Chapter 28
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
ROSE
I was extremely frazzled.
After losing my virginity to my family’s archnemesis and spending the weekend hiding at Poppy’s house, I had emerged from my cocoon.
Clawing myself out of my depressive state was a feat on its own and hitting traffic was the cherry on top.
My phone had died at some point, adding to this logistical nightmare.
This was a failure on my end. I should have accounted for extra time to stop by my dorm to change my clothes, tame my crazy witch hair, and grab my phone charger. Now, I was late to class, and I had never been late to anything.
What if Professor Maxwell made an example of me in front of the entire class? I couldn’t deal with it if he thought less of me, today of all days. I was already feeling down on my luck.
The classroom was creepily empty when I entered.
Weird.
I glanced at my phone. I was eight minutes late. The class should have been in session by now. I checked my email next. Class hadn’t been canceled, either.
Where was everyone?
The lab was huge, featuring numerous connecting rooms, including the break room, a small gym, the bathrooms, storage rooms, and separate experimental areas, as well as Professor Maxwell’s office.
I did a sweep of each room and concluded it was a ghost town.
Could they all be in the professor’s office?
His office was soundproof since he often listened to loud music while working.
Luckily, the door was left slightly ajar.
There was a group gathered in a circle, and I poked my head inside to hear their conversation.
Though I couldn’t see anyone’s faces, I recognized the back of Amelie’s head.
Everyone else was in lab coats, which meant they were research assistants, and class had been dismissed.
Why was only Amelie asked to stay behind?
They were turned away from the door, facing Professor Maxwell’s desk. I couldn’t see him, either, but heard his stoic voice.
“I went to your dorm. No one knew where she had gone. When was the last time you saw her?”
“At the party.” It was Amelie talking.
“Why didn’t you check on her when she didn’t come home? You’re her roommate.”
“But, Professor Maxwell, we weren’t supposed to see each other this weekend. I went away to see my boyfriend and just got back this morning.”
“Call her.”
“Her phone’s turned off.”
“Try it anyway.”
They are searching for me .
Professor Maxwell’s concern touched me. I should announce myself, but I was having a hard time finding my voice among this intensity.
Taking a deep breath, I did a counting exercise I had learned from my therapist and pushed the door open. Everyone turned when the door creaked.
Miles’s eyes widened, startled. “Rose! Where have you been? We’ve been calling you all weekend.”
That explained all the unregistered numbers calling my phone. I never exchanged numbers with any of the research assistants.
Professor Maxwell sprang from his seat the moment he heard my name. His chair kicked back angrily, and everyone stepped to the side so he could see me. His expression shifted from relief at seeing me to anger. “What the hell, Rose?”
I watched him from the door, my heart pounding loudly in my ears. I wanted to ask, What’s going on? or Why did you ask people to track me down? but my voice was muffled by my panic. Despite the lenience I had received from him, I still lost my voice whenever he was this intense.
“Why didn’t you pick up my calls?” he shouted. The immense control he exercised not to shout around me was missing.
My palms started sweating with anxiety. I had no idea what I had done wrong and had a feeling I was about to find out.
I only blocked his number because I didn’t recognize it, just like I did with everyone else who called me.
We never communicated outside of class or during the weekend.
How did he get my number anyway, the school registration records?
Shelby was doing her best to compose herself, but I could tell she was taking immense pleasure in my public reprimanding.
She was upset when Professor Maxwell took an interest in my academics and had been wanting to knock me down a peg.
I was finally in trouble, and she was in heaven.
She was trying not to smile but failing miserably.
Professor Maxwell glanced at Miles, who in turn gave him a knowing nod.
The silent exchange prompted Miles to speak out.
“Okay, people, back to work.” People were momentarily stunned by the change of pace.
When they didn’t move, he knocked on the desk to make noise.
“Let’s go. Everyone, out of Professor Maxwell’s office. Now.”
What was going on?
Confused rumbles sounded in the room as people were unceremoniously ushered out.
I backed out as well, but Professor Maxwell pierced me with an unfathomable look. “Not you, Rose.”
I froze. It seemed Miles knew that Professor Maxwell wanted to speak to me alone and was doing his bidding by getting everyone out of the office. But what had I done wrong?
I was rarely in trouble with my teachers, and now I was in trouble with my favorite one.
He had taken me under his wing, provided me with opportunities I could never have dreamed of, and he was the reason I had a future in this field.
Everything in my life had been better since he came along, and I looked up to him tremendously for it.
What could I have done to incite this ire?
I triple-checked my work and left nothing to chance so I wouldn’t disappoint the man I tried to impress the most.
Did I mislabel something?
Did I shelf the vials wrong?
Did I place an incorrect order?
No one glanced at me—except for the self-satisfied smirk from Shelby—as they ran out the door.
Amelie sidled up next to me and let everyone else pass her. “Dude, where have you been?” she whispered in my ear.
“I stayed at Poppy’s over the weekend. What’s going on?”
“I truly have no idea. He lost it this morning when he walked into class and didn’t see you. Told everyone that class was canceled but asked me to stay behind. Apparently, he has been trying to get in touch with you all weekend and even had the research assistants call you.”
“What’s so urgent?”
“I don’t know. Did you murder someone?”
I pretended to think about it for a moment. “I don’t think so,” I said to lighten the mood and the apprehension rolling inside me.
She shrugged and slipped out with the rest of the group.
I glanced around the empty room, panic flaring.
Professor Maxwell crossed his arms and glared at me. “Close the door,” he ordered.
I wanted to ask, Have I done something wrong? but couldn’t. His anger had me in paralysis. It took me several moments to make my way to the door. My hands were shaking as I turned the knob.
The door had barely shut when my face was pressed against it. I hadn’t realized when he had moved from his desk and plastered his body against my back.
I yelped.
“I don’t want to fucking hear it,” Professor Maxwell burst out. “I’m barely hanging on. Don’t push me right now.”
What the…
“Did you think you wouldn’t have to face me again if you snuck out?”
Was he referring to the student-faculty affair? There were hundreds of people, and it was perfectly normal that our paths never crossed.
He turned me around and grabbed my upper arm. Professor Maxwell wore a menacing look, his face flushed with fury. “I’m jeopardizing my career for you, and you’re treating this like a game.”
He was standing so near that I could catch the amber scent of his skin. I attempted to create some space between us and pushed at his chest. My heart raced when he grabbed my fingers and glared at me from beneath his eyebrows.
I didn’t know what to do. Panicked, I tried to take a tentative step away from him. Again, he stopped me. He lost it when I tried to disengage a third time. He shoved me against the door and captured my lips for a hard kiss.
For a moment, I didn’t move.
I was stunned.
His fingers slid into my hair and grasped my tendrils to tilt my head up. He wrapped a hand around my neck as his tongue invaded my mouth, moving assertively. It was an enraged kiss like he was pouring something inside me.
His ironclad grip on my neck momentarily cut off my circulation, and my thoughts with it.
He kissed me as if he were taking possession of me, leaving me with no choice but to submit.
My brain short-circuited when I realized his lips on me didn’t feel like a foreign invasion.
The familiarity behind the kiss overpowered me, turning me into putty in his hands.
An intense heat spread through me as his lips consumed mine, while his knee urged my legs apart.
The clash of our tongues and teeth intensified with every passing second.
It was only when I felt the firm pressure building against my leg that my eyes shot open.
What the hell was he doing?
I came out of my stupor and shoved at his chest. He didn’t budge. He didn’t even notice my resistance. Or perhaps he did and it fueled him. I tried to mumble Stop and managed to tear away from his mouth. With a hand on my cheek, he merely turned my face and continued his assault.
Not knowing what else to do, I bit his lip. He didn’t care, his hand merely drifted to my ass for a warning squeeze. He was in a world of his own, even when I screamed in his mouth and beat his chest.
He finally pulled back and nestled his face against my neck, his lips skimming along my collarbone. “You don’t get to freak out about us and leave. Not when you started this.”