“You too, Nuala.”
Michelle hurried toward Holman Hall. Audrey should have gotten back from class about five minutes ago. She went in through the back entrance and headed straight for the stairwell. As she approached Audrey’s door, Michelle glanced at her old office, now occupied by an adjunct professor Audrey couldn’t stand. It was weird not seeing her name on the door, but at the same time, not. She really didn’t miss this job, while Audrey was absolutely thriving in her new tenure-track position.
“Knock, knock.” She leaned against the doorway to Audrey’s office.
“Michelle!” Audrey popped out of her chair, wearing Michelle’s blue tweed blazer over a black sheath dress. It had been Michelle’s idea. She’d wanted to see Audrey in tweed, but now ... seeing her at her desk, wearing that blazer? Good lord. Now she understood why Audrey loved seeing her in tweed so much. “This is a surprise. What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to tell you something.” Michelle’s stomach started to tingle, and her eyes were unexpectedly watery. She pressed a hand to her chest.
“Oh wow. You look ...” Audrey came around her desk and shut the door to her office, giving them privacy. “What is it?”
“My agent called this morning. We have an offer onA Light in the Storm. It’s going to be published next year.” She paused, completely caught off guard by the tears on her cheeks. “They’ve offered me a three-book contract. They want stories about Lotte Laserstein and Clare Atwood too. It’s ... it’s more than I could have hoped for.”
“Oh, Michelle!” Audrey threw her arms around her, spinning Michelle in her excitement. “This is the best news. I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank you. I ... you know, writing textbooks has been fine, but this is my actual dream, and now it’s happening.”
“It is. It really fucking is. Oh wow, we’re going to need champagne later. I wish I could leave right now to celebrate with you.”
“I do, too, but I’m just glad I could come right over and tell you in person.”
Audrey held on to her for another minute before pulling away. “Maybe we could grab lunch together before my office hours start?”
“Yes, I’d like that.” Michelle leaned her hip against the edge of Audrey’s desk, watching as Audrey sat behind it to shut down her laptop and grab her bag.
Audrey looked up, her lips curved in amusement. “Seeing you in my office, dressed like that ... you look like a student.”
A student? Hardly. Michelle narrowed her eyes at Audrey. She knew about the many fantasies Audrey had about Michelle in that tweed blazer. And now, Michelle had an idea of her own. She hopped up to sit on the desk. “Is that so?”
Audrey watched in confusion as Michelle sat on the desk, giving her a coy look. She swung her legs, acting entirely unlike herself. Michelle had been different—more relaxed, happier—since she quit her job last winter, but this felt like something else.
Michelle’s gaze roamed hungrily over Audrey’s dress. “Dr. Lind, do you have any idea what it does to me, watching you up there in front of the class, dressed like that?”
“What?” What in the world was Michelle talking about? She hadn’t even observed Audrey in the classroom since last semester, but ... oh.Oh.She was role-playing the way Audrey had wanted to do that day in Michelle’s office, only this time Audrey was the professor, and Michelle was the student. Oh ...fuck.
“I watch you at the lectern,” Michelle said, her voice soft and breathy. “And it’s all I can do not to touch myself.” She dragged a hand slowly down the front of her shirt to the waistband of her jeans. “When what I really want is to touchyou.”
Michelle’s eyes gleamed with arousal, but there was something else, too, a lightness to her demeanor. She looked so carefree, sohappy. Michelle was glowing, and if it was possible, Audrey fell for her a little bit more.
“That would be wrong,” Audrey whispered. “You’re my student.”
“I can’t help how I feel.” Michelle pouted, and Audrey sucked in a breath. Michelle—gorgeous, confident, successful Michelle—was batting her eyes at Audrey like an infatuated undergrad, and it was unexpectedly hot.
As much as she swooned for Michelle in her work clothes—all buttoned up as the untouchable professor who’d first caught her eye so many years ago—Audrey had always had a thing for casual Michelle, too, and this flannel-and-jeans combo wasreallydoing it for her. The flannel was a blue-and-purple pattern that complemented Michelle’s complexion. Her hair was down, adding to the collegiate vibe.
“Double-check that the door is locked.” Audrey was surprised by the tremor in her voice.
Michelle slid from the desk—moving with much more elegance than an actual college student—and crossed the room. She locked the door, then turned to face Audrey. “Please, Dr. Lind.” Michelle toyed with the button of her jeans. “May I please touch you? No one will know ...”
“Oh god.” Audrey’s knees parted. “Yes. Just ... be quiet.” Because role-play or not, the walls in this building were thin.
“I’ll be so quiet, Dr. Lind,” Michelle murmured. She crossed the room and knelt between Audrey’s legs, gazing up at her. Her pupils were dilated, her cheeks stained a gorgeous pink. She waslovingthis, and well ... so was Audrey. “I’ve thought about this so many times.” Somehow, her accent made the whole thing even sexier.
“So have I,” Audrey confessed, not even sure what she meant by the words. Was she playing along with Michelle’s game, or was she thinking about those early days when she’d sat in Michelle’s classroom, fantasizing about her professor? That professor was now crouched between her legs, sliding a hand up Audrey’s bare thigh beneath her dress. “Aren’t you at least going to kiss me first?”
“Whatever you want.” Michelle crawled forward to sit in Audrey’s lap, but she brought the dress with her, bunching the fabric between them so her hand met the front of Audrey’s underwear as her lips pressed against Audrey’s. Oh, she was good ...
“I shouldn’t want you like this,” Audrey whispered, biting down on Michelle’s lower lip as Michelle teased her through her panties.
