Perfecting the Odds (13 page)

  “
Uh, Professor Finn, are all Marines as hot as you are,” asked Jenny, breaking the tension and silence in one fell swoop.

Karis
gasped, slapping her palm on her forehead. “Jenny!”
Thank you, Jenny.

Michael
chuckled and mouthed “it’s-okay” with a wink. His eyes held a deeper emotion, however, and Karis chose to look away. It looked damn close to pity, and wasn’t that the worst. “Well, yes, Jenny. It’s one of the criteria on the Marine sign-up sheet. I think hot falls between has a high-and-tight haircut and can wield a weapon.” The class hummed with laughter, Karis included.  She knew he could have just ignored the question or even worse, scolded Jenny for rudeness, but he handled it just as she would have, with grace and humor.

“I have a follow up quest
ion for you, Professor Finn, and this one will help my decision to go to college or not,” Jenny requested.

“Absolutely, go on,” he encouraged.

“I’m not sure if high education is for me. Are all professors as hot as you?” At that question, the class fell into hysterics, and Michael shook his head and laughed along with them again. Karis face and body heated furiously, and she fought the urged to hide beneath her desk.

But this would soon get out of hand. Handle
d well or not, Karis would not tolerate further disrespect. It was her classroom and her responsibility. She coolly strode to the front of the class, her heels clicking with an authority. The students immediately hushed at the sound blending with her presence.  “Enough of the sarcasm. You’re embarrassing Professor Finn, and he’s our guest. Try to maintain some semblance of respect.” She turned to Michael and gave him a smile and a nod to continue.

“By the shade of red that’s been on
your cheeks during my presentation, Mrs. Bennett, I’d say you’re more embarrassed.”

Karis
inhaled sharply and threw Michael her best what-the-fuck-are-you-doing expression. Apparently, it didn’t have the effect she thought it did. The students’ eyes were on her, and Michael just gazed at her, looking pretty damn pleased with himself.

Here we go
, she thought.
I knew it wouldn’t be this easy.
She had to calculate her response, choose her tone and words wisely, and most of all, remember she was at work.

Oh,
Karis would bait him like a son-of-a-bitch, with just a bit more grace and finesse. Her back was to the class, allowing her some of the freedom she needed. She narrowed her eyes, smoothed her lips back in forth as if blending lip gloss, and ended with a small bite to her bottom lip. She hoped she was literally killing him with her mouth play.

M
ichael crinkled his toffee eyes, now a deep sable brown, and the lascivious grin followed. Karis cleared her throat to speak, and Michael incited her tell. “Have I made you uncomfortable, Mrs. Bennett?”

“Professor
Finn,” Jenny spoke up, and Karis glanced over her shoulder. “with all due respect, Mrs. Bennett is hardcore, cool and collected. I’m not sure anything makes her uncomfortable.”  At first Karis thought Jenny was coming to her defense, but then she glanced at the room full of near-adults. And by the wry look on Jenny’s face, the damn girl was most likely egging him on.

Karis
turned back to Michael, who was scalding her with his unswerving gaze. “Well, Jenny,” he said, “I’m sure Mrs. Bennett has a soft spot
somewhere
.” The females giggled and snickered, and she was sure the males had smug, cocky grins. Karis flushed even further. Willing herself to tame how turned-on she was, she narrowed her eyes to almost a squint and stepped toward him, her hips swaying like a woman on the prowl, her toe tapping with frustration. The current between them cracked and sizzled just as it always did. She quickly clenched and unclenched her fists.

She
was sure everyone in that room could feel their energy, but at this point, she didn’t give a rat’s ass. He was on her turf.

“Professor
Finn,”--She paused, deliberately licking the corner of her mouth--“Your silver tongue may indeed get you in trouble. Perhaps you should consider that you’ve met your match when it comes to semantics and quick wit.”

Amusement flickered over his face
as he made one dominant step toward her. He rolled his shoulders, narrowed his eyes and a glimmer of a smile formed. Fuckity fuck, the man was hot when he went all alpha on her. For a second, a split-second, she felt her fortitude falter and damn if he didn’t catch with a tiny wink of acknowledgment. She recovered by drawing a deep breath.

“Mrs.
Bennett, I knew I’d lost before I walked in here. You’re quite the intellect, so I’ve heard. And as for my tongue”--he smirked--“you’re right. It’s gotten me into some dilemmas, but it’s usually my best weapon when trying to tame something that’s gotten”—glancing to her breasts—“out-of-hand.” Her chest jumped with a sharp intake of breath. And, crap, it was audible.
Bastard
!

Thankfully, this
time it was a cliché that came to her aid.

Halle
-fucking-lujah! Saved by the bell.

The students filed out, mumbling about what they’d just witnessed.  How the hell was she going to talk her way out of that spectacle? Principal Winston never criticized Karis’s pedagogy, but the battleax would love the chance to nail her for chronic tardiness. And Winston dragged vendetta around like a damn childhood blankie. The witch would be on Karis’s ass like white on rice if she caught wind of it.

Karis watched Michael walk to the door as if to leave. Relief tamed her hammering heart, until… he shut it and turned around, a smug expression on his gorgeous face.

Michael and Karis stared at each other for a moment. His expression exuded nothing short of unadulterated lust. And Karis? Heat rose from her chest all the way up the back of her neck.  Well, she was just plain pissed off. Horny, yes, but still pissed. Just above a whisper, Karis was first to draw verbal weaponry.

“
What the
hell
are you doing? Those are my students.”

He
stalked quickly toward her and she stumbled backwards just as he pressed his body to hers. He gripped the small of her back, pressing his entire length against her. She gasped, never expecting such a brazen act in her own classroom. His hard length pressed against her belly, taunting her nipples to peak, quickening her heart, and stealing her breath, thereby betraying the anger she so desperately needed to survive him.

“
Michael,” she admonished in a breath.

“What the
hell am I doing,” he asked, his voice hoarse and low and, oh, so frickin sexy. “What happens every time we’re near each other. Palpable, huh? I’m surprised your students didn’t steal a spark and start making out with each other.”

She shoved him hard
, grabbing her back-pocket emotion: Anger was easier to deal with than sadness or regret. “I feel something alright.” She eyed his pants. “Typical man,” she jeered, trying her best to look disgusted. But who was she kidding? With no more than words, she had prompted the beast beneath his trousers. There was little more satisfying, more addicting, especially when the man looked like Michael, a man who could damn near have any woman he wanted.

“Can you blame me, Karis? Your entire male roster probably has a hard-on during class. You’re a fucking wet dream filled with naughty intellect and a side of MILF.” He grinned wryly. If she wasn’t so taken aback by his lewd suggestion about her students, she may have been swayed by his playful banter.

“Michael! First, ew. And by ew, I mean I am one
frickin’ hiccup away from vomiting. Second, stop with the vulgar flattery. You’re a professor, for godssake. You’ve got the arrogant asshole part down, but aren’t you guys supposed to be eloquent?”

He chuckled, his eyes
glittering with bronzy charm. She loved when they did that. “That’s a bit judgmental, don’t you think? But I apologize for my behavior, sweetheart,” he said,
less
than sincere.

“
Your apology’s shit, Michael. I noticed your...your, well, you know,” she said, gesturing toward his still bulging crotch. “I can’t even think about how many students are scarred because of it. I’ll probably get fired.”

He
lifted one brow. “Fired for turning me on? Besides, you had to be
looking
to see it. And,
it
wasn’t there until you started that seductive tongue and mouth bit. Why the hell do you think I kept my jacket on?” He threw her a wolfish grin, and she couldn’t bite back her smile. Oh, Michael was a very, very dangerous man. He stepped closer, their chests brushed with each breath they took. Her heart thudded in her chest. She knew that look. “You have no idea how difficult it is for me to be in the same room with you and not--”

“Stop!”
She flushed and grasp for the edge of the nearest desk. “We’re in my classroom for godssake. Seriously, what happened to quiet and mysterious Michael from that first night?”

H
e wrapped an arm around her waist then slowly ran his finger down her cheek. “I’m quiet around most people...annoyingly quiet, so I’ve been told. I’m different when I’m around you, and I kind of like it.” She didn’t know what to say to that, so she remained quiet. She wasn’t about to let him see her loss of control, how he had a hold of her with a few flatteries and a caress. “Really, I am sorry. I should have been more professional.”

Well,
crap.

He
released her with a deep breath then sat on the edge of her desk. He eye-fucked her a few moments more, and ended with her eyes. Her heel hit the bookshelf. She was cornered, and although her mind screamed retreat, her body loved his raw and obvious need, how quickly he could go from romantic to ravenous. She crossed her ankles, pressing her legs together.

He
nodded toward the door. “Do we have class right now?”

“
Planning period.”

“Perfect.” He
unbuttoned his jacket.

“W
-what are you doing, Michael?”

“Unbuttoning my jacket,
like a normal man does when he sits.”

“Don’t
.”

“Why,” he asked with a stupid-
ass knowing grin on his face.

“Because
I--.” What the hell was she about to say to the man? That his boner made her unbearably randy? Yeah, not going to happen.

“Does it turn you on,
Karis?”

“OMG, Michael!”
she hissed.

“Did you just text-acronym me
?” he said through a chuckle.

“Did you just
hyphenate those words and turn them into some asinine verb? And don’t think I didn’t notice the sexual undertones of the damn verb! You could make vomiting sound erotic,” she said with a heavy sigh. “Asshat,” she muttered, exasperated by the man and her stupid shamelessness.

Then he
laughed again and tilted his head to the right. “So you’re angry?”

She rolled her eyes
and flung her hands in the air. “Really!”

With an exaggerated look of surprise, he
palmed his chest. “Me?”

“
Why do you do this to me! Stop playing games, Michael Finn. You know why I’m angry. You’re here, dammit.” Her mouth settled into an angry pout.

He unsuccessfully stifled a
nother laugh; now she was reeling, teetering on the edge of full-out nut crutching physical retaliation. “Cursing, eye rolling, and pouting, Karis? Tsk-tsk. Although I do have to say, pouting is now one of my favorite expressions.”

“
You are the most exasperating man I’ve ever met!” The man was gifted in the art of topic change, almost as if he couldn’t help but try and make her laugh. He continued to look at her quizzically, and her hands flew up in frustration again, mostly toward herself. She paced back and forth in front of him. She wouldn’t allow him to draw her in. She had to play this smart. Unfortunately, she was beginning to think the man had mind-manipulating powers.

Before sh
e could enter the ring for round two, or was it three, her door opened and an unmistakable pea-brained history teacher peek her head inside. “Are you okay, Karis? I heard you yell.”

Karis
watched as Jennifer lagged her eyes over Michael, blush furiously, then spread her lips into a lascivious grin. For a moment, Karis wanted to introduce them to break the tension, but then an unusual emotion swept over her. No, screw emotion. She was about three seconds from scratching the bitch’s eyes out for looking at him that way. Karis felt Michael’s eyes on her, awaiting a response. Did he sense Karis’s emotional shift? See her fists clenching? If so, he gave no audible indication. She glanced back at Jennifer, still dragging her beady little eyes all over her Michael and spending too long on the good parts.
Her
Michael?

What the hell!

Karis’s nostrils flared as she strode toward the door. “I’m fine. This is a private conversation.” Jennifer’s eyes never left Michael.