Page 29 of Hot Professor (Tainted Professors)

“But—”

I cut him off with a raised palm.

“Please.”I wave my hand between us. “This is complicated, you know it, and I... I-I can't anymore. There's too much at stake.”Every inch of me screams to run into his arms, tell him I don't mean it and confess that I've fallen in love with him and desperately want him more than anything in the world. I shove the bulky envelope into his hand. “Here. This explains it all.”

“Can we talk about this?”His tone is even, but the tightness in his jaw tells me he's far from okay with my news. Now, his gaze is stormy with confusion and anger.

“I've made my decision.”

I wish I could find something memorable to say, hoping he’ll remember me fondly. All I can manage is a forced smile and a faint expression of gratitude for everything he's shared with me before I turn and walk away.

“Goodbye, Harrison.”His name catches in my throat, tears blocking my ability to say anything more. It feels like I'm drifting aimlessly, with no direction or purpose. All I know is that I need to get out of this room before I fall apart.

I'm halfway down the corridor when a hand grips my elbow, and I’m spun around until I find myself face-to-face with Harrison. He's no longer stone-faced; he's hurt. He’s angry. He’s more hurt though. I can see the pain in his eyes.

My traitorous heart pounds loudly in my chest.

“Wait,”he breathes. There's a plea in those whiskey-colored eyes that guts me.

“Harrison, I?—”

“Listen to me, Ivy.”His voice is a low rumble, the one that makes my body melt under his touch. “You're making a mistake.”

My defenses are already crumbling, but I try to hold it together, to keep myself from falling to pieces in front of him. “No, this is what I have to do.”

He steps closer, pushing me back, crowding me against the wall with his body's size and heat. A flurry of emotion pours off him in waves.

My eyes dart around us, panic setting in, but it’s not fearofhim. It’s fearforhim. “Harrison, somebody will see us.”

“I don't care.”

“I do, and you should.”

His fingers tuck a stray length of hair behind my ear, and my knees weaken at the gesture. “Then come with me, right now to somewhere less public, or I swear to God, we're having this conversation right here.”

“Your class?—”

“Will be fine without me. Let's go.”

He stalks off down the hall, and I tag along behind because, for the life of me, I can'tnotfollow him. Every moment with Harrison Ashe is another moment for the memory banks.

He leads me to a vacant meeting room and ushers me inside, closing the door behind us. The room is dark and small, with only a round table and two chairs. It's clearly intended for private discussions or studying. We don't have any books, but it's as private as we need for this conversation.

He blocks the door with his big body, his hands on his hips, his head down. His shoulders rise and fall with every breath he takes. Finally, he raises his head and looks at me, his eyes dark pools that I could easily drown in. “Why are you leaving, Ivy?”

“I told you?—”

“You didn't tell me anything.”

“It's complicated.”

“No it's not. I love you, Ivy.”

The words crash into me like a wave, soaking through my skin and sinking into my bones.Love?My mind churns, thoughts scattering like stars across the night sky. “Harrison,I...”I blink at him, my resolve melting faster than ice cream on hot asphalt.

He reaches up and caresses my jawline with his thumb. His head tilts slightly as his eyes follow path of this thumb.

I should push away, leave this room, and go through with my plan. But instead, I find myself leaning into him, my hands flattening on his solid chest. “I didn't realize how much I needed to hear that,”I whisper, and it's like admitting a secret I didn't even know I was keeping. “I love you, too.”

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