Indulging the Professor Read Online Free PDF Page B

I left much of an impression.”
    “You were… very memorable.”
    “I liked my instructor.” She felt the heat in her cheeks but
it was time to let him know how she felt. The time for awkwardness was over
where he was concerned. “I still do.”
    “Since you’re officially no longer a student, I can tell you
I like you too. I have for some time.” He looked down. “Hopefully you know that
on some level. I’ve tried to express it in my own way.”
    “You’re a hard man to read.” He’d been sending signals that
she thought meant he was interested. She wanted to believe the time they’d
spent together meant more to him than a working relationship, but some days he
was difficult to interpret.
    “You took me by
surprise. Made me question my rules.”
    “I did?” She wasn’t use to him being so open about his
feelings. They’d come a long way since that night she’d bumped into him at the
bar; but except for the one kiss, things had remained proper and polite.
    “I’ve been teaching since grad school. I won’t lie; there’ve
been opportunities for me to become involved with beautiful and willing female
students.”
    This wasn’t the admission she had hoped for. He was the
object of much attention and gossip on campus, but as far as she knew he never
acted on any of those advances. “You’re going to tell me about your past
conquests?” She pushed the lettuce around on her plate. “Maybe we should eat
instead.”
    “You don’t understand. There has been a lot of temptation
through the years, but I’ve never taken advantage of the opportunities
presented to me. No one has ever been worth my career. Things were different
with you because you weren’t my student when we started seeing one another, but
you were still a student at my school and you were my assistant. We’ve kept
this very professional and you’ve been more than understanding of that.”
    “I respect your career and I would never want to put you in
an awkward situation. I know how fast gossip spreads on campus. People can be
vindictive and jealous.” He’d never asked her to keep their relationship a
secret. But she’d never considered what they had more than a working
relationship until he’d kissed her a few weeks ago. Even after that initial
kiss, she wasn’t sure there could be more. It wasn’t until he’d asked her to
spend this weekend with him that she actually believed there might be a future
for them.
    “I appreciate that. I want you to know I respect you too.
When you applied to be my assistant, I researched your resume and education,
and I considered my options very thoroughly, but something told me you were the
one. Your qualifications exceeded my expectations but you’d also left an
impression with me over the years. I felt incredibly lucky to have you work
with me.”
    “I hadn’t realized that you remembered me from my
undergraduate years. I never thought I’d have a chance to collaborate with you.”
    “Because of my no dating students rule, I never allowed
myself anything on a personal level with any of my female students. When you
first came to work with me, I kept everything strictly business. I had to. Not
just for me, but for you as well. I wanted to help you further yourself.”
    “You were so intense and driven. You frightened me.
Sometimes you still do.” Since he was being honest, she figured she owed him
the same courtesy.
    “I don’t want to scare you. I apologize if I come across
harshly.”
    “Not harsh. You’re just a man who knows what he wants.” His
brilliance captivated her. Not only was he an outstanding teacher, but he was a
passionate author. She knew his writing career was on the verge of taking off.
“Your desire to succeed can be intimidating. I just want to be the best
research assistant I can be for you. I didn’t want our personal relationship to
jeopardize your future.”
    “I’m hoping you’ll want to be much more than my assistant.”
    Before she could respond,