Page 117 of Unapologetic Obsession

“Not by me,” he retorted immediately. “We’ve already been through this. I’ve watched your reactions since day one. You break into a cold sweat whenever anyone gets too close or if they touch you unprovoked. You’ve never reacted that way to me.”

I blinked. Professor Maxwell had been collecting ammunition against me, tons of it. “T-that was before. I don’t feel safe around you anymore.”

“Maybe,” he bit out. “But that’s not the reason you’re holding back.”

“It is. What happened on the boat was a one-off, and, clearly, a physical relationship is very important to you?—”

“Then I’ll wait,” he cut me off.

“What?”

“I won’t push for sex if you want to wait.”

My head reeled back. I hadn’t expected my objection to backfire on such epic proportions. Every time I’d seen him since the night on the boat, he had been on a mission to get me on my back. There was no way he would be willing to wait.

I shook my head. “You’re not known to be a patient man.”

“On the contrary. Research is all about years of work with frivolous results. I’ll wait as long as you agree to a relationship.” After a thoughtful beat, he clarified, “An exclusive one withlabels. You’re graduating at the end of the semester. We’ll make it public then.”

My stomach dropped. Committing to a monogamous relationship with him meant saying goodbye to Damon forever. Damon might overlook a few meaningless hookups, but never an exclusive, committed relationship with his twin.

Feeling cornered, I said, “I’ll never be ready.”

“I didn’t think so, either, until that night.” His voice dropped to the temperature of a morgue drawer. “You loved every fucking moment of it. Which proves my point.Hating my touchis a pathetic excuse. In fact, every reason you’ve given me is utter bullshit.”

His footsteps closed the space between us with deliberate slowness. My shoulders tensed as if bracing for impact, and even the first ray of sunshine against my skin felt cold and distant.

“I’m calling your bluff, Rose. You’re deliberately placing obstacles to keep me at arm’s length. The question is, why?”

I kept silent, knowing those sharp eyes missed nothing. His calculating thoughts unraveled every excuse I’d crafted to maintain distance. He was right. My family wasn’t going to stop me from being with Damon, and if I had loved Professor Maxwell, it wouldn’t have stopped me from being with him, either. Graduation was weeks away, after which our student-professor relationship would cease to exist. There was only one reason that mattered to me—Damon.

For months, I had tried to comfort the lonely boy inside Professor Maxwell, who competed with his sibling for his parents’ love. Through our past conversations, it had become abundantly clear that Professor Maxwell cared about his brother a great deal…in his own way. Telling him would resurrect those competitive feelings against the only person who had his back unequivocally.

I could never do that to him.

His ire settled in at my silence. “It’s simple, Rose. Commit to a relationship, and I’ll wait for you. Keep denying what’s between us, and we’ll do things my way.”

My fury blazed white-hot, consuming every rational thought. Screw him and his entitled attitude regarding my body. A few weeks ago, I would have run to him at the first sign of danger. But now he had ripped away my sense of security, the only thing I had thrived for in my life.

“You keep saying you can’t bear my touch. But the last time we were together, I had to slap a hand over your mouth to keep you from screaming.”

I turned away from him, my face burning with shame.

He followed me like a shadow. “Stop walking away from me.” He grabbed my elbow, and the same unstoppable reaction overtook me.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to touch me?”

“That’s only doing yourself a disservice when I have made you come so hard that you nearly passed out?—”

His head snapped sideways. The red imprint of my palm blooming across his cheek was the only indication that I had slapped him.

My hands flew to my mouth to cover it. That was entirely unintentional. Unfortunately, Professor Maxwell didn’t forgive such mistakes. I considered taking off, though he would probably have me pinned to the pavement before I made it halfway down the street.

He straightened, popping his jaw and squaring his shoulders. Just when I thought he would have mercy on me, he seized my waist and threw me over his shoulder like a sack of flour.

A black Bentley sedan was waiting at the curb, engine purring. Before I could draw a breath to cry for help, he openedthe door and tossed me onto the back seat. He slid across the leather seat and clamped his palm over my mouth, silencing me mid-scream.

Raoul, his driver, blanched when he saw a grown woman being kidnapped. When I gave him a pleading look, he guiltily turned away from me.