Page 58 of The Professor's Possession (Crystal River Billionaire Brothers)

I raise the cold glass to my wet forehead.Wow, turns out I’m sweating a lot more than I thought. I must’ve burned off a thousand calories dancing in the heat of all the bodies back there.

“Hello, you.”

Someone has approached me from behind. Their voice is hot on the back of my neck.

I swivel around.

And immediately regret doing so.

It’s that Michael guy. Luke’s friend from the last party I went to. The one I desperately wanted to get away from.

Oh. Great.

“Hi.” I am so blunt. It’s not a surprise that he’s here when it seems like most of the CRU student body is, but I really want him to get thenot interested in a million years at allmessage and keep moving. I’m sure there are at least ten other girls here who might give him the attention he so craves, but not me.

“Let me buy you a drink,” he says.

I glance at the full bottle in my hand. “I’m okay,” I reply as curtly as I can. “I’ve got one already.”

I really don’t want to be rude, but I also don’t want to be super nice and inadvertently give him any ideas.

“I’ll buy you a drink,” he repeats, a little more forcibly.

“I just want to be on my own, thanks.”

As I look at him, I realize he’s either drunk or off his head on something illegal. His eyes are wild.

“I know you want me,” he growls threateningly.

“No.”

“Ilikeyou, Olivia.”

Oh, no. Not this, please.

“Thanks, but I’m not...”

Before I can finish my sentence, the boy grabs my arm and pulls me in toward his face. There’s only one thing that he’s after.

A kiss.

And, as it may be plain to see to anyone but Michael, I really,reallydon’t want one.

I pull away from his grab and yank my arm free before our lips get the chance to meet.

“Get lost,” I seethe, before spinning around and marching away from him.

As I make my way outside via one of the back exits, I pray that he isn’t following me.

But I make it outside without hindrance. Being in the fresh air immediately calms me down. I was nearly hyperventilating as I dashed out of the warehouse, but now – in the open - I can breathe again.

There’s no one else out here now. I’m so far out of town. The smokers are on the other side of the warehouse. I’m facing out the back of the warehouse, toward the endless rolling forest that surrounds Crystal River.

It’s dark.

Sweat drips down my cheek.

I’m truly alone.

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