Teacher's Pets [Unlikely Bedfellows 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Jenna Stewart Read Free Book Online Page A

They should move naturally.” Steve watched while she made notations to her copy of the contract.
    “All right. Okay. Anything else?”
    “Nope.” Flashing that damned trademark, dimpled Beau Johnson smile that had won him all the best-looking women around the camps, he stood up straight. “But if something comes up, I’ll let you know.”
    “I’ll make these changes and get the contract back to you both,” Leah said, as cool as if she negotiated what to order for dinner.
    “I see my student,” Steve said, rising. He looked down at Leah. “Thanks for putting up with me for a few minutes. See you later?” he asked Beau.
    “Yeah.” Beau leaned over and kissed Leah’s cheek. Then he slapped Charles on the back and strolled out.
    “Mr. Hardin?” A cute brunette looked up at him with big, brown eyes. “I’m here for our lesson.”
    If he’d been ten years younger and hadn’t just spent the last few minutes trying to figure out how to quell his hard-on for Leah Morris, Steve might have been attracted by the flirtatious tilt of her head. Now all he could do was sigh and hope she wasn’t so far behind in chemistry that he’d have to spend more than an hour helping her prepare for their test.
    He led her to a vacant table in the corner far from the traffic in and out of the door. Before getting started, he turned and looked back. Leah stared across the table at Charles. As though sensing his gaze, she looked up. Crazy as it might have been, he thought he recognized a flash of interest in her gaze. Then it was gone. Maybe it was wishful thinking on his part, but if true, that was good, right? A flash was better than nothing.
     
    * * * *
     
    “Leah.” She turned her interest back to Charles. He pursed his lips and stared at her. “We protested against men like them, remember? We held up signs denouncing what they were doing to those poor civilians caught in the crossfire in Vietnam and demanded the war end.”
    “I remember.”
    “Then why are you so quick to turn your back on all that and sleep with one of them? They were murderers over there. Why would you think they were any different here?” Charles folded his hands and regarded her with disbelief in his eyes.
    He made good points. She had protested, though her actions were more personal than altruistic. Always the outsider, she had joined Faculty Against the War and taken part in campus protests just to belong. Being part of any college faculty and not taking part in protests would have separated her from the rest of the faculty. She’d spent her life being odd man out. If feeling one with her peers meant she marched a little and chanted a few slogans, it had been a small price to pay. She wasn’t a great fan of the military establishment, but the war was over, and she had her needs now.
    “I have my reasons. Besides, Beau isn’t in the service any longer. He’s given up that mentality.”
    Charles stared a moment longer then picked up the cup that had sat before him untouched for the past twenty minutes and drained the contents. “I wonder,” he said and then left her at the empty table.

Chapter Five
     
    Leah glanced at Beau’s empty chair and then at the clock over the door for the fourth time in ten minutes. He had transferred to a psychology class yesterday, making him no longer her student. Now the class couldn’t end fast enough. “And that’s one reason for the Eastward Movement. Now you can—”
    “Don’t you mean the Westward Movement?” one of her students asked.
    “What? Oh, yes. The Westward Movement. And that’s why people in the 1940s moved in great—
    “Don’t you mean 1840s ?” asked the same annoying student.
    “Would you like to lecture today?” Leah asked sweetly.
    The girl squirmed. “No, ma’am.”
    Leah blew out a breath. “I’m sorry. As you so rightly point out, my mind appears to be wandering. For Monday, read the next two chapters in your text and be prepared for a test. And with that, you may