Page 41 of My Forbidden Professor

But she never told me the full truth.

Does she not trust me? Have I done anything to make her think she shouldn’t? A lot. There’s a lot I’ve kept from her too.

Lies on all sides.

I need to talk to her, to hear her side of the story. But I’m afraid of what I might find out. Afraid that the fragile, forbidden relationship we’ve built will crumble. But as the minutes tick by, the silence of my office deafening, I wonder if I ever really had her to begin with.

My cell rings and Marcus’s name flashes on the screen. Part of me wants to ignore the call, but I know better than to defy him. I stab the answer button.

“Marcus,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady.

“I trust you’ve heard the big news,” he drawls.

My throat constricts. “Yes, I... I saw the pictures.”

“Excellent. This is the opportunity we’ve been waiting for.” I want to hurl at the smug note in his voice. At the insinuation that I’m a willing part of anything he’s demanded of me. Of what I know he’s going to ask of me.

“She’s a student, Marcus,” I say. I have to try even though I know it won’t work.

“You’re not stupid, Jacob. You know what to do. Once you have her under your spell, you convince her to persuade her father to make generous ‘donations’ to the university.” He chuckles. “I’m sure a bright girl like her will understand the benefits of investing in her education.”

Bile rises in my throat as I consider the depravity of his plan. It’s despicable, unforgivable. And she’s going to think that’s all she means to me when she finds out. Because she will. She’s that kind of smart.

“I... I’ll try,” I manage, the words feeling like ash in my mouth. “She…might not like me. Not like that.” I have to put the idea in his head. Have to at least try.

“Oh, you’ll do more than try, Jacob. You’ll do everything you can to make that girl fall for you,” Marcus warns. “Do I need to remind you of the consequences if you fail?”

I know he’s not bluffing. Only now it’s not just my career on the line. Steph will be under public scrutiny. Now more than ever. There’s a very real threat that who we are to each other will be discovered. But if I go along with his twisted plan...Steph may never forgive me when the truth comes out. I’ll have betrayed the woman I love in the worst way possible. Revulsion wars with resignation inside me. I’ve never felt so helpless, so cornered.

“No, you don’t need to remind me,” I say, defeat weighing down my words.

There’s a beat of silence, then Marcus gives a happy chuckle that makes me feel subhuman. “Excellent. And I want to see some of my funds deposited directly into my account. I’m tired of waiting. Especially since I know more will be coming in. I’ll expect a transfer into my account today, and regular updates on your...relations with Miss Chandler.”

The call disconnects, but Marcus’s violation lingers. I toss my cell on my desk and bury my face in my hands. If she ever finds out the truth of what I’ve agreed to, she’ll hate me. I’m utterly, hopelessly trapped...with no way to protect the woman I love from the fallout to come.

Chapter Eighteen

Steph

The cacophony of noise in the bustling airport baggage claim area washes over me in a discordant wave—a jarring juxtaposition to the relative serene quiet of the flight I just disembarked. I shift restlessly from foot to foot, craning my neck to scan the conveyor belt for my luggage, desperate for any sense of forward momentum.

Because looming ahead is the one inevitability I’ve been equally dreading and yearning for ever since leaving New York behind—Jacob. A frisson of anticipation sparks low in my belly. It won’t be long before I see him again. It’s only been days, but it feels like forever.

I gnaw at my lower lip, an all too familiar ache settling between my thighs as flashes of us together skitter through my mind. His elegant hands roaming the planes of my body, the scorching slide of his mouth over mine, the reverent way he touches me as he slides into my body.

Warmth rushes to my cheeks and I tug my jacket tighter, trying to rein in the heated swirl of desire until I can sate my aching need. But in spite of the delicious craving, there is a sliver of apprehension that I can’t quite dismiss, regardless of how hard I try.

Our time together has an expiration date. That time looms closer with each passing day. Jacob won’t—can’t—take this thing between us any further, no matter how deeply it resonates in my soul.

And yet...I can’t seem to let him go, either. Not when being with him is the only thing that quiets the incessant hum of anxiety constantly thrumming beneath my skin. Not when he makes me feel more vibrantly myself than anyone else ever has.

He doesn’t know who I am, yet he knows me deeper than anyone ever has.

I haven’t heard from him, but then I remember my cell is still in flight mode. I dig my cell from my pocket and turn off flight mode. Notifications begin to ping as it connects. Jacob. My heart picks up as I flick on my messenger feed, anticipation thrumming through me.

But it’s not him.

The names on the influx of frantic texts flooding my screen make my stomach plummet like a dead weight. Adeline. And Dad.

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