Page 37 of Where We Met

"Luke—" I try to speak, but he keeps going.

"I'm so sorry. I know I'm failing you miserably. I'm clearly such a fuck up at this professor thing. I just wanted you to know that none of this is your fault and—"

I cut him off. "Luke. Stop it. You don't need to apologize. I'm just as guilty as you. None of this should have happened. It's wrong. From now on, let's just forget about it." I shrug my shoulders. "Maybe we can revisit the idea after the semester if we’re both still interested."

He seems caught off-guard. "You would wait?" he asks, looking both hopeful and skeptical.

"I think you might be worth it," I tell him with a smile.

Amusement flickers in his eyes. "I'd say the odds are in your favor. If our kiss was anything to go off, a lifetime of waiting would be worth it for me."

I look to the side, needing to break the emotions his words have evoked. "Let's try to cool it on saying things like that right now. This is already hard enough."

He bites his lip with satisfaction then takes a step toward me.

"So, Italy, huh? Congratulations, Miss Davis."

"Thank you." I give him a bright, wide smile.

He shakes his head. "A toothy grin like that makes all of this worth it. I'm so happy you’re going to get this experience."

"I'm so excited."

"I have to say, I was shocked to see your name. What are the odds? An auditorium full of students, and you're the winner."

I cross my arms across my chest. "Are you saying you don’t think I'm smart enough to have actually gotten the highest score?"

He throws his head back and lets out a big peal of laughter. "Savannah, I know how smart you are, but each student had a .6 percent chance of winning. I wasn't going to hold my breath hoping it was you."

"But you wanted it to be me?"

"With everything in me, I wanted it to be you."

I take in a shaky breath. "Okay, I need to get away from you right now. When I see you on Monday for Italy, please try to be a bit more of a dick."

He tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. "I'll do my best, princess."

With both hands on my hips, I give him my best annoyed look at his inability to follow a simple request.

"You asked me to be a dick starting Monday," he says as he backs away with a wink. "I'll see you in class on Wednesday…Savannah."

"Bye,ProfessorLuke," I bite back.

He shakes his head but doesn't lose the hint of amusement in his eyes.

When I get into my car, I have to let out a girly scream of excitement. I’m going to Italy with a man I'm pretty sure I'm falling for, despite my best efforts. And we both agreed we can wait until the semester is over.

What could go wrong?

Chapter Thirteen

Luke

"Everythingsquaredawaywiththe university? Are you meeting the student at the airport?" Marcus asks while Vino is cuddled up on his lap.

My dog does this every time my suitcase is out and packed. She gets sad and distant, seeming angry that I’m daring to leave her again. I hate being apart from her for even a week, but at least I know I'll be on the receiving end of her endless affection when I get back.

"Yeah, we're meeting at the security check."

---