Embry followed Morgan and took a seat.
“Sooooo,” Morgan said, “what’s new, best friend?”
“Oh, not much,” said Embry, playing along. She couldn’t keep the smile off her face.
“Liar.”
“What?” She laughed.
“You got laid is what,” accused Morgan.
Embry’s eyes widened. Either she was completely transparent or her best friend knew her better than she thought. “How did you—”
“Please. You really are glowing. And you have a ridiculously goofy grin on your face.”
Embry tried in earnest to school her features into something a bit more serious.
“That you’re shit at trying to hide, by the way.”
Embry lit up with a face-splitting grin as she turned to her best friend. “He loves me.”
“Well, can you blame him?”
“I love him, too. I told him. We …” Embry let out a dreamy sigh as she thought of how she’d spent the morning and the previous night. “We worked things out.”
“Ha. I bet there was some working out going on,” Morgan teased.
“Morgan!”
“Oh, stop playing innocent. How was it? How was he?”
“Sooooooo good,” Embry admitted. “Best I’ve ever had.”
“Now that’s saying something, you slore.”
“Pshhh, say what you will. That man is sex. Wrapped in sin. Dipped in chocolate.”
Morgan hooted with laughter. “I didn’t think southern sexy had it in him!”
Embry rolled her eyes. “Yes, you did.”
“You’re right, I did. He’s Luke I’m-fucking-delish Brody. A man doesn’t look like he does and turn out to be a disappointment in the bedroom. It’s like a law of nature or something.” Morgan turned serious. “Did you talk to him about Jack?”
Embry let out a long sigh. “No. I was going to, and then I just … No, I didn’t tell him.”
Morgan gave her a look that rivaled an angry mother’s stare. “Why not?”
“It’s nothing. It’s not important. I’ll tell him, okay?”
“Fine, fine.” Morgan bumped Embry’s shoulder with her own. “I’m happy for you, Bree, really. I’m glad you opened yourself up to something good.”
“Yeah, too bad the first person I’ve fallen for in five years happens to be my professor.” The butterflies in her belly chose that moment to wake up and stretch. “I have no idea how to act in class.”
“Just act normal. The good thing is, he’s so fucking hot that half the girls in class fall all over themselves for him anyway. If you get all hot and bothered, you’ll just look like you’re getting in line.”
“Thanks. That’s helpful.” Embry rolled her eyes, not wanting to think of how many women were lusting after her … boyfriend? Lover?
“So you have to keep it in check a few hours a week. Think of all those poor girls who can do no more than lust after him while you’re in his bed.”
“And his shower. And on his kitchen counter.” A sly smile spread across Embry’s face.
“Now that deserves a high five,” Morgan said, throwing her hand up. “Where’s Brendan when you need him?”
Embry sat in contracts, trying not to jump up and turn around every time someone walked through the door. She was anxious for Luke to arrive. How will I feel? Will it be different? Will he treat me differently? She squeezed her eyes shut, shook the thought away, and concentrated on Jeremy. He was going on and on about the girl from the club Saturday night.
“She was amazing and so bendy,” he said.
Embry cringed. Whatever came after, she didn’t want to hear it. She thought back to Saturday. The masquerade party felt like a lifetime ago. So much had happened.
“And then she did this thing with her mouth,” Jeremy said, nudging her.
“What?” she said too loudly.
“There you are. Just trying to get your attention, Blondie.”
“You’re gross.”
“It was effective.” He shrugged. “And seriously, she did some amazing things with her—”
Embry held up a hand. “Stop. No. Do not go there. Can’t hear it. Nope. I won’t.”
“Okay, okay.” He chuckled. “So what’s going on with you?”
Just then, the door opened, and Embry jumped in her seat.
“Are you okay?” Jeremy asked.
“Huh?” She was utterly distracted. Every fiber of her wanted to turn toward the door and see if Luke was there.
“I asked if you were okay.”
“What? Oh, yeah. I’m fine. Thanks.”
“Uh huh.”
She turned to see Jeremy watching her with narrowed eyes.
“You’re a little jumpy,” he said.
Embry waved him away. “Oh, I’m fine. I think I had a bit too much caffeine. That’s all.” Or too much Luke.
“You sure?”
“Yep! Positive!” She was becoming flustered.
“You’re being weird today.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are. You’re weird today.”
She couldn’t explain the sensation that came over her when she and Luke were in the same room, but she felt it then and knew he’d walked in. She’d always been aware of him, felt an instant pull when he was near, but after what they’d shared the night before—and that morning—her body was on high alert. She fought against her desire to turn toward him, to go to him, and forced her attention back to Jeremy. “I’m not weird.”
“That’s debatable,” he teased, “but I just meant you’re acting a little twitchy.”
Luke passed by at that moment, looking straight ahead, but she noticed the corner of his mouth lift into a slight smile. He’d heard Jeremy.
Cheeks burning, she turned back to her friend and gave him a shove. “You’re twitchy. Shut it, Jer.”
Luke strode toward the podium, all southern sex and charm. He looked casual in boat shoes, Dockers, and a blue, half-zip sweater over a collared shirt. She caught herself leaning forward as if her body was trying to erase the space between them. Forcing herself to relax, Embry fiddled with her computer and tried to focus.
“Wow,” Jeremy whispered a while later. “I know you’re a crazy over-achiever and everything, but I’ve never seen you take so many notes.” He leaned closer to read off her screen. “I’m pretty sure you won’t need to know Professor Brody’s favorite Supreme Court justice for the final, though. You can probably ease up there, killer.”
Embry flushed again. She had been so intent on keeping her eyes off of Luke and focused elsewhere that she had transcribed his entire sidebar conversation with another student about the Supreme Court. Okay, breathe, Embry. It’s just Luke.
Taking a breath and rolling her eyes at herself, Embry looked up to the front of the room. Luke happened to glance in her direction at the same time, and their eyes collided. She was sure sparks should’ve flown at the impact. That was why she’d been avoiding him. He stumbled over his words but quickly recovered. Warmth unfurled in her stomach, spreading in a slow wave. Her thoughts wandered, and soon she was back in his bed, surrounded by him, engulfed in him, completely consumed.
As Luke conversed with another student, Embry took a break from her overzealous note-taking to gawk, unabashed, at her hot professor. Her vision was flooded with his gorgeous, naked form. It was a trick of the eye, an optical illusion. He was dressed to perfection, but his clothes weren’t registering. All she saw was the sexy underneath. As he moved about the classroom, she imagined how his muscles flexed with every movement—how they’d expanded and contracted as he held his weight above her.
Shaking herself out of her too-hot-for-school thoughts, Embry straightened and flipped through her textbook, realizing she’d missed quite a few cases while in her Luke-induced haze.