Your Gravity: Part Three Read online

  Nodding, he picked up my towel and patted my wet cheeks, drying me.

  “When you disappeared, I had her tell me everything she knew about you,” he said. “I knew you were still alive somewhere. She told me how she found you, but didn’t know your last name. And by the way, I’d known Applewood wasn’t your real last name since the first day I met you.”

  “Oh really, Mr. Smarty Pants. Why didn’t you say anything?”

  He paused, his fingers caressing my cheek. “I didn’t know I was going to fall in love with you.”

  “I was going to tell you everything that day of the storm.”

  “Charlie told me you acted really weird when you found out my mother’s maiden name was Cooper. Why would that bother—Oh!”

  “I didn’t know who you were when I first met you. I mean, you kind of looked like my hot, but too much of a butthead chemistry professor. I thought maybe you two were related because you were way too cool to actually be him.”

  “I’ve been an ass, haven’t I?”

  “Yes. Sometimes.”

  He arched an eyebrow.

  “Okay most of the time,” I admitted. “So, when did you change your name?”

  “Right after Mom died. I didn’t want any reminder of that man who calls himself my father, so I had mine and Caroline’s names changed.”

  “She told me about your mom. I’m sorry. I wish I’d been there.”

  “I looked for you,” his voice croaked.

  “I know.”

  “When I first ran into you, I thought you were Nicole Applewood’s daughter. I thought she was using you in some scheme.”

  “Why would you even think that I would do something like that to you? I love you. You know that.”

  His eyes flicked to the side as hurt filled his face. Then he looked back to me. “There was no other explanation about why you looked so much like her except if you were her daughter. Then the day you played at Jitters, Caroline showed me a photo of your mother.”

  “I look nothing like her.”

  “I know. You’re beautiful.” He kissed me tenderly. “I thought I was going insane. I wanted to believe that you’d come back, but I knew it was impossible. No matter how hard I tried to find a rational explanation, I couldn’t get rid of the feeling that it was you. That’s why I had Travis’s car towed that night. I had to see you up close, outside of the classroom. I wanted to hold you, to touch you.”

  “You knew it was me that night, didn’t you?”

  “Yes,” he whispered hoarsely. “I felt it the instant I touched you on the dance floor. For a moment, I was lost in you, and it felt like you’d always been with me. It was like I was made whole again. Then the rational part of my brain kicked in. It’s not easy throwing years of scientific training out the window. I still don’t understand how you can be here.”

  Standing on my toes, I brushed my lips against his as I spoke. “Does it matter?”

  Immediately, his arms came around me, and I jumped up, wrapping my legs around his waist. His hot tongue swirled in my mouth, tasting every crevice as he stumbled over bottles and take out boxes as he carried me to the sofa.

  He lost his footing and fell back onto the sofa. Laughing, I held onto him tightly as I straddled him. I ran my hands over his muscled chest and down to his ripped abdomen. God, he was beautiful.

  Desperate to feel my skin on his bare chest, I fumbled with my wet blouse, struggling to peel it off. Jax was even more impatient and helped me strip away the sticky, wet material, throwing it aside. His eyes darkened as he drank in my breasts. He skimmed his hands down my neck and over the lace of my bra, peeling the blush colored lace away and revealing my pebbled nipples. Dipping his head, he flicked is tongue over one while cupping the other, massaging the tender flesh in exquisite circles. I moaned softly as he rolled my nipple between his fingers, tugging gently, making me squirm with building need. Rhythmically, I rocked myself against him, marveling at how big and hard he grew with each movement I made.

  My fingers speared into his soft hair, and I leaned over him, my breasts nestling into his chest as I licked over the whorl of his ear, nibbling. Jax arched up under me, making me gasp with his thrust and my fingers tighten his hair. I licked down over the tendons in his neck and then sat up so I could lightly taste more of his delicious skin.

  I tickled my fingers down over the taught muscles of his chest and abs, and he arched again, rolling his hips. I didn’t think I could take the desperate, intense desire growing inside me another second. I made my way down to the top of his pajama pants and tugged. His hand was instantly over mine, stopping me.

  “No. We can’t do this,” he panted.

  My breathing was as heavy as his.

  “Please, Jax. I need you.”

  Gently, he peeled my hands off him.

  “I’m your professor. I can’t have sexual relations with my students.”

  “Oh, that.” I waved away his hand and reached out to him again. “I’ll drop your class.”

  “No. I’m not going to let you do that. You have so much promise. I meant it when I told you that if you focused on your studies, you could have a great career in chemistry. You’re a natural.”

  I smiled. “I could take another instructor’s course section, you know. He may not be as good a teacher as you, though. You could tutor me.”

  “That doesn’t resolve the fact that you’re also much younger than me.”

  “Really? You’re going to go there? You do realize that when we first met, I was older than you.” I poked his bare chest.

  “But not today. You don’t understand, Nicole. I’ve lived an entire life. I went through college and graduate school. I’ve had an entire career. I’ve lost a mother and raised a sister.” He paused and cupped my cheek, gazing sadly into my eyes. “I’ve found my first love and I’ve lost her. You haven’t lived yet. I can’t take that away from you.”

  “This is my life Jax, and I want it with you.”

  “I love you. I want you to have the life I never got to have. Have fun in college. Experience life. You don’t need to be tied to an old man.”

  Old man? My eyes drifted from his handsome face down to a perfectly toned and muscled body that rivaled any athlete.

  “Oh, yeah, you’re so old you probably have a bottle of the blue pills to keep little Jax up.” I pointed down to the huge tent coming from his pants.

  His face reddened.

  “That’s not what I meant. And he’s not little.”

  I snorted.

  “Look here, Professor Cooper. This is my life. I’m a grown-ass adult. You may have a Ph.D., but I know what’s best for me and you are the absolute best thing that has ever happened in my life. I’m not giving you up.”

  He stood up, his blue eyes twinkling. “You sound just like Caroline when I interrupted her date with some dude named Diesel.”

  “Good. Caroline is awesome. She’s going to be a kick ass lawyer.”

  “She was fourteen at the time.”

  “Are you saying I’m like a . . . yeah, well . . . ” I couldn’t think of a comeback so I stuck out my tongue at him. Yeah, I know. It was juvenile, and it wasn’t helping my case.

  Jax chuckled as he picked up my blouse from the floor and handed it to me. “We’re not having this conversation. You will stay in my class because I’m the best person to teach you what I know.”

  “I . . . you . . .” I was so pissed my fingers shook as I buttoned my blouse and followed him to the door. I couldn’t think straight. Why was he being so stubborn? After all we’d been through, he was just going to show me door?

  “Why are you doing this? You love me; I know you do.”

  He paused, his jaw tensing. Then the words finally tumbled out. “My career is on the line, Nicole.”

  “It’s Gianna Ferilli, isn’t it?” Boy, that girl was like eating a bad burrito. Only one bite and it stayed with you forever.

  “Word gets around fast,” he mumbled, brushing his hand through his hair. �
�I won’t have you get caught up in this mess. Gianna is . . . well, she could make things difficult for you if she found out. And I won’t have it, if I can help it. I could always work at another university. It’s easy when you have multimillion dollar grants and corporate backings, but you, you’re just starting out. Please understand. I’m sorry.”

  With that he closed door, shutting me out of his life and his heart.

  Chapter Nine

  There was something peaceful about rejection. I wasn’t left hanging, wondering what Jax would think or do when he found out who I was. It was over: Jax, the dreams, the freaky-deaky flashbacks. All of it could be explained now. I wasn’t left wondering anymore. Even the gaping hole that was still in my chest was a comfort because I knew exactly why it was there and that the only person who could fill it lived three freakin’ blocks away.

  Moping my way down the sidewalk back to Rainbow’s house, I tried to do to the glass half full thing. It wasn’t working. The ache in my chest threatened to tear me in two. And I refused to cry. I’d had enough of the waterworks. So I let the numbness sweep over me.

  I opened the door to Rainbow’s house, hoping nobody was home. I just wanted to get out of these wet clothes, crawl into bed, and forget about everything that had happened ever since moving to Texas. Rainbow had been wrong. There wasn’t any reason for me going back in time or Jax coming back to Texas State after all these years.

  I stepped into my room and placed my cellphone on the nightstand. Flipping it open, my parents’ number illuminated from the screen.

  On second thought, maybe having me fall in love with a man I couldn’t have was fate’s way of slapping me upside the head and telling me to stay where I belonged. Look what had happened when I’d dared to defy the great Ashford musical legacy. I’d literally gotten sucked up by a tornado and spat out. Not even Mother Nature wanted me.

  “Oh my god, Nicole. You’ll never guess what Travis did,” Greg said excitedly as he rushed into my room. “Why are you wet?”

  I gazed into Greg’s shining eyes. Yep, the proof was right there. Against all odds, my best friend had found his happily ever after with a star quarterback—and in Texas of all places!

  “Are you okay?” He furrowed his brow with worry.

  Ugh! I had to get over my pity party. Greg deserved to be happy, and I wasn’t going to let my situation with Jax get in the way of that.

  Forcing my lips to curl into what I hoped looked like a smile, I snapped my cellphone shut and tossed it aside. “My clothes? Long story. So, what happened?”

  “He wants to come out to his parents. And he wants to introduce me to them. Can you believe it?” He beamed.

  “That’s wonderful, Greg.”

  “I think I might have to actually start watching football. Travis is picking me up later to go celebrate and—hey, you’re not okay. What’s going on?”

  I couldn’t help myself. The numbness was beginning to wear off. A thick ball went up my throat and stumbled out into a heap of sobs.

  “Nicole! Talk to me.”

  Sitting beside me on the edge of the bed, he placed an arm around me. I cried softly into his chest.

  “Is it Cooper?” he asked as he stroked my damp hair.

  I nodded.

  “He didn’t believe you.”

  “No, it was worse,” I croaked.

  “He called the cops on you.”

  “He believed me, and then he kicked me out of his house.”

  “No way,” he said, astonished.

  “Oh, but I can stay in his class. Whoopie!” I whirled my finger and chuckled. Greg gave me a strange look, which made me laugh even harder. I was laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t stop. The laughter turned into sobs and then back into laughing. I was sobaughing. Or laughobing. Whatever you call it, I was going off the deep end. At any moment I expected Greg to call the cops and ask them to bring a straightjacket.

  Instead he went to my desk, grabbed a box of tissues, handed one to me, and waited patiently until I stopped.

  “Tell me what happened,” he said.

  “He said that I was too young and that I haven’t lived life.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, like he’s so old.”

  “That’s what I said. Then he said that the university has a policy on professors dating students.”

  “You know, you could always switch to another chemistry section.”

  “I said that too!”

  Chuckling, he pressed his forehead against mine. “It’s good to know that this time travel stuff didn’t mess with your head. We’re still on the same brain wave.”

  I barked a laugh.

  “I see it.” He pointed to my quivering lips, and they almost curled into a real smile.

  “I hate you,” I said lovingly. “I had all these big plans for my pity party, and you ruined it.”

  He waved a finger.

  “Nuh-uh. No pity parties on my watch. We’re going to sit here and figure this one out, woman.”

  I snuggled into him and sighed. As optimistic as Greg was, I wasn’t sure how I was going to get Jax back. He was being so stubborn.

  “I don’t know what I can do,” I said. “He’s making up excuses left and right. This situation with Gianna doesn’t help either.”

  “He’s using that one as an excuse too?”

  “Yeah,” I sighed. “You know about that?”

  “Everyone on campus knows about it,” he said. “I think he’s scared.”

  “Of Gianna?”

  “No, silly. Of you.”

  “Me?”

  “Yep. Think about it. He fell hopelessly in love with you. How could he not?” He grinned and gave me a nudge.

  “You disappear, and then like a ghost you come back into his life,” he continued. “He wants you. He’s confused as to why he wants you. And according to rumors, he hasn’t been with any other woman . . . or man. It’s like time froze for him at eighteen. Man, this is all screwed up. I’d freak too.”

  “See? What am I going to do?”

  “Easy. The past is in the past. There’s no going back. Yeah, yeah. I know time travel and blah, blah, blah,” he said before I could correct him. “You’re going to keep moving forward. You’re going into his class and show him what he’s missing. And you’re going to hunt him down and wear him out until he gives in . . . like I did with Travis.”

  “By the way, how did you know Travis was gay? His reputation as a manwhore is well known all over campus.”

  “Girl, I know things. Like I know Cooper is going to cave. You’ll see.”

  * * *

  I tapped my foot while waiting outside the classroom door for Travis. When Greg told me his plan on how to get Jax’s attention, I knew it was totally juvenile. Brilliant, but juvenile. Using Travis to get Jax jealous wasn’t really something I wanted to do, but I’d run out of options, and to be honest, I was desperate.

  It’d worked before when Jax thought I was interested in Travis. He’d specifically told me to stay away from him. It was so caveman of Jax.

  “I’m here,” Travis panted running up to me. “I managed to—oh hey, you look gorgeous. I love your hair pinned up like that. And with that off-the-shoulder blouse, you look babelicious.”

  “Thanks.” I smiled.

  Greg had worked his magic on me. I’d had to wake up at the ungodly hour of four o’clock in the morning. It had taken him almost three hours to get my hair and makeup just right. It was totally worth the effort based on all the looks I was getting from the guys who walked past us.

  “The Gregster did that, didn’t he?”

  “Hey, I know how to do my own hair.”

  Who was I kidding?

  “Yeah, it was Greg,” I said sheepishly.

  “My man’s got some skill. Anyways, I managed to get Cooper to catch me,” he curled his fingers, making air quotes, “in action. We were in the quad. I made the moves on that shy girl that sits in the front row. Dude, you were right about him not liking me.
You should’ve seen his face.”

  He poked his head inside the classroom and looked around. Cooper always went through the back way. “Okay, he’s in there. Ready to make an entrance?”

  “Ready.” I took a step forward

  “Wait!” He jerked my blouse down exposing way more cleavage than I was used to.

  “Travis!”

  “Now that’s sexy. Let’s go.” He placed an arm around me and directed me through the door.

  Oh my god. This was so high school. I could literally hear a cheesy song from a John Hughes movie as we walked down the stairs toward our seats. I was about to take Travis’s arm off me and shove my blouse back up when Jax looked up from the lectern. The stack of papers he held in his hand fluttered to the floor.

  His blue eyes blazed as he gazed from me to Travis. I kept my eyes on him and my chin up as I took my seat, pulled out my laptop, and placed it on my desk.

  “Epstein!” he snapped to a student sitting in the front row and pointed to the papers on the floor.

  While poor Epstein gathered the papers with shaky hands, I watched Jax carefully. He was furious. His eyes pierced through me in warning. I snuggled closer to Travis. I wasn’t going to make this easy for him.

  A deep voice cleared his throat loudly. “Professor Cooper.”

  All eyes turned to the voice in the far corner of the room. Sitting in the seat was the department head. He took off his round spectacles, polishing them.

  Jax gave me one last look before turning to the department head. He gave him a curt nod and began the lecture.

  Why was Jax’s boss here? Was he trying to get more dirt on him? It had to be a blow to Jax having his boss question his teaching.

  I’m an idiot.

  “I can’t do this,” I muttered as I took Travis’s arm off me and pulled up my blouse. I didn’t want to get Jax in more trouble than he was already dealing with.

  “What about the—okay. Chill,” he whispered when I gave him my death glare.

  For the entire class, I was a model student. There were a couple times when Jax’s eyes met mine. I wanted to hold his gaze, but every time he did, I forced myself to look down at my notes. I didn’t want to draw any attention from the department head.