Page 183 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 1
"No, not at all. So, who is this then?" Mason was looking at me again.
Before I could respond, Professor Hunter said, "This is my girlfriend, Penny."
Mason smiled. "Girlfriend? You didn't wait around long. Nice to meet you, Penny." He put his hand out for me.
I shook it. "It's nice to meet you. How do you two know each other?"
"James and I grew up together. Oh, the stories I could tell you..."
"Maybe another day," Professor Hunter interjected and laughed.
"I'll have to hold you to that," I said.
"Well," Mason said and looked down at his watch. "I have a meeting I need to get to. If you ever change your mind, you have my number, James." Mason winked and walked away.
As soon as Mason was out of earshot, I said, "What was he talking about?"
"Yeah, you don't want to know. Let's go to our room."
We stepped onto the elevator with the man from the front desk. There was instrumental music playing. I had heard of elevator music, but I had never been in an elevator that actually played it. I looked up at Professor Hunter. He was smiling at me. Whatever the surprise was, he seemed so excited. I liked when he looked happy. The playful grin on his face made him look younger.
The doors dinged and opened. The man guided us down an equally ornate hallway to our room.
"If there is anything else you need, please don't hesitate to call the front desk. Turndown service is at nine. Have a good afternoon."
"You too," Professor Hunter said. He slid the access card into the reader and opened the door.
I quickly walked past him. "Oh my God." I almost ran up to the window. We had the most amazing view of the city and of Central Park. It was beautiful. I had never seen anything like it.
"I told you that I could get you to like New York." He pushed my hair to one side and kissed the back of my neck. His hands slid to my waist.
"It's beautiful."
"You should see it at night." He kissed my neck again. His fingers traced the waistline of my jeans.
I turned around to face him. "Are we spending the night?"
"I haven't decided yet."
"But I have to go back. I have classes."
"Me too." He ran his nose down the length of mine and pressed his forehead against mine. "But I don't want to go back."
I wrapped my arms around his back and placed the side of my head against his chest. "Me either." It was comforting to hear his steady breathing.
He ran his fingers through my hair.
I looked back up at him. "I know I've made mistakes. Thank you for forgiving me. Thank you for letting me back in."
"Thank you for forgiving me."
"You're different here."
"Different?"
"More relaxed, I guess."
"Well I'm not Professor Hunter here. I'm just me."
