"And how do you know how I feel?" Melanie asked.
Noah lifted his hand and placed it over her rapidly beating heart that revealed exactly how she felt right now. But how could her heart not race when she was in a car alone with Noah, who had just decided he wanted to be a vampire and suck on her neck.
"And you say I couldn't make you feel this way," Melanie said as her eyes flickered to his neck. She could do way more than this. "What do I get for it?"
Noah grinned, his white teeth gleaming as he leaned in closer to her, if that was even possible. "It's a surprise."
She wanted that surprise badly right now if it was any indication of the tremors in her thighs. Once again, Melanie looked at his neck that she wanted to suck and bite on, and it was only but so far away. If she just leaned over a bit…
"Melanie."
The calling of her name made Melanie jump. She looked behind her through the window to see Abigail, bringing her back to reality. What the hell was Noah doing to her? She literally could not think straight when she was with him. Melanie glanced back at Noah, who looked disappointed, and Melanie would never admit that she felt that same disappointment. Melanie licked her lips before she stepped out of the car.
"Damon's waiting for you," Abigail said before her voice dropped to a whisper. "What the hell are you doing? This isn't the Love Connection."
"I wasn't doing anything," Melanie whispered back, embarrassed because she was definitely about to do something she was going to regret.
Before Abigail could respond, they both heard Noah's door close. Melanie closed her own door, refusing to look at him. She was losing it right now. Thank God, Abigail had reeled her in before she started making out with Noah in the back of the car.
"Let's go, Melanie," Abigail said before pointing a glare at Noah. "And you too, Lover Boy."
Noah chuckled and headed over to the office, where Damon was compiling papers for her to sign. Before they stepped inside the office, Noah stopped her, pulling her to the side.
"What?" Melanie asked, feeling cagey and hot.
"Don't sweat it."
Melanie sighed deeply. She was tired of him saying that. How could she not?
"I'll back off," Noah said. "I know a lot is going on in that brain of yours. I'll back off…for now. Just don't stop…"
"Don't stop what?" Melanie asked.
"You know what I mean," Noah said, and he was right. She knew exactly what he meant. There was something there that was too precious to lose over a few moments of heated lust. And if they pushed past that point, Melanie would have no choice but to end every tie between them, and she didn't want to do that. She didn't want to lose Noah's friendship.
"Friends?" Melanie asked, lifting her hand for him to shake.
Noah laughed before lifting his own hand. "Friends."
With her hand in his own, Melanie couldn't help but wonder how long this agreement would last. She hoped it would be forever, but sometimes, things just didn't work out in her favor.
CHAPTER
26
MELANIE
T
HANKSGIVING BREAK PAST BY WITH A BREEZE, AND WHILE MOST PROFESSORS DIDN’T SEE their students over the break, Melanie was less fortunate because she nearly saw Noah every day. With Noah staying on campus for the break, instead of returning home, that meant the days he wasn't practicing, he was bothering her. And though Melanie wanted to say his presence was bothersome, she had to admit that it wasn't. Because her parents were going on vacation for the holiday that meant she was going to have to spend it alone, especially with Abigail going back to the Bahamas to spend Thanksgiving with her family. Noah spending his break with her meant she didn't have to be alone, and though she complained about it, she knew, and she was positive Noah knew too that she was glad he had been with her.
Even on Thanksgiving Day, after visiting his family briefly, he showed up at her apartment, spending the rest of the day with her. And though she had appreciated spending her holiday with a friend, it was still inappropriate. She shouldn't have spent her Thanksgiving with a student, but Noah wasn't just any student. He was her friend.
At least, Melanie could be grateful that they had done no inappropriate things. There was no kissing or touching. Noah had stayed true to his word, and they only hung out in the way they had before, which Melanie was relieved by.
Now that the break was over, they only had a few more weeks left before the fall semester was over. During office hours, Melanie sat at her desk, waiting for any of her students to visit her while she went over some of her notes on a patient she had. Sometimes, this was the best time for Melanie to get her work done without being distracted because most of her students rarely took advantage of these hours and visited her. Only so few did, and by the time it hit the last hour of her availability, she was positive no one would visit today until there was a knock on her door. Melanie could only assume it would be one person bothering her so close to the end of her office hours.
"I'm surprised you knocked this time," Melanie said, smiling as she looked up, and immediately, that smile dropped when she saw it wasn't Noah, but one of her other students, Julie.
