Professor Astor (Off-Limits)

“Goodnight, sweetheart,” I tell Lucy, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She grins at me and glances at Alice, who is standing next to me. Her eyes light up when Alice leans in and also presses a kiss to her forehead. The joy in her expression is irreplaceable, and it hurts to know that Lucy’s heart will break all over again when Alice leaves.

“Colton is fast asleep,” she says as we walk out of Lucy’s room. “He’s got the nanny with him, so we’d better not disturb them.”

“Leia fell asleep in Colton’s room?”

She nods, her gaze lingering on me. “The nanny… are you fucking her?”

I stop in my tracks and look at her in surprise. “Pardon?” I ask, even though I heard her perfectly fine.

“You are, aren’t you, Adrian?”

I cross my arms and stare her down. “I’m pretty sure I told you to stay out of my private life. Whether I am or not is none of your business. What is it going to be? Are you going to intrude and pack your bags, or are you going to mind your own business?”

She looks shocked for a moment, incomprehension crossing her face. “What happened to you? You never used to speak to me that way.”

I sigh and run a hand through my hair. “Alice, I’ve been perfectly civil with you. Hell, I’ve even opened up my home to you. All I’ve asked for in return is that you agree to the very few rules I set. If you can’t do that much, then don’t expect anything from me in return. You’re not my wife anymore. I don’t owe you anything.”

She glares at me, and I stare at her for a moment. It’s odd how I never saw her for who she truly is. I put her on a pedestal and tricked myself into believing she was the person I wished she was.

“Goodnight,” I tell her, walking toward my bedroom, even though it’s Colton’s room I want to go to. The last thing I need right now is for her to follow me into his room, when what I want more than anything is to finally get Leia alone.

I sigh and wait until I’m certain she went downstairs, feeling fucking ridiculous. I can’t believe I have to sneak around in my own damn house. This situation couldn’t be weirder.

I’m impatient as I walk into Colton’s bedroom, pausing when I find Leia cuddled up with Colton. I stand there for a moment, just watching the two of them. It should be Alice lying there with Colt, but it’s Leia he asked for. It doesn’t exactly surprise me, but it does help me see things clearer.

I lift her into my arms gently, my heart overflowing with love for her. I’ve fantasized about having her in my bed for months now. There’s no way she’s sleeping in a guest room tonight.

Leia blinks sleepily as I carry her into my room, her eyes finding mine.

“Thor?” she says, her sleepy voice sexy as hell. I want this. I want to wake up with her and fall asleep with her every single night. I’ve never been more sure of anything else in life.

I lie her down, and she yawns. “I need to shower,” she tells me. “I’ve had such a long day.”

“Use my bathroom,” I tell her. “I’ll go grab your bag from the guest room.”

She nods, and I watch her disappear through the ensuite door. It just hits me right in the chest. I want her clothes hanging amongst mine, her toothbrush next to mine. They’re stupid silly things to want, but I want them desperately.

I sigh impatiently. Just a few more weeks. That’s all I can take. No more than that. If we can survive the next couple of weeks, we’ll be okay. Leia is supposed to hand her dissertation in next week, and as soon as she’s defended it successfully, we’ll be in the clear. Then it’s just a matter of finding the right time to tell the kids and her family.

I place the bag Amara brought Leia on the bed and frown when I see something purple peeking through her clothes. I reach for it, my eyes widening when I find myself holding a vibrator that looks like an aubergine emoji. What the fuck is this?

Fucking Amara. I have no doubt she designed and built this. What was she thinking, giving that to Leia? And why the fuck is it so big? It’s as big as my entire forearm. What does Amara think? Does she think I don’t satisfy my girl well enough?

I walk into the bathroom to find Leia standing under the stream, the steamed-up glass hiding most of her body. “Baby,” I mutter. “What the fuck is this?”

Leia turns toward me and burst out laughing. “It’s… an eggplant. Like the emoji.”

“I can see that… what I’m asking is why Amara would think you need this. What in the hell have you been telling her?”

She wipes the glass, exposing her body, and my cock instantly hardens at the sight of her.

“Nothing,” she says. “I think the problem is that I haven’t been telling her much at all. How am I supposed to tell her I had her cousin’s face between my legs just a few days ago?”

“This won’t do,” I tell her. “I can’t compete with that thing. I have to make sure you’re so satisfied you’ll never reach for it.”

I pull my t-shirt over my head, and Leia chuckles. Her smile fades when I undress fully, and the way she looks at me makes my cock throb.

I join her under the shower, her entire body slick and wet. She takes a step back, until her back hits the wall. “Eggplant emoji, huh?”

She laughs and bites down on her lip. “It was all Amara’s doing, I swear.”

I narrow my eyes at her and shake my head. “It’s going in the bin,” I warn her, and she chuckles. “Oh baby,” I add. “You won’t be laughing by the time I’m done with you.”

I lean in, my lips hovering over hers for a moment. Leia rises to her tiptoes, throwing herself at me, and I smile against her lips. Her hands roam over my body, until she’s got my cock in her hands.

“This is way better than that eggplant,” she tells me, and I smirk. It better fucking be.

I lift her up high against the wall, her legs wrapping around my waist. “Can your eggplant do this?” I ask, flicking my tongue over her nipple.

She moans, and I smile to myself as I swirl my tongue around it, teasing her before sucking down it. “Thor,” she moans. I love the sound of her. It’s one of those things I’ll never get enough of. I pull away to look at her, and the expression in her eyes has me ready to burst.

“Are you going to tease me, or are you going to fuck me? I mean… maybe I should grab the eggplant after all.”

I lower her slightly to align her with my cock. “Baby, you can barely take my cock, you’d better forget about the eggplant.”

Her smile is wiped clean off her face when I push into her. I look into her eyes as I thrust all the way into her, loving the way her lips fall open. This. I want this, for the rest of my life.

I want this intimacy, being able to joke with her, laugh with her, even as I fuck her. I never quite understood the term making love, but I think I do now.