Chapter 12 #2
He shrugged. “I value being able to hold your hand far more than teaching. I only applied for the position to be near campus for my sister and because I was bored. The importance of it pales in comparison to spending time with you… Plus, I didn’t want to put you through the process of me being fired and you blaming yourself.
So I just did it. And now we can move wherever we want. ”
I stared at him in shock before saying, “You quit because you wanted to be able to hold hands with me freely?”
“A large part of the reason, yes,” he said, smoothing a hand over my jaw. “Not just holding your hand though.”
“What else—”
Ryder kissed me then. It wasn’t just a normal kiss, either.
No, this was claiming and intense. It was like he was branding me with his mouth, and I felt my entire body melt underneath his touch, recognizing the dominance that flowed off of him.
When he finally pulled back, I could hear the room breaking out into conversation, and I felt almost high off the kiss.
Any insecurities I’d experienced before faded faster than I could have imagined.
He’d kissed me in front of everyone—if that didn’t say serious, I didn’t know what would.
“Come on, let’s get in class,” he rumbled, looking around. “Way too many fucking eyes on you now.”
“Probably because of the show we just gave them,” I said, feeling a bit breathless still.
Ryder just chuckled at that, and when we walked into the classroom, he made sure I was settled in my seat before going towards the front.
I shook my head, wondering what the heck I’d gotten myself into with him.
I honestly couldn’t tell you what class consisted of, or at least the first part of it, because I couldn’t stop staring at how good Ryder looked.
His sweater molded to his chest so perfectly, and his arms looked huge, making me imagine gripping them as he kissed me again.
A shiver went up my spine, and I had to shake myself, not wanting to get turned on in the middle of a class filled with wolf shifters. Talk about freakin’ embarrassing.
Suddenly a knock sounded on the door, drawing everyone’s attention.
Ryder opened it, offering the student standing there a questioning look while taking the orange slip they passed to them.
The student was gone before he could say anything, and as Ryder looked it over, his jaw clenched, his eyes flashing towards me.
“Talk to your class partner about the quiz coming up,” Ryder called out before motioning for me. I stood up immediately, keeping my bag with me, because I knew instinctively that the slip had to do with me.
“What is it?” I whispered.
“A meeting with Hastain for you, right now.” He cursed, looking pissed as he grabbed his phone and sent a quick message. “I just told Tore to come grab you.”
“Do I have to go?” I asked, queasiness invading my gut as his eyes flashed with a surge of bright orange.
“I worry that if you don’t meet him on his terms, he will come find you,” he growled softly, leading me gently towards the door. “If you go with Tore, you should be fine. I am going to end class early and then join you—”
“Professor Bosu, we can take it from here.”
My eyes widened as two campus security guards approached us, the woman offering a polite smile. “We came to escort Ms. Harlow to her meeting.”
“Not necessary,” Ryder warned. “One of her—”
“This can’t wait,” the second said with a look of distaste. “I’m sure you don’t see the importance considering you aren’t a wolf shifter, but some things can’t be delayed.”
I could feel eyes on us, from both the classroom and the students gathered outside of it. I couldn’t even blame them—if we hadn’t been putting on a show before, we sure were now.
“I’ll be fine with them,” I assured Ryder, meeting his gaze. “Can you send Tore a message to meet me at the building?”
I knew Tore would leave his meeting the minute he saw Ryder’s message, whether it was done or not.
I also knew that security wasn’t giving us a choice in any of this.
Ryder had already resigned from his position for me; I wasn’t going to bring any more negative attention to him.
Especially an altercation with campus security.
Ryder’s jaw was tight as he stared at the security guards, then down at me. I stilled as he leaned down, pressing his lips against mine before whispering, “If anything seems off at all—run.”
Run? I nodded as he pulled back and looked at the security guards. They weren’t focused on me, though—their attention was solely on Ryder and the dark expression that reflected the storm brewing underneath his skin, his magic brushing over me possessively.
“If anything happens to her, you will suffer for it.”
The second guard paled as they both nodded, and the woman offered me a kind but tense smile and led me away from the classroom.
When I looked back, I could see Ryder’s fingers moving across his phone, but his worried gaze was completely on me.
I tried to offer him a smile of reassurance, but I honestly didn’t think it worked.
I tried to remain calm, feeling secure in at least one of the guards. The other…not so much.
“Who the fuck does he think he is?” the second guard growled. “Stuck-up piece of shit. He acts like going to the university president’s office is fucking dangerous.”
But wasn’t it?
“Later,” the woman clipped in a disapproving tone that silenced the angry man.
The three of us walked quietly towards the next building and up the familiar pathway towards Dr. Hasitain’s office.
I could feel my body going cold, my fingertips almost numb with nerves as we reached the upper level and walked through the familiar doorway he had once closed to trap me here.
I sent up a small prayer to the Goddess that Tore would arrive soon.
“Dr. Hastain?” the woman called out, positioning us in the center of the lounge.
“Bring her in here!” a booming voice ordered casually. My heart began to thump loudly, as I neared the doorway of the office, considering turning and running. That would be the smart thing to do.
Then I saw who was with him, and instantly I felt everything still inside of me, meeting a pair of familiar eyes.
Anger boiled under my skin.
The urge to run disappeared as I was faced with someone who made me feel authentic fury—Caedmon’s father.