Page 14 of Ruthless Temptation
I know what that tongue feels like, what those fingers can do.
A small, almost imperceptible smile twists the edge of his lips before he returns his attention to his desk. Despite my tank top and short skirt, it feels like the temperature has gone up a few degrees. I shift in my seat and press my thighs together, trying to ease the throbbing in my core.
It doesn’t help much. If anything, the friction makes it just a little bit worse.
When I decided to come to class without panties today, I felt like it would be a fun thing forhim. Not that my pussy would start acting up with just a single look. I blot my forehead with a makeup pad and take a deep breath, hoping nobody saw our exchange.
A hand on my shoulder startles me.
I twist to see Cassidy sitting behind me. She’s wearing a bright smile. Her hair is pulled back into a ponytail and she’s wearing a matching vintage designer skirt set.
“I’m so happy you made it early this time.” Her voice is saccharine sweet. Much too sweet for someone who spent the better part of the past week avoiding me.
I bite back the retort on my tongue.
“You too,” I say, holding her gaze. Typically, she doesn’t sit this close to the front. “I’m surprised. Usually, you don’t make it here this early.”
Cassidy’s morning routines are ridiculous. They usually involve a lot of experimental beauty treatments and whatever ridiculous low-impact exercise she’s currently obsessed with. When she slipped out of our room early this morning, I figured she was off to do that.
“Things can change,” she says, curtly. “Professor Holmes doesn’t like it when we’re late anyway.”
Something about her tone rubs me the wrong way. When did she start caring about what he thought, anyway? I narrow my eyes, but don’t say anything further. She’s already looked away from me, focusing her attention on her phone.
The warmth kindling in my chest feels a lot like jealousy.
Oh gosh, should I even be feeling this way about him? In the haze of my lust—and I guess, the surprise of having one of your deepest, darkest desires fulfilled—it didn’t cross my mind how I would react if I found out I’m not the only one.
I should dismiss the thought like last time, but the fact it might beCassidymakes this hard to ignore.
I glance over my shoulder, pretending that I’m surveying the class, but really, I’m sneaking glances at Cassidy. I give her outfit another look, this time through a different lens. Everything looks mostly the same, but it’s her hair that gives her away.
Her blonde locks gleam under the harsh fluorescent lights. That only happens when it’s freshly washed. Like everything else, when Cassidy washes her hair is determined by a strict routine. She never does in the shower, only at one of the salons in town.
Right now, she can only make it there on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Today is Tuesday.
If her hair is freshly washed, she did it here, on campus. I’ve only ever seen her do that once—the day after she hooked up with that Kingmaker boy she’s obsessed with, Alexander Duke,and wanted to make sure he noticed her the next time she saw him. It didn’t work, but it struck me that she was willing to change her routine for something like that.
My blood runs cold.
“Cass,” I say, as nonchalantly as I can manage, hoping my voice doesn’t reveal the storm inside me. “You went into town recently?” I pull a small smile. “I’m wondering if the vintage consignment store has any new pieces.”
Cassidy shrugs, and my heart sinks. I brace myself.
“No, I haven’t been." Then she adds, “You can come with me when I go tomorrow. I’ve been dying to pick up some new stuff.”
I smile and nod, but my insides have withered. When I turn back to face Professor Holmes, he’s just about ready to start the lecture. His eyes meet mine, but I can’t hold his gaze. It’s as if I’ve been walking on ice the entire time, and the last bit of it has finally shattered beneath me.
How many other favorite students has he had? My stomach is in knots. Heat burns my cheeks and the back of my neck. I’m so fucking stupid. The outfit I spent so much time choosing feels like a clown costume now.
When I finally manage to get out of my head, Professor Holmes is already fifteen minutes deep into his lecture. Even then, I can barely hear what he’s saying. All I can think about is what a fool I’ve been.
“Miss Vásquez, a moment please.”
I’m numb all the way to my toes. A few students give me a look as I approach his desk—including Cassidy—but they don’t tarry. All the times she’s been missing from our room the past few weeks, was she with him?
Is that why she was spreading my secret? Was she fucking him this entire time and just wanted to embarrass me? My stomach clenches when I consider that maybe he didn’t even overhear it. Maybe she told him and they laughed about it behind my back.
