She didn’t say anything. She just stared at me and then suddenly looked embarrassed. "Well I should probably go. I'll see you Friday, Professor Hunter."
I was used to my students calling me that. I had been a professor for a while now. But there was something about the way she said it that affected me. I could just imagine her moaning it when I was on top of her. Stop. I nodded to her as she walked away. "Miss Taylor."
After she exited the room, I realized that I hadn’t even handed out a syllabus. So much for setting the tone for the semester.
Chapter 3
Wednesday
Breathe in. Breathe out. I tried to slow my breath and focus on it like my therapist had instructed. A deep breath in. A slower breath out. But there was a reason why I was running instead of meditating. Or doing the yoga Dr. Clark suggested. One thing I liked about the life I left behind in New York City was the fast pace. It was hard to just switch that off because I was in a new state. And I tended to like to do things fast.
I ran on the brick path around the green and tried to focus straight ahead, even though my eyes wanted to wander. Normally I liked to run where the students weren’t. During the day meant a run on Main Street because the restaurants weren’t frequented as much until nighttime. After dinner meant a run on the green because students were done walking to classes for the day. I avoided the free access to the University gym altogether. I’d only made that mistake once. And I usually skipped the one in my building too, because it was a little easier to breathe slowly when I was outside. That was one great thing about leaving NYC. The air was cleaner. So Main Street and the green were my main options, at the designated time to avoid students.
But today I was spicing things up. A run on the green as soon as my classes were done. Which meant there were still tons of students walking around. But I was only focused on finding one.
My eyes wandered to the students sitting in the grass studying and playing frisbee and… I narrowed my eyes. I was pretty sure there was a group of them doing yoga. Dr. Clark would have been thrilled if I told her at my next appointment that I did yoga on the green with some of my students. I shook away the thought. Honestly that was probably the last thing he’d want to hear. I was supposed to be focusing on myself. That was why I’d moved here in the first place. A fresh start.
And yet, I was scouring the green, not breathing slowly like instructed, hoping to find a flash of red hair. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Penny since class. Well, really since she first ran into me yesterday in the coffee shop. If I was supposed to focus on breathing slowly, it felt like I needed to be around her. She made breathing feel a little easier. I just didn’t realize that I had been suffocating before I ran into her.
Breathe in. Breathe out. It was even easier to breathe just thinking about her. The way she’d looked at me with her big blue eyes after class. "I didn't realize you were a professor.” Her words had caught me off guard. I didn’t want to be her fucking professor. I wanted to bend her over my desk and… Breathe.
I pushed my fingers through my sweaty hair, removing it from my forehead. What the fuck was I doing out here? I didn’t know Penny’s schedule. Maybe she had a class right now. Or maybe she liked to go to the library to study. Or did she prefer to stay in her dorm? Or maybe she lived off-campus, which made this run even more pointless. Well, not exactly pointless. Because exercise helped distract me. Specifically running helped.
I turned the corner and headed back toward Main Street. There were things that probably helped distract me more than running. Sex for one. I was pretty sure that would be the best distraction.
“Professor Hunter!” someone called.
I turned to see one of the girls leading the yoga session jogging over. Oh fuck me. Not just a random student. It was Kristen Dwyer. I kept running, trying to pretend I hadn’t heard her. I’d had her in one of my classes last semester. She was extremely bright. And most definitely had ulterior motives when she came to my office hours all those times for extra help. She didn’t need extra help. But I’d offered it anyway because it was my job and tried to ignore the way she looked at me. I kept trying to ignore it even though she just kept showing up like this. It had gotten to the point where I thought she might be stalking me. I’d almost filed a restraining order and now I kind of wished I had. Or that I’d at least stuck to my normal routine and not run on the green in the middle of the day. I was asking for trouble.
“Hi, Professor Hunter,” she said as she eased into a pace that matched my own.
“Hi, Miss Dwyer,” I said without really looking at her. I’d already run five miles and she was an athlete herself. Outrunning her wasn’t an option.
“I’m so bummed that I don’t have any of your classes this semester,” she said.
“Mhm. I’m mostly teaching senior classes this year.”
“Oh. Maybe next year then?”
I didn’t respond. I just tried to pick up my pace. Sure, I knew I was being an asshole. But she was a student. And I was a…professor. I sighed and wiped the sweat off my forehead. I needed to keep reminding myself of my own profession. But not when it came to her. There was another student that was preoccupying my mind. And not in a professional manner.
“Are your office hours still the same this year?” she asked.
“Yes, but they’re only for current students.” I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. She was tall and thin and male students tended to drool when she passed them in the halls. But physically she reminded me a lot of my ex. That was a reminder I didn’t need.
“Oh.” She shrugged like she didn’t care. Or maybe like she didn’t plan on listening. “Do you want to do some yoga?”
I looked over at her again. I had a feeling she wasn’t talking about normal yoga. More like yoga in bed. Naked. “No. I need to get home.”
“Are you sure? It’s a great exercise after a long run. It’s really good for your joints. And flexibility.”
It was possible that she wasn’t flirting with me. That it was in my head. But then I glanced over at her again and she was staring at the front of my shorts. Jesus. “I’m sure. Have a good semester, Miss Dwyer.” I picked up my pace, despite my aching muscles, and ran away from her. And I had the oddest sensation that Penny was the one that should be running. Running away from me. I started running even faster.
When I thought I finally lost my stalker, I pushed through the door of one of the small stores on Main Street, completely out of breath. A moment to catch my breath in here would be good, just in case Miss Dwyer was still hot on my trail. I walked through the store looking at all the random items to decorate a home with. I had plenty of empty shelves, but I didn’t need any décor. I leaned past one of the shelves to glance outside. There was no sign of Miss Dwyer. I was about to make my way out when a small ceramic pig caught my eye. “You'll need another of me for my thoughts.”
I pressed my lips together. I’d told Penny I’d bring a piggy bank on Friday. At the time I hadn’t been serious. It was just to let her know I’d understood her joke when the other students had snickered. But actually bringing a piggy bank would be a nice gesture. A friendly one. Possibly even an appropriate one. I wanted her to know that I was listening. That I cared about what she said in class. Fine, maybe the gesture wasn’t that appropriate. Especially since it was equally as easy to picture her smiling at me during her speech as it was to envision her smiling up at me naked in my bed.