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Cara wasn’t wrong though. Zee looked like a million bucks in her vibrant violet dress that accentuated her curves. The low-cut neckline made me want to bury my face between her ample boobs, and I could just imagine Tristan getting all possessive about how big his hands looked against her cinched-in waist. But my favourite was the flared skirt that was playful and sexy at the same time. It didn’t hurt that it barely covered her butt. I’d watched her walk away from me, and that glimpse of the curve of her cheeks had me as hard as stone. I wanted nothing more than to watch Tristan bend her over in his office again.
The door slammed behind us, and I jumped, flinching at the noise. Tristan—Professor Reid—strode in. He was all business in his dark suit, and his scowl upped the intimidation factor a hundredfold.
But instead of being scared, my heart ached. His normally blazing green eyes were dull, and his shoulders were slumped. He was hurting. Anger and powerlessness to stop Ezra from walking away were tearing him apart.
I wanted to go to him, take him into my arms, and help him forget. If it wouldn’t prove fatal for his career, I wouldn’t hesitate to do it right here and now.
Glancing over at our girl, I saw Zee wince before she turned to me, her eyes filled with concern. Lips pressed in a tight line, her brow furrowed, she flicked her gaze down, silently asking my opinion on our plan to get his mind off things. It was a definite yes.
Zee and I had heard every word of their conversation that morning. Tristan had opened himself up to Ezra, admitting just how much he wanted him. Watching them make love was the most incredible thing I’d ever witnessed. It was a privilege to see them drop all pretences and just let their bodies—their souls—speak. Everything from the way they moved together, the need in their touch, the sounds they made, and the words they said was beautiful.
But then Ezra had reminded all of us that Monroe, his friend, was Zee’s dad. Apparently, even though Tristan loved him, Ezra was offering just a one-time-only deal. He’d stomped on Tristan’s shattered heart, letting the pieces crunch under his size-eleven boots like broken glass when he walked out without even a backward glance.
Our man was going to get a talking to. No one hurt my Tristan like that.
Zee had tried to stop Ezra, but he’d shaken his head and stepped around her, seemingly without a care. I hadn’t bothered with him. If he wanted to leave because things weren’t easy, that was on him. Monroe was a good guy; he would understand that Ezhad fallen in love with us. Roe knew love. He knew how powerful and all-consuming it was. All Ezra had to do was sit down and explain it. Instead, he was taking the coward’s way out.
I’d concentrated on Tristan instead, taking him into my arms. He’d been the one to lift me up, but I hadn’t hesitated in winding myself around him like a koala. He’d pulled me tight against him, clutching me for long minutes, his breathing ragged. Without a word, he’d eventually let me down and kissed my forehead before walking away when Ryder interrupted us in the galley.
Tristan was still putting on a brave face, but he wasn’t fooling either of us.
“Right, let’s get started,” he demanded, and the room quickly fell silent. “We have one presentation today, which we’ll do in the second half of the class. In the meantime, where are you all up to with your research?” His voice was a deeper rasp than normal, as if he’d screamed his throat raw.
“We’ve made some progress,” a student at the back said. Turning on my chair, I immediately spotted him. He was the same hipster guy—trimmed beard, glasses, and a buttoned-up shirt—who Cara and I had shut down in an earlier class. He was a know-it-all and so arrogant that I wanted to do violent things to him.
“I’ve worked with the firm who did the liquidation before. They’ve got offices all over the world. Shortly after the GFC started, they had a massive expansion. I found out that the liquidator who signed off on the report is a partner at the firm, so I called her up—”
“You did what?” Tristan exploded. His voice echoed around the room.
All of us sat in stunned silence. He clenched his fists and glared daggers at hipster guy, his eyes narrowing and his jaw bulging.
Clueless and apparently with a death wish, hipster guy responded nonchalantly, “I called her up to have a chat.”
If looks could kill, hipster dude would be dead. Tristan’s glare turned even more fierce. He straightened his fingers, then clenched his hands back into fists. A vein at his temple pulsed. Tristan growled, “No onehasanycontact with any research target without my explicit permission. Is. That. Understood?”
“Professor,” Zee called in a sweet-as-pie voice. She raised her hand and waved to get his attention. “With respect, I’m sure—” She gestured to hipster dude, who hastily said that his name was Jude. “—Jude had a good reason to do what he did.”
“Zali, a word. Now,” Tristan snapped before stomping out the door. Zee was up and out of her seat in an instant, racing out after Tristan.
Cara turned to me wide-eyed. “What just happened?” she squeaked. “I hope she doesn’t get in trouble. Oh man, what if she gets kicked out of class? She’s so brave—and crazy for standing up for that idiot—”
“Don’t worry, Zee can hold her own,” I reassured her. But my heart was pounding, and my stomach was churning. I didn’t dare breathe until Zee came back through the door a few moments later and slipped into her seat, her cheeks flushed and biting back a smile.
Tristan followed more slowly, hands in his pockets and gaze pinned to the floor. When he stood back behind the lectern, he scanned the room, focussing on hipster dude. “I apologize. My outburst was unprofessional. I’m bound by my ethics approval to conduct this research in a certain way. As I’ve explained before, I need to comply with set rules when conducting interviews, so please, no contact with research targets without my involvement so that we don’t run the risk of breaching my ethics approval. Nevertheless, Jude, please continue.”
“Ah, sure.” Jude hesitated. “I did up a bit of a timeline. Can I show it on the big screen?”
Tristan nodded, and they set the display up so that it was mirroring Jude’s computer. I was only half listening when Jude began explaining to both Tristan and the class that he had a background in business.
“What did Professor Dreamy Grumpster say?” Cara asked Zee in a conspiratorial whisper.
“I have to see him after class.”
“Oh no. He’s really mad, isn’t he. He’s even grumpier than normal today.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Zee countered at the same time as I added, “I’ll come with you.”
Cara’s sigh was filled with yearning. “I wish I had a sweet boyfriend like you.”
