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When I was finished eating as much as I could, I pushed my plate away slightly, reached for my glass of orange juice and finished it off. I felt him staring at me and looked up from underneath my lashes.
God, it should be illegal for a man to look that good, especially this early in the morning. He leaned back in the chair, one arm braced over it, the other resting on the table. He had his fingers wrapped around his coffee mug, the digits moving up and down slowly over the ceramic. It shouldn’t have been as sexy as it was.
“You didn’t ask me many questions last night,” he finally said, his voice this baritone timbre that had me clenching my thighs together.
I’d never been this close to him before, the setting so intimate that it almost felt as if we were a … couple. I’d slept in his bed, and he’d made me breakfast. It all seemed so personal.
I nodded once although I didn’t know what I was agreeing to. I did remember last night, but it was a little bit hazy.
“I probably shouldn’t be admitting this, but I got drunk off one drink.” I felt my cheeks heat and chanced a full look up at him. “Although in my defense it was a pretty strong drink, maybe even a couple in one.” God, this was mortifying.
I cleared my throat and looked around, knowing that what I needed to do was get out of here. I needed to go home, finish sleeping off this hangover, and then maybe move to a different town, enroll in a different school. I could’ve snorted at my thoughts. I had to face this head-on. I couldn’t run from my problems or embarrassment.
I thought about all the things I should’ve asked him last night, things that had come to mind, but I hadn’t cared about knowing the answers at the time. Even though right now I still didn’t care because the pounding behind my head was taking priority, this might be the only chance I really got to ask them.
“Why were you at the club?”
He brought his cup to his mouth and took another long sip before setting it down and exhaling slowly. “I was there because of you.”
I felt my heart literally stop in my chest. I gripped the edge of my chair, my nails digging against the wood. I heard him clearly, but I wasn’t sure if I knew what he actually meant.
“You were there because of me?” I licked my lips and took a deep breath in. “What does that mean?”
He didn’t answer for several seconds, but the way he watched me was almost intense, as if he were studying my reaction to his words.
“It means exactly what it means.” He leaned forward and clasped his hands together on top of the table, his forearms parallel with each other. He looked me directly in the eyes. “I overheard you talking about going there, about what time you’d be there, when I was at the coffee shop. So I followed you, Grace. I can only imagine what happens at clubs, and I was right. I was there because of you, because I wanted to protect you.”
I shook my head slowly but didn’t know why I was doing that. This was actually happening? Professor Goode, Lucian, had stalked me? That should’ve terrified me, yet I found myself warming. The very idea that he’d gone to those lengths to be close to me, to think he was protecting me, had arousal moving through my veins in an almost twisted manner.
“I don’t think that’s normal,” I whispered, although the words seemed foreign to me.
“It’s very normal when it comes to my need for you, my desire, Grace.”
I felt my eyes widen and leaned back a little bit, the chair creaking from my shift. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know how to react. This had been what I’d fantasized about but never thought I’d have as my reality.
I was in love with Professor Goode, yet could I ever actually admit that?
I didn’t know how to handle his words, his admission.
“And when you were at the coffee shop and overheard me and Sherry … were you there by chance?”
He stared at me for a second before finally shaking his head. I felt my heart race.
“I’ve wanted you for a long time, Grace, since the very first moment I saw you step into my class with that clear lip gloss on your red lips, wearing that little sundress, and your hair piled in a messy bun.”
The way he spoke was as if he envisioned that very day right now.
“I remember there was perspiration on your temple, and how much I wanted to run my fingers along those beads.”
I felt like I was sweating now, from what he said, how he watched me. Was this really happening?
“Yes, Grace. It’s really happening.” I hadn’t realized I’d said those words out loud. He reached out, and I was frozen in place as he brushed a strand of hair away from my shoulder, his fingers lingering on my cheek. “And now that I’ve admitted how I feel, now that you know the truth … I’m not about to let you go.”
ChapterEleven
Professor Goode
She’d been extremely quiet since I told her how I felt in my kitchen, and although I wanted her to talk to me, I also knew pushing her would only drive her further away.
