Tempting Eve

Chapter 5

Hmmm... who's this ^ and why is he smiling...

Oh, wait. The first line answers your question ;)

"Did you guys win?" I asked as I scooted into the seat next to Mason.

I was always excited to see him. Outside of Sarah and Amy's group of friends, who were always gracious enough to include me, he was one of the only people I'd really clicked with since the semester had started.

I looked him over, sure he had just gotten back into town from his game this weekend, but the hockey jersey he wore, with the little c in the corner smelled like clean laundry and his blonde hair was freshly washed and curling around his ears.

He smiled, sliding his bag off my desk. "Did you have any doubt?"

"Never," I teased.

"Some day Eve Bailey. Some day I'll get you to come to one of my games and you'll see why we don't lose. I'll even let you wear one of my jerseys."

I pretended to gasp. "And get stabbed in the bleachers by one of your adoring female fans? I doubt I'd make it out of there alive."

He laughed outright and the warmth of it settled in my core.

The room was packed, but there was no sign of the professor. I started to pull my laptop out of my bag and dropped a pencil under the table. "I wonder where Mrs. Walsh is. She's usually early."

I reached to pick up my pencil and heard the heavy door shut. The room suddenly quieted.

"For those of you who have already been working the rumor mill this morning, Mrs. Walsh did go into early labor last night and has given birth to a premature, but healthy baby boy." I pulled myself up and just like it had when I walked into the dining room last week, my heart stopped.

Ethan York, the dark angel of my subconscious fantasies, strolled down the stairs to the large desk in the center of the room. Maybe I was hallucinating. Maybe I somehow conjured last nights dream into reality through some sort of head injury - did it really matter that I hadn't hit my head anytime soon?

His normally wild hair was smoothed back and he wore a dark, v-neck sweater with the sleeves pushed up exposing the colorful ink roping his defined forearms. With a pair of black pants, it looked like his usual attire only slightly more polished.

He sat his laptop on the desk and turned to survey the students. I held my breath as his eyes came near me, but they passed by with little recognition and if I was being honest with myself, my heart sank a little.

"And I'll be teaching this class for the remainder of the year. Please take out your syllabus." He rounded the desk and picked up the trash can walking it to the first row. "And throw it away."

Murmurs and a few giggles traveled through the room as the trash can was passed and piled high with stacks of white paper. "For the remainder of the school year, you will be discussing real world, social-psychological experiments similar to what we talked about last time I was with you."

I leaned toward Mason. "Last time?"

He glanced at me. For some reason, his normally easy smile was strained. "Yeah, he was here a couple weeks ago. Remember the notes I sent you about religion impacting societies views on the moral collective?"

I nodded. I had been out that week with the flu.

"That was him."

Ethans throat cleared as someone walked the overflowing trashcan down to him and he leaned back against the desk crossing his arms. "I want everyone to pick a partner-"