Ash followed Luke to the door. “Thank you for everything tonight. You didn’t have to do this. You’re incredibly thoughtful.”
Luke shrugged. “There’s no place I would have rather been.”
And that’s what did it for Ash. They took a step towards Luke, then another until they were chest to chest. Ash looked up into Luke’s stunning green eyes, and one single thought ran through their head: fuck it. Ash stretched up and lightly brushed their lips against Luke’s. Then, it was all over.
Luke dropped his bag on the floor and cupped the back of Ash’s head. He held Ash to him as they kissed. It was even more electric than their first kiss at Luke’s house that night. Ash ran their hands over Luke’s chest and back as they moved towards the couch, where Luke sat and pulled Ash down to straddle his hips. Ash’s heart thrummed in their chest as their mind screamed this was a bad idea, but their heart thanked them for finally giving in. In the constant battle between heart and mind, Ash finally listened to their heart.
Luke’s hands slipped up the back of Ash’s shirt. The feeling of skin on skin was almost more than Ash could bear. They loved the way Luke touched them. Ash threaded their hands through Luke’s curls, eliciting a low moan from Luke. And fuck, if that wasn’t the sexiest thing.
Luke suddenly pulled away for a second and searched Ash’s face. “Are you sure?”
Ash’s chest heaved with gasping breaths. “Yes. Luke, I’d be kidding myself if I said I didn’t want this. You are worth the risk.”
Ash couldn’t get another word out before Luke’s mouth was on theirs again. Ash shucked off Luke’s flannel, tossing it on the floor. They ran their hands over his muscular biceps and dusted their fingers over Luke’s tattoos. A shiver went through Luke as he pulled Ash tighter to him. As clothes were removed and Luke laid Ash down on the couch, no longer were there thoughts of worry, only peace at finally being happy.
Chapter eight
Ash nipped at Luke’s ear in an attempt to wake him. The room was aglow with the sun from the beautiful morning. A blanket pooled around Ash’s hips and was pulled up to Luke’s chin. Luke was a peaceful sleeper; all the stress from two days ago seemed to have left him. Ash couldn’t believe this was real. That Luke was here. That they had finally given in to their desire and found themselves back in bed together. Part of Ash had worried the sex wouldn’t be as good as it was the first time, worried they had built it up so much in their head. But as they fucked, Ash was reminded just how perfect Luke was for them, because the sex really was that good. They loved the stark difference between the tender way Luke held them and the filthy things he whispered in their ear.
Ash had never slept with a reader before. The words that spilled from Luke’s mouth were straight out of a smutty romance novel. No one had ever talked to Ash like that, and it made the sex even better. Ash nipped at Luke’s ear a second time. When Luke’s eyes fluttered open, he turned his gaze to Ash, and a sleepy smile spread across his lips. Luke wrapped an arm around Ash, pulling them to his chest.
“Mm,” Luke sighed. “This is what I was missing last time.”
Ash melted into Luke, resting a hand on Luke’s chest and allowing their eyes to close. “I’m sorry I didn’t stay. But I’m glad I’m here now.”
Ash lifted their head and slowly peppered kisses along Luke’s neck, eliciting a groan from him. And when Ash playfully kissed Luke’s collarbone, it was game over. Suddenly, Ash was on their back, Luke above them, arms caging in their head. Luke hovered above Ash, the blanket falling from around his shoulders.
Luke leaned down and ran kisses along Ash’s neck up toward their ear, where he nipped at Ash’s earlobe. Luke’s voice was low and deep in their ear. “Was last night not enough for you?”
Ash sucked in a breath. “I’ll always want more with you.”
Just as Luke leaned down to nip at Ash’s neck, the loud, blaring sound of Ash's morning alarm filled the room. Ash groaned and pushed Luke off them so they could silence their alarm. How was it already seven in the morning? If they didn't get up now, they were going to be late for school.
“You have class this morning, don't you?” Luke asked, rolling off Ash.
Ash groaned. “Unfortunately.” Ash slowly slid off the bed and stretched. Of all the days they had class, they certainly did not want to go today. They wanted to stay here and spend time with Luke, but they weren't about to cancel their class to do so.
“I want to see you later,” Luke said, slowly standing and moving over to Ash. He stood behind them and wrapped his arms around their stomach, encasing Ash in his familiar sandalwood scent. “Can I take you out? Like on a proper date?” Luke’s voice rumbled low in Ash's ear.
Luke's hot breath on Ash's neck made a shiver run through them. Ash nodded. “I would like that very much.” They wanted to spend every second they could with him.
Ash could feel Luke smile against their shoulder. “I'll pick you up at eight.” Luke released Ash from his grip, but not before pressing a light kiss to Ash's neck. If this man didn't stop, Ash would cancel their class and jump his bones again. Ash shuffled over to their closet and rummaged through to find an outfit for the day—a pair of light brown dress pants and a maroon button-down shirt.
Ash finished getting ready for the day, shrugged their messenger bag over their shoulder, and placed a quick kiss on Luke's cheek. “I'm excited to see you later.”
Luke finished shrugging his clothes on and tying his shoes before responding. “I'll plan something fun for us.”
Ash led Luke from their apartment and gave him a quick kiss goodbye at the bottom of the stairs before turning away and heading in the direction of their car. Ash could hardly think of anything other than last night.
Though they had known Luke for such a short amount of time, they were completely smitten. When they got behind the wheel and drove to class, they just hoped the day would go by fast so they could spend the evening with Luke.
Thankfully, Ash's class went by fast. They taught chemical kinetics. There were a few students absent that morning; Friday 8 AM classes were always poorly attended. Binghamton's undergraduate student body had a proclivity for partying on Thursday nights.
The Rat, a popular basement bar, had flip night on Thursdays, where every time you ordered a drink, the bartender would flip a coin. If you guessed correctly, you would get your drink for free. Ash remembered one night, they won seven cointosses.
At the end of class, one of Ash’s students, Maeve, came up to them.
“Professor Pierce?” Maeve asked as Ash put their laptop into their bag. “I was wondering if you had time to go over redox reactions this week?”
