Page 97 of Forbidden Lessons

I obviously came here for a reason. Soon as I’m done showering, I’m going to figure out what it is.

Chapter 28

Haven

Professor Rooke is perched on the edge of his sofa, cradling a cup of coffee in his hands. He glances up at me as I come back into the living area, and then gives me a double take.

The fireplace casts a warm glow over his face, smudging the shadows cast by his features. It’s hard to make out his expression. Are his brows raised in surprise or outrage?

“Is this okay?” I ask, stopping halfway to the sofa.

“Yes.” He clears his throat. “Glad you could find something that…fit.”

I tug on the rolled-up sleeve. “I had to make it work.”

“Yeah,” he murmurs. “It…it works.” He clears his throat again, flicks a hand toward my coffee cup. “Hope it’s still warm enough. You took longer than I thought.”

“I couldn’t resist that shower,” I say, giving him a small smile as I come to sit beside him. “It took some convincing to turn off the water.”

“It’s a great shower.” He nods a few times, his eyes fixed on the flames dancing over the pretty pebbles. “Great shower.”

It’s weird as hell sitting this close to him without underwear on, even if there’s no way for him to know. I pick up my coffee and inhale its scent.

God, this feels awkward.

“No bourbon this time,” I say wryly as I take a small sip.

He laughs, and then immediately cuts off the sound. His eyes flicker over to me, and then dart away, like he can’t bear to look at me.

Oh, shit. Can he see the marks Kai left on me?

I grab the front of the hoodie, near the base of the hood, snuggling deeper into it like I’m still cold. Although, after letting that shower pound my body with hot water, I’m anything but cold.

“Here.” My professor leans over, snagging the throw from the back of the sofa and dragging it over my legs.

I get the feeling it’s less about keeping me warm and more about covering me up. Maybe this hoodie was a bad idea. I should have looked for shorts or something.

Or a pair of Professor Rooke’s silk boxers.

Coffee splutters out of my mouth. Fuck, that thought came out of nowhere. I was not prepared.

“You okay?”

“Hot,” I lie, wiping at my mouth and ducking my head to check I didn’t get any coffee on his dove-gray hoodie.

When I look up, I catch him staring at me again. He looks away, sips at his coffee, grimaces. “Why are you here, Haven?”

Now I’m glad I took the time to shower. Sure, the water jets that pummeled my body into submission were amazing. And my professor’s body lotion smells as good as he does. And I might have washed my hair with his shampoo, too, and then towel-dried it while I stared into the mirror above his vanity and wondered what it would be like to live here.

Desperately trying to keep the dream alive.

But more importantly, I figured out how to explain him finding me on his doorstep.

“I, uh…have to take a few days off.” I close my eyes, holding up a hand in case he tries to interrupt. “It’s personal, and I don’t want to talk about it.”

When I dare to peek at him, he’s staring into the fire. “You waited outside my door in the pouring rain to tell me you wouldn’t be in class for a few days?”

His voice is as hollow as the lie I’m trying to pass off as the truth.

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