Shane sits on my doorstep, waiting for me.
With trepidation, I meet him at the bottom of the porch.
“Hi.”
“Hi. How was your test?”
“You’re a hard teacher, Professor Warden. But I think, I hope I passed.”
A pleased smile lifts his sexy lips. “I asked Eric to grade them this afternoon,” he says of the teacher’s assistant. “They should be posted by morning.”
I blow out a deep breath. “Good. Another night tossing and turning.” I smile wryly. “Don’t worry, I expected to have to wait to find out.”
I pull my purse in front of me and look for my keys, extracting them from my bag. “Want to come inside?” My heart pounds in my chest, the fear of not knowing what is going on consuming me.
“Sure.” He smiles at me, but I still don’t know where we stand.
After letting us into the house, I close the door behind us and turn to face him. “I can’t take it anymore. What happened with Dan?”
“I took him to Dean Frost myself and showed him the video. Dan has a history of reporting people for cheating when he doesn’t do as well as he’d like in a class. The dean wasn’t pleased with him. I don’t think he’s going to be my problem anymore. As for us…”
“Oh, my God. Is he angry? Am I in trouble? Are you?”
He shakes his head and tries to breathe deeply and evenly.
“Then what did he say?”
Shane’s serious expression makes my stomach twist with uncertainty.
“At first he asked for the night to think, which was why I didn’t want to explain things last night. I didn’t want to leave you hanging the night before a test. Well, any more than you already were.” He shakes his head, a wry twist to his lips.
I twist my hands in front of me, nerves getting the best of me. “And this morning? What did he say?”
“Before I tell you what he said, you need to know what I said. In no uncertain terms, I told him that if it came down to a choice between my job and you, I chose you.”
“You didwhat?” I get light-headed. “I need to sit down.”
Chuckling, he wraps an arm around my waist and leads me to the nearest sofa in the family room, easing me onto a cushion and sitting beside me.
He clasps my hand in his. “I’m serious. I know it’s early days, but I know what I’m feeling for you and it’s not casual. It’s not something I’m going to walk away from.”
“But your job, your career… tenure.”
“I’d have dealt with losing it if I had to… Luckily I don’t have to. Dean Frost is a smart man. He was able to discern the differences between us and me and an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old student. And regardless, I didn’t violate any school rules or policy. Although I have a feeling that might change going forward, but it won’t affect us.” His hands tighten around mine.
I swallow hard, trying to come to terms with what he’s done. “You risked your career… for me.”
Meeting my gaze, his expression softens. “For us. I risked being terminated forusbecause I believe what we could have is too special to let go.”
My heart thuds in my chest. “I think so, too,” I whisper, almost afraid to jinx what we share.
“So we’re in agreement? We’re together?” He moves closer, as if my answer is a foregone conclusion. Which, of course, it is.
“Yes!”
He rises, pulling me to my feet.
Happy tears in my eyes, I grin, take a few steps, and jump into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist and trusting he’ll catch me. Then I press my lips to his.
