Page 101 of Scarred King

“Elena,” he sits down on the edge of the bed, moves my hair aside and strokes my bare back. “My Duchess shouldn’t have to work to pay her tuition. I’ll do it for her gladly.”

“That’s impossible,” I insist. “I won’t be tied to you because of money.” He laughs and I turn around and look at him angrily.

“We both know the last thing that would tie you to me would be money.” He combs his hair with his fingers and smiles at me. “You can’t keep swinging between both worlds. You already understand that you belong to me.” He winks and before I can open my mouth to protest, he continues, “And I belong to you!” Now I smile. “Despite all the disadvantages, there are also some advantages. And one of them is that you don’t need to work anymore.”

I wrinkle my forehead. My brain refuses to accept what he’s saying but my heart has joined my body’s passion and it’s stronger than both of them. I’m here because I want to be, because I can’t imagine my life without him right now. My brain is still telling me that this is the biggest mistake I could ever make, but his touch on my cheek makes all the disturbing thoughts go away.

“So… I could just go to school then, right?” I ask cautiously and he laughs again and kisses me on the lips.

“Most of my colleagues' women use their spare time for important stuff like cosmetic surgery, getting their hair done, shopping…” when he sees my disgusted expression he laughs again. “But my Duchess can certainly use her time to study.”

Suddenly I feel that the heavy rock I’ve been carrying on my back for so long is starting to crumble. It feels wonderful, and I'm afraid that my brain will take over again. I jump out of bed, put on the T-shirt he threw on the floor, and run downstairs. When I return, he’s still sitting on the bed, tying his shoes.

“These are the tuition vouchers. Will you really pay them?” I hold them with trembling hands. “Because it’s a lot of money, you know…”

He stands up, snatches them out of my hands and puts them in the back pocket of his jeans. “Let me guess,” He smirks, “Thirty thousand dollars?”

“Yes,” I mumble, worried that he’ll change his mind.

“Okay,” he pulls me to him. “I think I can handle that,” he smiles.

The rock on my back explodes into tiny pieces and I’m overwhelmed by a sense of relief, but my brain is still intruding on my joy and I pull myself back in panic.

“Now you listen carefully,” I wave a threatening finger at him. “If you think that you’ve just bought me, you’re very wrong.” I blow sideways to move a lock of hair that’s stuck to my cheek. “If I feel that this changes how you feel about me, if I think that you’re starting to feel like you own me or even if—”

“Hey, hey,” he cuts me off and takes a step towards me. “My Duchess is back…” he smiles. “Have I told you how sexy you look in that T-shirt?” he asks and presses close to me, slipping his hand inside the shirt and groping my breast.

“Liam, be serious!” I reply angrily, but my body is already responding to him.

He puts his other hand on my ass, pushes me against the wall and unbuckles his belt.

“I’m very serious,” he pushes his hips towards me. “I promised to pay you thirty thousand dollars, and I intend to collect on my debt. Do you do special stuff, too?”

“Liam!” I shout in annoyance and he bursts into laughter.

“Stop being such a prude.” He throws me on the bed and when I smile, he quickly takes off his clothes.

40

My new daily routine is wonderful. Liam drives me to the university every morning, and now that I don’t have to worry about paying tuition anymore, my mind is free to concentrate on my studies. He picks me up in the evenings, brings me home and we have mind-blowing sex. A wonderful and satisfying routine.

Johanna always comes in for the second class and sits down next to me looking vibrant and determined. During our breaks we sit on the lawn, share our meals, and chat about everything except her job. Occasionally she abandons me, goes to the restroom and comes out lively and energetic. I want to talk to her about the dangerous drug she’s using and about her problematic job, but now that I live off the black hole, I'm ashamed whenever I feel like I'm judging her and decide against confronting her. She always leaves at the same time. I don’t ask questions and she doesn’t volunteer any information.

I’m sitting in Professor Sawyer’s last class. He introduces the new professor and despite all the praise he showers on her, I feel terribly sad. I look around at the other students and notice they have the same expression as me. It bothers me. They can’t grieve like me. I feel like he’s my professor; it’s hard for me to share him with all the other students in the room.

Class ends and I remain in my seat. I watch him as he says goodbye sweetly to some female students who are crying. Finally, he puts his papers away in his briefcase and turns to leave. Then he notices me. His smile widens and instead of signaling me to come to the stage, he comes over and sits down next to me.

“I sent you several emails, but you didn’t reply to any of them,” he says, concerned.

“It’s hard for me to accept the fact that you’re leaving me,” I say honestly, avoiding his gaze.

“I’m not leaving you.” He leans back and looks at me. “I’m leaving the university. And I want to continue the research with you. If you answered my emails, I'd be able to explain to you that I’ve taken care of it.”

“While you’re in Los Angeles and I’m here?” I ask bitterly.

“Come see the university there,” he says, and I widen my eyes in surprise. “I checked, and I’m sure we can fit you in the honors roll courses there as well. There’s really nothing keeping you here.”

His words shock me. I can’t get a word out.

---