The Pilot and the Professor (Collins Avenue Confidential #3)
Steve Milton

In Miami, his new friend Alissa introduces him to a modern philosophy seminar taught by a stocky bearded jumberjack of a professor, Claude Richards. Alissa hopes it can get James's mind off the crash, especially that now he has no interest in his former hobby of online gay hookups.
James's hyper-sensitive aversion to anything even remotely romantic initially scares away Claude, who's also suffering after a professional crash of his own that has made him lose trust in relationships.
Against the backdrop of a sticky Miami summer, a stocky bearded professor and a suave airline pilot student, a journey through modern philosophy, and an outrageous blackmail attempt, James and Claude calm each other's jitters and fly together into love.