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“Put these on,” he orders, but the tone of his voice is less commanding and more affectionate. Something I never expected from the man before me. There aren’t any cuddles, and he doesn’t hold me, but the heat in his gaze is enough to set my worried soul at ease.
Once we’re dressed, we make our way to the front door and out to the garage where Elian opens the car door for me. Even as he weaves down toward home, my home, he doesn’t speak. After he pulls up to the heavy, ornate gates, he turns to me and offers a smile.
“I don’t usually spend the night with women,” he informs me. Women. Is that how he sees me? “But I’ll see you in class.” I’m not sure if that’s hope in his voice, but my heart settles at the thought of him even wanting to see me again.
“Yes, you will,” I respond, realizing it’s a school day, which of course is why he’ll see me. The stupidity of my thoughts causes me to blush, my cheeks hot, and I’m thankful it’s dark.
But before I can get out of the car, Elian leans in and captures my lips with his. The softness of the kiss steals my breath. His fingers holding onto my chin, keeping me in place in order for him to lash his tongue along mine.
The contact causes my stomach to flip-flop wildly as he teases me until I’m trembling and needy for more heated kisses. When he pulls away, I almost whimper at the loss, and I’m sure he can tell how I’m feeling because there’s a satisfied smirk on his lips.
“Go home. Be a good girl for me tonight,” he informs me, and I know what he means. No touching.
“Goodnight,” I respond before pushing open the car door. I can feel his eyes on me as I make my way up the drive, but by the time I reach the door, I know I’ve disappeared from his line of sight.Now that the sun is sneaking up into the sky, the memories have a hold of me, and I’m nervous to see him at school. It’s stupid because even though I know he wants me, there’s still doubt that niggles at my thoughts, reminding me that I’m his student.
As I make my way to the gate, a cold shiver trickles down my spine, which has me spinning around. My gaze darts around the garden, toward the perimeter of the house, and back to the gate, which is slowly sliding open to let me out.
The feeling of someone watching me is visceral. It’s as if they’re right there, waiting for me to step out of the house. But that makes no sense. Black Mountain is a small town; it’s safe. Nothing bad can happen here.
At least, that’s what I tell myself. But instead of walking, I change my mind and go for the BMW aunt Midge said I could use if I wanted to. I would feel safer in a vehicle, and I’m not even sure why.
As I’m parking in the lot, I watch the other students head toward the building. Some are still chatting in groups on the lush green grass, and there are others who are on their own under the trees, lounging before class starts.
The eerie feeling I had moments ago is gone, but I can’t shake the chill that’s settled in my bones. I’ve had a stalker before, someone watching me, but he was caught, given a restraining order, and I know he won’t come near me because he’s more concerned with his name being kept out of the press.
A knock on my window has a scream tumbling from my lips, but when I glance up, I find Ahren grinning at me. “Boo,” he says through the window, earning himself an eyeroll.
“What the hell are you doing?” I ask as I push open the door and exit the car.
“Hey, pretty girl,” he greets me before pulling me into a hug. “I wanted to come and say hi,” he tells me. When he steps back, I notice the glint in his dark eyes.
“What’s that look for?”
When he shrugs, there’s a smirk dancing on his lips, and I wonder if Elian said anything to him about what happened last night. If he did, I’m going to kill him.
“You spend more time here than you do at work,” I tease as he grabs my backpack and falls into step beside me.
“I had to come see my brother,” he says, his voice tense, but he doesn’t show it in his expression when I glance his way. “Family shit I need to sort out before I head into work.”
“How is work going?”
“Good. The apprenticeship is fun, something I’ve always wanted to do, and the fact that I’ll possibly have something permanent once it’s done is a bonus.”
