Page 90 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 1

Temptation - Chapter 45

Monday

I pulled my knees into my chest. Tears ran down my cheeks. Tyler hated me. His rejection stung worse than I ever imagined. I didn't just like him, he was also one of my closest friends. And I had ruined everything. I was mad at Professor Hunter for not being honest with me, and I had done the same thing to Tyler.

I deserved to be hated. I wasn't the person that I thought I was either. I had fallen in love with a married man. And I had strung Tyler along for far too long. Who had I become? I lay down in my bed and pulled my comforter over myself. I felt so cold. Before I knew it, my pillow was damp. I cried until I couldn't cry anymore. I had gotten what I deserved. I had broken the rules.

My phone buzzed but I ignored it. I just wanted to be alone. I didn't think it was possible, but I started crying again. I got off my bed and went to my closet. I pulled the dead roses out of the vase and threw all of them in the small trash can, then slammed my closet door. I grabbed the single rose that Tyler had given me from my desk and threw it down on top of the others.

I opened up the fridge. A pint of Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey was waiting for me. It was soft from being in the small, weak freezer portion of our mini-fridge, but that wasn't going to deter me. I grabbed a spoon and sat back down on my bed.Delicious.Who needed men when there was ice cream in the world? I ate half of it before I started to cry again.

A knock sounded on the door.

I tried to stay as quiet as possible, but continued to eat my ice cream. Hopefully whoever was out there would just think no one was here. People on my floor could be so annoying.

"Penny?"

I stopped mid-bite. Professor Hunter? How the hell did he get in my dorm?

"Penny, it's me. Can I please come in?"

I set down the pint of ice cream on my desk. He couldn't be here. People would see him. I quickly wiped my tears away and opened the door. He was still wearing his suit from class. His hair was unruly from the rain.

"Oh, Penny." He grabbed my face in his hands and wiped my tear stained cheeks with his thumbs.

"What are you doing here?"

"I needed to see you."

"Don't you have a class?"

"I cancelled my classes for the rest of the day."

"But, Professor Hunter..."

"The most important thing right now is that we talk." He stepped back and closed the door. "I think it's safe to say that something is bothering you."

He looked so out of place in my dorm room, with his dark gray suit and dress shoes. I suddenly felt self-conscious. There were clothes strewn on the floor and my pint of ice cream was sitting on my desk melting. And his roses were in the trash. I moved slightly to the right, to block his view of the trashcan.

"How did you know which room was mine?"

"Your name is on the door."

"So you walked around the whole building looking at all the doors for my name? Are you trying to get caught?"

"Everyone's in class. And you're avoiding talking to me. If you don't tell me what's wrong, it's impossible for me to fix."

"I don't want you to fix anything." I couldn't think straight when he was staring at me like that. His smoldering gaze made my thoughts swish together. I turned away from him.

"Penny." He walked into the center of the room and turned me toward him. "Just tell me what's wrong. I mean, I gathered from your speech that I'm a lying cheat who's ugly on the inside. I'd like to know why you think that. Because I thought that we were in a good place. Unless you were talking about someone else." His face looked grave. He was thinking about Tyler. I gulped.

"On Saturday you asked me if I had looked you up online and you were really mad. So I was thinking maybe there was more to find out about you."

"So, you googled me?" His look was impassive. He wasn't giving anything away today.

"I just wanted to make sure you were telling the truth."

"I would never lie to you, Penny." He grabbed both sides of my face again. He always seemed so sincere, but he never truly was. I looked at his mouth. I wanted to kiss him, but I needed to be strong. I shook away from his grip.