Page 7 of Lunar Crest University

“I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to?—”

“See me after class,” he interrupts crossly.

My mouth clamps shut as I nod solemnly, averting my eyes to stare down at the spiral bound of my notebook. Is he giving me a hard time because of the other night? Or is he just doing his job?

He’s just doing his job.

I focus on my notebook for the rest of class. My eyes don’t lift when class is dismissed, when everyone gathers their things to leave, not even when Levi tells me he’ll see me tomorrow with a swift peck to my forehead. I keep them down as I pick up my bag and half-empty coffee cup, chucking it in the trash on the way down to the front.

Standing in front of his desk, I look up to see he’s staring at me already, and his lips press into a thin line as he waits for everyone to filter out of the room. Only then does he speak.

“How is your hand?”

Blinking slowly, I glance down at my bandage before looking at him, perplexed.

“How are your ribs?” I counter.

He doesn’t respond as he sits in his chair, and his hands lay on the armrests as his fingers tap against them faintly. Sucking in an irritated breath, he finally clicks his tongue.

“Listen, Finley,” he says. “The other night didn’t happen.”

My brows furrow. “But…it did.”

“Then let’s forget about it, shall we?”

Something in his voice makes my stomach churn. Is it because I allow myself to care about how he speaks to me?

I don’t care.

“And what happens if I don’t forget about it?” I question casually, adjusting the strap of the bag on my shoulder. “What then?”

“You’ll forget.”

He sounds confident.

“Why?” I bite back, my skin prickling with heat as I cross my arms over my chest. “Because you’ll threaten me if I don’t?”

“No,” he snaps quickly, standing from his chair as he leans over the desk toward me, pressing his palms flat against the wood. “Because I’m asking you nicely. And I’ll only ask once.”

I hadn’t noticed how close we had gotten until I could feel his breath fanning across my exposed neck. Once the realization dawns, I step backward in a huff, hoping the blush creeping into my cheeks isn’t noticeable.

“Fine.”

“Good.”

“Great,” I grumble, blowing the stray hairs from my face.

I refuse to spare him a second glance as I shove open the door, storming down the hallway and out into the cold drizzle. Pulling my blazer tighter around me, I squint against the rain that seeps into my hair and clothes.

He pinpointed me because he wanted to make sure I wouldn’t go running my mouth. It wasn’t because I had done anything wrong, but because he was protecting his own ass. This is what I get for getting caught up in brown eyes and pet names instead of keeping my guard up and calling the police like any normal person would have done.

Jerk.

Hot. Grumpy. Professor. Jerk.

Chapter Two

LUCA

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