against his perfect mouth. "Yes. That's part of the problem."

"Well, when it stops being a problem
you let me know and we make it happen."

Chapter
16

Finn

My sleep was filled with dreams of what
would have happened if Chloe hadn't left. After our day together, I drove her
back to the shop to get her SUV in a comfortable silence and let her go without
another kiss. I wanted one, but figured she'd given more than enough of herself
for the day.

I worked my ass off, trying to push
through my jobs as quickly as possible so I would be available by the early
afternoon. She wanted to take her brother snowboarding and there was a new hill
that had opened the previous weekend on the east side of the city. I was dying
to get over there and knew that if I could impress her brother, maybe I could
wiggle my way into her heart a little deeper. I was running out of time with
her and I'd just met her.

My phoned buzzed several times during the
day, but after checking it and seeing it was Brian, I figured I’d hit him up
later on my way home to shower and change. I wrapped up my last job and stopped
by the shop, only to have my dad pull me in his office for a few minutes.

"What's up?" I dropped down in
the chair in front of his desk.

"That girl from yesterday...you need
to be careful with her."

"Chloe? Why?" I pulled off my
knit cap and scratched my hair frantically.

Dad's lip curled in a snarl, as if I cared
what he thought of my hygiene. I'd worked hard and sweated like an ape all day.
I needed a shower and clean clothes badly.

"She's a Burke, son. She doesn't seem
like her old man, but I'm just warning you. Jonathan is a stealing, lying
bastard."

"Chloe's leaving in two weeks, Dad.
The only thing she's taking with her is likely my heart."

"That's what I'm worried about. You
need to be smart about this. You're too damn giving." He leaned back in
his chair and pinned me with a knowing glare.

"I don't really have a choice. I'm
falling in love with her. She's smart and sweet, beautiful and probably the
most authentic person I've met in ages." I slipped my hands in my pockets.
"She makes me want to be a good man."

"Awe damn. You're already lost to
her, then." He stood up and let out a long sigh. "Stay away from her
father. He and I have..."

"Bad blood between you. I know. She
asked me why yesterday, but I wasn't sure of the answer." I shrugged, not
really caring. I might be falling for Chloe, but it wasn't like we'd be sending
out wedding invitations anytime soon. There was the issue of her being a
million miles away and not wanting a long distance relationship. Her father was
the least of my concerns. Besides, her and I were still very much classified as
friends.

"She knows about me and
Jonathan?"

"I guess. Who knows how, but she
doesn't know why." I walked to the door.

"You're not going to ask for
her?"

"Nope. If you wanted me to know, then
you'd tell me." I put my hat back on and tapped the doorframe. "You
need anything else? There's a large mountain and a snowboard calling my
name."

"Must be a nice break from it being a
woman. There the only ones who usually call out your name," he laughed.

I rolled my eyes, flipping him off and
walking back out into the freezing cold afternoon.

I got in the truck and texted Chloe to
meet me at the ski lodge in front of the mountain in an hour or so. We could
rent her a board or skis if she preferred. She reminded me that her brother
Parker was coming, which I was looking forward to. I didn't have a brother, so
I'd be happy to borrow hers for the afternoon, as long as he wasn't a tit.

My phone buzzed again as I drove home, and
I growled. Brian again.

"Damn, dude. You'd think we were
dating with as many times as you've called me today," I barked.

"Well, if you'd pick up, I wouldn't
have to keep trying. I haven't heard from you since the other night at the
club. How did things go with Cindy?"

"They didn't. You knew I wanted Chloe
and yet you didn't help at all. You actually stepped on my dick. Is there a
reason for that?" I didn't realize how pissed I was until we started
talking about it.

"Yeah, because I don't want to see
you get hurt. You have enough shit you’re dealing with. Falling in love with a
girl who's leaving in two weeks and already has a man isn't going to fly."

"Already has a man?" My heart
almost stopped in my chest. Was Chloe playing me?

"Yes. Please tell me that you haven't
been hanging out with this girl."

"Of course, I have. She's everything
I want in a woman." I ran my hand over my head and tugged my hat back off,
throwing it across the console of the truck.

She didn't have a boyfriend. That would be
ridiculous. With as timid as she was, she probably just told Brian that she was
dating someone to keep him off of her.

"Well, stop. She's taken and you
don't need your heart broken." Brian was still ranting at me, but I calmed
as soon as I realized that he was only trying to protect me.

"I'm seeing her today. I'll talk to
her about it, see what's up."

"I think that's a bad idea."

I clenched my jaw and held back a growl.
"I appreciate your concern, buddy. But I'm a grown-ass man. I'll figure it
out, but thanks."

"Whatever, dude. Don't get pissed
when I say I told you so." He hung up and I gripped the steering wheel
tight.

Chloe wasn't seeing someone and Brian
being overly sensitive about it was simply his way of watching out for me. I
would just clear things up and get on with trying to win the beautiful girl.

* * * *

By the time I met her at the Wolf Lodge on
the east side of town, I was pissy and convinced that she was still taken by
some guy back home. Why wouldn't a girl as beautiful and talented as her be?

She was obviously an incredible catch, and
by the way she kissed and petted at me all night, she knew how to turn a man
on. There was no way someone like her was single. That meant she was just
getting out of a relationship.

Wait,
didn't she tell me that? She was just getting out of a relationship and didn't
want to date anyone else right now? Or was that another girl I'd been involved
with?

The conversations seemed to run together.
I grumbled under my breath and parked the truck before getting out, pulling my
board out of the back and walking toward them.

She was in ski pants and a long sleeve
shirt that fit her incredibly well. She smiled and her whole face lit up. She
was happy to see me, and here I was, planning to light into her.

Guilty
before proven innocent, huh?

I let out a long, slow breath as I
approached them and forced a smile.

"Finn, this is my brother Parker.
Parker, my friend Finn."

Parker stuck out his hand and gave me a
goofy grin. "Hey. Nice to meet you."

"You, too. I heard you got some
skills." I nodded toward his board.

"Some, but I'm always up for learning
something new." Parker glanced toward Chloe. "I'm going to go wax my
board in the lodge. I'll meet you guys by the lift."

"Alright. See you up there." She
turned to me and smiled. "You look good."

"Yeah? Same man I was yesterday, I
think." I shrugged and turned to walk after her brother. "You
coming?"

She moved up beside me and I could tell
from the tension in her shoulders that she was reading into my comments.

"What's the matter?" She pulled
me to a stop and forced me to face her.

"I'm tired. I worked my ass off all
day and tried to hurry, which left me a little more put out than I thought it
would." I shrugged and looked around her, not sure why I felt the need to
be a dick, but I did. "It's all good."

"Okay," she mumbled as she fell
in behind me.

I should have stayed at home after talking
to Brian. I couldn't shake the thought of her being with someone else and yet
to ask her would have me looking needy and childish. She'd already mentioned
that her life wasn't going to be in Colorado and that we were strictly going to
remain friends. I just needed to lean on that and stop pushing in the other
direction.

Parker turned as I walked up beside him
and smiled. "Hurry up and scoot over. I haven't waxed mine, either."

Chloe walked past us and left the
building, moving toward the lift with her skis in her hands.

"What's that about? She okay?"
Parker glanced from Chloe to me.

"Yeah, absolutely." I shrugged
and worked on getting my board ready.

"Don't hurt my sister. I know you're
the big shit around here, which is totally cool, but she's not just another
notch on your belt. Understood?" I had to give the kid the respect he
deserved for having the balls to stand up to me like that. I would have done it
for my sister, too, if I had one.

"Hell, yeah. I hear you loud and
clear." I winked and turned back to the task at hand. "Question for
you, you know, in the hopes of not having my heart crushed...she got a
boyfriend?”

Parker looked like he was thinking about
whether to be truthful or not. "Why does it matter?"

"Because it does." I stood to my
full height and looked down at him.

"Yeah, she does. They've been dating
forever. He's headed to the NFL next year." He shrugged, took his board
and headed for the door. "She's just a friend to you, right?"

"Yep. Just skiing buddies. She's not
interested in anything else. I just didn't know why. Now, I do." I smiled
as my heart broke in my chest.

She had lied to me, but why?

"Cool." He walked out and put
his arm around Chloe's shoulders.

I finished up and walked out behind them,
slipping on a tight facade. I would have fun with them as friends and then I
was done. My heart was already too wrapped up and it was my own fucking fault.
Chloe wasn't to blame. I was. She had been clear with her intentions.

"You guys ready?" I glanced
toward Chloe and smiled. "You sure you don't want to try one of these
babies? They're so much fun."

She gave me a tight smile, still upset
about our conversation. "No, but thanks."

Parker helped her up onto the lift and
took the seat next to her, which was fine with me.

I waved at them and winked at her.
"I'll catch you at the top." I waited until the next one came, and
sunk down into it.

The wind and snow blew around me as I
tried hard to pull myself out of the slump I was diving into. This was a good
thing. It was the caution tape being resurrected. She was off limits and even
though she was starting to open up to me, it would only lead to her cheating on
her boy and hating herself.

She wasn't the type of woman who wanted to
cheat, she'd made that clear. I could respect that and would just back off.
Besides... I was a man whore. All the lovey-dovey shit I was starting to feel
was incredibly uncomfortable if I really thought about it.

I dropped off the lift and moved beside
them before glancing around. "There's two hard slopes and an easy
one."

"I'm going to focus on the easy one
for a little while to see if I remember how to do this." Chloe turned and
walked toward it.

"I'll go with you, Sis," Parker
called after her, but I caught his arm.

"No, I'll go. I need to talk to her
for a minute, anyway. You get on the hard one and show me some shit. Seriously.
I'll be watching from the side." I smiled and Parker looked at Chloe, then
back to the new hill.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Get to it." I pushed at
his shoulder and he turned, moving quickly to the starting line.

I jogged toward Chloe and stopped beside
her. "Hey."

"Hey." She glanced over at me
and moved to a bench to tighten her skis.

"Sorry about earlier. I'm just tired.
Forgive me?" I smiled and touched her shoulder, not wanting the nasty
energy between us to continue. I could have fun for a few weeks off and on with
her – I'd just treat her like Brian.

"Already done." She gave me a
sad smile and I knew it was a lie.

"Chloe." I reached for her, but
she moved, getting up and heading toward the mountain.

She paused and looked back, as if she knew
things were ending between us before they even began. "Are you still
coming over tonight?"

"I can't," I lied.
"Something has come up with my dad. Rain check?"

"Absolutely." She nodded, her
beautiful face expressionless.

If I thought my heart had shattered over
finding out that she was still with her man, I had no clue what I was talking
about. It hurt so much worse standing there, watching her hurt.

Why did she want me in her life if someone
already had the spot I wanted so badly?

She didn't seem like the kind of woman to
play around with someone’s emotions, so what the fuck was happening?