Chapter 14

14

Rain pounded on Adrianna's windshield like tiny furious fists as she made her way down the street towards Professor Hank's house. Her heart raced with each turn of the wheel, a tumult of emotions churning within her.

This was reckless, knew that if anyone found out...But she couldn't help herself. She was drawn to him like a moth to a flame, the pull between them too powerful to resist.

When she reached his house, she sat in her car for a long moment, watching the rain slide down the foggy glass and taking a few steadying breaths. You can still turn back , a small voice whispered in the back of her mind. She ignored it.

Adrianna stepped out of the car and walked up the path to his front door, rain plastering her clothes to her body. By the time she reached the door, she was soaked through, but it did nothing to dampen the fire burning inside her.

She knocked, the sound muffled by the rain. When Mickey opened the door, she met his gaze, desire and longing etched into every line of her face.

For a long moment, they just stared at each other, tension crackling between them like electricity. Then she stepped forward, closing the distance until only a breath separated their lips.

"I can't stay away from you," she whispered, her voice husky with emotion. "I don't want to pretend anymore."

Mickey's eyes darkened, his restraint visibly fraying. "Adrianna..." Her name was a warning and a plea all at once.

She placed her hands on his chest, feeling his heart pounding beneath her palms. "Tell me you don't feel the same," she dared him, "and I'll walk away right now. I'll transfer classes, and you'll never see me again."

He stared down at her, torment and longing warring on his face. Then he let out a soft groan and pulled her into his arms, claiming her mouth in a searing kiss that stole her breath away. Adrianna melted into him, desire flooding through her veins like liquid fire.

At last, she had him where she wanted him. And now that she did, she had no intention of letting go.

Mickey broke the kiss with obvious reluctance, his chest heaving. "This is wrong," he rasped. "I could lose my job, my career..."

Adrianna traced the lines of his face, desire and tenderness warring within her. "No one has to know. We can be discreet." She pressed closer, feeling the hardness of his arousal against her belly and fighting back a triumphant smile. She had him, and they both knew it.

Mickey closed his eyes, anguish etching deep lines on his forehead. "Adrianna, you're my student," he said. "We can't do this."

She kissed the corner of his mouth, a feather-light caress that made him shiver. "I won't be your student forever," she whispered against his skin. "We both know this is bigger than that."

He was weakening; she could feel it. Reaching up, she threaded her fingers through his hair and tilted his head down for another scorching kiss. A groan rumbled in his chest as his arms tightened around her. And she knew she had won.

When the kiss ended, Mickey rested his forehead against hers, his eyes still closed. "If we do this," he said, "no one can ever know. No one."

Triumph raced through Adrianna's veins, though she kept her expression somber. "I understand," she said. "And I agree completely."

Mickey opened his eyes, desire and torment swirling in their depths. "I shouldn't be doing this," he rasped one last time.

Adrianna just smiled and pulled his head down to hers again.

She had gotten what she wanted at last. And from now on, Mickey Hanks belonged to her.

Adrianna slid her hands under Mickey's shirt, splaying her fingers over the hard muscles of his chest. His breath hitched as she explored the planes and contours of his body, desire pooling low in her belly.

"Adrianna," he groaned, even as his own hands came up to cup her face. His thumbs traced the line of her jaw in a feather-light caress that made her shiver. "This is dangerous territory we're entering."

"I know," she whispered, leaning up on her toes to press a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. "But it's a risk I'm willing to take if it means being with you."

Mickey made a low, tortured sound in the back of his throat. But when Adrianna gazed into his eyes, the desire burning in their depths told her all she needed to know.

He was hers.

Mickey crushed his mouth to hers, kissing her with a passion that stole her breath away. Adrianna melted into him, her hands sliding around to grip his back as she opened to the velvet stroke of his tongue.

They kissed as if they were drowning, clinging to each other with a desperation born of denied need and secret longing. The world fell away, and for Adrianna, there was nothing but the taste of Mickey's lips and the feel of his body against hers.

When the kiss ended, they were both panting for breath. Mickey rested his forehead against hers, his eyes closed. "Damn you," he rasped. "You've completely undone me."

Triumph flickered through Adrianna, though she kept her tone light. "Now, now, Professor," she chided. "There's no need for that kind of language."

Mickey huffed out a soft laugh and opened his eyes, desire and affection swirling in their depths. "What have I gotten myself into?" he wondered, even as he pulled her close again.

Adrianna just smiled and lifted her mouth to his once more.

Adrianna pulled back, her hands sliding down to grip Mickey's. "We have to be careful," she whispered, her expression turning serious.

Mickey's expression hardened with resolve. "If anyone finds out, it could ruin us both." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know how we're going to keep this a secret."

"We'll make it work," Adrianna said. She reached up to cup his cheek, her thumb stroking along his jaw. "We're both intelligent, rational adults. We can be discreet."

Mickey turned his head to press a kiss to her palm, the gesture unexpectedly tender. "You're right," he said again, warmth flooding his gaze as he looked at her. "As long as we're careful."

Adrianna smiled, her heart swelling at the open affection in his eyes. She slid her hands around his neck and lifted up on her toes, bringing her mouth a hairsbreadth from his. "Now, Professor," she purred, "how about we seal our little deal with a kiss?"

Mickey's lips curved into a devastating smile. "I do believe that's an excellent idea, Miss Rose," he replied, lowering his head to capture her mouth in a searing kiss.

Adrianna melted into him with a soft moan, desire rippling through her as his hands slid down to grip her waist. They had agreed to be discreet, but in this moment, with Mickey's body pressed to hers and his tongue tangling hotly with her own, Adrianna found she didn't particularly care.

She wanted him, and she was going to have him. Secrets be damned.

Adrianna fisted her hands in Mickey's hair, her mouth moving urgently against his as she pulled him closer. She could feel the hard length of him pressed against her belly, and it sent a spike of heat straight between her thighs.

Mickey groaned into her mouth, his hands dropping to grip her rear and haul her up against him. The sensation made Adrianna gasp, and she tore her lips from his to trail hot, open-mouthed kisses along his jaw.

"Bed," she panted against his skin, nipping at his earlobe. "Now."

Mickey didn't need to be told twice. He swooped down and caught her behind the knees, lifting her up and carrying her toward the bedroom as Adrianna wrapped her arms around his neck.

They tumbled onto the bed together in a tangle of limbs, all roaming hands and searching mouths. Adrianna's blouse was open and Mickey's belt undone before she even realized they were moving, driven by a frenzied need to be closer.

She gasped as Mickey's mouth closed over her breast, back arching off the bed as he sucked hard at her nipple. Heat coiled in her belly and lower, and she fumbled between them to get her hands on his zipper, shoving his trousers down around his hips.

Mickey groaned against her skin and kicked the rest of his clothes off, then reached down to slide two fingers inside of her. Adrianna cried out at the sensation, inner walls clenching around him.

"Please," she whimpered, writhing beneath him. She was so close already she could taste it, and she needed him inside of her before she came undone.

Mickey hushed her with a kiss, then replaced his fingers with the thick head of his cock, sliding into her in one slow thrust.

Adrianna keened at the feeling of being filled, wrapping her legs around his waist to pull him in deeper.

This was madness, she knew. But as Mickey moved inside of her, Adrianna found she didn't want to be sane.

They lay in a tangle of sweaty limbs, the only sound in the room, their harsh breathing as it evened out.

Adrianna traced idle patterns on Mickey's chest, her cheek pressed over his heart. She could feel its steady beat beneath her skin, and took comfort in the sound.

This was dangerous. Reckless, even. She knew that. Knew they could lose everything if they were caught.

But she also knew that she didn't want to give this up. Didn't want to give him up. Not again.

She tilted her head up to look at him, tracing the lines of his face with her gaze. The face she had memorized long before the days of him being her professor.

"There's something here, Mickey," she said. "Something real. It's not just..."

"Lust?" he supplied, though his tone was gentle. Questioning.

Adrianna shook her head. "No. It's more than that and you know it. We can't keep denying this."

Mickey was silent for a long moment, eyes searching hers. She could see the moment he relented, the tension bleeding from his expression as he pulled her closer.

"You're right," he admitted. "I don't want to either."

Adrianna's heart swelled, and she stretched up to press a soft kiss to his mouth.

"We'll figure this out," she promised. "Together. No more running away from this."

Mickey smiled, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "No more running," he agreed. "You're stuck with me now, Rose."

Adrianna nuzzled into his side, lips curving. "Looks like we're both stuck."

And for the first time, the thought of being stuck with Mickey Hanks didn't seem so frightening after all.