The Love Hack

Chapter 19

Without thinking it through, Lexi made her way down the hallway and up the stairs to the faculty offices floor. Another long hallway presented itself and she glanced at each wooden door's nameplate as she walked passed the small offices. She didn't even need to see the nameplate to find the one Tom was in as his door was wide open and he was seated at his desk.

"Hannah?" he asked after he looked up from his computer monitor to Lexi who had stopped abruptly in front of his door frame.

"Uh, hey, Professor Miller. You have a second?"

"Sure." He stood up with an irritated look on his face and motioned for her to sit down in the chair on the other side of his light brown wooden desk. As he got up to close the door behind her, Lexi scanned her surroundings. The small office had just enough space for one desk, two chairs, and a mini gray couch against the wall. Tom's desk was almost as organized and sparsely filled as Scarlett's and Lexi wondered if he even used the space day-to-day. "What can I help you with, Hannah?" he asked tersely as he sat back down in his chair.

Even with his sour expression, the light filtering through the blinds on the window was creating artistic lines on his sharp features. I could stare at him all day. God, how is he so handsome?

"Hannah, what is it? I have a lot of work to do."

Lexi jumped slightly and cleared her throat. Focus, Lex! "Um, uh, yeah, sorry I just wanted to come by to say sorry about everything. And sorry for not responding to your email. It's been a crazy couple of days and I'm just dealing with some personal stuff."

Tom's expression softened and a valley presented itself between his brows. "Anything I can help with?"

"No. Thank you for asking though." The look on his face made Lexi want to spill her heart out about everything and she looked away.

"Well, if that's all, I appreciate you stopping by, and I-"

"I know you saw me giving my number to Wes," Lexi blurted out.

Tom's eyes widened a fraction, and he leaned back in his seat. "And?"

"And I wanted you to know I didn't want to do it. I don't want to go on a date with him."

Tom sighed and looked up at the ceiling in some sort of silent plea. His gaze shifted back down to Lexi and her heart rate increased. She had not prepared for this conversation and instantly regretted leading things there. "Sorry, I shouldn't have come up here." She stood up and grabbed her bag.

"Sit down," Tom practically growled out.

Lexi shook her head and slung her bag over her shoulder as she turned to the door. Yet, she could barely get it open when Tom's hand shut it closed right over her head. "What happened to you doing as I say, huh?"

He was still leaning his hand on the door and had a wild look in his eyes when Lexi turned to face him. They were inches apart and the air in the room grew thicker by the second. His musky cologne filled her nostrils and all that could be heard was the ticking of the clock. Jumbled, unspoken words traveled through the air as she searched his face, looking for a sign, anything that would change the color of the stoplight. Yet, when the twist of the lock landed on her ears, it was as if every letter fell into place and the red dot disappeared, being replaced by a bright green one. She knew she couldn't escape what was about to happen, even if she wanted to.

Tom grabbed the back of her neck firmly and landed his mouth on hers. She dropped her bag and threw her hands up to the sides of his face, immediately reciprocating the warm, intense kisses that were being sucked from her. Warmth filled her belly as they continued devouring each other's lips in between rapid breaths.