Page 9 of My Forbidden Professor

I duck my head and power along.

I push through the door, keeping my eyes on my feet and floor and walk straight into the edge of the desk. My hip juts against the corner and I miss my step, tripping over the riser as my legs fold under me. My bag flies off my shoulder and I sprawl across the floor.

I scramble to my knees and gather my things. An arm lands on the table beside me and I glance up at the hand knotted with veins, then follow the muscular forearm to a tan jacket. My gaze travels up and up his chiseled body to his neck and square jaw and wavy blond hair.

An invisible sword stabs my chest.

Daniel.

It can’t be! I was meant to be safe here. There’s no way he could be on campus. Not this campus. My safe place, but I can’t drag my eyes off him.

It…can’t be him. I blink, waiting for the picture to change but it remains stubbornly real. I stare at the hand he holds out to me. His scent triggers a rush of memory. The one I’ve tried to lock away.

My stomach roils. That beer and whiskey and lemon scent I’d know anywhere. The scent I thought I’d never smell again outside of my nightmares. The hole in my chest crumbles and the sharp little pebbles dig into my heart as I rap my feet against the floor and use the chair as leverage to stand without having to touch him. I gather the rest of my items—slipping my cell into my back pocket—and shove my books into my bag, still ignoring the hand he continues to hold out.

“What are you doing with library books? You can afford new books from the college book store, Steph,” he says. That voice. So smooth. Sincere, with a hint of cruelty.

My heart plummets lower in my chest while the hole widens. I curl my free hand over my middle; it’s the only thing that holds the shards of my brittle heart in place. I glance at Daniel’s smug smile and lift my chin. “What are you doing here?”

My head stutters with flashes of the photos he took of me while I’d been sleeping. At my most vulnerable. Photos he’d told me he’d show my father and leak to the public if I didn’t do what he wanted. I could imagine them splashed across the biggest gossip magazine, printed in glossy, gory detail.

“What does anyone do at university? I’m taking some classes. Luckily your dad agreed with me. I need to learn some key business theories for my next promotion. He thought it would be a great idea to surprise you with my enrolment. He knows how I hold a special place in your heart.” Daniel smirks and the hammer that pounds against my skull moves down my spine into the small of my back. I fold my other arm across my stomach and curl my hand into my ribs. Dots rush through my vision and I swallow the bile that scalds the back of my throat.

The beautiful, precious, trusting phrase, “I love you,” had been the last words he’d said before he took my innocence. I wish those memories didn’t have the power to resurface so easily.

I don’t have a heart any more. It’s nothing but a lump of meat that leaks blood with every beat.

“Miss Smith? Back to take more classes?” the woman behind the desk says. She’s familiar, and has helped me choose extra classes in the past. She smiles, not realizing what she’s just revealed.

Daniel’s smirk broadens and a spark flickers to life in his sky blue eyes. “Miss Smith, hey? Nice way to keep a low profile. How many people here know who you truly are. Stephanie Chan...”

My throat threatens to close over. I grab his wrist, dropping it nearly as soon as I touch him. “You wouldn’t.”

The smug asshole lets me stew in my horror for a few beats before he whispers words I don’t want to hear.

“I find college life very expensive. Five thousand. In my bank by tonight. No cancelled deposit or the word goes around.”

My family might be rich, but there’s no way to access my money without notification reaching Dad. I know he wouldn’t hesitate to give me whatever I ask for, but then I’d have to explain why I need the funds. “You know I can’t…”

“Sweetie, you and I both know how smart you are.” He taps my cheek as ice seeps through my veins. “You’ll find a way. You always do.”

Chapter Five

Jacob

That kiss. Those lips. The way her eyelashes fanned over her cheeks as she leaned into me. Images assault my mind, both wanted and unwanted. I’ve never been affected by a woman. Not like this. Not so totally beyond my control.

Even my sleep is invaded by images of her. Lucid dreams streamed one after the other, driving through my skull straight to my cock. Not only of that kiss. But of all of the other times I’ve seen her on campus, head down, hair covering her face, laptop held over her chest as though she’s wielding a shield. There’s no need for her to hide.

She’s beautiful.

Enthralling.

An obsession.

I’ve also noticed the way young men watch her. If she lifted her head; wasn’t wrapped up in her own world so much, she’d see them too. I’m not prepared for the quick upper jab of jealousy that hits me right in the center of my chest.

She never answered when I questioned her about harassment. Or worse. She left before I’d gathered my wits about me and, despite my best efforts, I haven’t seen a trace of her around campus since then.

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