Page 31 of Private Tutoring (The Forbidden Reverse Harem Collection #23)

HARMONY

W hat was I going to do? My heart had already broken, but every minute that passed deepened the cavern in my chest. I’d been called out in front of the entire theater group.

Leighona was right. I’d slept my way to better grades and into her part.

Sure, she needed a break. Her voice had been sounding worse every day.

But that didn’t mean I deserved to take her place.

And the look on Matthew’s face when Leighona accused me…he’d wanted to help but had been helpless to do so except to try and undermine Leighona’s claims.

I stood in the shade, my back against the bark of an oak tree off to the side of the quad, and took stock of the situation.

Delilah had been right. I should leave school.

At least until after I had the baby. Returning afterward wouldn’t be easy.

I’d have to consider the expenses of raising a baby alone.

Mom did the best she could, but she couldn’t afford to send me to school.

How was I going to pay for it while caring for a baby?

I would find a way. I deserved a chance to live out my dream, and I wouldn’t sacrifice my child to make it come true. Somehow, someway, I’d figure out a way to have both. I might even make it back in the fall with my scholarship.

Mrs. Collins. I should talk to her about my leave of absence.

She’d know the best way for me to proceed.

But first, I needed to tell Roberto and the others that I was leaving.

I’d had a chance to tell Matthew right after class ended, but I’d chickened out when several classmates gave me odd looks before they walked away.

Roberto was the easiest to talk to, the most laid-back and carefree. He’d listen without interrupting…hopefully. All I had to do was tell him I was leaving without revealing why. Sounded simple, but my racing heart proved it would be hurtful and traumatic for us both.

“Do this, then go home. Mom will understand. She’ll help.” Not with bills or anything like that, but she had first-hand experience as a single mom. I needed that boost of courage I knew she’d give. First, stop talking to myself and get a move on.

I tugged my bag close and stepped out of the shade. The quad was packed, and even though I knew none of them had a clue what happened in my theater class, I swore I felt every single one of them staring at me. Judging me.

I’d better get used to that.

I kept my chin up and my gaze locked on the brick building with Harrow Hall emblazoned across the top in bronze lettering. Roberto’s classroom was the first one on the right, and he should be wrapping up his last class of the day by now.

My steps slowed, my internal fear prompting me to drag my steps so I’d miss him and put off the inevitable.

“Watch out.” A burly kid barreled past me, jumped to catch a football, and grinned. “Sorry. Almost got ya.”

“Almost.” I sped up, intent on getting away from the impromptu game. I had bigger problems than a rogue ball in my way.

I reached the bottom of the steps and ascended. Each one tightened the fear clenching my stomach in a vise, and I walked myself through what I would say to help calm my nerves.

The door opened as I reached for it, and a group of girls walked out.

I caught Roberto’s name on their lips and pressed mine into a flat line while turning into his classroom.

He’d changed the quotes on the board, the rich, Italian phrases speaking of love.

He’d been the first to show me any kind of affection that had nothing to do with sex.

I stood in the hall for a minute, watching Roberto in a moment completely his own.

He tapped a button on his phone, and Italian music flooded out.

He sang along with the ballads, his tone a rich baritone.

It didn’t matter that anyone walking past could hear.

Knowing Roberto, it was because he knew they would hear that he played and sang at full volume.

He’d told our class once that it was his mission to spread the love of language. He did that any way he could.

The fact that I understood every word warmed my chest and gave me the courage I needed to take a step forward…to the beginning of the end.

He whispered those sweet phrases to me as I lay in his arms, and I’d never felt more treasured.

“Harmony.” He looked up the instant my feet crossed into his room. Delight crinkled the edges of his eyes when he smiled.

I was about to ruin that smile. “Hello. Do you have a minute?”

He hopped onto the edge of his desk and winked. “For you, I have all the time in the world.”

Every word he said made this harder. I bolstered my courage and crossed the room to stand in front of him. Time to rip the band-aid off, as my mother would say. “I’m leaving school.”

“Okay.” He shrugged. “Do you want me to go with you? I’m finished for the day.”

“No.” I rubbed my head. All my practice and I still managed to get it all wrong. “I’m leaving for the semester. I might not be back.”

Silence met my statement.

Roberto’s eyes narrowed, and he took a long, slow look at my face. “This is a surprise. Why are you leaving?”

I’d anticipated the question, and all my excuses came off as ridiculous, but I had to give him something, an answer that would satisfy his curiosity and keep him from tracking me down. Not that he would.

None of them cared enough about me to turn this into a big deal.

“College has been a lot more than I anticipated. I almost lost my scholarship.” I stopped there before I betrayed myself by admitting I was scared about my pregnancy.

“Yes.” He nodded, hands in his lap and feet kicking slowly back and forth in a seemingly unconcerned manner. “College can be complicated. But you’ve improved your grades and are no longer in jeopardy of losing your funding.”

Right. I should have expected him to bring that up. How far could I go without outright lying to him?

He slid off the desk, and the move shifted him close enough that we shared a breathing space. “What is really going on? Are you looking for an excuse to end things with us? Because you need only say you’re done. We will respect your wishes.”

This was it, my one-way ticket out of their lives. My throat worked, the words I needed buried beneath layers of love I wished I had the right to express. “It’s not about that. I’ve loved every minute with all of you.”

“Then stay. Whatever issues you’re having, we can help you sort them out.” He took my hands and brought them to his lips, kissing the knuckles on my right hand, then my left, before he clasped them beneath his chin. “We would do anything for you, Harmony.”

The way he said it almost undid me. I believed him, but it was my job to protect them. I’d brought an undiscussed variable into our relationship that wasn’t really a relationship but more of a situationship.

He released my hands and slid his arms around my waist. “I want you to stay.”

I tipped my chin up, my breath hot in the back of my throat when I exhaled. I had no words to argue with him. I’d lost all sense the minute he touched me. How could I crave him when I’d come so close to destroying him? “Roberto.” I tried to shake my head, but he caught my lips with his.

I tasted the stay he’d begged for on his lips. Every part of what I’d expected to happen failed me. All I had left was to hold onto him and ride the storm of tenderness that filled me. I’d do anything for them.

Stephen’s no-strings-attached rule had been blown sky-high a long time ago for me, but the way Roberto kissed me gave me hope that he felt it too. Was it possible we were more than sex partners?

I tightened my grip on his shirt, and he fisted his hands in my hair, anchoring my head in that angle he loved as he plundered my mouth in sweeping strokes.

I ground my hips against him, not meaning to but unable to stop.

I was going to miss this. The feel of him, the way his rugged scent of amber and winter wrapped around me.

He backed into his desk and brought me flush between his legs. I lost all my self-restraint. That one move ripped it away and opened me up for anything he offered. Even if it was right in the middle of his classroom.

I loved them. All three of them. And it wasn’t a situation where I loved one more than the other. It was equal, raw, and powerful. I carried their child in my belly.

This was a goodbye kiss, nothing more. My resolve solidified. Even as I gave in and kissed Roberto back, I used our time together to try and show him how much I loved him. I didn’t think my heart could break further, but it did. The pain turned excruciating.

“Stay.” He muttered against my lips before devouring me again.

I could say yes. One last time.

“Profe—” The shocked gasp rattled the heat between us, driving us apart.

I took a step back, my face so hot it sizzled.

Roberto remained sitting on the corner of the desk, but the look on his face forced me to turn too. “Can I help you?”

A student I recognized from my class stood in the open doorway, their eyes as big as saucers and mouth hanging open. They took a step back, then another, waving both hands in front of their face. “Sorry, Professor.” Stuttering out an apology, they turned and bolted.

“Shit.” I pulled out of Roberto’s embrace. “That’s Staci Callahan. She’s not known for being discreet.”

Roberto fixed his pants, though it did nothing to hide his erection. Even being confronted by a student hadn’t removed his desire for me. I’d be flattered if I wasn’t so terrified. Everything I’d fought to hide threatened to be exposed.

“I’ll go talk to her. Will you stay here until I get back?” He looked so earnest and hopeful, his black curls wild when he ran his hands through them, that I found myself nodding.

He rushed from the room and disappeared from sight.

Groaning, I dropped into a desk in the front row and lowered my forehead to the cool wood. What a mess. Right when I had the strength to fix everything, karma caught us in the ass.