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We both knew that wasn’t true. I was the only thing in his calendar.

I pulled out my test and placed it on his desk. “It’s hot in here. Are you hot?”

He shook his head.

“Well, I’m scorching.” I unbuttoned my blazer and tossed it down on his desk. Earlier today I’d tied my collared shirt at my waist for this particular moment. And it worked.

For just a second, Mr. Halifax’s eyes dropped to my exposed midriff.

“Should I close the door?”

“Absolutely not,” he said firmly.

I laughed. “Scared to be alone with me?”

He didn’t respond. But he pulled his satchel onto his shoulder like he was about to leave.

I refused to let him flee and force Jerry on me. I pointed to the first question I’d gotten wrong. “Can you show me where I messed up?”

He walked around his desk, stopping a few inches from me. He ran his finger along the line where I’d purposefully messed up the equation. He’d barely even had to look. Like he’d memorized it, hoping for this exact moment.

“Really? There?” I looked up at him. God, he was so close. I could smell the fresh linen scent of his shirt and stale coffee lingering in the air. I used to hate coffee, but I’d been downing it recently. I was always very hyper and very turned on. Also the smell of chalk in the air was oddly arousing.

He nodded. But he wasn’t looking at the equation. He was looking down at me.

“Maybe you could show me?” My voice came out as a whisper.

Mr. Halifax grabbed a pen out of the front pouch of his satchel and leaned over the desk. He quickly corrected the equation. “Like that.”

I was staring at him instead of the equation. And I think we both knew I wasn’t here for this. I was his best student. But we’d both been tiptoeing around this moment for what felt like forever.

“And this one?” I pointed to the next problem I’d gotten wrong.

He underlined the spot where I’d messed up. “Here.” He handed me his pen. “Try to fix it.”

I grabbed his pen and purposefully made another mistake.

“We did a problem like this in class earlier,” he said.

“I was having a hard time focusing today. Show me?”

He took the pen back and leaned in a little closer. “Like this.” He started solving the rest of the equation. “You need to remember to...”

I didn’t hear what he said next. Because he placed his hand on my back as he explained what he was doing. He was touching the spot right above my exposed skin. But it still felt sinful.

I’d been lying about being overheated earlier. But I was definitely overheated now. I stayed completely frozen, not wanting him to remove his hand.

“Does that make sense?” he asked.

“I think so. Can you show me the next one too?” I shifted forward slightly, arching my back.

And a few of his fingertips slid down to my skin from the movement. But then they moved by their own accord, until his whole hand was pressed against my lower back.

I could feel the heat radiating from his skin.

And I wondered if he could feel the goosebumps rising all over mine.

“Like this.” His voice had dropped an octave. He slowly started solving the equation.