Page 148 of The Forbidden Note

“I should have kept closer tabs on him,” Zane growls.

I shake my head, unable to look into his eyes. He’s this all-consuming darkness that scrambles my brain and makes me reckless.

And stupid.

Because following Zane Cross into a classroom and dropping my panties like an eager virgin is the very definition of stupid.

And dropping said panties while all of Redwood Prep is just a floor below is even more foolish.

I know better.

As a teacher.

As an adult.

As the one with the most to lose.

At the very least, I should have told him to wait until later, when we could leave the lion’s den.

No.

I shouldn’t have let this happen at all.

“Come back to me, tiger.” Zane’s fingers settle on my cheek and he turns me to face him.

I close my eyes, trying not to think too hard about what we’ve just done. “We need to focus. Dutch is here. That means they’re ready.”

I feel Zane’s hot gaze drilling into me.

Uneasily, I crack my eyelids apart and find him staring. For a brief flash, I let myself pretend that I’m safe. That it will all be okay. That I can walk out of here, holding Zane’s hand and not feel like the world will fall apart.

But the vision only lasts a second.

Even though I love books, I’ve never been the type who could live in a fantasy.

The closer Zane gets to me and my heart, the more panic I feel.

This won’t end well.

There is no universe, nogalaxy, where this spells out a happy ending.

Zane watches me, watches it all and his face turns hard. He steps back, expression unreadable. I wish I could peer into his mind right now. I wish he didn’t feel so untouchable, so unreachable, like a galaxy so far removed from mine it hasn’t even been discovered yet.

But I can’t be this distracted.

I came here for Sloane.

She’s all that matters.

Tonight, I’ll be one step closer to the answers I need.

I let the numbness overtake me and step out of my panties clinically.

Zane frowns. “Aren’t you going to need those?”

“I brought extra,” I grumble, feeling more exposed now than I did when he shoved the front of my skirt at me.

Maybe I knew this would happen. Maybe I was hoping this would happen.

---