Undercover Professor (4 page)

“What does he look like?” “Is he hot?” “Tall, dark and handsome?” “Does he have a big schlong?” her teammates cackled.

“I should be so lucky.” Lucy laughed.

“He’s blond.” Craig stood for a moment, thinking. “Scruffy, has a beard. Always has a book, talks about gaming.”

Lucy lost track of the beer she was pouring for a second, spilling on her hand. “Shit.”

“You know him?” Craig wiped up the spill, smiling at her with kind eyes. “I can tell him to get lost next time he comes in here sniffing after you. He’s usually chatting up some girl about gaming, but nobody’s complained. Yet.”

Craig was a big marshmallow. Big and sort of intimidating, but Lucy doubted he had the heart to tell anyone to get lost. She shook her head. “No, thanks. He’s just this guy.”

“What does that mean?” her goalie Maddy asked, tossing back a shot.

“Well, he’s dating my cousin. So he’s off-limits.” Lucy shrugged.

“Sweetie, you know Becca’s crazy. I think if he’s making you blush like that, you should exempt him from that rule.”

“Yeah. I know. But there are other rules. No job.”

“He’s always a big tipper,” Craig chirped. “Guys with no job don’t tip that well.”

“That’s not proof. He told me he’s in between things. And the rule is he must have a job. Plus, he lives with his mother.”

They both groaned.

“I think he may be helping her out, I guess she just had hip surgery. Still...things aren’t adding up. I have this weird feeling about him.”

“Hmm.” Maddy drank her beer thoughtfully and Craig hurried off to help another patron.

“I know. And the worst part is, he’s really nice. I mean, I like this guy, but I don’t have patience for this bullshit game playing. That’s what the rules are for.”

“Is facial hair a rule?”

Lucy nodded morosely. “As is wearing sandals with socks.”

“Ooooohhh...that’s a rough ride there, sister.” Maddy tipped her beer in a toast, pulling back at the last second. “Wait a minute, aren’t you dating that Dell guy?

“Sort of. Why?”

“How does he do on the list?”

“He’s perfect. Hits every requirement.”

“Except?”

“Except there’s no zing.”

“Why isn’t zing on the list? Some of my favorite memories include all-wrong guys, but tons of zing.” Maddy had a dreamy smile on her face.

“Zing isn’t on the list. But I’m starting to think it should be.” She shoulder bumped Maddy to bring her back from the fantasy world she’d drifted into.

“Right. Anyway, Dell, Mr. No-Zing, just walked in. And I think he’s looking for you.”

Lucy groaned, not wanting to deal with him. A girls’ night sounded so much more relaxing. Besides, she wanted to hear about these bad boys with zing.

“Hey, ladies. Lucy.” He wrapped an arm around her, pressing a warm kiss to her cheek. He poured himself a glass of the team pitcher, laid down money for another pitcher, and Lucy gave Maddy a look. As if to say “See?”

“Thank you, Dell, that was
very nice
of you.” Maddy had a plastic smile on her face. “You’re a
very nice guy
.”

“Thanks. No big deal.” He shrugged, and Maddy tipped some more beer into her cup before raising a mocking toast at Lucy and leaving them alone with a hushed “
Ziiing
” under her breath.

“How was your weekend, Dell? You had a basketball camp, didn’t you?” Lucy sighed inwardly, trying to give him a fair chance.

He plopped into the chair next to her, and soon they were the only two left. The rest of the girls drifted off for home, since Dell managed to put a kibosh on any girl chat.

At midnight, Lucy got to her feet. She waved to Craig and they bundled up into jackets and hats for the short walk back to Lucy’s place. Dell wrapped an arm over her shoulder, and she appreciated the warmth his big body provided. Plus, he managed to block the cutting wind. She huddled closer, smiling up at him. So what if he didn’t knock her breath out from under her? He was good and kind. And he had a job, his own apartment and she had never once seen any sort of socks-with-sandals episodes.

“I’m going to head home, I have a registration I have to process tomorrow and I need a good night sleep.” He pressed a soft kiss to her lips, and Lucy held still for a moment, waiting. Waiting for something. Anything.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing closer. He smelled nice. His lips were soft, supple. She focused, tilting her head into the kiss a little, no dill taste this time as his tongue darted into her mouth. Dart. Dart. Dart.

Lucy tried to gently school his kiss, subtly ease her tongue around his and caress it. Nope. Dart, dart, swoop, swoosh, dart, like he was swashbuckling her mouth. Damn.

She redoubled her efforts, thinking this was not a list item. How could she list it? It needs to be specific. Bad kissers can be fixed. Sort of. She still didn’t think she could work up the enthusiasm to go to bed with him.

Which was a shame, he really was good on paper.

He brushed some hair away from her forehead, a soft, gentle move. It felt caring, like a parent would do for a child. It warmed her a little.

“Good night, Dell.”

“See ya later, Lucy.” He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and left the lobby.

Standing at the elevator, Lucy stared at her feet, wondering why she kept trying to force this to work with him. It wasn’t the kiss, it was the way he made her feel safe and protected. He deserved more of a chance.

The elevator dinged open, and she wandered in, readjusting her gym bag as she punched the up button.

“Hold the elevator,” Andy shouted from the lobby doors. Lucy punched the button frantically, hoping they’d close before he could make it. No luck. Andy sprinted across the marble tile, swinging his messenger bag in the door at the last second.

“Didn’t you hear me?” He panted as he leaped into the elevator, looping the bag over his shoulder again.

“Uh, no! No, sorry. Nice catch though.” She gritted her teeth.

“I thought I saw Dell outside. What are you doing out so late?” He leaned against the wall as the doors swooshed shut, and the air evacuated the chamber.

He smelled like coffee and outside, and Lucy could feel the hair on her neck stand on end. How did he do that?

“I play soccer every Monday night, and we were out for drinks.”

“Oh, didja win?”

“No.” She paused for a second. “But, it’s not really about that. Just getting some exercise, hanging with my girls, you know.”

He snorted. “Sounds like loser talk to me. Or some crap Dell would tell his preschoolers on the court.”

“Hey!” She couldn’t think of a comeback. He stared at her, eyes crinkled in laughter as he pulled off his hat, his hair plastered to his head. He finger combed it off to the side, and her hand twitched to push a golden lock over. A solid resounding
zing
shot through her body.
Damn you, Maddy.
She had to say something, some response other than
Hey
. Her mind went totally blank. The zing had shorted out her brain. He was teasing, but after feeling so disappointed with Dell’s kiss, she couldn’t come up with a retort.

She snapped her gaze to her feet. “Well, you can’t win them all,” she muttered. Thank God the elevator stopped on her floor then. If her cheeks got any hotter, they’d pop off. She stepped out, breathing again in the hallway.

“Oh, come on... Hey, I’m sorry. I was just teasing.” He braced a foot against the door to stop it from shutting.

More irritated with herself that he affected her so strongly than about his comment, she gave a halfhearted laugh.

“C’mon. I was teasing, I feel terrible, don’t leave upset.”

She tucked her hair behind her ear, glancing up at him. He made her body sing, and that was an addictive feeling. “No?”

He smiled, motioning for her to get back in the elevator.

“Where do you want me to go?”

“Come on. I have some beer in the fridge, let me at least show you that game I was talking about. Based on the book. You’ll love it, I promise.”

“But I don’t game, I can barely hold a controller.”

“Doesn’t matter, it’s a really cool visual.”

She considered going home to her own apartment for a second. The quiet. The pile of laundry she had to do tomorrow, waiting to be sorted. To top it off, no beer.

The door dinged and she hopped back in, feeling foolish yet exhilarated. Like she was entering an alternate universe. In the normal world, she’d go back to her own place and be responsible. And if anyone asked, that’s exactly what she did.

Chapter Four

In this bizarre twist on reality, she was smiling up at Andy, whose huge grin under the golden filter of a beard made him seem wickedly attractive, like a pirate. The thought of him sweeping her into his arms and dipping her low for a kiss swamped her thoughts like a tidal wave. She bit her lip and tucked her keys back into her gym bag.

They got off on his floor and he unlocked the door. Lucy looked around avidly. It was a comfortable place, with cozy French country touches everywhere. Reminding her that yes, he lived with his mother. But Susan did have nice taste.

“Are we going to wake up Susan?” she whispered, gently dropping her gym bag by the door and tiptoeing further into the room to watch him turn on the TV and game system.

“No, not at all. She’s zonked. Super sound sleeper, especially with the help of some oxycodone.”

“You drugged her?”

He gave her a flat look. “What kind of jerk do you think I am? Of course I didn’t. She had surgery last week, she’s on pain pills.”

“Oh.” Lucy glanced around, feeling like the jerk. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that.”

“I
am
the kind of jerk who bribes pretty neighbor girls back to his mom’s apartment for a beer though. I’ll grab you one. Take a seat, watch the intro.” He took pity on her, heading for the kitchen. Dramatic music washed over her, and a set-up image of a swashbuckling spaceship pirate captain leaping from his helm to the main floor of his spaceship made Lucy gasp. It was like her imagination came to life. She glanced furtively to the kitchen, hoping Andy wasn’t watching her get so unhinged by a stupid video game. The intro cut to the four-armed interpreter, sexy as sin in her low-cut black shirt, her hips and arms swinging sinuously as she turned and winked at the captain.

“Holy shit, that’s exactly like I pictured her,” Lucy murmured to herself, and Andy handed her a beer before sitting next to her and picking up a controller. She took a sip and glanced at the bottle. “Two Labs beer!”

“Your favorite, I know. Mine too, remember?” He held his up to clink with hers, and took a swig.

“Okay, so pick up your controller, and we’ll play a little.”

“What? No, I suck at this stuff.”

“I’ll even let you be the captain. He’s got a huge...”

She turned to him, wide eyed.

“Gun. A huge gun. I’ll be first mate McGuntly. He has a teeny-tiny, um, gun.”

She laughed and set her beer down to pick up the remote with both hands.

“Okay, first of all, turn it around. Those triggers should be by your pointer finger. Like this.” He held up his controller and wiggled his fingers, showing her. She followed suit. The thought of being the captain with the big gun was enough to have her at least try.

* * *

Two hours later, Lucy sat cross-legged on the floor. Drew pried his gaze away from her for the hundredth time and tried to refocus. The last time he’d been caught staring this much had been seventh grade. He should have learned some manners by now. She was fascinating to watch, much more interesting than the game. When she concentrated hard, she pursed her lips and tilted her head. She laughed so hard, she had fallen off the chair. Which suited him just fine—he was able to sit next to her on the floor just in case she needed further instructions.

She was stubbornly persistent, picking up the game basics quickly, but a little slow on the kick-punch-jab-jump combo buttons. As most early gamers were.

Now a brief introduction to the next level, “Attack of the Amazon Women.” The captain and the four-armed interpreter were forced to hide in an Amazon woman’s storage closet.

The interpreter and the captain were about to kiss, and Drew watched Lucy’s face. She tilted her head, her eyes dreamy, as though she was swept up in the moment on the screen. He groaned, adjusting around the arousal in his pants. Their gazes caught and he got lost in the chocolate brown of her eyes. He was close enough to discover the little flecks of lighter brown. Her lips parted and he leaned closer, straining to keep his balance. With a cough she snapped her gaze back to the TV while the disk wound down.

What got into him?

She reached for her beer on the end table, sipping a bit before staring at it forlornly. “I should go when I’m done with this. What time is it?”

“Two-ish.”

The soft sounds of the Amazon rainforest with low harps rolled over the room peacefully as the game started back up. The perfect setting for seduction, Drew considered. Again, the last time he had seduced a girl in front of a game console was probably high school.

“Are you one of those guys who has a nose for time? Like, you don’t even need an alarm clock? That’s so cool.” She twisted her arms, punching buttons as they battled down the first Amazon woman they found.

“Sort of. I take it you don’t?”

“Not one bit. I really have no concept of time without a clock or watch.”

“I cannot tell a lie. There’s a clock on the cable box.”

She snickered and her knee brushed his thigh. With a wild gesture, she tried to work the controller. She twisted and flailed, ending up half in his lap. Freezing, one leg extended awkwardly, she stayed draped over his thigh for a heartbeat. Not daring to breathe, he hoped she would drop the controller and wrap herself around him further.

She lurched away with a blush and dived right back into the game.

He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless.

But she was having a blast, giggling manically as she chopped down Amazonians. “You know, it’s really fun to slash these tall busty women in the knees.”

“You just have to do it before they pick you up and smash you up against the wall.” An apt description for love.

At a scene break, she covered a yawn with her fist and polished off her beer, putting it into the small collection they built during the game. “I should probably go.”

Drew stretched his arms over his head, working his neck back and forth. The soft atmospheric music and chirping of the Amazon women’s world hummed gently in the background again. If he were a gentleman he would escort her to the door and maybe give a friendly hug, with a daring few extra-seconds squeeze. But he was no gentleman. Not tonight.

“Are you sure?” He plucked the controller from her hand before rubbing a thumb over the soft skin of her knuckles. “Do you have to work tomorrow?”

“No, Tuesdays are my day off. I just have lots of stuff to get done, you know, laundry, things like that.” She sounded breathy, her voice low and husky. That was a good sign.

“I don’t want you to leave.” As he kissed the knuckles one at a time, he studied the fine bones crossed with muscles and veins. Strong, capable hands, with short, unpainted nails, and a faded scar crossed her third finger. He licked lightly at the juncture between two fingers. She inhaled sharply, but didn’t pull away.

The heat between them, shimmering under the surface of the raucous camaraderie, sprang to life. Energy tickled the back of his neck. It was the best kind of foreplay. Laughter and goofiness, with the slow build to an earth-shaking climax.

Except he felt like a teenager, unsure of how to move forward. Way too excited for his first glance at her naked body. Pausing for a moment, he tried to recall the last time a slow seduction was so intriguing.

She stared at him, lips moist and slightly parted.

He wanted to ravish her, to lick, suck and nibble every inch of her, hear the squeals of delight when he found a delectable spot. He wanted to make her groan his name in pleasure. If only he could figure out how to make another move.

“Andy.” She hummed a little encouragement in her throat. He frowned, the name sounded foreign and wrong. But she could call him John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt, if he could just get her naked.

He tugged her closer. The crisp scent of lavender filled his nose as he nuzzled his head into the crook of her elbow and licked at the soft skin there. Finding his rhythm, he shifted closer again, draping her arm over his shoulder. She watched his movements with a wary stillness, like she would bolt if he went too fast.

Slow was good, he tried to calm his racing heart. Slow could be very, very good. He could do slow. He kissed his way up her arm until he reached the curve of her neck. Laying his lips against her skin, he could feel her pulse beat rapidly.

His mouth at her earlobe, he breathed, “Don’t go. Not yet, Captain.”

She laughed and relaxed, curving her hand into his hair. Her lips tilted up in a smile, just centimeters from his mouth as he paused.

The moment felt like an eternity. Every muscle tense, he felt the warmth of her lips, so close and moist, so ripe for the kissing. She hummed a tiny little noise and moved into him in a surge, sealing herself to him, knocking him off balance.

With one hand she dug her fingers into his hair, cupping his jaw with the other hand. She tipped his head to the side and her tongue swept into his mouth, taking control. Like the captain she was. He sucked lightly at her tongue, tasting her. Beer and a delicious tangy flavor uniquely Lucy’s teased his mouth. Like liquid excitement. New, yet familiar at the same time. He wanted to feel her skin against his, run his hands up her belly and watch her ride him.

She twisted her head to press against him, pushing them to the floor.

He trailed his lips down her neck to her ear as his hand burrowed up under her shirt, seeking skin. He slipped a thigh between her legs, growling in frustration at the layers of jeans and cotton separating their skin.

“God you’re so hot, my Lucy, you’re so beautiful.” He nipped her earlobe as he cupped her breast, his thumb scraping over the cotton of her bra. “Let’s go to my bedroom. You can boss me around all you want, as long as we’re naked.”

Thumbing over the taut peak of her nipple again, he watched for her reaction.

“Yes.” She shuddered as she rubbed herself against his leg. How could rolling around on the floor of his mom’s apartment be so hot? Maybe it was the forbidden element that made him lose his panache.

Her heat warmed his thigh through the jeans and she moved impatiently against him. The need to strip her naked and taste her made his hand shake as he reached for the hem of her shirt. Slowing his lips on hers to a soft, teasing nip, he sat up to pull her shirt over her head, anxious to see her body spread out before him. Her white lacy bra teased him, giving him a peak of the rosy nipples underneath. The first time they met in the laundry room he had a fleeting glimpse of her body. This time he would savor the experience and remember every inch of skin as it was exposed. She slipped to his side, legs tangled with his, and rose halfway to reach for his shirt in turn.

A vibration made both of them freeze.

“What is that?” she whispered.

It vibrated again. “Um, is that you?” Her droll tone broke the silence of the room.

He pressed his head to her neck, laughing a little into her shoulder as he dug into his pocket. “Cell phone, set to vibrate.”

“Who’s calling you at this hour?”

He glanced at the display and tried to keep the dismay off his face. He slumped backward into the carpet. How could he explain this without breaking the mood? He was so close to getting her naked, so close he could smell the delicate, intoxicating scent of her arousal. It made him primal, single-minded in his pursuit.
Must sex up this woman.
Perhaps she would be amused by him hoisting her over his shoulder and hauling her down to his room like a caveman. Perhaps. He tried to figure out if he could grab her on his way up, or stand and then grab her. Grabbing her on his way up was probably better on his back, but then he’d get a handful of her butt, and he’d have to sprint down the hall.

“Who is it?” She interrupted his thought process. “I thought you didn’t know anyone in town.” She untangled a leg gently. “I mean, it’s either an emergency or a booty call. Right?”

He tried to formulate a charming lie, but all his blood flow was directed to his pants and nothing came out but the truth. “I only know a few people in town. It’s Becca. And I don’t really know her well enough for an emergency call.” He propped himself up on his elbows to see her reaction.

She stared at him for a second. “Oh.”

He ran a hand through his hair, exhausted suddenly. “I’m so pissed I met her in the lobby that first day and not you. Lucy, you have to know how crazy she is.”

He bit the inside of his cheek. He just called her cousin crazy. Probably not a good idea.

She nodded, pulling her knees under her chin. “Yeah, I know.”

She didn’t reach for her shirt, perfectly comfortable sitting with her bra and jeans half undone. Maybe he still had a chance tonight. Hope surged, and he tried to subtly reach for her ankle to touch her again. He could try to pick back up where they left off.

“She got the entirely wrong impression about what I wanted. I’m serious here.” He touched skin. “I didn’t ask her on a date and I didn’t lead her on. But she’s been calling me, leaving me texts, showing up at the coffee shop, even the comic book store I’ve met some test, um, I hang out at sometimes.”

He’d almost said test subjects. Jesus, she had him rattled. The small fibs didn’t roll off his tongue with her like they did with other women. Maybe he could tell her the truth about why he was here. Unfortunately, he had gone to the bar she mentioned, and met some gamer people there. They all confirmed they knew her, the connection to Lucy was too close. He couldn’t chance it until their interviews were done.

She scrubbed a hand back over her forehead then slid it into her hair. “I know. I know she’s kind of crazy.”

He inched his hand up her calf to the back of her knee and she let him pull her leg closer. “But?”

His phone buzzed again. “Dammit.” Becca had some shitty timing.

She pushed him away and slipped her shirt on. His window was closing very quickly here.

“No. If Becca is calling at two in the morning, I’m sure it’s not to talk. This is just too weird.”

“I didn’t encourage her, I swear.” Drew whipped the phone into the chair, pissed off. She stood at his childish outburst, frowning at him.

“Lucy, don’t. I’m sorry,” he said, but she shook her head and gathered up a few bottles to take into the kitchen.