Temptation (The Hunted, #1)

by Ivy Smoak

"A penny for your thoughts. Well I guess I'll have to bring my piggy bank with me on Friday.

A penny clanged on top of my desk. I looked over to my right at the boy sitting next to me. He had shaggy blonde hair and scruff on his face. His eyes were a bright blue. "I'd pay for your thoughts any day," he said with a smile.

"Stop moping around, Penny. Yes, Austin was a jerk. Yes, mystery coffee shop man is your professor and therefore un-datable. But you're forgetting about the third guy. It sounds like Tyler is cute and funny. A funny guy is always charming."

"Do you want to dance?" He almost had to yell so I could hear him. "And by dance, do you mean that?" I asked and pointed to a couple who was grinding. "Well, if you want to dance like that I might need another drink."

"I went for a walk in the rain with a stranger I met at a coffee shop."

I scrolled to the "T's" in my contact list. Tyler wasn't listed. I went down to the "Y's" in case he accidentally forgot the "T," but he wasn't listed there either. I slowly scrolled up through the list until I found him: "Apologetic Tyler.

Miss Taylor, I hate to think that you make walking around in the middle of the night a habit. But if you find yourself alone in the rain again, please do not hesitate to call me if you feel you are in need of an escort. - J. H. 152-726-0133

I wanted to keep just this one thing to myself and my fantasies. I fell asleep thinking of Professor James Hunter kissing me under his umbrella.

After several minutes of nervous waiting, a black Audi coupe rolled up next to me. Even his car was sexy.

"I can't seem to stop thinking about you," I whispered.

Instead of responding, he quickly grabbed the back of my neck and let his lips meet mine. His kiss was full of passion, passion that he had been holding back just as much as I had. He pressed his body against mine and lightly pushed me so that my back was on the cold, wet steel of the car. He leaned into me. The contrast of the heat from his body and the coolness of the car sent a spark through me. I had never wanted someone so badly before. I let my hands wander beneath the back of his hoodie. His skin was so soft.

He had kissed me like I had never been kissed before, and then told me to stop thinking about him.

Professor Hunter had an air of danger around him. He was intriguing because he terrified me.

"I've gotta be honest with all of you. I'm going to be incredibly sappy for the next few minutes, because I have met THE most amazing girl. She's sweet and funny and super cute."

"And she is quite inspirational. Let me give you some examples. She usually says no when I ask her on a date."

"But it's okay, because she does laugh at all my jokes. She also kneed me in my junk that one time."

"But she's apologized. So that was nice of her. As you can see, she's a handful. Wow, now that I think about it, is she really that inspiring? I know it sounds crazy, but I really think so. And hey, at least she's inspiring me to be persistent."

"Okay so that was embarrassing." Good, own it! "Anyway, I...," my throat caught. I swallowed and began again. "I have been inspired by so many people that it's hard to choose just one. Which got me thinking that we actually choose the people that are going to influence our lives. It's our choice. We're able to choose who is going to influence us because we choose which strangers become more than acquaintances. We get to choose that. So really, aren't we all as individuals the ones that inspire ourselves the most?

"Acquaintances come in and out of your life all the time. And yes, we can certainly be influenced by mere acquaintances, because some are a positive force and others are a negative energy. Sometimes I think that pain is what defines you; the way you react to adversity. I actually have been inspired by many strangers in my life. The elementary school bullies. They helped me grow. They made me stronger. The professor who gave me my first D last semester."

"I've learned to study harder," I smiled to myself. "Acquaintances can be impactful. But there's usually a reason that they remain at a distance. Whether it's because you're uncomfortable with the idea of befriending them, or they just hate you." I shrugged. "I'm stronger because of the acquaintances that have come in and out of my life.

"But it's the people that become more than acquaintances that really inspire us. The people we choose to grow with. Sometimes it's best to remain strangers. But more often than not, if you choose to let them in, they'll inspire you in more ways than you can possibly imagine."

He lifted his head. "I told you to stop thinking about me."

"I can't possibly." "You're infuriating, Penny," he whispered into my ear. "Then punish me, Professor Hunter."

"You're going to want to scream," he whispered. "But don't make a sound."

"I know how to please, Penny," he said slowly, licking his fingers that had been inside of me. God was he sexy. He walked around the desk, trailing his fingers along my naked torso. He lifted my arms above my head.

"But you asked me to punish you."

He pulled on my hands and my back slid across his desk. My head dropped off the edge so that I was looking at him upside down. He let his boxers fall to the ground and brought his dick to my face. I opened up my mouth, inviting him in. If this was only a one time thing I wanted to taste him.

"Professor Hunter," I panted. "I've wanted you ever since you fell into my arms at that coffee shop."

"Penny." "Professor Hunter."

"I like being punished," I said. "I like punishing you."

He left me naked and alone in his office, more addicted to him than ever.

Just this once my ass.

"What happened to just this once?" I replied.

"We can discuss it over dinner. I will pick you up on Saturday at 8."

"My frat is having this luau thing. I was hoping you could come." "As friends?" "As my date, Penny. God you're infuriating."

That's what Professor Hunter had said to me right before our second kiss. Right before the mind-blowing sex that I was sure could never be topped. Am I really that infuriating?

Shark Tank was all I needed to be happy on a Friday night.

He handed me the disc. I looked down and saw that it was The Princess Bride. "This is my favorite movie." "Yeah. I'd be lying if I didn't confess that Melissa told me. But I already owned it, because I like it too."

"I never understood why she was always so mean to him at first," Tyler said. "Because she didn't realize that she loved him yet." "Right," Tyler said. He rested his head on top of mine.

He walked around the car and opened up the door for me. "Hi, Professor Hunter." He grabbed my face in both his hands, leaned in, and kissed me deeply.

"So you wanted to discuss what you meant by just this once?" "I meant what I said."

"I don't understand why you asked me to dinner then." "Because I've changed my mind."

"Why?" I turned back to look at him. He took his attention away from the road for a second. "Because I can't stop thinking about you, Penny."

"No one's ever pulled out a chair for me before." I sat down and stared at him as he sat down across from me. I was experiencing a lot of firsts tonight. "Then you haven't been dating the right people."

"There really isn't that much to know," I said. "I don't believe that's true. You enjoy challenging me and aren't afraid to speak your mind. I find you unbelievably refreshing."

"When we're together, I can assure you that I don't see anyone else in the room. You always have my undivided attention."

Professor Hunter reached in his pocket, pulled out a penny, and slid it across the table. "A penny for your thoughts?"

"Where I stand on things? Penny, I don't relish the idea of sharing you, if that is what you're referring to." "I don't relish the idea of sharing you, either, Professor Hunter."

"We had a work function that we were both attending. I am not interested in Professor Keane. I am only interested in you. But since you've brought it up, if I were dating Professor Keane, you'd prefer that I'd stop, yes?" "Yes," I replied instantly.

"Then you won't mind me asking you to stop dating Tyler Stevens." He raised his left eyebrow as he looked at me. "Tyler and I are just friends." He sat back in his chair. "Then I guess neither of us have anything to worry about."