Page 7 of Filthy Professor
Her admission poured over me as I realized she was as attracted to me as I was to her. I couldn’t believe this was happening. When I woke up this morning, if you’d told me I’d be bringing a gorgeous woman home, I’d have laughed in your face. Picking up the reporter hadn’t even occurred to me to be in the realm of possibility, and yet, here she was. Not only was I very into her body, but our interests lined up. I had the feeling she understood me on a level Sue never could have. Kat could understand my thirst for adventure and why I loved it so much.
I turned to the right, and we walked down to my apartment. After unlocking the door, I gestured for her to head inside, both of us still panting.
Chapter 5
Kat
As I entered Harrison’s apartment, I tried to calm my pounding heart. I wasn’t usually the jump-straight-into-bed kind of girl. I took things slowly. I’d rushed into a relationship with Jamie in the past, but that didn’t mean I was reckless.
Going over to the apartment of a man you just met and were supposed to be interviewing is pretty reckless.
Shut up, brain.
There was something about Harrison. An irresistible pull—toward what, I wasn’t sure, but I wanted nothing more than to discover it with my tongue. I licked my lips, turning to face him as he closed the door behind us and leaned against it, his chest still heaving. “You’re certainly . . . unexpected,” he said.
I laughed. “This wasn’t how I pictured today going either.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Wine?”
“Sure. Why not?” I said, walking into his living room, where many pictures and artifacts adorned the walls—his expedition, newspaper clippings, and other archaeological wonders. I spun as I heard footsteps approaching. After taking the wineglass, I stepped closer to what looked like pictures from his major discovery. Getting even closer, I saw a younger, grinning Harrison next to a beautiful golden sarcophagus. I frowned and turned to him. “This was an incredible expedition, and an amazing find. Nearly ten thousand mummies . . . I can’t imagine giving it all up.”
He shrugged. “I loved her. I thought we were meant to be. Obviously, I was wrong.” Taking a sip of wine, Harrison looked up at me. “I miss it so much, Kat. I dream about that expedition all the time.”
I sat next to him, the feel of his muscular thigh against me propelling my body into high alert. Swallowing, I tried to school my reaction for a moment and think of something to say. “Someone who keeps you from something you love isn’t the right person for you.”
His hazel eyes locked on mine. “My knowledge of finding ‘the right person’ came too little, too late.”
Turning so I faced him, I shook my head. “It’s not too late.” This was all going fast—too fast—but this man had already captured my attention. The attraction and number of things we had in common between us was staggering. Article subject or not, this was something I needed to explore.
Leaning his head in his hand, he asked, “Would you travel the world for a man?”
I’d travel the world for myself. Traveling the world was all I’d ever wanted. Seeing actual dig sites and writing about them—doing in-depth articles while experiencing it all and being there for historically relevant archaeological finds—was something I’d always wanted to do, but only senior writers got those assignments. This job was what I wanted, but I hadn’t been at it for very long. I needed to put more time in first before they’d let me cover some of the big assignments involving travel.
“Maybe with a man rather than for him. . . but I think we should slow down a bit. If you’re asking if I like traveling, the answer is yes. Seeing all the amazing sites I’ve only read or written about would be a dream come true for me, let alone being there for new discoveries.” Leaning so our faces were mere inches apart, I said, “How did it feel opening up those sarcophagi?”
He swallowed. “Fucking amazing.”
Grinning, I scooted closer to him. “It must have been so hard to give up that life.”
He nodded. “So, the big news? The thing that ended my marriage?”
I hummed, urging him to continue.
“I was invited on an expedition. It starts in a couple of weeks. I couldn’t turn down the offer, and she wouldn’t accept that . . . not even after years of seeing me miserable, of missing that part of my life. So we divorced, but I simply have to go.”
My mouth dropped open. This scoop was a good one. “That’s amazing! Where?”
Harrison grinned, and I saw that young man in the picture shining through his features. This is the thing he truly loved. He loved sharing it with his students too, but it was clear this was special. “I’m heading back to Egypt.”
My eyes widened. “Is this on the record?” I asked, since the lines had blurred so quickly.
He nodded. “On the record. I’d love for your magazine to break the news.”
Grinning, I took another sip of my wine. “This is great! Much better than the angle my editor wanted.”
Harrison stilled, his expression turning to one of concern. “And what was that?”
I pursed my lips and swirled the little wine remaining in my glass, unsure if I wanted to tell him. In the short time I’d known him, I found I already didn’t want to hurt him. Besides, what Jamie envisioned wouldn’t come to pass now. I cleared my throat. “It doesn’t matter.”