Teacher's Game (NC-17)

Ten

The sky was a dark grey on a late afternoon in mid-December. Barren trees lining the campus were visible from the window as Rowen undid the cuffs of his white shirt sleeves. He stretched his neck, relishing the sound of his joints popping. In a week's time it would be Christmas break, finally allowing him to recuperate from an exhausting midterm.

Despite the fatigue, today was a cause for celebration. It was the last day of the game, and he was going to win.

With Hayleigh growing increasingly secretive and emotional, the timing couldn't be any more apt. It was unfortunate, but he couldn't claim to know her well enough to say the sudden change in her confused him. Besides, he was getting used to sleeping with her too much. The first signs of possessiveness had been triggered when Keiran provoked him the other day, and he couldn't afford to let that manifest into something worse.

The door opened. Hayleigh stepped inside the clinic, frowning as she spotted him on a stretcher bed by the wall.

"I got your message." She approached him with a creased forehead. "Are you alright?"

"Just a migraine," he replied. "I'm alright now."

The frown did not disappear from her lips as she perused the rest of the empty room. "Where's everyone else? Has anyone tended to you yet?"

He reached for her arm and gently pulled her to him. "It's past five. They've already closed."

Her gaze dropped. "You should be home then."

There it was. What was causing her to act so strange and distant lately? He didn't believe her one bit when she'd gone off the radar for three days, but he'd let it pass. Today he knew better than to bother, but it nagged at him anyway.

"Is there something wrong, Hayleigh?"

She answered him with a lengthy pause and a withdrawn gaze. He brushed his thumb lightly over her wrist, coaxing her. He cupped the side of her face and gently forced her to look at him. Her eyes brimmed with such open hesitation, it nearly worried him.

He pulled her by the nape and kissed her softly. A fleeting sigh escaped her lips as her body finally relaxed a few seconds later. She wrapped her arms around his neck, but pulled away afterwards. "You need to go home and rest."

"Nonsense. You just made me feel better," he teased, hoping to distract her from whatever was on her mind. "Do it again."

He parted his knees and pulled her closer to him. "I may have been unfair to you lately. I've been having all the fun."

"What do you mean?"

He undid the first button off his shirt. "I've been too greedy. I should let you take the reins this time."

Her gaze lingered on his shirt. She brought a hand to his fingers before he could undo any more buttons. "You're sick. You need to rest."

"The aspirin doesn't work." He clasped her fingers with his and kissed the back of her hand. "Maybe you will."

The first smile tugged at her lips, lighting up her face. Something tightened in his chest.

"And here I was thinking you were faking it, but Rowen in his right mind wouldn't say something cheesy like that."

"Well, you should take advantage of it," he murmured. "It's never going to happen again."

"Take advantage how?"

He softly chuckled. For all he'd done to her, she was still naïve in many ways.

"Why, I'm completely at your mercy," he said, leaning back. "You can do whatever you want with me."