Chapter 12 Alex
ALEX
It was all I could do not to return to Dante’s house. The whole next day, I kept wondering what he was doing. I considered stopping by his office, but I managed to control myself. I would see him in class, and I’d be able to gauge how he was feeling about finally giving in and kissing me.
Damn, it had felt so good. I wanted more, and I was sure he did too, despite him sending me away.
The one time I’d seen Randall since my return, he’d quickly hurried out of the room, and his friends had gone with him.
“What did you do to him, man?” Mitch asked. “The dumbass is acting like he’s terrified of you.”
I shrugged. “Nothing. I told him to leave me alone, or there would be consequences.”
“What kind of consequences?”
“I left that up to his interpretation.”
Mitch shook his head. “He looked like he was about to shit himself.”
“I hope he does.”
Mitch high-fived me. “He probably thinks you’re going to sue him, and his parents will freak. You probably should.”
If I told my uncle what Randall had done, that would be exactly what happened. But I didn’t need to get involved in that. We didn’t need his fucking money, and that would only make him angrier. Apparently, whatever Dante’s family had done, it had worked.
The morning of our next class, all I could think about was how Dante would act when I walked in. Would he be cold and harsh with me, trying to push me away, or would he be unable to help himself from smiling, treating me with warmth?
I didn’t get to find out. When I entered the classroom, there was a note written on the whiteboard:
Class cancelled. See assignment in Scholar+.
What the hell? Where was he? I’d been waiting days to see him.
He wouldn’t skip class for no reason. I might be arrogant, but not enough to think he’d canceled the entire class just because he didn’t want to see me. Even if he was tempted, he wouldn’t do it. He wouldn’t hide from me. I was sure of that.
So what had happened? Was he sick? Or was there something else going on, something with the family business?
When I finished my classes, I got some lunch. I meant to go back to my room after I ate, but my feet started walking toward Dante’s house. It wouldn’t hurt for me to see if he was home.
As I got closer, I wondered if his neighbors worked at the university. Did he know them? How much danger was I putting him in?
If he didn’t want me here, he should’ve let me know why he was out of class. He should’ve warned me.
Do you really think he owes you that?
He fucking kissed me.
You were begging for it.
I was begging for more than a kiss, but I wasn’t going to cause any trouble now. I just wanted to make sure he was okay. What if he was sick or hurt or…?
He’d obviously let someone know he would miss class, or there wouldn’t have been a note for us.
Fine, so I was stalking him. I couldn’t help myself. I had to know if he was home. I had to know why he wasn’t in class. I had to know how he would act around me after that fucking kiss.
I’d hardly been able to think about anything else. I wanted more, so much more. How hard would I have to work to get him to give in?
One minute, he seemed to have zero patience with me, and then the next, he was so caring and kind. I didn’t really understand him. But I sensed danger, and I liked it.
I wanted to know more about his family connections. What did he do when he wasn’t teaching? Maybe I should follow him one day and find out.
Maybe you should go home and leave the man alone.
Not a chance. My family had taught me to be stubborn. They’d taught me not to give in. I’d learned those lessons well. I wanted Dante, and I was going to keep at it until I got what I asked for.
Instead of going to the front door, I turned down the alley that went between his house and his neighbor’s to the back, giving access to all the backyards. I counted the gates as I passed and soon saw his house peeking over the privacy fence.
I tried the gate, but of course, it was locked. I looked around, but I didn’t see anyone. The last thing I needed was somebody reporting me for breaking in. I backed up to get a good start, ran at the fence, and jumped, managing to vault over it and land in his backyard.
I paused, waiting to see if alarms would go off.
I didn’t hear anything, but that didn’t mean someone wasn’t on their way to dispatch me.
Of course, no one had come when I stumbled into his yard and collapsed before.
I couldn’t even remember heading this way.
How had I found his house when I was that out of it?
Sure, I’d found his address after our first class ended. I’d needed to see where he lived. I considered going there and knocking on his door, but I hadn’t done it. I guess I’d really seared the route into my memory. Just like everything else about him.
I looked around the yard. The gate to the front was closed, so I couldn’t see if his car was there. I supposed he could’ve arrived in the time it had taken me to walk around the corner and down the alley.
I knocked on the back door and waited. No response. I couldn’t see him or anyone else through the kitchen window. So I sat down on the porch, figuring I’d wait it out and see what happened.
A few moments later, a black-and-white cat wandered up.
“Do you want to get in too?” I asked.
The cat rubbed herself against me, and I scratched her behind the ears. She made herself into a loaf next to me, and we both sat there waiting. The cat was probably hoping for some dinner. I was hoping Dante wasn’t going to kill me for showing up here, or at least that he’d fuck me first.
What would I do if he didn’t come home at all?
I pulled out my phone and texted him: You OK?
No response. Several minutes later, my phone buzzed.
I’m fine.
Well, that didn’t tell me anything except that he was alive and able to text me.
I’m waiting for you. I typed the message out and stared at it. I should erase it. I shouldn’t do this. I should get up and go home.
I pressed Send.
I grew anxious waiting for a reply. My chest was tight, my body buzzing with the need to move. I stood again, pacing around the yard. The cat watched me but stayed where she’d chosen to sit.
I was considering scaling the fence and getting the hell out of there when I heard a car. The engine cut off, then I heard a door slam.
I rushed back to the porch and sat down next to the cat, who stared at me like I’d lost my mind. I wanted to be sitting there waiting calmly when he arrived. My hands were shaking, so I clasped them together and tried to slow my breathing.
I heard movement inside the house, and then the back door banged open. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
The cat darted inside, not wanting any part of what was going on between us.
“I didn’t know you had a cat.”
He sighed. “I didn’t, but I guess I do now.”
I looked through the door and saw the little animal sitting in the window. “That’s really not your cat?”
“I’ve been feeding her, but no, not really.”
I liked that he hadn’t tried to stop her from going inside. I stood and faced him. “I was waiting for you, like I said.”
“I told you not to come back here.”
“You knew I wasn’t going to listen.”
“You really don’t know what’s good for you, do you?” The growl in his voice sent a shudder through me.
“You’re good for me.”
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “No, I promise you I’m not.”
When he took a step closer to me, I tried to relax. I needed to stay calm, or he would send me away again. “I was checking on you.”
“I told you I was fine.”
“I wanted more details. Why did you miss class today?”
“I had a family emergency.”
My mind raced with ideas of the kind of emergency mob families had. “What happened?”
“It’s private.” His voice was clipped, and he held himself perfectly still. I could see the tension in the line of his jaw.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” I was shameless. I literally batted my eyes at him. Everyone loved my long lashes.
“No.”
I moved closer to him. “Are you sure?”
“Why would you want to help me?”
“We’re friends now, aren’t we? Will you be running tomorrow?
He shook his head. “We are not jogging together. You can’t keep up anyway, and I’m your professor, not your friend.”
“You can’t be both?”
“No.”
I didn’t believe him. “Are you in a bad mood because of the emergency?”
“I’m not in a bad mood.”
I raised his brows, and he sighed. “Fine, yes. Because of the emergency.”
“You want to come get some ice cream? That usually helps me.” The thought of him licking an ice cream cone as he watched me do the same had my cock thickening.
“No. That’s not… I can’t. I have work to do.”
“It looks like you’re making dinner.” I nodded toward the grocery bags he’d sat down on the counter.
“Yes, I have to eat, and then I have work to do.”
“And you don’t have time for dessert?”