Page 106 of Almost Ravaged

She bats at my hands halfheartedly and turns away.

I correct her, gripping her jaw and guiding her face forward once more, forcing her to focus on me. “Why are you flushed?”

She peers up at me through her lashes, though she looks away again quickly.

I wait for her response. I can be patient. Or I can push. Whatever will encourage her to open up and bring back the energy that zipped between us before the dean knocked on my door.

Honey-brown eyes meet mine once more. “I just… I’m nervous, okay?”

“Nervous?” I press.

There are two ways this could go.

One possibility is so tempting, so highly desirable, that I’m willing to push and push and push to see whether I can get us to that point.

“Yes.” She grips my wrist but doesn’t remove my hand from her face. “You make me nervous.”

I rub my thumb back and forth, brushing over the freckles sprinkled on her cheek.

Her grip tightens, each finger pressing into my forearm.

I inch forward, only stopping when all I can see is her.

Who am I fucking kidding?

When this woman is in the room, all I see is her.

I study her, noting how her breathing picks up and her chest flushes an even deeper shade of pink under my assessment.

I wait, giving her all my focus, letting the heady tension between us build back up and giving her ample opportunity to pull back or push me away.

She shifts closer in small increments, each movement a spark of hope, a sign that what I’m feeling isn’t one-sided. That she’s just as eager as I am to lean all the way in.

She squeezes my arm, her eyes darting between mine as her chest rises and falls in rapid succession.

Fuck it.

If she doesn’t want this, she’ll have to be the one who walks away.

“Don’t look at me like that, Ms. Davvies.” I tighten my hold on her chin momentarily before moving my hand to cup the back of her head.

She smiles slyly, no doubt noting the regression, my use ofMs. Davvies, a delicious trouble flaring in her eyes. “Don’t look at you like what, Professor Eden?”

Weaving my fingers into the hair at her nape, I tug gently, forcing her to tip her head back and expose her neck. “Like you want me to put you back on your knees below this desk and find another use for that smart mouth.”

She gasps, her pupils eclipsing her irises almost completely.

I run my nose along the hollow of her throat. Though before I go further, I pull back, giving her one last chance to back out.

Back out, she does not.

Sawyer doubles down, the saucy minx, sinking her teeth into her lush bottom lip and staring up at me with bedroom eyes.

I dive back in, feinting toward her mouth but bringing my lips to her ear instead.

“You’re such a fucking nuisance.”

Her delectable scent—sweet vanilla and crisp apple—damn near knocks me on my ass.