When Time Falls Still
Charlotte braced herself against the motion of the elevator, but not before her breasts, protected only by thin fabric and thinner lace, brushed Justice’s chest. He was standing so close she felt overwhelmed. Not intimidated—he didn’t scare her—just...swamped by his nearness.
Or maybe it was the heat in his eyes.
Ocean depths had nothing on the blueness searing into her, she thought wildly. Vertigo weakened her knees, but she couldn’t look away.
"I—" She broke off, swallowed, and tried again. "I don’t know what to say." He toyed with the end of her braid, and she swore she could feel the touch of his fingers fizzle up the strands, down her spine and into the soles of her feet.
"Did you honestly think I wasn’t attracted to you?" His voice rumbled, low and sexy.
The doors slid open. Thank God the hallway was empty. Her legs felt disconnected from her body, but she managed not to stumble. She unlocked her office, seeking refuge inside. Justice followed.
"Charlotte?"
He wasn’t going to let it go. Perseverance was his greatest strength—and his most irritating habit, she thought peevishly. "I threw myself at you and you walked away."
"I just about took you up against your front door." Frustration coloured his tone. He scrubbed his hands over his close-cropped head.
"Fine. Maybe you were right." She lifted her satchel off her shoulder and tossed it into a nearby chair. "Maybe I wasn’t thinking clearly enough."
"Maybe." He crossed his ankles and leaned against the wall, the casual stance belying the tension evident in the fists jammed in his pockets, the set of his shoulders. "Now what?"
"I don’t know." The collar of his uniform jacket had kinked up on one side. Without thinking, she stepped forward to smooth it down. He caught her hand and held it. Her fingers curled into his.
The connection felt good. It felt right. Maybe she should stop thinking altogether, and just go with her gut.
She never did that. She planned and researched and debated and planned some more. Trying to regain her equilibrium, she tugged away and escaped behind her desk.
"Let’s look at this rationally," she said. His scarred eyebrow arched and amusement flickered in his face, but she battled on. "We are both healthy, single adults. For some reason, we seem to have strong physical chemistry."
"Some reason?" The amusement was uppermost, now. His lips remained firm and straight, but she could see it in his eyes, as usual.
"Don’t take this the wrong way, but you are not the kind of man I ever thought I’d be attracted to."
He lowered his lids and regarded her through narrow slits. "Right back at you."
She bristled, but took her own advice and let it go. "Regardless, we could take advantage of this mutual appeal."
"There’s the professor I know and...admire," he murmured.
She ignored the sarcasm. "I’m only here for a few more months." The exam today was the last she needed to invigilate. As soon as they were marked and the results submitted, she was flying out to spend Christmas with Sonny and family, returning a few days before the start of the winter session. "Are you in any of my classes next semester?"
He shook his head, watching her closely.
"Would you consider a short-term, exclusive relationship, with a predefined end date?" There, she thought. That sounded mature, sensible. No need to let emotions colour what promised to be a satisfying adult affair.
He straightened from the wall, looming to his full height. "Would this so-called relationship be strictly physical? Or could it involve social aspects as well?"
Once again, she sensed an underlying current of laughter, but she ignored it. "I can’t see why not."
"And it would come to an end the same time as your contract?"
"Or earlier, of course, should either of us find it no longer meets our needs."
"I thought English professors were supposed to be romantic."
Romance. Love. That’s what hurt you. Sex, on the other hand, was just sex. "Not all of us."
Or maybe it was the heat in his eyes.
Ocean depths had nothing on the blueness searing into her, she thought wildly. Vertigo weakened her knees, but she couldn’t look away.
"I—" She broke off, swallowed, and tried again. "I don’t know what to say." He toyed with the end of her braid, and she swore she could feel the touch of his fingers fizzle up the strands, down her spine and into the soles of her feet.
"Did you honestly think I wasn’t attracted to you?" His voice rumbled, low and sexy.
The doors slid open. Thank God the hallway was empty. Her legs felt disconnected from her body, but she managed not to stumble. She unlocked her office, seeking refuge inside. Justice followed.
"Charlotte?"
He wasn’t going to let it go. Perseverance was his greatest strength—and his most irritating habit, she thought peevishly. "I threw myself at you and you walked away."
"I just about took you up against your front door." Frustration coloured his tone. He scrubbed his hands over his close-cropped head.
"Fine. Maybe you were right." She lifted her satchel off her shoulder and tossed it into a nearby chair. "Maybe I wasn’t thinking clearly enough."
"Maybe." He crossed his ankles and leaned against the wall, the casual stance belying the tension evident in the fists jammed in his pockets, the set of his shoulders. "Now what?"
"I don’t know." The collar of his uniform jacket had kinked up on one side. Without thinking, she stepped forward to smooth it down. He caught her hand and held it. Her fingers curled into his.
The connection felt good. It felt right. Maybe she should stop thinking altogether, and just go with her gut.
She never did that. She planned and researched and debated and planned some more. Trying to regain her equilibrium, she tugged away and escaped behind her desk.
"Let’s look at this rationally," she said. His scarred eyebrow arched and amusement flickered in his face, but she battled on. "We are both healthy, single adults. For some reason, we seem to have strong physical chemistry."
"Some reason?" The amusement was uppermost, now. His lips remained firm and straight, but she could see it in his eyes, as usual.
"Don’t take this the wrong way, but you are not the kind of man I ever thought I’d be attracted to."
He lowered his lids and regarded her through narrow slits. "Right back at you."
She bristled, but took her own advice and let it go. "Regardless, we could take advantage of this mutual appeal."
"There’s the professor I know and...admire," he murmured.
She ignored the sarcasm. "I’m only here for a few more months." The exam today was the last she needed to invigilate. As soon as they were marked and the results submitted, she was flying out to spend Christmas with Sonny and family, returning a few days before the start of the winter session. "Are you in any of my classes next semester?"
He shook his head, watching her closely.
"Would you consider a short-term, exclusive relationship, with a predefined end date?" There, she thought. That sounded mature, sensible. No need to let emotions colour what promised to be a satisfying adult affair.
He straightened from the wall, looming to his full height. "Would this so-called relationship be strictly physical? Or could it involve social aspects as well?"
Once again, she sensed an underlying current of laughter, but she ignored it. "I can’t see why not."
"And it would come to an end the same time as your contract?"
"Or earlier, of course, should either of us find it no longer meets our needs."
"I thought English professors were supposed to be romantic."
Romance. Love. That’s what hurt you. Sex, on the other hand, was just sex. "Not all of us."