Page 72 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 10

Saturday

I looked down at my phone one more time. For some reason, I had this hope that Penny would text me. She’d say she cancelled her date and show up outside my apartment in nothing but lacy black lingerie, holding a bottle of whipped cream.

There was a lot wrong with that scenario. Everything down to the fact that she had no idea where I lived. And the fact that the autumn air was too cold to prance around in just lingerie. Oh, and the fact that I’m her professor.

Breathe. This week had been slow torture.

Penny had invaded all my senses. My appointment with Dr. Clark tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.

I needed to actually tell him about Penny.

The secret was driving me insane. Or maybe it was just the temptation that was killing me. Either way, he’d know what to do.

He’ll tell you to stop.

But I ignored a lot of Dr. Clark’s advice.

If I did everything he said, I’d probably be going to a family dinner at my parents’ on Sundays instead of seeing him.

Which would be unbearable. I doubted they’d even let me join them for a meal.

Not that I wanted to. Fuck them. Fuck everyone in New York.

That city nearly killed me. I couldn’t go back to a city that felt like it suffocated me.

Dr. Clark didn’t really understand. And just because he told me to do something didn’t mean I had to. I eyed the yoga mat collecting dust in the corner of my closet. Proof that I wasn’t taking my therapy sessions seriously enough.

I glanced at my phone one more time and then pulled on my running shoes. I needed to get some fresh air. Maybe then I’d come back and lie in corpse pose until I died of sex deprivation.

***

I wasn’t sure why I even tried to sleep anymore. Tonight was especially impossible. I couldn’t stop thinking about Penny with someone else. That perfect smile. Her laugh. The blush that crept across her cheeks when she was embarrassed. All for someone else.

I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling again. Maybe I needed to put a poster up there. Something motivational for slumber like, “Shut your damn eyes and go to sleep you idiot.” Anything along those lines would do.

But the poster wasn’t there, so my mind stayed focused on Penny.

Was she inviting her date back to her place?

Was he kissing her goodnight? Or was she inviting him in for more?

The thought of her wanting anyone else was the hardest pill to swallow.

Because I certainly didn’t. She was all I could think about.

I couldn’t just lie here all night thinking about the what-ifs. I needed to get some fresh air. Another run would be good. But my body didn’t move. I was exhausted, mentally and physically. So why the hell wouldn’t my brain turn off?

Breathe.

I could hear Dr. Clark’s voice in the back of my head. He’d say that yoga would help me sleep. I was pretty sure fucking Penny was the only way I’d ever sleep again. As soon as I thought it, my phone buzzed.

The list of people who would be texting me at midnight was pretty slim. My brother being one option. And the other…

I lifted up my phone and stared at the text. The perfect, beautiful, text I’d been waiting for from Penny.

"Any chance I can get a lift?"

I smiled. But then I immediately frowned.

If she needed a lift, that meant she was drunk.

The thought of her being too wasted to walk herself home was one thing.

But the thought of her being drunk and the guy she was out with not walking her home?

Not okay. Who the hell was this asshole?

I was furious. But also grateful. Because maybe if he’d been a good guy, they’d still be together right now.

And I couldn’t stand the thought of someone else touching her.

Even if it was as innocent as holding hands.

Her hands were only mine to hold. The thought made me pause.

I shook my head. I was sleep-deprived. I didn’t know what I was thinking.

"Where are you?" I texted back.

My phone bleeped immediately. "Outside of Kildare's."

"I'll be right there." I was already climbing out of bed, pulling on the nearest clothes: a pair of dark jeans and…I looked around for my shirt from earlier. But all I could find was a zip-up gray hoodie. Screw a shirt. There wasn’t time.

I went to the bathroom and splashed water on my face. Even though I couldn’t fall asleep, I was exhausted. The last thing I wanted was to endanger Penny even more. I brushed my teeth, hoping that the mint flavor would help zap my brain awake. Or maybe I did it because I wanted to kiss her.

Breathe. She was drunk. She was calling me for help. The last thing I was going to do was kiss her. I’d save that for a night that she’d remember. Because I wanted that memory to be seared into her brain forever.

I made my way down to my car as fast as I could.

Main Street was pretty empty as I pulled out of the parking garage.

Most students were probably still out at parties.

If she had called me at one o’clock it would have been a different story.

I would have had to drive 10 miles per hour to dodge drunk students.

But since it was empty, I sped down the road fast enough for a cop to cite me for reckless driving.

Kildare's was close enough to my apartment that I could have walked. But she’d asked for a lift. And I didn’t mind the idea of her being so close to me. Or the fact that no one would even see us together. Stop. She’s drunk for God’s sake.

It started to drizzle, the rain hitting my windshield like it was pouring because of how fast I was going. I saw her in the distance, sitting on the curb without an umbrella, seemingly not caring an ounce that she was getting wet. She was even smiling. Definitely drunk.

I pulled the car to a stop right in front of her.

She stood up and all I could do was stare at the way her black dress clung to her.

It was probably that tight before it was wet, but somehow knowing that she was soaked made it that much more seductive.

The hemline barely covered her ass and the neckline plunged to her belly button.

There was black mesh material over her cleavage so that she wasn't completely exposed.

And a slit up the side that would have been sinful if it were any higher.

But then I saw the broken stiletto in her hand. My eyes wandered down her legs. There was blood dripping down her knees. What the hell happened? I leaned over and opened the car door from the inside. She climbed inside and shut the door.

I wanted to ask her who the fuck left her on the curb like this. I wanted to ask her a million questions really. But I was distracted by the fact that she didn’t smell like a brewery. The sweet smell of cherry blossoms invaded the car. Had she even been drinking?

"Did I wake you?" she asked sweetly.

That was how she was going to start this conversation?

She was fucking bleeding. I needed a second to calm down, or else I’d snap at her when what I really wanted to do was kill whoever had been with her.

I put the car in drive and focused on the road for a minute.

She’d asked me a question. But I didn’t have an appropriate answer.

No, I hadn’t been sleeping. I’d been lying in bed wishing I was fucking her instead.

But I couldn’t exactly tell her that. "Yes," I finally said.

The rain was picking up. In the silence, the drops began to splash loudly on the windshield. I gripped the wheel tighter.

"You live near here?" she asked.

Was she seriously not going to tell me what the hell had happened tonight? The small talk made me feel like it was bad. Worse than the millions of things running through my head. "Yes."

"Where?"

I stopped at a red light and leaned across her to open the glove compartment.

All I wanted to do was turn my head and kiss her.

I told myself it wasn’t a possibility because she’d be drunk.

But she wasn’t. I didn’t smell any alcohol on her breath.

The only smell was those damn cherry blossoms. Everywhere. I smelled her everywhere.

But just because she wasn’t drunk didn’t mean she was in any state to make good decisions tonight.

And even if she was, I certainly wasn’t.

I was furious. She had been sitting alone on the curb bleeding.

I grabbed a tissue and placed it gently on one of her cut knees.

Ignoring her question, I asked, "Do you want to talk about what happened? "

"I fell, that's all," she whispered. Her gaze dropped to my lips.

I’d been dreaming of being alone with her. But not like this. Not when rage was pulsing through my veins. I let go of the tissue and sat back in the driver's seat.

She blotted her knees with the tissue.

"That's all?" I asked, my eyes never leaving her face.

She lifted her stiletto from her lap and shrugged.

That wasn’t the whole story. We both knew it. And I was going to get to the bottom of it. When the light turned green I stepped on the gas. "You enjoyed your date then?"

"No."

I was going to kill whoever she was with. My knuckles were turning white because I was gripping the steering wheel so tight. I tried to take a deep breath as we drove on in silence. We were almost back to her dorm and I had zero answers. Just more questions.

"Is that what you wanted to hear?" she asked.

"I don't desire for you to be unhappy, Miss Taylor." I just wish it was me she was choosing to pursue happiness with. I could feel her eyes on me, but I didn’t look over at her. I’d resolved not to kiss her tonight because I knew she’d been drinking.

But now? I felt my resolve disappearing the farther I drove.

And my anger. Tasting her was all I could think about.

This was my chance. Possibly my one and only chance.

"Why did you give me your number, Professor Hunter?"

I pulled to the curb outside of her dorm and turned the car off.

"You seem keen on putting yourself in dangerous situations.

" I glanced at her clingy dress and then got out of the car. I needed to walk her to her door. To make sure she didn’t fall again.

To make sure nothing else bad ever happened to her.

I ran through the rain and opened her door. She stepped out slowly like she wasn’t ready for this moment to be over.

And I wasn’t either. Instead of turning to walk her to the door I just stood there, staring at her.

The dream that had plagued me since we’d met seemed to be playing in slow motion.

It was pouring and I was waiting for something to happen.

Waiting for a sign that she wanted the same things I did.

A sign that it was okay to touch her. Any sign that what I wanted wasn’t wrong.

"Professor Hunter..."

Fuck. I needed her. I needed her so badly.

I leaned down and placed my hands on the car on either side of her.

Our mouths were less than an inch apart.

I needed to warn her to stay away from me.

I needed to tell her she was about to make a mistake.

But I could feel the heat of her breath in the rain, alluring and sweet.

Instead of saying anything, I drew a fraction of an inch closer.

"I can't seem to stop thinking about you," she whispered.

That sign would do. I grabbed the back of her neck and let my lips meet hers.

Fuck. Her kiss was full of passion, passion that she had been holding back just as much as I had.

And there wasn’t any trace of alcohol on her tongue.

She was making this decision clearly. She wanted this just as badly as me.

I pressed my body against hers and lightly pushed her so that her back was on the cold, wet steel of the car. I leaned into her, feeling the friction of her hips against the front of my jeans. Her hand wandered beneath the back of my hoodie, skimming over my skin.

I felt the same heat as I did when I touched her wrist. The warmth of perfection a stark contrast to what I was.

And I didn’t want to stop kissing her. I never wanted to stop kissing her.

Never. I wanted to push her skirt up right here in front of her dorm.

Feel her wetness. Fuck her senseless. I didn’t know how to stop.

I felt all my self-control slipping away with each swirl of her tongue.

Every ounce of control seeped out of me.

And that wasn’t good. That wasn’t good at all.

Her hands rose higher up my back. Her skin against mine a delicious feeling that I suddenly wasn’t sure I knew how to live without.

Fuck. I couldn’t do this. Just because I was broken didn’t mean I needed to break her.

I groaned as I pulled my lips away from her.

"Penny, you need to try to stop." Because I can’t. I can’t stop.

And the thought was terrifying. I stepped back and lifted the hood of my hoodie over my head.

I can’t stop. I rubbed my forehead as I walked around the car.

I can’t stop. I glanced at her once more before climbing back in my car.

Fuck! I sped off without looking back. I could feel myself slipping.

Slipping back into my old habits. I wasn’t going to revert to the man I was before I moved here.

I couldn’t. I slammed my hand against the steering wheel.

I was supposed to get her out of my system.

Instead I’d just gotten my first taste of perfection. And I was greedy for more.