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His hands left her waist, only to move farther up her body. One wrapped around her nape, the other cradling her jaw to gently tilt her head back.
“That’s good, Sofia,” he praised warmly as she continued to sing. “Good girl.”
Something snapped inside me. My world washed red, obliterating all rational thoughts.
My body swelled with possessive rage, and the space disappeared between us in five long strides.
Fortunately for Professor Lassiter, he clocked my sudden movement as soon as I started stalking toward him. He took several steps back from Sofia, holding up his hands in an instinctive show of surrender.
Her song ended abruptly, and her small hand touched my heaving chest. The gentle warmth instantly redirected my full focus to her.
Sofia’s stunning eyes were clouded with confusion, her brow furrowed.
“Is something wrong?” she asked, the barest tremor of fear making her words catch.
For half a heartbeat, I worried that she was afraid of me. But her fingers curved into my shirt, looking to me for reassurance.
She thought I knew about some danger she couldn’t see.
I was the only dangerous thing in the vicinity, and it was safest for everyone if I took Sofia away with me right fucking now.
“We’re leaving,” I announced, my voice booming through the room in warning to everyone, even though I didn’t take my eyes off Sofia’s lovely face.
“Why?” she asked, questioning me out of worry rather than contradiction.
“It’s an emergency,” I told her roughly, my statement ringing with truth.
Professor Lassiter was in imminent danger if I took my eyes off Sofia for even a second. I knew it wasn’t rational, but all the volatility within me that had been soothed by her song surged once again in its absence.
I hadn’t properly established my claim over Sofia yet, and I couldn’t leave her around other men for a minute longer without rectifying that. I knew she belonged to me, but I’d been allowing her time to come around and accept that fact on her own.
What little patience I’d possessed before was in tatters. I was taking her home with me, and we were going to settle this once and for all.
It was past time for Sofia to promise that she was mine and mine alone.Chapter 14SofiaMateo’s huge arm encircled my body, tucking me close to his side. The rush of relief at being sheltered in his protective hold was tainted by fear. I’d ached for his reassuring touch all day, but he offered it now because there was a threat lurking somewhere that I couldn’t see.
I allowed him to hustle me out of the classroom, taking two quick strides for each of his.
“What’s going on?” I asked once we exited the lecture hall and stepped outside.
“I’m taking you home,” he announced, the grim note in his voice making me tremble.
He must have felt the fine tremor against his body, because his arm curved around me more tightly. The feel of his massive muscles surrounding me eased some of my fear. Mateo was solid and stronger than I could fathom. I knew he wouldn’t let anyone get to me.
“You’re safe with me, Sofia,” he swore, his tone softening only slightly.
He was still on high alert, his body swelling with unspent aggression.
We crossed campus quickly, reaching his shiny red Porsche in less than half the time it had taken us to walk to class.
“Please,” I entreated when we were both in the car. “Tell me what’s happening.”
His muscles bulged and flexed, and his obsidian eyes remained laser focused on the road as he started the drive back to his house.
“We’ll talk about it once I get you home,” he promised tightly. “We need privacy. And we’re not doing this in a fucking car.” He muttered the last, and I wasn’t certain if it was meant for me to hear.
We drove in tense silence, and Mateo handled the Porsche with far less finesse than he had this morning. It growled and rumbled beneath us as he accelerated more quickly with each gear shift. He didn’t smash the speed limit so blatantly that we attracted the attention of the cops, but it was an angry, aggressive ride.
When we pulled up to the house, he’d barely switched off the ignition before he rushed around the car to open my door. I fumbled at the seatbelt, my hands shaking. I knew Mateo would keep me safe, but whatever perceived threat that had set him off clearly hadn’t abated.
He didn’t allow me to waste any extra time struggling to free myself from the belt. He simply reached over my body and unbuckled it himself with no compunction about physical contact.
There was no respectful hesitation or caution in the way he handled me. He simply hooked his corded arms beneath my body and jerked me to his chest, carrying me into the house with brisk urgency.
