Undone (17 page)

“Come here,” he said, holding out his arms, his voice nothing but a sexy rasp.

Embry didn’t hesitate. She stepped forward, and Luke wrapped her in his arms. He nuzzled her neck, breathing her in. A small strangled whimper escaped her lips. At the soft sound, Luke’s head lifted, his eyes ablaze. He ran his hands into her hair and slammed his lips on hers in a bruising kiss. For just a moment, Embry surrendered, reveling in the feeling of being consumed by him.

It ended as fast as it began. Luke tore himself away, sadness flooding his features, and Embry ducked into her car, offering a short wave. As she pulled out of the driveway, her eyes cloudy with tears, she lifted her fingers to her kiss-swollen lips, knowing that it was good-bye.

Embry was dragged out of a delicious dream by her alarm clock blaring. She rolled over to silence the music, and she was immersed in Luke’s scent, warm and woodsy. She shot up, groggy and confused, to search for him. Finding her bed empty, she looked down to see that she was still wearing his sweatshirt, and the events of the previous night came crashing back. Pulling it to her nose, she inhaled deeply, taking in as much of Luke as she could before ripping it over her head. She folded it and left it on her pillow, knowing that was the closest she’d get to Luke. They’d drawn their lines, and both of their futures depended on them staying on their own sides.

She ran through her morning routine, grabbed her books, and headed to class. Her first research meeting with Luke was that afternoon, and she was jumpy and nervous. Her anxiety grew as she sat in her first class.

What would it be like with Luke? Would he be friendly? Could she really pretend he was nothing but a professor to her? She was confused and upset over they way they had left things. They’d agreed to keep their relationship professional—make it work any way they could—but then they’d shared that kiss. It was supposed to be an ending, a good-bye, but it didn’t feel like it.

She caught herself running her fingers over her lips, remembering the feel of Luke’s mouth. Pulling her hand away, she glanced at Jeremy to see if he’d noticed her petting her lips like a freak. He winked, reached in his pocket, and put whatever he’d pulled out into her hand.

Her cheeks heated as she looked at the stick of lip balm. Busted. “What’s this?”

“Chapstick,” he answered.

“I can see that, thanks. Why are you giving it to me?”

“Chapped lips?”

“My lips are fine,” she said.

“Well you were rubbing at them, so I figured you needed some relief. Unless it’s another kind of relief you’re after. You know I’m good for that too.” He wiggled his eyebrows in typical Jeremy fashion.

“Ick, Jer!” she said, throwing the Chapstick at his chest.

“Hey, take it easy!” He threw his hands up and laughed.

“Mr. Price.” Embry and Jeremy jumped to attention when the professor called Jeremy’s name.

“Yes, sir,” Jeremy answered.

“Were you volunteering for the next case or interrupting my class to flirt with the pretty girl next to you?” the professor asked.

Embry felt her cheeks turn an embarrassing shade of red.

“Neither, sir?” Jeremy answered, shrugging.

“Well, in that case, why don’t you tell us about State versus Jackson and the felony murder rule.”

By the time Embry had to meet with Luke, she was ready to go home and hide under her covers. Jeremy hadn’t been prepared, and the professor had torn him apart. Since Jeremy couldn’t answer the questions, the case was dumped on Embry, and she’d done a shit job of analyzing the case law. She’d never felt so stupid.

Then there was contracts. Two hours of
Professor Brody
was its own special brand of torture, especially since she couldn’t stop daydreaming about his mouth on hers. They’d avoided eye contact for the duration of the class, both struggling with their newfound professor-student relationship, but when she wasn’t looking at him, she felt his eyes on her. She kept to herself, not volunteering and trying to avoid any emotional outbursts, all the while squirming in her seat.

As she made her way up the stairs toward the faculty wing, dread settled heavy in her stomach. Their meeting was at four o’clock and she was already running behind, but she couldn’t seem to get her body to cooperate. She dragged her feet when she should have been rushing. She walked down the long hallway until she found “Professor Lucas J. Brody” printed on a small, gray plaque next to a door. She breathed deeply, trying to calm her unruly nerves, and knocked.

“Yes?” he called from the other side of the door.

She pushed the door open and peeked in. “Professor?” The word felt all wrong on her tongue. Especially when she still felt the ghost of his lips on hers.
Focus, Embry.

His face lit with a gorgeous Luke smile that quickly melted away as he shut down his emotions and put up a wall.
Enter Professor Brody
. “Yes, Miss Jacobs, come on in.”

She walked in and sat in one of the leather chairs facing his desk. She perched awkwardly on the edge of the seat and hugged her bag.

“How are you?” he asked, the words bursting with meaning.

“I’m …” She distracted herself with the zipper on her bag before looking into his penetrating stare. “I’m okay. You?”

“I’m good,” he answered, holding her gaze.

“That’s good.”

They sat in awkward silence. The room was charged with all of the emotions and desires they couldn’t act upon. She wasn’t even three feet from Luke, but she suddenly felt worlds away. He cleared his throat, and Embry shook herself from her thoughts.

“So where are you with Coleman’s research?” he asked.

“I-um …” She let out a small nervous laugh. “Sorry”—she pulled her bag open—”let me grab my notes.”

Embry gave Luke the rundown on her work with Coleman, and they came up with a new research schedule. They’d meet two to three times a week in his office to go over her findings and work together. She had a feeling that meeting so often wasn’t necessary, but she didn’t say anything. He gave her a few small tasks to work on for him then stood and walked around his desk as she packed up.

“So I’ll see you on Friday at four?” he asked.

“Well, I’ll be in class, but yeah, Friday at four.” She started toward the door, but she jumped when she felt Luke’s hand on the small of her back.

“Sorry.” He pulled his hand back and rubbed his neck. “I just, um … I’ll walk you to the door.”

“Oh no, it’s okay.” Heat rushed to her cheeks. She was embarrassed and so uncomfortable.

Luke pulled the door open, and she practically ran through it, dying to get away from him.

“It was
terrible!
And when I say terrible, I mean unbelievably awkward, uncomfortable, and torturous!” Embry said, flailing her arms.

“Tell me how you really feel,” Morgan said dryly, sipping her beer.

Embry had met Morgan for happy hour after seeing Luke. That meeting definitely necessitated more than one alcoholic drink.

“It was awful,” she shouted over the happy hour crowd.

“I’m getting that.”

“I have no idea how we’re going to make this work. Going from whatever we were to … to this. It sucks.”

Morgan shrugged and took another sip of her beer.

“What?” Embry asked.

“Nothing,” Morgan replied, looking bored.

“What do you mean nothing? Why are you so quiet about this? You always have two cents to put in.”

“You don’t want to hear my two cents on this,” Morgan warned.

Embry rolled her eyes and let out an aggravated sigh. “Of course I do. You’re my best friend. I need advice.”

“My advice won’t be what you want to hear.”

“Well tell me anyway,” she prodded.

“Fuck him.”

“What?” Embry was sure she had heard wrong.

“Fuck. Him.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Told you you wouldn’t like it,” Morgan said.

“I don’t understand what you’re suggesting.”

“I’m suggesting that you get over yourself and get under Luke.”

Embry gasped, smacking her best friend on the arm. “Morgan!”

“What?” Morgan laughed. “I’m serious. This thing between you two won’t go away. Fuck him. Have fun. Fall in love. Whatever. But just be happy, because this Bree”—she motioned toward Embry—”is no fun.”

Embry opened and closed her mouth like a fish, having no idea what to say. “You think I should have an affair with my professor?”

“No. I think that you should have a relationship with Luke, the man who makes you happy.”

“I don’t know, Morgan,” she said, completely unsure of what to do.

“Try for friends then.”

“Friends?”

Morgan shrugged.

“Have you ever been friends with a professor? Let alone a hot male professor that every student wants to sleep with? How am I supposed to be his friend? Can I even go back to being friends after … well, you know. How can I be friends with my professor when I know what he can do to me with his mouth?” Embry snapped her jaw shut and her eyes widened as she realized she’d been thinking out loud.

Morgan smirked and shook her head. “What choice do you have?”

On Friday, Embry experienced deja vu as she dragged herself up the stairs toward the faculty wing. She wasn’t looking forward to another awkward meeting with Luke. Class with him had been more of the same: avoiding eye contact and sneaking glances when the other wasn’t looking. There was only so much more she could take. Morgan’s words ran through her head.
“Fuck. Him.”

Embry pushed away the thought, knowing that wouldn’t solve anything. She approached Luke’s office, knocked, and waited for an answer.

The door swung open, and Luke stood in the doorway. “Hi, Embry. Come on in.”

He looked about as worn down as she felt. She watched him walk back to his desk, sit down, and loosen his tie. She was mesmerized as he unbuttoned and rolled up his sleeves, unable to take her eyes off of his hands.

“You gonna sit?” he asked.

Embry flushed. She took her place on the edge of one of the large leather chairs and dug through her bag, pretending to look for something instead of acknowledging Luke’s eyes on her.

“Okay, enough,” he said, voice tight.