Page 33 of Gifted

“Put on some clothes,” I ordered, probably too harshly, while I yanked on the sweater she’d given me for Christmas. She grabbed the red sweater she’d been wearing two nights ago and tugged it on.

Not knowing where else to take the call, I climbed onto the bed and leaned against the wall, so the rumpled linens wouldn’t show. Bare-assed, I held up the phone and answered, careful to limit the headmaster’s view.

“Hello?”

“What took you so long? I had to call twice,” he complained.

“I’m sure you got my resignation. That means I don’t need to answer the phone.”

“You do when you have one of our students with you.” His face was red, clearly ready to blow his top, even before I’d said a word. “Where is she?”

“I’m right here,” Poppy said, scooting in next to me, as bare assed as I was from the waist down. I didn’t like that. Keeping the phone carefully on our faces, I grabbed bedding and yanked it over her lap.

Rutgers’ eyes narrowed, his face looking apoplectic. When I glanced at our image in the corner of the screen, I knew why. We might have on sweaters, but we both looked as if we’d spent all night fucking—or all morning, as the case might be.

“What the fuck, Kessler?” he demanded, not bothering to curb his language in front of Poppy. Considering he’d been trying to assert himself as the boss since we’d been in prep school together, I wasn’t shocked. “She’s a God-damn student! And you’re her teacher.”

“I’ve never actually been her teacher,” I clarified, though it didn’t make the situation any better. I should have denied anything had happened, claimed we’d just woken even though it was midday here.

“Do you think that will matter when this gets out? The school’s reputation—”

“Excuse me,” Poppy cut in.

“What!” Rutgers snapped at her.

“Don’t talk to her like that!” I growled, ready to jump through the phone and grab his throat.

Poppy put her hand on my thigh to calm me. It didn’t. I’d fight a bear for her, and Rutgers wasn’t anywhere near as intimidating as a wild animal.

“You’re in no position to tell me what to do, Kessler. I will end you. You will not drag down this school—”

“As I was saying,” Poppy cut in again, her voice firm. This woman next to me reflected the grownup she’d been forced to become the past few years. “There’s no reason for anyone to know anything. Noah quit. I have enough credits that I could have already graduated. Issue my diploma and we’ll both go away quietly. We’ll even leave the state. It’s not as if I have parents or guardians who will raise a stink about the school.”

He stared. “It’ll get out.”

“What will get out? That I missed the train, got stranded in a blizzard and Mr. Kessler took care of me and made sure I was safe.”

“I’m sure he was keeping you real safe while he was fucking you.”

Her hand tightened on my thigh to keep me from exploding.

“Mr. Rutgers!” she exclaimed with a gasp. “I can’t believe you’d say that about me.” She sniffled, looking mortified.

He stared wordlessly again then slowly shook his head. “Fine. But you’ll come back here and finish out the semester. Kessler, I see one sign of you in this town, anywhere near her or the school, and there won’t be a place in this country where you can hide. I’m only agreeing to this because I have to uphold the school’s reputation, but my resolve on that is tissue thin. Don’t fuck with it.”

“Noted,” I agreed, hating the idea of Poppy away from me for the next month. Unfortunately, it seemed like the only way.

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