Page 23 of Rejected By My Shifter Billionaire

S he sensed the professor even without seeing him. It was as if every cell of her body was programmed to sense his presence, with the way her skin suddenly tingled and her incredibly na?ve heart started thumping erratically against her chest.

Kassia stumbled, and beside her Jacob swiftly pulled her back before she could fall. His grip on her hand was firm and gentle, protective and possessive at the same time. “You okay?”

Looking up into his eyes, she found herself nodding, and before she could think of what she was doing, she was already twining her fingers with his.

It was the first time Kassia had done something like it, and Jacob sucked in his breath as he struggled not to lose his cool. He had always had a crush on Kassia, and the thought that something might finally happen between them made blood rush to his groin.

“Shall we go?” His voice was thick with ill-suppressed desire.

Panic threatened to make her lose consciousness, but she fought to stay calm even as her body rebelled against having another man other than the professor hold her hand.

She was going to get used to this soon enough.

It was just a matter of time , she told herself as she forced a smile on her lips for Jacob’s sake.

They started walking again, but they had only taken a few steps when Jacob remarked in surprise that Professor Moretti appeared to be heading their way.

“R-really?” She desperately kept her gaze trained on Jacob’s face.

Jacob nodded. “Yup. I didn’t realize he was also assigned to go with us for the day trip.” Around them, the buzz that usually surrounded the professor had started. The whispers, the sighs, and oh, dozens of phones clicking as the other female students took photos of the him.

Jacob suddenly stopped walking, forcing her to halt next to him. “What is it?” She tried to keep herself from sounding uneasy.

“I really think the professor’s about to talk to you. Are you in danger of flunking his class?” Jacob frowned. “You know you’re not allowed to attend today’s trip if you have a class where your current average’s 1.5 or below, right?”

Kassia bit her lip. Crap. Actually, she hadn’t known about that at all, and the worst thing was, her current average in the professor’s class might just be 1.5. Taking a deep breath, she mentally steeled herself before slowly raising her gaze to the professor.

Even so, the impact of his green eyes clashing with hers was like being struck by lightning, and her body trembled. She watched the professor’s gaze travel down until it rested on the hand that Jacob was still holding.

She saw his lips tighten.

Tears stung her eyes. He was just playing around , she told herself fiercely. He’s been playing with you from the start, and it’s time to accept it.

ALESSANDRO’S JAW HARDENED as Kassia’s hand remained in the boy’s grip. Fuck, fuck, fuck. He couldn’t remember wanting anything as much as he wanted right now to snatch Kassia away from the human boy.

Kassia was his.

He cracked his knuckles, reminding himself that for the sake of appearances, he shouldn’t indulge his need to beat the boy into a bloody pulp. All he could afford to do now was to speak to Kassia, make her see—-

Alessandro’s head snapped up.

It was that scent again.

Their eyes clashed once more. She looked away just as quickly, but it was too late. He had already seen her tears.

He had made her cry again.

Before Alessandro could even think about it, he was already slowing down.

The distance between him and Kassia stretched.

He watched Jacob assist her as she stepped aboard the bus, and he stopped walking completely.

He could still smell her tears, and the knowledge that he was the reason for it pierced him.

Kassia found herself embarrassingly clumsy as she made it to her seat.

Jacob took the seat next to her, and his nearness made her unconsciously stick closer to the side of the bus.

Without thinking, she looked out of the window, and of course the first thing she saw was the professor.

He was gazing at her, his handsome face unreadable.

Her heart ached. He was so beautiful , she thought miserably. Wasn’t that a clue in itself? That someone like him could never really be serious with someone like her, an ordinary girl from the country, someone whose own mother hadn’t cared about her?

The professor suddenly turned his back to her.

This was for the best, she told herself fiercely. She had to be strong. Even if he begged her to come back, she wouldn’t—-

In the distance, the professor started walking away, and her thoughts came to a halt. Her heart stopped beating, her mind stopped working – there was just so much pain as the inescapable truth hit her.

See, Kassia?

Now, do you understand?

Your mother didn’t want you. So why did you think the professor would?

She squeezed her eyes shut before the tears could fall.

Stupid Kassia.

This was how little she meant to the professor.

YOU’RE DOING THE RIGHT thing.

Five damn words, and he had been repeating them endlessly in his mind.

Minutes turned into hours, but still he couldn’t make the truth in those words sink in, couldn’t shake off his last sight of Kassia.

Her eyes squeezed shut, her body tense in the bus seat, and sitting so damn close to Jacob he was fucking sure that the human boy had to be shaking in excitement at how soft her body felt against his.

But even as jealousy threatened to drive him insane, Alessandro knew that wasn’t what was causing his restlessness, wasn’t the reason why he had been prowling inside his office in his Lyccan form since Kassia had left.

No, what was bothering him the most was the scent of her tears.

He had made her cry again, and even though he told himself it was for her own good that he was getting out of her life, he just couldn’t make himself forget.

He and Kassia were from different worlds, and his was fraught with danger and death. She trusted too easily and felt too much while he had learned to forbid himself to love. She deserved someone uncomplicated, not someone like him, a man incapable of trust.

Those were the facts.

Those were the reasons why walking away from her made it the right thing to do.

So why the hell did he still think he had just acted like a goddamn idiot?

His phone buzzed, and he couldn’t snatch it off the desk quickly enough, his heart thudding against his chest at the thought that it could be Kassia.

And it was.

Kassia: Thank you for everything, Professor.

Alessandro’s face whitened.

Just five words again, and yet this time its impact was a thousand times worse.

Five goddamn words, but they created a sense of desperation inside him like they heralded the end of the world.

And for him, this was exactly like it.

Kassia was saying goodbye to him, and it was like having the truth slap him in the face.

He hadn’t walked out of her life because it was better for her.

He had walked out of her life because it was better for him. The whole fucking time, he had blown hot and cold with her like an asshole. Over and over, he had made her fall for him only to push her away like a fucking coward, turning tail and running the moment things became too deep between them.

He...loved her, but he had blinded himself to his feelings, denying their existence in fear of turning into another Domenico.

And now...

It might just be too—-

Alessandro didn’t allow himself to finish the thought. It was not going to be too late. It was not.

“IT’S THE PROFESSOR again,” Jacob suddenly said under his breath. They were having lunch at one of the park’s on-site restaurants, their easels propped next to their table, and their works-in-progress temporarily put on hold.

She wished she could think he was joking, but of course she couldn’t. A ripple of excitement had jolted the crowd, and around her, the other girls had once again started babbling about the professor. Over and over, she heard his name—-

Professor Moretti.

She wanted to cover her ears so she would no longer hear it.

It hurt too much.

Suddenly, he was there, the professor standing next to her table and Jacob’s. She forced herself to look up, and the pain at seeing his beautiful face was so tortuous it actually turned into numbness.

Kassia’s pale face and terrifyingly unreadable eyes made Alessandro stiffen in tension, but even so he fought to keep his voice level as he spoke. “Ms. Summers? I’m afraid I’ve received a call from your family. If I may speak with you privately?”

Kassia only nodded. “Yes, Professor.”

Her voice was so damn stiff, he was torn between wanting to shake her and kiss her into showing some sign – any sign – of life.

But because all eyes were trained on them, and to those people he was only her professor and Kassia his student, Alessandro could only be stiff as he said, “Please follow me.”

He led her to a private office inside the park, something he had called ahead for to make sure it was available for his use.

He held the door open, and Kassia wordlessly stepped inside.

He followed behind her, closing the door, and when he faced Kassia again, he found her still pale, her eyes blank, her body rigid.

“I’m sorry.”

The professor’s tone was almost...raw, and she panicked. Tearing her gaze off him, she desperately kept her eyes glued to the floor while telling herself that she had probably imagined it.

Alessandro fought to remain in control even as Kassia’s continued silence made him feel even more frantic inside. He would find a way to make her understand this was the last time he was going to hurt her. He had to.

When Alessandro started walking towards her, the urge to run away became stronger and her body started to tremble at the effort it took just to keep still.

“Kassia.”

She dug her fingers into her palms, using the pain to distract her from the bittersweet sound of his voice saying her name.