Word document when my brain registered what I’d just seen. I immediately looked back up with my mouth hanging open. My eyes widened in shock as a tall god started writing his name on the dry erase board. My hands started to sweat and I could feel my ears getting hot as a blush crept up my body. He was more beautiful in the light of day, and I knew then that this was going to be my hardest class. It was going to take everything I had to pay attention and not stare into his sea-blue eyes, or watch the way his lips curved as he spoke. The pep talk I gave myself before walking into the room seemed inadequate by that point. Because if I did anything I set my mind to, I’d be doing Professor Cline.
Chapter 6
Mason
I tossed my pen down and sighed as I looked at all the papers on my desk. I’d spent two hours in my office getting things ready for the first day of class. I rubbed at my eyes and looked at the clock. Class would start in ten minutes. It was one of the things I took pride in. I’d spent so much time getting to that point. Teaching gave me purpose, especially teaching law.
Grabbing my satchel off the floor, I put my files inside and headed toward the classroom. There were eight minutes until class would start. I wondered how many students I’d be locking out on the first day.
If anyone was to ask my previous students what kind of teacher I was, they would probably say I was strict. Some might even call me an asshole. But I was an asshole who knew his shit and made sure they knew it, too. I didn’t play around in the classroom. I didn’t tell stories to make things easier on them, either. The law was hard and I made them work for it. Any soon-to-be lawyer would take pride in learning things the hard way. The ones who didn’t … failed.
I walked into the classroom, set my satchel on the desk and turned to the board to write my name. I knew as soon as students read it, they would put two and two together. Cline was a well-known name in the lawyering community, thanks to my father, John Cline.
Opening my satchel, I pulled out the file with the syllabus inside and looked up to pick a student to start handing them out when I saw the eyes of Emma staring at me. She looked down at her computer almost immediately.
At first, I was stunned to see her in my classroom, but then my lip curved into a smirk. She just made this quest easier .
I motioned to a guy in the front row to come to my desk and then looked at the clock. There were two minutes left until I’d lock the door.
“Will you please hand these out?” I asked, handing him the stack of papers. He took them without a word and started passing them around.
My gaze went to Emma again to see her trying her best not to look at me. I could tell she was blushing much easier since I got to see her with light. She was stunning. The dark hair I’d thought was brown was actually auburn which suited her complexion nicely, especially when she was blushing.
That fucking innocent blush was going to do me in. Just the sight of her was getting my dick excited, which wasn’t good. Not in the middle of a classroom. I shouldn’t have neglected my needs after the morning’s episode.
Looking away, I took a deep breath. I needed to stay focused.
Walking to the door of the room, I turned the lock and turned to the students. They were either looking at me or glancing at the other students around them. They probably knew in that moment I wasn’t going to be going easy on them.
“Rule number one in this classroom: if you aren’t here by eight, you won’t enter through that door,” I said, pointing to the door I’d just locked which had students trying to pull it open. I walked back to my desk and stood behind it to continue. “Rule number two: do not interrupt my class by leaving the room, unless it’s an emergency. If that means you need to slow your intake on the coffee in the morning, then do so. I can’t forbid you to leave the room, but that door is
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