Page 21 of Stone Crest: Rise of a Raven
Her eyes lower, and she clears her throat.
“My buddy Declan lives in the west wing.”
Her eyes move back to mine. I can smell her sweet scent. Hear her heart rate increasing.
It’s her.My wolf urges me.
“You think I would’ve taken your offer if I wasn’t available?”
She lifts a shoulder. “You aren’t available.”
That cruel reality is the only thing dangling between us. Betweenthis.
The sound of the front door opening breaks our moment.
“Speak of the devil,” I mumble.
“Two million. That’s how much money I lost today," he bellows out into the house. “All because that secretary in a pencil….”
He trails off, coming to a complete stop in the opening of the kitchen. His eyes go from mine to Raven’s exposed wound, then back to mine.
His nostrils flare, and he flexes his fingers with a light shudder.
“Declan, this is Raven.” I tear open the butterfly bandage.
Raven waves. “Sorry. Blood makes you squeamish?”
Declan’s lip tugs up into a smirk. “Something like that.” He glances at me with a lift of his eyebrow.
I look away because I know exactly what that look says.
You have a student sitting on our kitchen counter?
“It was nice to meet you, Raven. If you will excuse me, I haven’t had dinner.”
Declan strides away while I close the kit.
“Two million. Hope the secretary was worth it.” Raven snickers. She examines the bandage. “Not bad work.”
Hopping off of the counter, she reaches out to gather up the gauze and trash.
“The pantry,” I nod.
She throws it away before turning to face me. “I didn’t mean to disrupt your evening.”
“You didn’t.”
Which is true. The only plans I actually have tonight involve watching her from the woods outside of her apartment. Of course, she doesn’t need to know that. That I’m borderline obsessed.
“You like photography?” I ask.
It was the reason I had ventured so close. The smile on her face when she was behind the camera.
“It’s kind of my thing.” Her smile is there but it doesn’t reach her eyes now. “It may not be any more considering I think I busted my camera.”
Casually she reaches out her hand. “Thanks, professor. I owe you one.”
I take her hand, her silky fingers sliding under my callused ones. She sucks in a breath when I tug slightly, causing her to stumble into my chest. “Don’t make me remind you again. It’s Locke outside of that lecture hall.”
