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“I understand exactly what’s going on.” Levi’s gaze pins me, an anchor dragging my conscience to the depths. “You like this, don’t you?” His voice is a low rumble, dark and dangerous, not the measured tone of the professor who lectured on market strategies for the past hour.
“Like what?” My breath is a traitor, catching in my throat as his proximity sends my pulse skittering.
“The attention. Being the good girl,” he sneers, voice laced with disdain. “But I know the truth. You’re not good, you love doing things in the shadows.”
I’m startled, the accusation stinging like a slap. The air between us crackles with tension, thick enough to swallow my protests whole.
“Levi, I?—”
“Save it.” He slices through my words, leaning in so close I can feel the heat radiating from his body. “I see through your little act. You’re not fooling anyone.”
“Act?” I reply, voice barely above a whisper.
“Playing the innocent. But we both know the kind of girl you really are—one who plays with fire, who craves the burn.” His lips hover over mine, and for a split second, I think he may actually kiss me.
My heart hammers against my rib cage, loud in the silence that stretches between us. I can taste the possibility that hangs heavy in the air, intoxicating and sweet.
And then he pulls away abruptly, leaving a cold void where his warmth was seconds before. “Get the hell away from me, Brielle.”
The command slices through the haze of desire, sobering. Distance. That’s what he needs, what he’s asking for—no, demanding. And despite the chaos rioting within me, I recognize the line being drawn. A boundary set by a man tormented by his own longing.
“Levi, I didn’t mean to—” But my words falter, clattering to the floor, useless.
“Go.” It’s a growl, feral and laced with an agony that mirrors my own.
And so, with nothing left to say, I turn on my heel, each step away from him feeling like a mile. The door swings open with an echo of finality.
“Oh, and Brielle—” He stops me, making me turn to look at him.
“You will address me as Professor Griffin. Although, you know what, I guess it won’t matter what you call me because this will be the last time I see your face in my class.” His voice is final, and then he’s looking at his computer, making it clear that I can leave.
The cool draft from the corridor wraps around me like a shroud as I stagger away from Levi’s classroom, my heels clicking sharply against the tile?—
“Damn it,” I mutter under my breath, pressing a hand to my forehead. The images flash in rapid succession—Levi’s intense gaze, the proximity of his body, the hardness in his voice when he expelled me from his world.
I slip into the sanctuary of an empty study room, the door snapping shut with a decisive click. The quiet is jarring, but inside the silence, my thoughts race louder than ever. Levi’s advice—or rather, his warning—replays on a cruel loop.
Drop the class. Stay away.
He’s right. There’s too much at stake, too much to lose. And yet…
8
BRIELLE
11:00 a.m. I’m right on time.
I push open the big double doors of Jefferson Elementary with a brown sack full of Chinese food in my hand. Callie is absolutely going to flip once she sees what I’ve brought for her, although it’s more of a peace offering so she’ll help me sort through every thought I have in my head right now.
“Miss Brielle!” The singsong greeting of the secretary, Mrs. Hopper, chirps from behind her desk. Her hair has become almost white, revealing her age, and she’s dressed in the same blouse and dress pants that I remember from back when I attended this school. Some things really do never change.
“Hey, Mrs. Hopper,” I call back, flashing a grin over my shoulder, stopping to speak to her.
“Oh, you don’t have to call me that anymore. Diana is more than fine.”
I laugh. “Yes, ma’am.”
“It’s so nice to see your face around here again. I know your father has been missing you. How is he?” Even though I’m sure she means it with the best intentions, I also know that Diana has quite the crush on my father.
