Disasterology 101 (9 page)

He swore under his breath and tried to make sense of the situation.

Could Cedric be pretending? Did he decide it wouldn’t be in his best interest to let it be known he already knew Kevin? Was he afraid he’d lose his job because at some point he made out like crazy with one of his students? Jesus. Did he really not recognize Kevin?

He tapped his pencil on his desk and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment.

And what if he didn’t? What the hell did he care if he was crazy in lust with a man who didn’t remember him? Wouldn’t that be better? He could stay in the class, get his certification and keep his job. Forget Cedric and go ahead with his life plan.

Find another man.

Get laid once and for all.

Yeah. He could do that.

But for the next hour he kept waiting for a look. A sign. A stupid little note from Cedric asking Kevin to meet him after class.

He was fucking disappointed when he got nothing.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Cedric dismissed the students twenty minutes after nine on Thursday night. Introduction to the class didn’t take all that long and, same as Tuesday, there weren’t any questions after he finished explaining the basics of blueprints. He knew that eventually there would be, but his students were too stunned to be able to ask anything just yet. After years of experiencing the same reaction from people regardless of where he went, he was sure of it.

They were trying to figure him out; probably trying to guess his age and wondering how the hell an Englishman who could pass for an armed robber without much effort on his part ended up teaching their class. And they were still trying to decide if all the rules he’d numbered the first night were a joke. Sadly for them, they were not.

As the class progressed Cedric had felt their eyes following him; none of them making the slightest effort to hide how baffled they were by the dichotomy between his behavior and looks. Even Kevin had been surreptitiously eyeing him.

Cedric realigned his books on top of the desk and glanced at the door. Five minutes after dismissal most of the students were on their way out but a few lingered in the classroom, softly talking amongst themselves, glancing at him and taking their sweet time to leave.

He looked down and squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to break out in a cold sweat. If they didn’t clear the premises before Cedric counted to thirty they’d get to see a side of Professor Haughton-Disley they’d most likely wish didn’t exist.

“One…two…three….”

He said under his breath, praying nobody—mainly Kevin—would notice.

“…nine…ten…eleven….”

Cedric pushed his chair under the desk and risked a veiled look toward the back of the classroom. Kevin was squeamish and avoiding eye contact like his life depended on it, but he hadn’t left. He hadn’t even used the first class break to escape, which was when Cedric told Kevin to see him after class.

Had the guy not been all dusty and sporting armpit sweat stains, Cedric would’ve hugged him for not running away. Hell, he was tempted to hug Kevin Morrison because he was bloody gorgeous all dusty, and might even smell a bit. The dirty jeans, t-shirt, and work boots only added to his rugged appeal.

Cedric shook his head slightly. Leave it to him to feel insanely attracted to the very things he could hardly deal with.

“…seventeen…eighteen…nineteen….”

He never thought he’d run into this bloke again. He had looked for him. Day after day he’d occupied the same table in that coffee shop, hoping the guy would return and cursing himself for his abrupt behavior that time at the sex shop.

He’d wanted to apologize for it. Ask Kevin to have a cuppa and hopefully get to know him a little bit. But after two weeks of waiting he’d had no choice but to admit Kevin’s presence in that coffee shop was probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

He regretted not noticing sooner that Kevin was new at being with another man. The signs had been there. The way in which he kept glancing at the sex shop while remaining safely inside the coffee shop and his reaction to the sex show when he finally walked inside the peeping booth. He’d been incapable of controlling his body’s reactions to the sight and sounds of three men going at it.

In Cedric’s defense, he’d been too busy not freaking out over his own actions and their surroundings, but that didn’t excuse the way in which he’d pushed Kevin away. He’d been too brusque, and probably came across as insensitive or even cruel. It killed him a little to think about what kind of effect his words had on Kevin.

Cedric knew he should have followed him. Had it not been for the damn condition he was trying so hard to control, he would have gone after him. But the need to get back to his office and take a shower after exposing his body to only God knew what germs had been too strong and something he couldn’t dismiss.

The same reason prompted him to leave the classroom Tuesday night without saying a word. That, and the shyness attack he’d suffered at the mere sight of Kevin. Cedric got warm and all tingly, and his tongue felt heavy in his mouth. He’d paced in his room for hours after he got home, and sleep hadn’t come easily. He’d even had to go see his doctor first thing the next morning in order to sort out his feelings, but tonight he’d come prepared. He was ready to talk.

Kevin
.

It felt so good to finally know his name.

Cedric had to find a way to smooth things out between them.

“…twenty-six…twenty-seven…twenty-eight….”

Cedric grabbed his backpack from behind his chair and dashed for the door.

“Don’t go anywhere,” he ordered Kevin on his way out, well aware of the fact he was abusing his authority as a professor, but not giving a crap.

He reached the faculty restroom in no time. Once inside he took a bunch of paper towels and covered the counter before putting his backpack down. Then he took a bottle of soap, a wash rag, a small towel, and his deodorant out.

The gloves came off first, quickly followed by his dark gray pullover shirt, undershirt and the tank top he wore underneath.

“One…two…three….”

He had to wash up and change into fresh clothes before he finished counting to thirty.

When Cedric signed up as a teacher at MCC, he thought a two-hour class twice a week with fifteen minute breaks and a limit of fifteen students was something he’d be able to handle. It was the second step on what Cedric liked to refer to as his “Stop Being a Twat Program.” Considering the first step had been leaving everything that was familiar to him behind and moving to another country for a few months, it should have been easy.

It wasn’t. This was his third group of students in six months, but he wasn’t any closer to getting used to the proximity of them.

“…fourteen…fifteen…sixteen….”

The classroom was too small. There was only about two feet of distance between the first row of student’s desks and his. It was too damn close and he was hyperventilating just from thinking about it, but he couldn’t quit. This class was important to him and he
had
to teach it.

“…twenty-one…twenty-two….”

Cedric put on deodorant, a tank top, a black undershirt and a black, long sleeve t-shirt. He washed his hands again and put on his gloves. His dirty clothes he folded carefully, only to dump them in the backpack along with his toiletries when he realized he was almost out of time. He quickly glanced at his reflection before rushing out of the ‘loo’, making sure he didn’t look too bad.

He didn’t see anyone when he walked back into the classroom.

“Bugger all.”

Kevin had run away again.

Not everything was lost, though. Kevin was registered in his class and Cedric wasn’t above using his privilege to access contact information for personal gain.

He tugged his lip ring with his tongue and took a deep breath.

He wasn’t proud of it, but it was time he put on his big boy pants and played some hardball in life. He needed to talk to Kevin and convince him Cedric really wasn’t an arse. Then they had to go somewhere and bloody finish what they’d started because, regardless of how unsanitary that sex shop was and the sloppiness of the blow job, it was the hottest sexual encounter Cedric had experienced thus far.

And the kisses… Cedric loved Kevin’s kisses.

Kevin had caught him by surprise. He’d been forceful and out of his mind with desire, and Cedric’s body reacted in tandem. He’d gotten excited. For the first time in his life passion took precedence over everything else, and for three glorious seconds, toothpaste and mouthwash had been the farthest things from Cedric’s mind.

He tugged at his lip ring again and made his way to his desk. The sooner he got his things together and out of there, the sooner he’d be able to call Kevin. But one look at his desk was all it took to make him forget everything about the other man.

Somebody had moved his books toward the center of the desk.

Cedric almost leaped his final steps. He hung his backpack from his shoulder and realigned them. It didn’t matter that he was about to leave. Before he could put the books away he needed to see them where they should have been: exactly three inches from the corner of the desk.

He wiped his brow with the back of his hand and released his breath. Once his heartbeat slowed down he grabbed the books and turned around. That’s when he saw Kevin, leaning against the back wall; his pretty blue eyes fixed on Cedric.

Neither one said a word. Kevin obviously didn’t want to be there, and Cedric was too busy taking in the other man’s appearance.

He was about five feet eleven and stocky, but there wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. He seemed solid and strong; his build the kind that was achieved by strenuous manual labor as opposed to hours in the gym.

His light brown hair was a little messy, even though it was cut short. He had a cowlick on the crown of his head. His face was angular, his jaw square-shaped and his nose had been broken at least once. His eyes, deep set and intense, were such a dark shade of blue that at times they appeared to be black. The wrinkles around the corners of his eyes indicated how often he laughed. There were also some expression lines on his forehead and around his full-lipped mouth. He wasn’t the most attractive man in the world, yet he was perfect in Cedric’s eyes.

“I want a full refund.”

The deep voice took Cedric by surprise, as he’d been convinced it was going to be up to him to end the uncomfortable silence between them.

“I beg your pardon?”

He had no idea what Kevin was talking about.

Kevin shoved his hands in the front pockets of his jeans and widened his stance. “For the class,” he explained. “Before you kick me out of your class you need to know I expect to get my money back.”

“I have no intention of doing such a thing.”

“You don’t?” Kevin’s eyebrows formed a “v” above his nose. “I thought that was what you wanted to tell me.”

Cedric shook his head three times and moved forward a little, careful not to crowd Kevin but close enough to smell him. “Why would I want to kick you out?” Kevin was pure, unadulterated man, and damn if his scent didn’t go straight to Cedric’s head, then rushed down to his dick.

“I thought you didn’t recognize me the other night.”

Cedric frowned, confused by the random comment. “Is that why you’re so upset?”

Kevin didn’t say a word, but the way in which he rolled his neck and straightened his spine was all the answer Cedric needed. The bloke was embarrassed. Rightly so, considering how things ended between them.

“Look.” He wanted to get closer but Kevin’s tense, flushed face had Cedric taking a couple of steps back instead. The “keep your distance” message was written all over his body and Cedric had no choice but to give him some space. “I want to apologize for pushi—”

“I don’t want to talk about that.” Kevin’s words came out as a snarl. Was he
that
embarrassed or just pissed off?

“We have to if you are to remain in my class.”

Bollocks! That didn’t come out right. Sometimes Cedric really hated how socially inept he could be.