As the door closed behind Jerrod, Penny lifted the menu, hiding her face. But right before she did, I saw the flash of concern. Why was she upset? Wasn’t she craving this time as much as me?
"Penny?" I reached over and grabbed her hand.
She lowered her menu. "Professor Hunter, I've never had food that costs this much.”
God it was hard to concentrate when she called me that.
“What did you say this place was called? The name isn't even listed on the menu." She picked up her glass with her free hand and took a sip of the wine.
She definitely wasn’t after me for my money. So there was no harm in telling her the truth. I was supposed to be honest with her, and this was one of the only things I felt comfortable sharing tonight. Because usually everyone already knew it. "I was thinking Hunter Creek Country Club."
She coughed, choking on her wine. "Professor Hunter, do you own this country club?"
Adorable. "It seemed like a good place for a first date."
She just stared back at me. "What exactly did you do in New York?"
"I was a professor."
"For how long?"
I lowered my eyebrows slightly as I stared at her. She really didn’t know? She hadn’t heard anything at all? "Less than a year."
"And before that?"
"I owned a startup. Would you mind if I ask you a question?"
"What did you want to know?" She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
I leaned forward, wishing it was my fingers pushing her hair back. "Everything." I was surprised by my own statement. But it was true. I wanted to know every single thing about her. And why the fuck she was here with a guy like me.
She blushed. "There really isn't that much to know.”
"I don't believe that's true. You enjoy challenging me and aren't afraid to speak your mind. I find you unbelievably refreshing."
She took another sip of wine instead of responding, her fingers fidgeting on the stem of the glass. I was making her nervous. And for some reason that just made me more intrigued.
"So why is it that you don't feel like you're interesting?" I asked.
Her throat made that cute squeaking noise as she looked up at me from her glass. "Honestly, you're the first person that's ever made me feel like I'm the only girl in the room. I'm not used to feeling like I matter."
You matter to me. It felt like all the air had gotten sucked out of the room. She was all I could focus on during Comm. I’d messed up so many lesson plans because I was all consumed by her. I couldn’t be the first person to realize how intoxicating she was. Could I? But the look on her face made me believe her words. She didn’t know how amazing she was. No one had ever told her. I’d tell her over and over again.
I was about to open my mouth when Jerrod came back in to take our order, breaking the spell. Penny looked back down at the menu and bit her bottom lip.
I didn’t want her to be nervous around me anymore. And she didn’t need to mull over the choices. I’d finally given in and read the last few pages of the file Ian had made on her, skipping over most of the basics. The last page had some random information that I wasn’t even sure how Ian had gotten. But I knew for a fact that she liked seafood. I grabbed her hand again. "Penny, I've heard that the crab cakes are wonderful here."
She smiled up at me. "That sounds perfect."
I quickly ordered for us, trying to get Jerrod the hell out of the room again. When the door finally clicked closed, I put my elbows on the table and leaned forward. "When we're together, I can assure you that I don't see anyone else in the room. You always have my undivided attention." I meant every word. I’d tried to stay away from her, and I couldn’t do it. No matter what I did, I kept gravitating back to her.
"That must make grading other students’ speeches quite difficult."
I laughed. You have no idea. "It does."
I thought she’d be happy with the revelation, but she didn’t look pleased. A small worry line crossed her forehead, and I was pretty sure if the menu had still been there she would have hidden behind it.
But I’d come prepared for this too. A visit to the bank with a very perplexed teller had gotten me exactly what I needed. I reached in my pocket, pulled out a penny, and slid it across the table. "A penny for your thoughts?"
She smiled up at me. "The last guy that I dated didn't believe in labels. So really, I'm just wondering, where it is that we are? I mean, I'm not trying to pressure you. It's only because I'm curious. I just want to know where you stand on things."
I started laughing. Was she serious? Why did she think we were here? Ian had pretty much told me I was crazy for buying this place for our first date. But I hadn’t given it a second thought. I did it for her. To show her that I cared. Maybe there was a part of me that hoped I’d be able to let her walk away after tonight. But that tiny shred of hope disappeared when she’d walked down the steps of her dorm building.
Penny’s face turned scarlet.
I hoped she didn’t think I was laughing at her expense. "Where I stand on things?” I said when I caught my breath. “Penny, I don't relish the idea of sharing you, if that is what you're referring to."
"I don't relish the idea of sharing you either, Professor Hunter."
The way she said it made me swallow hard. Maybe I was wrong before. Maybe she knew more about me than I thought. The worst things about my past were hard to find, I’d spent a lot of money and resources on burying that information. But a simple Google search would relay a lot. Fuck. "What do you mean?" I asked.
"I know that you have a girlfriend. That woman from your office. You were going on a date. It was obvious."
Oh, thank God. I breathed a sigh of relief. "That wasn't a date.”
"No?"
"We had a work function that we were both attending. I am not interested in Professor Keen.” And I’d made that clear to her. “I am only interested in you. But since you've brought it up, if I were dating Professor Keen, you'd prefer that I'd stop, yes?"
"Yes,” she said without thinking it over for a second.
"Then you won't mind me asking you to stop dating Tyler Stevens." I raised my left eyebrow as I stared at her. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been a little jealous when I saw him exiting her dorm with her. Hopefully he’d spent the night alone in his dirty frat house.
"Tyler and I are just friends."
I leaned back in my chair. Maybe she thought that, but I doubted Tyler did. I’d heard him asking her out. I’d heard her agreeing. Did she not realize she’d already been on a date with him? The expression on her face was innocent enough. Which meant she really did have no idea how alluring she was. "Then I guess neither of us have anything to worry about." But I didn’t feel like the subject was settled. Not until Tyler was out of the picture.
Chapter 23
Saturday
"There is one more thing, Professor Hunter.”
Jerrod opened the door and brought in our entrees, interrupting her before she could finish her thought.