A Study in Black and White (closed)

[such_a_bad_man]

Evan turned the music back down so they could talk a little easier. He leaned forward and took a breath. "It's not so much dangerous. It's more career suicide. The faculty where I did my post grad didn't take kindly to me writing erotica under my own name. They had no problem with me studying it, but they didn't want the university associated with that sort of writing. I have a feeling that my old dean told the dean of this school and I was told under no uncertain terms that I wasn't to publish any further erotica under my own name if I was to be a professor. They were worried it might undercut my credibility and professionalism as a lecturer and mentor if that were to come out." The tone of his voice let Eve know that Evan found it to be just as much bullshit as she probably did.

"The other side of it... are the fans..." Here, Evan looked up into Eve's eyes. "I'm not one for the public eye. Trust me, I know all to well the fandom that has sprung up around my work and I do not want to be dragged into the light of day if this were to come out. I don't do media, or book tours for a reason; I don't want people thinking they have access to my life simply because I am a popular author. I don't do it for the fame. I do it so I can get these ideas out of my head or they would run around in there forever and drive me to distraction."

"That is why I grilled you. I had to know if you could subdivide your academic interests from your personal interests. I have no problem with you enjoying erotica; I find it a vital part of the research that we do. However, there comes a point where you have to be objective about what you are reading. You have to see past the words that make your loins boil and ache for release and see the structure, syntax, word choice and message behind what you are reading..." Evan sat back, stunned at how his blood had started to boil. Something about Eve's attitude just brought out his passions over and over whenever they would talk together. He may have bitten off more than he could chew with his first student.

 

[slut_in_white]

She understood. It sucked, but she understood. Some people were prudes and the study of sex was only okay if you didn't enjoy it. Ugh. And she understood his trepidation about fans, too. Everyone with a popular enough property to their name ended up with weird fans who took their fanaticism too far. She could get why he would want to avoid those sorts of people.

Still, she found herself feeling guilty about springing it on him like this. "I.. I'm sorry for surprising you with this. I shouldn't have." It was a pretty common sentiment from after one of her bouts of righteous anger. She was a passionate girl, and usually that was a good thing. But sometimes? She acted without enough thought.

With that out of the way, though, she tucked the book back into her bag with a smile, happy to get it out of sight, and then turned her attention back to Evan. Her heart jumped into her throat when she met his gaze, and it was difficult not to think about the things that he'd written. The thought of him doing to her the things his heroes did to his heroines came unbidden to her mind.

This mentorship was going to be very difficult if she couldn't gain control of her feelings. And she had no idea that he was feeling the same way.

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Evan looked across the room at her. He was still staring at the mental snapshot of her bent over before him, sliding his book into her bag. Every line, every curve of Eve's sexy body cried out for him to put his hands on her, but he couldn't. It would be unprofessional. On top of that, he was already on thin ice and untenured. There is no way his young academic career could survive a scandal involving him and a student. But that didn't stop his mind from thinking of what it would be like to have her, to see her passions unleashed in his bedroom.

It was a while before he realized how quiet the room had become. He had to say something, ask something to get them back on track. That was impossible; his mind was full of thoughts about his book. "Did you like it?" Evan's eyes widened. The voice sounded like his own, but there was no way he would have asked such a question. Not to his grad student. Not to his unavailable grad student.

Evan swallowed as he watched her turn to face him again. 'Please say you haven't read it yet....' he thought to himself. It was the only thing that could save him from dying of embarrassment.

 

[slut_in_white]

Eve wasn't sure how to answer that question. She could see the concern on his face, and the embarrassment. She didn't know what to say to make him relax.

"I... Um, I haven't started this one yet," she began. Then she blushed, staring down at her feet. "But that's because I spent most of the week reading everything posted online." She tilted her head, and bit her lip. "It was really quite impressive. The themes were much more interesting and detailed than I was expecting." She squirmed a little more, uncertain. Did he want to know what he thought of the actual erotic scenes? Did he want to know if she found them arousing? She wasn't certain if she could admit it aloud.

 

[such_a_bad_man]

"Sounds like a hell of a way to spend a week. I'm glad you appreciate what I was trying to do and what I was trying to write. Now, honestly, would they be the same pieces of literature without the erotic scenes?" Evan posed his question quite seriously. He'd gotten repeated offers to write "serious" books, but he'd turned them all down because his catalog of work was what he wanted to write. For once, he had an actual fan of his work in front of him; it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

"I'm not asking about how you may or may not have personally enjoyed them." Evan grinned slyly. In his early writing career, he received too many e-mails to count from his small pool of readers that documented what they may or may not have done before during and after reading some of his early work. He made no attempt to cast Eve in any other light than that of a living, breathing sexual woman. What she did in the privacy of her room was beside the point; Evan was after a deeper question. "I just want to know if it would have been the same experience as a reader without them. Would you feel the same way about the themes and characters if they were taken out?"

 

[slut_in_white]

I'm not asking about how you may or may not have personally enjoyed them.

Eve giggled at that comment, a nervous sound, and blushed bright red, making it very clear that she had, in fact, personally enjoyed them. Very much.

I just want to know if it would have been the same experience as a reader without them. Would you feel the same way about the themes and characters if they were taken out?

It took her a moment to gather her thoughts, since her mind had run off in the direction of remembering one particularly delicious instance of such "enjoyment" and she cleared her throat, forcing her mind back to the topic at hand. And then she shook her head. "I wouldn't, I don't think. Which isn't to say I wouldn't like them at all. I think they'd likely be highly enjoyable works, even without the scenes. But I think something would feel as if it were missing. That's one of the things I enjoyed most about them. A work of literature with sex scenes shoe-horned in for no reason would not be a work of erotic literature. It would be literature with a few out-of-place sex scenes. Your work, on the other hand, strikes me as actual, erotic literature. Something where the erotic nature of the work is woven into its identity. The themes - often of passion or romance or the primal nature of the human instinct - would ring hollow without them. And, in some cases, I suspect the stories would make very little sense without them, since the relationships between characters are explored in large part during and immediately before or after the act of intercourse. To take them out would be to lose that. Or at least would ensure that the work would require extensive rewriting to recover those missing pieces."

She'd been speaking off-the-cuff, as much thinking aloud as answering, and when she realized just how much her response had meandered, she paused and laughed t herself, rubbing the back of her neck. "Did that make any sense at all?"

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Evan smiled wide as he heard Eve's correct, albeit stream of consciousness, answer. He made sure that the scenes were in the story for reasons that were important to the story, not just to talk about sex and have fun with words to describe what happened. In his heart, that was what killed erotica as a serious subject for both art and academia. With each book, he was trying to change that. Slowly, he got up and walked around the desk.

"Thank you for that. I wasn't sure how many people saw those scenes as essential to the overall story-telling. It's hard to get outside of your head ad see something you worked on so hard with fresh eyes. If you want to talk about this latest book, feel free to contact me. But don't forget about the other items I gave you to read. Speaking of which..." He turned around and picked up the book he was referencing before he saw his book among Eve's things.

"Taboos, Religion and Sex," he said, holding up the next book for her to read. "I think this will give you some direction as you tackle the idea of taboos and erotic literature. It's a bit easier to get through than what you already have so I figure you'll finish both by next week, given your voracious reading pace and lack of personal material to read." He said with a knowing wink as he placed the book in her hands, gently closing her fingers around it. "I can clue you into one thing the author reminds the reader before beginning: just because something is taboo doesn't mean it's wrong or bad." He looked deep in her eyes, testing the waters as he struggled to fight the feelings welling up isnide him as he looked down at Eve's petite frame.

 

[slut_in_white]

Eve couldn't help the shy smile that spread across her lips when he began to express how much it meant to him that she understood. She was glad to have given him that. And once that moment was over, he returned his attention to her project, the topic of their meeting, and Eve found that she liked the subtle way their interactions had changed. As if that shared secret bound them together, and permeated everything they did.

She hadn't expected the frankly affectionate touch, nor his words about taboo. Her lips parted and she stared up at him as he spoke, telling her that taboos were not always wrong or bad, and she could have sworn he was talking about the taboo of them, sharing their erotic fantasies... But that was insane, wasn't it? There was no way a professor would risk his position like that for her. Was there?

"I know," she answered softly. "But just because it isn't wrong doesn't mean there won't be negative repercussions that result from engaging those taboos. Others will judge um, those who engage in such things negatively, were it ever to come to light. Is it worth it?" Was she talking in generalities? Or was she talking about them? Even she herself wasn't certain.

 

[such_a_bad_man]

"Some times there are things that come along that are worth the risk. Something that you would hate yourself for missing." Evan swallowed as he looked down into her trusting, beautiful eyes. 'God, she is just too much...' he thought to himself as he wanted so hungrily to press his lips to hers, to taste this forbidden fruit. There was just something about her, something that drew him to her. It wasn't their mutual love of the erotic. It was like finding a missing part of one's soul.

Evan finally realized he hadn't let her hand go so he dropped his hand slowly to his side again. "Just... just read it. And if you need to talk about it, please call. Anytime." He said, sounding a little desperate. It also wasn't clear which book he was referring to. He stood there in silence, just looking at what he wanted standing so close to him. All he had to do was stretch out his hand... but he didn't. He couldn't... not now.

He turned back to his desk and started nervously stacking books. "I'll, uh... I'll keep the rest of these here on my desk if you run out of things to read this week. Just drop by if I'm not here and pick up what you want." He put the translated books in one stack and the other genre specific books in another. He couldn't turn around and look at her. She would see his weakness and desire. He was sure of it.

 

[slut_in_white]

Eve watched Evan like a hawk once he let go of her hands. Something was... happening. She wasn't entirely certain what, but there was something that was disturbing him... and arousing him? Her gaze flickered down to her body and she realized, for the first time, that her clothes might have been considered revealing. Honestly, all she had considered when putting them on was the heat of the waning summer and her desire to avoid unnecessary layers of clothing. But did he find her attractive? She didn't think she was ugly, exactly, but she didn't see herself as hot enough for a man to want to risk his job for her...

Her heart leaped into her throat at the thought. She'd never been desired like that before. Even if Evan couldn't or wouldn't, the thought that he might want to, it was almost too much. Eyes wide, she leaned over a little, trying to catch a glimpse of his face while he stood facing away from her. She had to know. She had to know if her ill-advised desires were reciprocated. She knew she should leave it alone, that they couldn't act on those desires either way. But she couldn't bring herself to look away. She needed to see his eyes...

"Professor?" she asked softly. "Is something the matter?"

 

[such_a_bad_man]

"No... no, nothing's the matter..." Evan said dismissively, waving his hand at her. He glanced to the side and he saw Eve sliding around to his side. She couldn't look him in the eye; it would break his resolve to look into her innocent, trusting eyes again right now. "I... I don't want to keep you and I think we've covered enough for today."

He moved to sit at his desk, but stopped himself as he put his hand on his desk chair. Turning slowly to face her, he finally swept his gaze from the floor to look into her eyes. In her look, he saw all the things he wrote about. He saw a woman better than any he could create. Eve was the intelligent, curious, yet passionate and opinionated woman that he didn't even realize he wanted until it was standing before him in his office. He stood behind his chair, gently biting his lip.

One word. All she had to do was say one word or make one motion to signal her desire and he would know. He hoped he wasn't wrong, but tried to control his emotions in case he was. Her body just enticed him further and made it so hard not to take her in his arms like he wanted to right then and there. But they weren't allowed that luxury, not with the professional relationship they shared. Still, some forces are more powerful than logic. He hoped she thought so too.

 

[slut_in_white]

Eve mistook the dismissiveness in his tone entirely the wrong way. He was rejecting her, in her eyes. She'd mistaken in his intentions and she'd made him uncomfortable. Her heart twisted painfully in her chest - and she tried not to think about how this might indicate her feelings were more than a simple crush on her mentor - and she bit her lip, trying to contain the wave of painful rejection that was crashing through her.

"I-I see," she answered softly, cursing at the way her voice broke. She couldn't say anything else, afraid that it might reveal too much about how she felt, so she simply gathered up the books her offered and fled from the room as much as possible without actually running.

I can't cry, don't be such a child! she chided herself, angry that she'd let her emotions run away from her in such a ridiculous fantasy. Of course he wasn't interested in her! How could she have been so foolish?!

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Evan watched as Eve fled from the room. While she may not have been running like the day he met her, it felt like she was running away from him now. 'Well, I suppose that's that...' he thought to himself, feeling an ache welling up in his chest. Slowly, he dropped his head down until it hit the table with a soft "Bang" sound. He barely felt it it, but instinctively groaned out a soft "Ow..." that died off as he said it.

Eventually, he got his act together as he had to teach his class that afternoon. He was sleepwalking through it when inspiration struck him. As if his pen had come alive, his hands flew across the page as a new idea for a novel filled his mind. It wasn't set in the ancient world as the novel that Eve had found. This was still a period piece, however, as he had so much historical and cultural information in his head that needed to be put to use. He had been so focused on his writing that he had barely listened to the presentations his students had done as their first month paper. He collected from the presenters, figuring he'd grade them later when he watched the videos that he had someone taking as a way to give extra credit in the class.

Evan was home in a flash, not bothering to go back to his office that day. He had to get back to where he could sit and write. This was too good to let lie another moment. Firing up his writing laptop, Evan's fingers flew as he committed what he wrote to digital paper. It gave him time to think about his idea more deeply and consider what he wanted to do next and what themes he was going to explore. The setting for his new story was that of early dynastic China. It concerned two people that were children of local government officials. As a result of this relationship, his hero and heroine spent a great deal of time together, learning from the same tutors, riding in the same countryside, socializing among the same people.

As the week rolled on, the story came into clearer focus and he was able to sharpen the setting as well. His notes on a page were a scene, but the words on his screen were becoming a story, a story of two kids becoming adults. As with many coming of age stories, the friendship between the hero and heroine blossomed into young love as the two left childhood behind. Evan's talen helped to define who his characters were and what they wanted with each passing page.

The hero wasn't meant for study or government as he had no head for such things. To keep him close and give him a possible future, the hero's father arranged him to become his personal guard with an eye to seeing him placed into an officer's position in the army once the time came. The heroine of the story was gifted in her own way, but the society of her birth did not value such a sharp mind. The hero did however and listened to her talk about some new thing she read or some new song she learned to play. As with all love stories, the two fell hard, illustrated by a particularly passionate evening spent in each other's arms. All of Evan's skill learned to this point crafted a scene that even made the author pause to compose himself.

But, as in all things, the whims of fate tore the two apart. The hero's family had to move to the capital as his father had been promoted. To make it even crueler on him and the reader, the news came while the heroine was away, depriving him of the chance to say good-bye. Evan wrote of the intervening years passing in a haze for the heroine. Then, another life-changing moment came for her; she was to be married to the son of her father's superior. Such was the way of people seeking to climb the ladder of power in such societies. As Evan brought the first chapter to a close, he wrote a scene for the heroine meeting her honor guard to bring her to the capital city. As she left her home and entered the courtyard where her carriage awaited, she looked up into the eyes of the hero holding the door open for her.

Evan bit his lips as he uploaded the chapter to his Inkshares page on Friday night. He put up his usual note in the title section for it: TBD. He hated coming up with names for his work and always left it for last once he had completed it. As it finished uploading, he powered down his laptop and his house as it was already so late. Evan's head did not let him sleep right away. All he could picture was Eve at her computer reading his stories and bringing herself to orgasm over and over. Each time she was in a different state of undress. When she was finally naked, he was there with her, bringing her to orgasm himself. Closing his eyes in frustration, he buried his face in his pillow, making a pocket for him to bang his face into the pillow as he cursed himself for falling for his student.

It was going to be a long semester now.

 

[slut_in_white]

Eve spent the evening feeling humiliated at how she'd behaved during her meeting with Evan. First, she'd embarrassed herself by assuming he was flirting with her when he was apparently doing no such thing. Then, she'd run away from him like a child instead of behaving like an adult should, but she hadn't expected it to hurt so much. How had this crush of hers gotten so bad already?

She was realizing she'd been in denial about it. That she'd been interested in him since the moment she laid eyes on him, but she had refused to admit it to herself. It was the only thing that made sense.

When she made it home, she tossed the book written by "E.V. Elliot" aside, unable to bring herself to read it now, and dove into her work. For two days, she heard nothing from her mentor, and spent all of her time distracting herself with her work. She got a week's worth of work done in the span of 48 hours before she got the email.

She'd posted a question or two on that forum where she'd discovered Elliot's real identity as Evan Black, probing fans for more information before she confronted him. And, as a result, she was subscribed to a few of the threads. She hadn't even realized it until her phone pinged and informed her that she had a new message waiting for her on a thread. Confused, she opened it, and what she found was the result of several fans virtually hyperventilating with excitement over Elliot's new story.

He's writing again? So far as Eve had gathered, he hadn't posted anything in a while. It seemed like strange timing, that he'd write something immediately after having a falling out with his student... Maybe it was his way of distracting himself? She knew she shouldn't. She knew it was a bad idea to read it. But she wanted that glimpse into his psyche, to see what he was writing to work through whatever discomfort he'd felt as a result of her foolishness.

And she was engrossed. She didn't go to bed until 3am, having finished what he'd written so far in one sitting. She connected with the main female protagonist like no other character she'd read in any book. It was as if they shared the same heart. When she finished, and when she discovered that the man she loved was part of her personal guard, made to protect her while she married another man... Eve actually found herself crying softly, but didn't realize it until the tears blurred her vision so that she had to stop reading for a moment.

When she woke the next morning, she read it again. And then again. And found a strange suspicion rising up in the back of her mind. This heroine was Eve. She was sure of it. There was no other explanation. She looked like Eve, she spoke like Eve, she had the same fire that Eve did, only suppressed, as it had to be in that society. But she was Eve, or Eve as she would have been, had she been born into that situation. But that was impossible! Why was Evan writing about her? Unless... No, she couldn't have misread his reaction during their meeting. Could she?

 

[such_a_bad_man]

The weekend passed easily enough for Evan. There was a barbecue with his fellow faculty put on by the dean at his house. One last barbecue for the summer before the weather started changing. Walking around that party, Evan was pounded in his face over and over with the fact he was the only bachelor among the faculty. Then again, the median age gap between himself and the others was around 10 years. Then again, he always told himself that he'd have time for that once he had reached a good point in his professional and academic life. That is, that's how he rationalized putting that to the side over and over.

Still, it was a nice day out with his colleagues and the sort of thing to take his mind off what happened that week. When he got home, he spent the rest of the weekend grading his papers and watching presentations for his class. It was a welcome break to be doing things other than dwelling on Eve and her rejection. By the time Monday arrived, Evan was feeling better, though he dreaded seeing her at their meeting in the afternoon. Maybe she would blow it off. He couldn't really blame her if she did.

Sliding into his desk seat at about 1:00, he fired up his computer to check in on his new story. The feedback was already rolling in. As usual, there was a vocal minority that wondered how and why E.V. could write a story in such a setting, already claiming E.V. was appropriating another culture. They were hard to find, however, as a number of his fans had found it already and the positive feedback was rolling in. There were a few "proofreader contacts" that were sending him snippets of the story and correcting what he had written grammatically or pointing out a spelling mistake he'd overlooked or Word had missed. He was in the process of correcting those when there was a knock on his door.

It was 1:30 and his heart stopped. "Come in..." he said, feeling his heart in his throat.

 

[slut_in_white]

Eve ended up standing outside Evan's door for several minutes before she got up the courage to knock. In the end, it was when she heard footsteps coming down the hall, and she realized she'd look like an idiot standing outside the door, simply staring at it.

She knocked and then, a moment later, she heard him calling out for her to come in. Eve opened the door slowly, unable to bring herself to look him in the eye. "Hey." She stepped inside and closed the door behind her, feeling awkward. What was she supposed to say? Apologize? Pretend that nothing happened?

She managed to lift her gaze as far as his desk, but chickened out before she met his eyes and ended up simply staring at his keyboard. "I, um..." I felt weird, just trying to talk about her work as if nothing had happened. But she couldn't bring up her foolish flight, either, so, without thinking, she blurted, "I saw your new story."

There was a long pause and she winced, covering it by taking a seat. "I think it might be my favourite work of yours so far." Her face heated a little as she thought of how, beyond her connection to the protagonist, she had "enjoyed" the passionate love scene as well.

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Evan turned and looked at her as she walked in. She didn't have the usual stack of books out, just her bag. She seemed unsure even as she stepped in like she didn't belong in his office with him. Evan's heart ached as he saw her again for the first time since last week. She still looked beautiful, even in her simple wardrobe, but he barely noticed it. He was looking right at her face, trying to read the emotions he saw there.

When she reported she had read it, he nodded, figuring that she would. When she went on to tell him it was her favorite, he looked at her, smiling slightly. As she said it, there was a glimmer of hope. He turned completely to face her, spinning his office chair away from his computer. "You don't know how much that means to me. Thank you."

Evan paused as he thought of how to phrase his next question. He longed to ask her since she left last week, even during their last meeting, but he'd chickened out. Biting his lip for a moment, he sat forward. "What do you think she is thinking? Do you think she will say anything to him before they reach the capital?"

He watched her face, hoping she might give some clue that she understood what he was really asking.

 

[slut_in_white]

She couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze, still just staring into her lap, so she had no idea just what he was asking. Still, it was an easy question to answer - whether he'd meant to make her like Eve or not, the fact of the matter was that they were still very much the same, so all Eve had to do was think of what she would do in that situation.

"Of course," she answered instantly. "Clearly, she still feels as strongly as ever for him. And she knows how he feels, too." And therein lay the difference between the protagonist of the story and Eve - Eve had no idea what Evan felt for her. Anything at all? Had she made him uncomfortable last week, or had she misread it? Eve was the sort of woman who would pursue what she wanted, but there was something different when what she wanted was someone else. Someone who could reject her. "As long as he wants her still, she'll do anything to be with him. The only thing in the world that could stop her from being with him again is, well, him."

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Evan got up and walked slowly around the desk, listening to Eve's explanation. She was saying all the right things. Maybe she did want him as he wanted her. He felt his heart pounding at the thought that she had understood what he was writing. He leaned on the desk, but tipped forward as she finished talking.

"What if he can't tell her all that he feels? After all, he is meant to bring her to her husband. He is duty bound to produce her when they arrive. Let's not forget that there are so many ramifications for him if he takes her as his own and everyone were to find out." Evan paused and stepped close.

With a gentle hand, he lifted her chin slightly, making her look up at him so he could see her eyes finally. "Their love could ruin his life..." Evan let that sentence hang in the air. There was no going back now. She had to know his feelings between the story and what he was saying now. The only thing that could ruin this was if he had been wrong.

 

[slut_in_white]

Eve's eyes had slid shut while she listened to Evan's observations about the risks he'd be taking to be with her. Or was he talking about the characters? She wasn't certain anymore. When his fingers touched her chin, she jumped, startled, and her eyes snapped open to meet his gaze.

There was a long silence while she simply stared into his eyes. Her mind had stopped for a moment, and it took her a moment to regather her thoughts and remember the last thing that he'd said.

"That's true," she answered softly. "She couldn't demand that of him, but she... she'd ask, I think. If he said no, that he couldn't risk it, then she would accept that. But she would ask. She'd have to, because what if he says yes?"

Her mouth had gone dry, and she kept almost substituting "he" and "she" with "you" and "me" - it was already perfectly clear they were talking about themselves at this point anyway.

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Evan looked down into her trusting eyes and saw more than he expected. The emotion behind those eyes made him tingle slightly as he held her even now after she had finished talking. Slowly, he took his hand away. He got down, squatting down to be eye to eye with her.

"Yes? What if he did say yes? What if he was ready to put his future and his career on the line for love? Would she still reject him for fear of putting him through that risk?" His hands reached out and landed on the cushions on either side of her. Even didn't realize it, but he was leaning in slightly as he waited for her answer.

There was no turning back now. One "yes" and he'd let his control go, his professorship be damned. He'd never felt so strongly about someone before. It had been about a month, but he needed to have Eve in his life as more than a student. He was sure of that.

 

[slut_in_white]

Would she still reject him for fear of putting him through that risk?

Eve's lips parted in surprise. "Of course not!" She leaned toward him. "It's his decision. She won't deny him what he wants out of a desire to protect him. That's his decision to make, not hers. She'll have him, if he'll have her," she answered softly, her heart leaping up into her chest.

What he said now would determine their future. If he said yes, they'd be hiding a relationship for the rest of her time as his student. If they were caught, he'd be fired and her PhD would be compromised. If he said no, she didn't know whether she'd be able to continue as his student.

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Evan didn't wait a moment as Eve finished speaking. His hand caressed her cheek and drew her to him slowly before pressing his lips to hers. It had all happened so fast, faster than any other woman he'd known, but they went from strangers to a couple before the calendar had changed.

Guiding her to her feet, he kept his lips on her, parting them a little to tease her tongue with his. Eventually, they rose to Eve's full height and Evan was still ducking awkwardly. His hand reluctantly left her cheek and slid around her body with his other firm arm. Holding her tight, he picked her up as he stood the rest of the way. He moaned softly as the kiss continued and he finally felt her petite body along his and it had all the right curves he'd lusted after.

Slowly, he eased her down to the floor, but didn't let her go. "I wanted to do that from the moment I saw you running towards me in the hall, but that was a different ache than what I felt last week. I want the woman I know you are, not the pretty face and body I met... I can't wait to learn more about you."

He idly played with her hair as a hand snaked up her back to gently play at the back of her neck. He knew they had a lot to talk about, but that was for another time. For now, he was content to hold her and enjoy what that felt like.

 

[slut_in_white]

Eve squeaked in surprise when Evan was kissing her before even the last word was out of her mouth. She supposed she shouldn't have been - it was clearly obvious where the conversation had been going - and yet, here she was, uncertain and caught off-guard by the gesture. Only, once he pulled her to her feet, the motion seemed to unlock her frozen brain and she began to return his kiss with vigor and ardor, her arms slipping around his neck on time to allow her to hold on when he lifted her completely off the floor. She began to laugh against his lips, enjoying the feeling of her tip-toes barely brushing against the floor as Evan swept her up in his desire for her.

Her eyes were sparkling when they parted, and he admitted that he'd wanted to do that since he first met her, and all the more once he got to know her. She found herself blushing. "Flatterer," she accused playfully, grinning. Questions were already starting to gather in her mind about what they were going to do and how they were going to hide, but, right now, hidden in his office, she pushed those fears away and just let herself have this moment. His body felt so good against hers, and she was so transported by happiness that she simply didn't want to allow real life to interfere. Not yet.

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Evan smiled at her comment. He loved her sense of humor; it kept him on his toes. He saw the look in her eyes and saw how happy she was by the smile on her face. Overcome yet again, he leaned down and kissed her again, longer, slower and deeply passionate. He didn't mind having to duck down to her to kiss her like this. It was good just to feel her lips again.

His hands roamed, finally getting the chance to caress the body he had ogled on their first meeting. He was already thinking ahead to what she must feel like naked. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to wait long to find out. Then, it hit him. When would he get to find out?

He stood up, breaking the kiss slowly, but his face was the picture of concern. He looked into her eyes and took her hands in his, lacing his fingers with hers. "Now that we know... we need to work out the logistics of how we can make this work... I know it's not very romantic, but we have to have it sooner rather than later or this will die on the vine."

Evan hated breaking the mood, but they didn't have much time for this meeting as Evan had his class later that afternoon. Not to mention that they actually had to have a chat about her project. He was already working out how little they would be forced to see each other during the week. Maybe starting biweekly meetings was a good idea to give them some cover. For now, there had to be a way for him to see him at his place.

"Do you have a car? My place is a little off campus." It had to be, anything closer to campus was too expensive for him to afford. He didn't want the possibility of someone from the faculty seeing her walking to and from his place at odd hours. Meeting her at a hotel or something felt so seedy and illicit. Then again, that might need to happen.