Page 31 of Where We Met

"Let's go, bud." Marcus puts his arm around my neck. "They're ushering us back into the tent."

I follow his lead, noting Gabe and Alex have their own sweetheart table at the front of the tent, and take a seat at my family’s table.

They've transformed the entire area to be lit up with candles, offering a romantic glow to the night.

"Excuse me, sir," someone says from behind me. "Can I top off your champagne?"

"No, thank you." I turn to the waitress. "I'm gonna grab a drink at the bar."

Just as I finish, I realize it's Savannah standing behind me.

An audible gasp leaves her lips, which catches the attention of Marcus and Pa. Leave it to these two men to notice a beautiful woman's actions even among the noise level of the room.

"Professor Luke," she says in shock.

"Savannah." I nod kindly, even though all I want to do is grab her and claim her as mine.

I see the way Marcus is looking her up and down right now. I give him the side eye, hoping he understands what it means.

Back. The. Fuck. Off.

"You're in Lucas's class?" Marcus leans against his chair, arm resting over the back. "You look much too old to be in college."

She smiles at him. "I graduate in two months."

Ahh. I guess that makes sense. So, tell me, is my brother just about the worst professor you've ever had?"

Her head bounces between the two of us, taking in the fact that she’s speaking to my brother at the moment.

"Actually, he's an incredible professor. He's so passionate about the subject and brings so much real-world experience. I've learned a lot from him this semester."

I can feel her eyes on me, but I'm filled with so much guilt and embarrassment that I can't meet her gaze. I look past her with a tight smile and a firm nod of my head.

"Thank you, Savannah. It was nice to see you tonight."

Her face falls. I hate that I have to do this, but I need this moment to be over. I can't have my family finding out there is something going on between us, especially when I’m not sure how I’d even describe it.

"Nice to see you too,Professor," she replies in a sarcastic tone, then walks away.

Marcus whistles softly. "If that's what the college students are lookin' like these days, I think I may need to look into becoming a professor myself."

I punch his arm harder than I had originally intended.

"Ow, that hurt! What the fuck was that for?" He shoves me.

"Don't talk about my… student like that," I say, recovering from almost calling her my girl.

Shit, that could have been bad.

Pa gives me a curious look which makes me squirm in my seat, wondering what he's thinking. One thing I've learned is that you don't want to be on the receiving end of his disappointment. He has a way of making you feel horrible without saying much.

Servers begin serving dinner, waltzing in with large trays holding elegant plates of lobster, steak, short ribs, and salmon. The laughter surrounding me is only background noise to what my brain is focusing on. I spot Savannah walking in with that annoying ass guy on her tail again.

I lean back in my seat, scotch in hand, and follow her every movement. From the way she walks to the delicate slant of her neck to the loose hair falling from her ponytail. Everything about her is captivating.

She finds my eyes across the room and gives me a nasty scowl as she approaches my table. Her and the annoying punk set their trays on stands and begin to pass out the large family-style plates.

When she has to come to my side of the table and reach over my shoulder to put the plate in the last available spot in the center, I can't help but lean in toward her. She smells fresh with a nice floral scent to it, despite hauling ass on the job.

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