Page 106 of Teacher's Pet

If Professor Ackerman is taking advantage of Ana, would she even realize it?

She’s vulnerable. She’s looking for an escape, for release.

And he’s young, successful, powerful. The kind of man who knows exactly the effect he has on people.

How could she resist something that feels like control when everything else in her life is slipping through her fingers?

I swallow hard.

"No," I whisper, my grip tightening around my phone. "I don’t think I will."

Elijah watches me, silent for a long moment.

"At the end of the day, I love Ana." The words feel heavy in my mouth. "And I care for her deeply. Call me delusional, but at least there’s someone in her corner thinking with something other than their hormones."

Elijah heaves a deep sigh, rubbing his eyes.

"We are not letting this go, are we?"

I smirk. "We?"

He gives me a look, rolling his eyes.

"You’re not the only one who loves Ana, bitch."

His words catch me off guard, but they make something warm bloom in my chest.

He pats my shoulder, offering a small but determined smile.

"Let’s keep our girl safe."

For the first time all night, a smile tugs at my lips too.

Chapter 20

Anastasia

Icould hear them.

Every word.

Every syllable spoken when Megan and Elijah thought they were alone.

Their voices carried through the walls, slicing through the veil of steam filling the bathroom.

I kept my head pressed to the door, listening, even after I had turned the water on.

A cold, creeping dread spread through my body, settling deep in my bones.

They know something.

Or, at the very least, they suspect something.

And if their suspicions grow into certainty, if they put the pieces together before I could figure out my next move, everything would implode.

What happened between Noah and me, the tension, the hunger, the way he claimed me, had been ours alone. But now?

Now, it’s a fucking disaster.

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