Page 7 of Come Here and Kiss Me

Again, I’m unable to resist his control over me, and I reach up to kiss him, but it’s short-lived. He pulls back slightly, and I miss him instantly. Thankfully, he drops his lips for another kiss, and it’s just as hot and electric as the first.

“You’re nothing but the forbidden fruit I want to fuck,” he whispers against my lips.

I open them slowly and wait for his to open before responding. “And you’re nothing but a mistake I can’t get enough of.”

There’s a moment between us, unspoken and raw, or maybe it’s simply in my fucked-up head and a delusion I’ve made up about us. But an idea comes to me.To piss them all off and maybe to save myself and him in the process.

“I have an idea,” I proclaim, and he straightens.

“What’s that?”

“It’s self-serving, but it’s the only way you can keep your job.”

“I’m a professor, and you’re a student. No amount of money can be thrown at your old man or the board to keep my job.”

“Trust me, it’s not money. I have an idea. Just trust me,” I adamantly repeat as I push the hair out of my face and ready myself for what has to happen.

His brow arches. “Since when are you trustworthy?” he questions, and it hurts more than I wish it did.

“Since I decided I like what you do to me.”

A heat simmers between us as our eyes lock, and I hold on to that.

I hold on to him.

He licks his lower lip. “Tell me how we could possibly fix this?”

I don’t hesitate to respond with a smile before I tell him the plan to save both our asses from the wrath of my father.

The dean.

His boss.

CHAPTER3

Ronan

The room smells of leather, as it always has since I was a young man. The polished walnut table and carved wingback chairs have sat here on the sixth floor of the university for decades. The large paned windows overlook the lush green campus, and for the longest time, this has been my sanctuary, my fucking dream.

However, today, it’s my literal hell.

Not everyone is here, and I’m thankful for that. Full attendance of the board is a rarity and certainly for emergency meetings. Men I’ve looked up to for years, men who served as my professors when I went here, stare back at me in crisp suits and expensive silk ties, their eyes judging and full of disappointment or disgust. It’s hard to gauge.

I’ll admit the video wasn’t the most moral of engagements.

I fucked Brooklyn without mercy and enjoyed every second of it with every sinful fantasy I’ve ever had of her, and there’s no fucking way I can deny that. It’s obvious in the video. My lust for her spills in the 4k resolution.

I clear my throat, and the room stills with a deafening silence. They’re simply waiting for me to speak as I stand at the head of the table. The only movement comes from the swaying of a chair at the other end.The light from the windows casts a shadow down Brooklyn’s father’s considerable frame. His narrowed eyes nearly match the black of his suit.

I stare directly at them as I announce, “I’m aware that this meeting is due to the email sent this morning.”

“Professor Wolf,” Mr. Micheals declares, a man I’ve respected for as long as I can remember.Dominick Michaels has been an adviser at the university since before I was born. The old man was a mentor to me when I first applied.

I turn to him, heat gripping the back of my neck. I’ve known him for nearly two decades. The last thing I want is the expression of regret on his face and his tone of condolences.

“You understand why we have to do this, I’m sure,” he comments, and I shake my head in denial. His role at the university is the provost, and he’s never preferred the title Professor over the mundane. Mr. Michaels has seniority, so if I can win him over, there’s a chance in hell we can survive this.

“Unfortunately, the email and video sent are out of my control, but it’s not on the board to take action,” I state, and the lies at the back of my throat nearly make my voice tight. Nearly, but somehow I’m able to be firm in my response.

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