Kissing Lessons - Stefanie London Page 0,43

students lounging on the grass under a huge elm tree. They were studying and talking, scrolling on their phones and laughing. They were so…carefree.

At their age, Audrey had already been working two jobs and struggling to deal with her younger siblings, who needed a hell of a lot more care back then. Deanna had been at the start of tweendom. And Jane had been venturing down a worrying path of smoking and skipping class. She’d managed to keep them all in line. To make sure they knew they were loved and that life had more to offer them than a carbon copy of their father’s spiraling despair.

Shaking off the troubling memories, Audrey jogged up the steps of the science building and pushed the door open. From memory, the faculty offices were the first hallway on the right. As she rounded the corner, she caught sight of Ronan.

He was wearing the blazer with the elbow patches, and his hair was long around his ears. His beard looked a bit heavier than usual, not as clean-cut as she’d seen him before. Audrey gulped. For some reason, that extra roughness—the hint of imperfection—made him seem so much more touchable. Desirable.

He was so…unabashedly masculine. Devastatingly attractive. And yet she knew inside he was a kind soul and had a good heart. In her mind, that was an irresistible combination. A rare combination.

“Audrey.” His face lit up into a friendly smile as she approached, and his reaction set off butterflies in her stomach. “I’m so glad you could make it.”

“Me, too.” Audrey nodded, trying to stifle the giddy grin that wanted to burst forth.

It’s one thing to pretend to be a normal twenty-something woman for an afternoon. It’s quite another to revert to being a giddy teenager.

“We’re over in the humanities building for this event.” He gestured for them to head back the way Audrey had come.

Outside, it felt amazing to be in the sunshine, a handsome man by her side. She noticed the curious glances aimed in Ronan’s direction as they walked. That seemed to happen a lot. Audrey had caught several students mooning over him during the Brain-Changing Positivity class and felt a little prickle of possessiveness burrow under her skin.

Which seemed stupid now—she was here at his invitation.

“I thought of another trivia question for you,” he said, their footsteps falling in time.

Audrey grinned. “You’re determined to trip me up, aren’t you?”

“You questioned my honor. It’s only fair.” His smile was warm and sexy, and for a second Audrey feared she might melt like ice cream on hot pavement.

“Hit me.”

“What animal has cube-shaped poop?”

Audrey burst out laughing. “Seriously? That’s your question.”

“Ah, it’s all about strategy.” Ronan held a finger in the air. “I had to find something that was general trivia so I wasn’t cheating by asking something too esoteric. However, I figured a classy woman like yourself might not be intimately familiar with the shape of animal excretions.”

“That’s very tricksy.” Audrey bit down on her lip.

“Tricksy like I’ve got one over you?” His eyes glittered mischievously, looking even bluer in the warm afternoon sunshine.

“Nope.” She couldn’t help the big, smug smile from spreading across her face. “Cube-shaped poop comes from the wombat.”

“Dammit!” He slapped a hand down on his leg.

“You forget—I have four younger siblings, and I know exactly what facts will entertain them. Although I appreciate you calling me classy,” she added. “Even if you’re wrong about that, too.”

“You’re classy. I see how much effort you put into dressing nice and presenting yourself well.”

He noticed that? Audrey’s heart made a weird little thump in her chest. Of course she believed in presenting herself well—it was a defense strategy as much as a personal standard—but she had to admit that she’d made even more effort than usual since starting Ronan’s class.

“We’re in here,” he said, breaking into her thoughts. They walked up to another of Harrison Beech’s older buildings, and he held the door for her like a total and utter gentleman.

“So, what’s the whole point of this meet-and-greet thing?” Audrey asked.

“I understand that the college feels the relationship between faculty and student body could be improved.” Ronan raked a hand through his brown hair, but it flopped stubbornly back into place, and Audrey swallowed a comment about how her current student-teacher relationship was more than fine. “So, they’re doing a series of events where professors bring students they feel can provide useful insight into improving the ‘student experience’ and help shape some kind of program that’s being put together.”

“Why on earth