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“Yes, we do.”
Once we finish eating, it’s clear I need to decide how to move forward. “I should probably take you back to your apartment,” I declare with a sinking heart. It’s the best option if I’m going to keep her virginity intact for a little longer.
Her shoulders sink, and she goes back to studying. “You don’t want me to hang around here?”
I shake my head, and it occurs to me then that she thinks I don’t want anything to do with her, which isn’t the case at all. “Don’t you have plans? Family? Somewhere to go before the holidays?”
She shakes her head. “No, I’m on my own. I was going to stay on campus through the holidays.”
She’s trying to sound brave, I can tell, lifting her chin and everything. But a deeper truth lies beneath her words. This is a lonely girl who, until last night, didn’t know how she would survive. She stirs every protective instinct I possess, and that, combined with how much I still want her, is a potent elixir.
“If you would rather not be alone, we can come back here,” I offer. “But I would think you need to get some of your personal belongings?”
“You mean I could stay with you?”
It’s almost enough to break my heart, the way her eyes light up and the way she glows from such a simple response. Even if I didn’t want her to stay, I would be hard-pressed to deny her. It would be like popping a little kid’s balloon just to watch their face crumple. “Of course, you can stay with me.”
“Thank you,” she beams, and even though I just tasted her from the inside out, I know I’ll need to leave her alone so she can get dressed.
“Go ahead and get dressed, and when you’re ready, I can drive you over to the apartment complex,” I say while slowly backing away toward the door. I don’t trust myself with her naked and spread out before me like an offering.
“Thank you… again.” She smiles, her top teeth roll over her bottom lip, and my cock grows hard all over again.
“Anytime, let me know when you’re ready.” My voice cracks, and I ache to walk deeper into the room and take what is rightfully mine, but somehow, I force myself out, closing the door softly behind me.
Once alone, I go downstairs and have a cup of coffee, reminding myself that I’m doing the right thing by going slowly. After a few minutes, she appears downstairs, a sparkle in her eyes that makes me grin because I know I put it there.
“Ready?” I ask before pouring the rest of my coffee out in the sink.
“Yes,” she beams.
I drive her over to the apartment complex, thinking twice before getting out of the car and following her inside. If we were in the middle of a term, I would say no. I wouldn’t want anyone to see me walking into a student’s apartment. But hardly anyone is here, as evidenced by the practically empty parking lot. Most everybody has gone home for break by now.
“It won’t take me long. I don’t have all that much.”
I murmur in agreement, still careful to keep an eye out for anybody who takes an interest in the professor following his student around—especially when she’s dressed in last night’s little dress. Maybe I can come up with an excuse like I found her at a bar and wanted to make sure she was safe.
When she opens the door to her modest little space, though, it’s clear we have a much bigger problem on our hands.
She gasps and falls back against me at the sight of the destruction. The sofa is overturned, plants strewn around, and the floor is covered in soil and broken glass. “Oh my god.”
Instantly, I’m on edge, my hackles raised at the sight of her apartment. “Wait here.” I reverse our positions, placing her out in the hall while I step into the apartment. “If you hear anything, I want you to run. Do you understand?” Her head bobs up and down, eyes bulging.
It doesn’t take long to do a full sweep and confirm the burglar has left the apartment. “You can come in,” I call out once I’m sure the space is otherwise empty. Her shoes crunch over broken glass as she joins me in the small bedroom, which is even worse than the living area. Her drawers were pulled free, the closet emptied, with clothes thrown everywhere.
“Who would do this?” She’s trembling like a leaf, hands cupped around her elbows.
“An ex-boyfriend?” I question.
“I don’t have any of those.” She picks through her clothes, her eyes filling with tears. “I don’t understand. Why me? I don’t have anything of value. Not even these clothes; they’re all secondhand.”
I open my mouth, prepared to assure her she’s safe now, when my phone rings. I check it out of habit. It’s a familiar number, though I don’t have it programmed into my phone. “Hello?” I answer, prepared to explain why I didn’t settle up last night.
“You have something that belongs to me.”
My hand clenches the phone tighter than before. “Marco?” He’s never called me before. Almost nobody does.
“You have something that belongs to me. I already visited her home but found her away. You’d better be ready to hand her over because I plan to collect.”
“She isn’t yours to collect.”
“I know you. I know you’re not an unreasonable man. You’re a smart guy, right? Then be smart. Bring her to me, and I won’t have to pay a visit to your house. Got it?” He ends the call before I can say a word, leaving me standing in the middle of a mess he created. What the fuck was that, and why does he think Emma belongs to him? No matter what happens, Emma is mine.
