Page 27 of Rolling with my Professors

“Josh—” Sterling starts, but his son cuts him off.

“I knocked. No one answered.” His gaze flickers over me as I tug my shirt into place, then shoots back to his dad. “Guess you won’t object to paying my tuition.”

He had a full-ride athletic scholarship. Why would he need tuition? Did he lose his scholarship?

Sterling’s face turns a shade of red that can’t be healthy. He takes a step forward, but Rutherford grips his arm, holding him back.

Josh smirks as he retreats, letting the door shut behind him. Is that what this was all about? Money?

“Goddammit!” Sterling paces like a caged animal, then grabs the doorknob. “I knew he was up to no good.”

“Calm down.” Rutherford’s voice is commanding. “You need to think this through.”

Sterling whirls on him. “Think what through? He’s blackmailing me!”

“Don’t force him to play his hand,” Rutherford snaps. “You chase after him now, you’ll only make things worse.”

Sterling’s chest heaves, but some of the fight leaves him. He turns to me, his expression softening. “Mila, I’m sorry. I’ll fix—”

I cut him off. “It’s not your fault. We all knew this had risks.”

He looks at me, then at Rutherford, a determined glint in his eyes. “I won’t give him power over our relationship. And I won’t give him another cent… ever.”

Emotions swirl inside me. I’m not sure how to take that. Is he standing up for me, for us, or is this just about his pride? A quick risk assessment tells me that my scholarship is nothing compared to their jobs.

I have to protect them before Sterling does something stupid. “We don’t have a relationship. We had fun. It’s over. He can’t prove anything as long as we stop.”

Sterling and Rutherford stare at me in disbelief. They’re hurt, and for a moment, I almost take it back. But I can’t. This is the only way to stop Josh.

“We all crossed the moral line,” I say, my voice steadier than I feel. “If he tries to out us, all we have to do is lie. That’s no worse than what we did.”

Rutherford steps forward, his eyes searching mine. “Mila, you can’t be serious. What we have is more than just fun.”

I shake my head, backing to the door. “No.”

Sterling’s voice is low and urgent. “We can figure this out. Let me handle Josh.”

“This isn’t about Josh. It’s about us. About what we’re doing. It’s wrong, and we all know it.”

Without looking back, I leave. Their protests cut off as the door closes.

Chapter 12

Mila

My entire world has been in limbo as I’ve kept my appearances to a minimum for over a week. Studying is an easy, but lonely excuse, and leaves me far too much time to explore my possible multiverse futures.

Sliding into the locker room as my teammates are already heading onto the practice rink, my heart isn’t in it. I’ve lost interest in everything lately. Life simply isn’t as vibrant as it was when I let myself wander down the fantasy rabbit hole of hooking up with my professors.

The big question is if I wandered too far? My fingers tighten on the paper sack I’m carrying. In a few minutes, I’ll know if I can let Sterling and Rutherford fade into my past, or if they’re tied to me forever.

Belova, Avery, and Nikki stop in their tracks when they see me.

“Whoa, Mila. What’s wrong?” Nikki says, eyeing me up and down.

I muster a smile. “Sorry I’m late.”

Belova tilts her head, concern etching her features. “You’ve been off for weeks now.”

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