Getting Schooled (Craving #9) Read online

  Callan thought about calling her the whole next month. In fact, he spent most of his waking hours thinking about her, but that was a huge mistake, just like calling her would be. He was smart enough to know that being tempted by his grad student was one thing, but acting on those temptations was quite another. He could lose everything that he’d worked for over one sexy-as-hell woman. The way he wanted her consumed him, and that scared the shit out of him. One night with his sweet student wasn’t going to be enough; he was afraid that he’d never be able to work her out of his system. And then what? So he avoided her as much as possible. When she did find her way to class, she sat in the back and snuck out just after it was over. She had missed two office meetings that had been scheduled to discuss her dissertation, and that was fine by him. The problem was he still couldn’t shake the need to touch her, taste her, and claim her as his own.

  “Fuck,” he shouted. He ran his fingers through his already unruly hair, not quite sure what his next move should be. He knew that staying away from Jasmin wasn’t going to be something he could do; he needed her. Squeezing his cell phone in his palm, he debated whom to call first.

  He decided that if he was going to pursue Miss Everly, he needed a little advice. He called his college roommate, Henry Cabot. He was now a successful lawyer in the city, and he’d know exactly what Callan’s next move should be.

  “Yeah, man, do you know what fucking time it is?” Callan didn’t. Looking at his watch, he winced when he realized that it was past midnight.

  “Sorry, Henry, but I need some advice. Legal advice, that is.” Henry’s chuckle, on the other end of the line, told him that he was forgiven.

  “So what did you go and do now, Callan? Jaywalking? Disturbing the peace? No, wait—don’t tell me…you screwed a student.” Callan froze, wanting to tell his friend that he didn’t “screw” Jasmin. That she had felt like so much more than that to him.

  “Fuck, Callan. Please tell me that I’m not correct. You didn’t fuck a student, did you?” Callan knew that refuting the truth would be futile; he called Henry for advice. He decided to go completely balls out and admit everything to his best friend.

  “I think I may be in over my head,” Callan admitted with a sigh. Saying it out loud only made him want Jasmin more. God, what had he done?

  “Tell me everything and start at the beginning.” Callan knew that Henry was the right person to help him figure this whole shit storm out. If anyone could fix his problem, it was Henry. He spilled his guts, telling his friend about meeting Jasmin and not being able to keep his hands off her, right down to the way that he took her home and made love to her.

  “Damn it, Callan, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you are falling for this girl,” Henry scolded him. He wanted to tell him that he knew what he was doing, that she was just a casual tryst, but he’d be lying.

  “Yeah, I guess I am.” Callan felt even more screwed than before he made the call to his friend. “So what do I do, man?” He would take any advice he could get, because his next call was going to be to Jasmin. He was going to call and beg her to forgive him for being an ass and kicking her out in the middle of the night.

  “First, you need to get on your knees and ask her to forgive you for totally fucking up.” Callen barked out a laugh at his friend’s honesty. “Then you need to call the university’s dean and explain your indiscretion with your grad student. But leave out the part where you took her back to your house and fucked her senseless.”

  “Good point.” Callan laughed. “I’m not sure that Dr. Clarke would appreciate all of the dirty details from my night with Jasmin.”

  “You’re going to need to figure out what she means to you, and fast. If you decide that she’s the one, take a leave of absence. The university will appreciate your honesty and probably want to keep the whole debacle quiet. Or they will want to make an example of you both and parade your naked bodies through the street to shame you.” Henry was the only one laughing at his joke.

  “Not funny, man,” Callan grumbled.

  “Either way, just know that I’m in your corner. If you need me, call. I’m only a couple hours away by train.” Henry ended the call, and Callan knew his friend was right. First, he needed to go get his girl, then he’d figure out what their future was going to look like.

  Jasmin

  Jasmin spent most of the last month pacing her empty apartment, trying to figure out what she did wrong. She was beating herself up, blaming the way Callen was ignoring her, entirely on herself. After Callan dropped her off at her place a month ago, in the middle of the night, he thanked her and left. No kiss goodbye, nothing, just regret shining bright in his eyes, and that just about killed her. She didn’t want their perfect night to be a regret for him. Jasmin wanted him to look back on his time with her and remember the beautiful night they shared together. To her, it was perfect, and she would always treasure her memories of their night. Still, she was finding it harder, by the day, to deal with how good Callen was at pretending that she didn’t exist. Honestly, if he did pay her even the slightest attention, she would cave and beg him to take her back. That was the last thing she needed. She wanted a relationship, not just the one-night stand Callan had used her for.

  She was making some scrambled eggs for breakfast when a soft knock sounded at her door. She removed the eggs from the heat and padded to the door. She looked out the peep hole, not expecting to see Callan standing on the other side. He looked as exhausted as she felt. She debated on opening the door until he banged on it, louder this time. He knew she was there; she wouldn’t be able to hide from what was about to come. Judging by the angry scowl on his face, Callan was finally about to tell her that everything that happened between them was a huge mistake. She took a deep breath and swung her door open, catching him mid-knock.

  “What are you doing here, Callan?” He lowered his hand and looked her up and down. She realized that she had barely anything on, just her worn t-shirt and panties. His gaze heated, and he crowded into her apartment, shutting the door behind him.

  “I’m here to tell you that I’m an ass.” He pulled her into his arms, and God, she wanted to melt into him. Callan smelled so good and felt right, but that would let him off too easy. He all but shoved her out of his bed after the night they spent together; she needed him to grovel a little more before she wrapped herself around him.

  “Yes, you are an ass. Thank you for coming all the way over here to tell me what I already figured out myself.” She turned and made her way back to her kitchen, deciding that a distraction would help her forget how much she wanted him.

  Jasmin returned her eggs to the burner, effectively ignoring him. Out of the corner of her eye, she didn’t miss his desperation, but going to him now would show her as weak. He needed to see her as an equal in their relationship if this was going to work, and damn it—she wanted this to work between them.

  Callan

  “Jas, I’m in love with you.” She was standing at her stove in nothing but a pair of lace panties and a see-through t-shirt, cooking breakfast. He said it so quietly, he was afraid she didn’t hear him, until she dropped the spatula she was using into the frying pan. Slowly, she turned to face him, worry etched on her beautiful features.

  “No, Jasmin, don’t look at me that way.” He crossed the room to where she was standing, pulling her into his arms. “I didn’t tell you how I feel to upset you, honey.” She sobbed into his sweater, and the sound nearly gutted him.

  “Jas, tell me what’s wrong.” He kissed her forehead and pulled her tighter into his body. She snuggled into his hold, her body shaking from her crying.

  She shook her head against his chest, as if having a silent argument with herself. “I just, I love you too, Callan. This month has been so hard on me, I can’t go through that again. It hurt too much.” She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face, and he thought he had never seen anyone more beautiful. She loved him, and that was all that mattered. The rest would just work out, it woul
d have to, because there was no way that he would be able to walk away from her again.

  “Thank fuck, I thought that I was alone in this love thing. Honey, I’m so sorry that I walked away from you. I made you promises that I didn’t keep. That will never happen again. I will never hurt you like that.” She smiled up at him, and it tore at his heart a little.

  “Tell me, Jas. Tell me what’s wrong, and I’ll make it right.” She laughed and shook her head again.

  “You can’t fix this, Callan. Our loving each other isn’t the issue here. You’re my professor and this,” she motioned between the two of them, “this is against the rules. We can both lose everything that we worked so hard for.”

  “I won’t let that happen, Jasmin. I’m going in to see Dr. Clarke tomorrow.” She gasped and started to argue. He sealed his mouth over hers, stealing her objections, silencing her.

  “I won’t take no for an answer, baby. I need you to marry me, and like it or not, we need the dean’s blessing if this is going to work.” Jasmin gasped again, covering her mouth.

  “So, how about it, Jas? Will you marry me?” Callan pulled out a ring box from his pocket and knelt before her. “Please, honey. I’m so in love with you, all I can think about is making you my wife and spending every day for the rest of our lives together, making you happy.”

  Tears fell freely from Jasmin’s eyes as she nodded her agreement. “Yes, Callan. I will marry you.” She threw herself into his arms, causing them both to fall to the floor. “I love you so much, Professor.” She giggled, wrapping her body around his.

  Callan felt like the luckiest man alive. Tomorrow, he would have to face the head of the university, but he would worry about that in the morning. Tonight, he wanted to love Jasmin so thoroughly that she wouldn’t have one moments regret over her decision to marry him.

  Jasmin

  Callan had left three hours ago to talk to the dean. His plan was to tell Dr. Clarke that they were not only having sex, but that in just a few short weeks, they had fallen in love and were getting married. Sure, that didn’t sound crazy.

  Jasmin knew Dr. Clarke was a practical man and that he would hear Callan out. But rules were rules, and the university wouldn’t allow the two of them to break the rules because they had fallen in love. She didn’t know what she would do if she lost her place in the graduate program. Not many universities offered her graduate degree, so she couldn’t just pick another school. And poor Callan had just started at the university. What would he do? She paced his kitchen, worrying about their future. It felt foreign and right, at the same time. If someone would have told her that she was going to not only become involved with Callan, but fall in love with him, and agree to marry him all within one month, she would have told them they were crazy. But here she was, and she couldn’t imagine her life without her professor.

  After another hour passed, she decided to take a hot bath, needing to relieve some of her stress. Jasmin filled the tub with her favorite lavender-scented bubble bath and waited until it was just about full to slip into the warm water. Whatever the university decided, she wasn’t willing to give him up. They would figure out their next step together. She just hoped that Callan felt the same way after his chat with Dr. Clarke. What if he wasn’t ready to give up his career for her? Was she asking him to give up too much?

  Jasmin froze when she heard his front door slam shut. He called to her, but she was almost too afraid to answer. Finally, the door to the master bath flew open, and Callan stood in the doorway.

  “Hey, I was worried that you left. Didn’t you hear me calling you?” She nodded, too afraid to speak for fear that she would start crying. He must have noticed her trepidation. He stripped out of his clothes to join her in the tub. Jasmin sat up, giving him room to slip in behind her. Callan wrapped his arms and legs around her, pulling Jasmin back against his body.

  “I’m too afraid to ask what happened. You’ve been gone so long.” He kissed the side of her face, hugging her tighter.

  “Don’t be afraid, Jas. Nothing will ever change the way that I feel about you. Whatever happens from here on out, we face it together.” She sighed against his body, relieved to hear him say those words to her. She needed his reassurances.

  “So, tell me.” She knew that it wasn’t good news from the way his body tensed around hers.

  “Dr. Clarke has asked me to take a leave of absence, a sabbatical.” Jasmin started to protest, wanting to tell Callan that he didn’t have to do that for her. This was his career; she would be able to find another school to finish her degree. But he stopped her before she could even get a word out.

  “Don’t say whatever it is that you’re thinking, Jasmin. I can feel your wheels turning, and it’s already a done deal. I signed the paperwork today. That’s what took so long.” She couldn’t help her sob, feeling as though she had single-handedly ruined his career.

  “Baby, no. Don’t cry. Really, it’s for the best. The university wants to avoid a scandal, so they asked me to step away while you finish your degree. It’s only for a few months. They’ll let me finish out the current semester, and then I’ll take my leave for the spring, letting you finish up your work. After you graduate in the spring, they’ll have me back on. They are also looking to have you join the department.” Jasmin gasped at his news.

  “So you’re not being let go and they want to hire me after I graduate?” Callen chuckled against her body.

  “Yes, honey. Dr. Clarke understands that we’re two consenting adults. You are not a silly college student looking to sleep with her professor, and I have never done anything like this before. We just…happened. Dean Clarke will be overseeing your graduate work from here on out. He will be the one who graduates you, not me. I can no longer remain unbiased when it comes to you, baby.” Callan kissed the top of her head, and she melted a little closer into his body.

  “That seems fair.” Jasmin needed a moment to process everything. It all seemed too good to be true. “So where will you go on sabbatical?” she teased. She didn’t like the idea of him going away, but that was usually how sabbaticals worked.

  “Well, I was thinking that I could use my time off to write. I’ve already done extensive research, and I’ve been asked to write a book. This would be the perfect time to do that.” She turned in his arms to face him, sloshing water over the edge of the tub.

  “So you won’t have to travel?” She couldn’t help her smile; she didn’t want him going anywhere, but she knew that she had no right to ask him to stay home.

  “Well, I was thinking that I should do a little traveling.” He grabbed her ass, hauling her up against his erection. She loved the way she affected him, like he couldn’t get enough of her.

  “Oh, and where will you be going?” She felt a ping of disappointment that he would be leaving her, even for a few weeks.

  “I’m thinking that you and I should get married, sooner rather than later, and then I can take you on a little honeymoon before the start of your spring semester. How does a New Year’s wedding sound, followed by a two-week honeymoon to any place you’d like?”

  Jasmin wrapped her arms around her professor’s neck, pulling him in for a kiss. “I’d say yes, to everything, Dr. McClure. I’d marry you wherever and whenever you would like.”

  He pulled her back down for a hard, passionate kiss, spilling water over the tub’s edge again. “It’s a date then, Miss Everly,” he whispered between kisses.

  Jasmin straddled his cock, loving the way he pushed past her heat and filled her completely. “Callan,” she breathed. His name was like a prayer on her parted lips. He dipped his head, taking her taut nipple into his hot mouth and she moaned. Callan cupped her ass, spreading her cheeks over his cock, pushing into her further.

  “You feel so good, baby.” He nuzzled his way up her neck, claiming her mouth. He pulled free, leaving them both breathless. “You are mine, Jasmin. Tell me that you are mine.” Callan ran his hands up her body, causing her to shiver, and cupped her face, as if wai
ting for her response.

  “I’m yours, completely, Callan. I love you.” He groaned at her confirmation, taking her mouth hard, pumping into her body. She was so close. “I need more, please.” She thrashed water over the side of the tub, trying to find her release. Callan snaked his hand down her body, finding her clit and rubbing the sensitive nub until she shouted out her release. He followed her over the edge, and she collapsed onto his body.

  “I love you too, Jas.” He kissed the top of her head, smoothing back her hair. “I’m so thankful that you walked into O’Leary’s that night. I can’t imagine my life without you, honey.” Jasmin snuggled into his hold, soaking up his words.

  “I feel the same way, Callan. Saying yes to you was the best decision that I ever made.”

  Jasmin

  Nine months later

  Jasmin knew that she was pushing her luck; her contractions were less than two minutes apart. She didn’t dare tell Callan that her water broke a few hours earlier. He would have made her go straight to the hospital. She wasn’t going to risk not being able to walk at her own graduation. She’d worked too hard for her doctorate. Besides, she couldn’t wait for there to be two Dr. McClures living under the same roof. Callan had been so supportive once they both got over their initial shock of finding out that they were expecting. He went on sabbatical, as he promised the university that he would, giving her the chance to finish up her studies.

  Callan practically planned the wedding, single-handedly. He sent out the invitations, keeping their guest list to a few close friends and family members. His parents flew in and were thrilled to finally meet her. They were even more excited that they were going to be grandparents. It was bittersweet, not having her parents there. Jasmin’s sister and her family made it to the wedding, but nothing could replace not having her mom and dad there to celebrate her marriage and the baby. She was starting to show; her little bump made it difficult to fit her simple gown. She had to have it altered twice before the big day. She wouldn’t have changed a thing, marrying Callan on New Year’s Eve so they could start the year together.