Page 59 of Single Malt

He stepped into my personal space. Not touching me, but too close to be professional. “Come now, Miss Mercier. Don’t pretend like you weren’t sneaking looks at me this whole time, begging me to follow you.”

My eyebrows shot up. I’d known he was conceited, but now he sounded delusional. I hadn’t looked at him once since walking away. In fact, I’d been quite determinedlynotlooking anywhere near him because I’d wanted to avoid this exact situation.

I took a step back and held up a hand, palm out in the universal signal to stay away. “No, Dr. Worthington. You read me incorrectly. I’m here for networking. Only.”

“Networking. Right.” He winked. “You’re here at a stuffy faculty party on Valentine’s Day because you’re networking. It’s all right. You don’t need to be embarrassed that you don’t have a date.”

“I’m not.” As soon as the words popped out of my mouth, I regretted saying them. They were true, but said in this context, they sounded defensive.

“Or maybe you chose not to have one,” he continued, shuffling a half-step closer. “Maybe you came here because you knew who you wanted to be with tonight, and this was where you could find him.”

Shit.

If I couldn’t reason with him enough for me to walk away unbothered, I’d need to do something drastic that might end any possibility of a decent career in anything that required a good reputation.

Ireallyhated Valentine’s Day.

“Professor Worthington, I’m afraid you’ve gotten the wrong impression,” I began.

He shook his head. “I don’t think so. I know women. I know what they want.”

Ideas rushed through my mind of all the different ways I could get out of here, but none of them involved being polite and not pissing him off.

“There you are.”

Even with just three words, I knew who had just come up behind me, which was good because he put his arm around my waist and kissed my cheek. If I’d just been grabbed and kissed by a complete stranger – or someone I thought was a stranger –I probably would’ve done some physical damage. Then again, even though I knew who it was, I was still considering hurting him, just on principle.

But not in front of Korbin. First, I wasn’t going to waste a perfectly good lie. Second, no matter how much of a jerk Brody had been, he didn’t deserve to be berated in front of an asshole like Korbin. There were degrees of assholes, and those two weren’t in the same league.

“If you’ll excuse us.” Brody squeezed me and smiled at Korbin. “I need to borrow Freedom. I’m sure you understand.”

“Yes, Dr. Worthington.” I spoke through clenched teeth. “I need to have a conversation with Brody here.”

I grabbed Brody’s hand as I turned so that our fingers were linked together, but his arm wasn’t around me anymore. Then I started walking, dragging him after me and into…a supply closet.

Just like the one we’d fooled around in before the art exhibit.

Fuck.

I hadn’t thought this part through.

Thirty-Eight

Brody

I hadn’t likedthe way that guy had looked at Freedom the first time I’d seen him near her, but she’d walked away from him to talk to another woman. I’d told myself that she could clearly take care of herself and stay away from that asshole. He hadn’t looked happy, but he hadn’t gone after her either. He’d simply found the next woman who caught his attention and gave her the same smarmy smile he’d given Freedom.

I’d gone back to my conversation with Dr. Josephs, not wanting to be rude and leave while he was in the middle of telling me something. That was the entire reason I’d stayed longer than I’d intended. It had nothing to do with keeping an eye on Freedom. It’d only been a coincidence the times I’d glanced around and spotted her with one person or another.

Only keen observation that had noted who she’d been talking to and for how long. And it hadn’t been as if I’d counted minutes or anything creepy like that. She was just the only person besides Dr. Josephs that I knew here, so it made sense that my subconscious would seek her out.

I managed to hold on to that reasoning for longer than I’d hoped, but the moment I’d seen her disappear through a far doorway and that grinning idiot follow her, I’d known that I couldn’t just observe. It didn’t matter how things had been the last time we’d come face-to-face. My gut told me that guy was up to no good, and I’d never have left any woman to handle that on her own.

My sisters and mother would’ve had my head if I had. Probably my balls too.

By the time I’d managed to get away from Dr. Josephs, make it across the room, and come into the short hallway where the restrooms were, Freedom and the guy were standing less than a foot apart, and she looked pissed.

I heard him say, “I know women. I know what they want,” and I didn’t need to hear anything else. I just went on instinct.