Page 2 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 1
"Well I can tell we'll all be enjoying your speeches. Ellie Doyle?"
A girl stood up in the front of the room and began talking, but I tuned her out. My heart was racing fast. I barely liked saying "here" when a professor called my name. I stared at Professor Hunter as he listened to the answers his students were giving. Every now and then a smile would break over his face. He was so handsome.
"Tyler Stevens?" Professor Hunter called.
He was getting close to my name. I looked down at the blank paper in front of me and tried to focus.
"Penny Taylor?"
My throat went dry.
"Penny Taylor?" the professor repeated.
I slowly stood up. "Hi everyone, I'm Penny." I could feel my face turning red. "Unfortunately, you'll need another of me for my thoughts."
I sat back down.What did I just say?
"Weird," some girl scoffed near the front of the class. A few other people around her snickered.
A smile spread across Professor Hunter's face. "A penny for your thoughts. Well I guess I'll have to bring my piggy bank with me on Friday. Mia Thompson?"
I exhaled slowly and tuned out Mia's answer as I attempted to slow down my accelerated heart beat. A penny clanged on top of my desk. I looked over to my right at the boy sitting next to me. He had shaggy blonde hair and scruff on his face. His eyes were a bright blue.
"I'd pay for your thoughts any day," he said with a smile.
I had been too busy freaking out to have noticed what he said in his introduction. Instead of saying anything, I tucked my hair behind my ear.
"Sigma Pi is having a party Thursday night. You should come, Penny." He handed me a flyer.
"What's your name?"
"Tyler. You know, the guitarist."
I nodded at him politely, knowing that I should have already known his name and his interesting fact.
"You should pay better attention. And since there's no homework for this class, I know you aren't too busy, so I'll see you Thursday," he said with a wink. He picked up his backpack and slung it over one shoulder.
The room was clearing out. I put my notebook into my backpack. Professor Hunter looked at Tyler as he left the room, and then his eyes fell on me. I felt my face flush again. I gave Professor Hunter a small smile and then looked down as I passed by his desk. His chair squeaked and then I felt his fingers as they grazed my forearm. I shivered slightly at his touch.
"Miss Taylor, I'm sorry again about your shirt."
I folded my arms across my chest, suddenly cold. "Oh, no, I'm sorry."
He was quiet for a moment as he looked at me. "Why are you sorry? I was the one that hit you with the door."
I didn't know what I meant. I had a habit of apologizing for everything. "I just meant, about taking your sweater. I'll bring it back."
"No rush. I have quite a few," he gestured to the one he was wearing. It was identical to the one he had given me, except it was a grayish green.
A wave of his sweet scent suddenly hit me. I looked up into his eyes. My fantasies from the previous night wanted to escape. I had a strong desire to be bold, but boldness was only for my dreams. "I didn't realize you were a professor," I blurted out.
He smiled. "It's more fun when students think of me as their peer. I believe it fosters better learning."
That wasn't what I had meant. I meant that he looked really young.How old is he?I realized I was staring at him and silently cursed to myself. "Well I should probably go. I'll see you Friday, Professor Hunter."
He lowered his eyebrows slightly when I said his name, as if he was offended. He nodded to me and said, "Miss Taylor."
Temptation - Chapter 3
