Page 108 of Tempting the President

Beside me, KC choked.

Oops.

When I turned to her, she already had her phone out, a message typed on the screen.Did you just hit the desk with your head?

Straightening in my seat, I shook my head.Nope.

She rolled her eyes.You totally did.

I didn’t need that one typed out to get what she was saying, but I just shrugged, determined to lie until the end—-

My eyes found its way to the clock again.

Eight minutes.

No. It couldn’t be. Had it just been two minutes? It felt like more time had passed since the last time I checked. I grabbed my pen, twirling it around with my fingers, trying to distract myself—-

KC was nudging me with her phone again.

KC: Have you gotten better at signing?

I grimaced at the question.

Me: Improving, but I’m still not as fluent as Kellion and I HATE IT.

KC had to smother her laugh when she took her phone and read my reply.

I tried not to, but my eyes were stubborn, flitting back towards the clock—-

Six minutes.

Noooooo.

Something had to be wrong with the clock. It had to be moving slower than it should. It was impossible that just two minutes—-

I put a foot on my mental brakes when I realized what I was doing, realized I wasfreaking outbecause it was six minutes until Kellion Argyros came for me and I couldn’t bear to wait for him totakeme.

*head desk*

Oh, Ashton. Would you still be proud of me if—-

I almost jumped out of my own seat when I realized what I had started to think, realized who I had been talking to in my mind.

Ashton.

Oh God, Ashton.

But for some reason, thinking about him now didn’t hurt quite as much, didn’t make me want to cry until my eyes bled.

My chest started to tighten, my emotions working like a wrench on the screws of my heart, making sure it wouldn’t stop beating. Was it because of Kellion that I could think of my little brother now without wanting to kill myself?

Even before I finished asking myself the question, the answer was already there, with the way my chest felt so, so tight, the waythe whole world around me was no longer a blur...The answer was in the way I couldn’t help looking at the clock—-

Three minutes.

My eyes drifted close, and this time I allowed myself to feel it. All the longing, the excitement, the desire. This time, I allowed myself to imagine. His beautiful face. His expressive green eyes. His rock-hard body. Hiscock.This time, I just let time pass me by as I allowed myself to remember.Every look, every word, every promise...

The bell buzzed.