Ch. One: Mercy.

Alexis sat at her desk, pouring over her British lit homework. She didn’t know why, but she was bound and determined to show Doctor Mason what she was made of.

Connor Mason. Now there’s one man she couldn’t get out of her head no matter how hard she tried. Despite the fact that he was probably the most intelligent man she’d ever met—and wisdom comes with age—she found herself wishing he was younger, closer to her age, and not her professor.

But fate has a funny way of turning your life upside down. Even before now, Lexi believed fate brought her to the friendly city of Baytown. Her life here was the polar opposite of her life in Denver. And she loved every minute of it.

Perhaps it was also fate that sent the newly single Connor to Baytown. On the heels of a breakup from the girl he thought he’d spend the rest of his life with, he found himself being the youngest professor at Baytown and teaching summer classes. Poor guy didn’t even get the summer off to mend his broken heart.

Lexi didn’t know why she was taking summer classes. Truth be told, she didn’t want to go home, so she signed herself up for a couple classes, one of them being British lit. She knew nothing about the subject, so she decided to give it a go.

She meticulously researched professors on ratemyprofessor.com, and picked who she thought would be the best one. As fate would have it, by the time Lexi got around to registering for the class, Professor Banks’ class was full. Her only option? Some new guy: Doctor Mason. Nonetheless, Lexi signed up for the class, figuring an old man with a doctorate degree knew more about the subject.

Could she have been any more wrong?

The first date of class, fate decided to trot out a handsome, young, blonde-haired, blue-eyed professor named Connor Mason. Lexi could tell by the reaction in the room she wasn’t the only girl present to think Connor was attractive.

Lexi stuck around after class, remembering a poster in the hall saying Doctor Mason was starting up a literary magazine. She stayed in her seat in the back of the lecture hall and began reading; but fate threw her a bone. Connor walked his way back to her and started to talk to her. Lexi had to admit, she couldn’t help but flirt with him. Sure, he was a professor, but he was simply too good looking to resist.

Fate, Lexi believed, didn’t stop there. The next day after dropping by his office to ask a question, Connor and Lexi went out for coffee, then she took him on a walking tour through the town—which turned out to be a two hour flirt fest. After the “tour,” she drove him back to his apartment. She was content with how the day had gone…Until he invited her into his apartment for a beer. Fate was testing her now…God only knew what kind of trouble was waiting for her on the other side of that door. Against her better judgement, she went with him inside.

At first, things started off normal with Lex on the couch and Connor in the chair grading dissertations. Half way through beer number two, Connor sat down next to her on the couch to show her one of the dissertations.

The tension between them was palpable. Lexi had never before felt such an intense attraction to a man she’d just met. She longed to be closer to him, despite the fact she was nearly in his lap. She held his hand. He slid his hand up and down against the bare skin of her arm. She rested her forehead against his. In one swift movement, he leaned forward and captured her lips in a kiss.

The kiss. The feel of his soft, plump, pink lips against hers. Gentle, at first, but strong, like he’d kissed her hundreds of times before. But there was a yearning in the kiss, as if he’d been craving her lips from the moment they met. It was something Lexi would never, ever forget.

After a phone call and an awkward conversation, Connor resumed grading dissertations, and Lexi continued drinking her beer until she decided to go home.

Fate was toying with her. Lexi knew better than to fall for her professor…But that kiss left her wanting more.