Page 116 of Teach Me Your Ways

47

GRADY

Isat there, stunned, my mind reeling from everything that had just happened. The room was still buzzing with murmurs, but it felt like I was hearing it from afar. Like I wasn’t actually part of the noise. My hands were gripping the edge of the table so tightly my knuckles had turned white. I couldn’t believe what Cece had just done. She’d risked everything to defend me. And she’d done it with a level of courage and conviction that left me speechless. She was passionate but professional. Calm. Strategic. And so fucking hot I didn’t have words to describe it.

I glanced up, expecting to see her standing there, maybe waiting for me to say something, to thank her, to… I don’t know, do something. But she wasn’t there. My eyes darted around the room, searching for her, but I didn’t see her. Current and former students filled the room. That shocked the hell out of me.

Lina smiled as she approached me. “I would hug you, but we don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea.”

“Thank you for speaking up,” I said. “That took a lot of courage.”

“It was the right thing to do. I’m sorry I was such a pain in the ass.”

I shrugged, but my mind wasn’t really on Lina. I was searching for Cece. I had to talk to her. “All is forgiven.”

“Professor Stone, I’m not as brave as Cece, but… I have to tell you something.”

For some reason, that got my attention. I looked at her, and for what was the second time since I had met her, she looked nervous. “What is it, Lina?”

“Dean Carver, uh, well, she also told me you slept with students. So I thought I could catch you for her.”

It didn’t take a genius to hear what she wasn’t saying. Lina had been a plant too. “I see.”

“You’re hot and all that, but—” She crinkled her nose. “You’re a little old for me. She said she would make sure I got the grades I needed in my other classes if I reported back to her.”

I had to laugh. It was so fucking stupid. “You were coming on strong because you were hoping I would take you up on the offer.”

“Sorry.”

“Well, thank you for being honest,” I said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

“Go get her,” she said with a bright grin. “She kicked ass.”

“Yeah, she really did.”

I stumbled out of the boardroom like a man waking from a nightmare. My head was still spinning with all of the stuff that had been revealed. The dean was a bitch. She could fuck off. But that was for later. I needed to find Cece. There was no way she did all of that and ran.

I pushed open the doors and squinted against the sun. There she was. I felt a sense of calm wash over me. She was waiting for me, but as usual, she was discreet. Even though everyone knew we’d been busted in our birthday suits, she was still doing her best to maintain some distance between us. I took a second to look at her as she sat on a bench under a tree. She looked calm, at peace.

I let out a breath and made my way to her. She looked up and smiled at me. I sat on the bench beside her. Not too close, but I could smell her. Sweet, sweet vanilla. And I just happened to be the guy that knew she tasted as good as she smelled.

Cece slid her hand into mine. “How are you feeling?” she asked quietly.

“Like I could walk through fire and come out unscathed,” I admitted. “I can’t believe it.”

She squeezed my hand. “I can. I told you I wasn’t going to let her get away with it.”

I shook my head, still dazed. “Shit. You’re a genius, Cece Monroe. That tape? That was brilliant. When did you record the dean?”

“When she called me into her office before this whole thing, I wanted to make sure I could prove to you what she did,” Cece said. “And then she started saying all the crazy stuff. I made the recording because I wanted you to know I never reported to her. I never gave her anything. And honestly, I knew I never would. I let her believe I would but that’s not who I am.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I shouldn’t have doubted you. I should’ve trusted you from the start.”

“You had every reason to doubt me,” she said quietly. “I should’ve told you about the dean from the beginning. I just… I didn’t know how. I was scared you’d think I was using you.”

“I was an idiot,” I admitted, running a hand through my hair. “I let Carver get in my head. She’s been gunning for me for so long, I started to believe her bullshit. But you saw through it. You stood up to her when I couldn’t.”

She smiled faintly, her blue eyes shining. “I wasn’t going to let her destroy you, Grady. Not after everything you’ve done for me. For all of us. You’re a good teacher. The way you talk is engaging. I wish I could have taken your classes. I probably would have learned a lot more.”