Chapter 16
Gage
When she walks into class, she’s the most beautiful distraction I've ever seen.
The classroom is buzzing with idle chatter as students file in, but all of it fades when Skye enters.
Her hair is pulled up in a messy bun, with a few loose strands falling, reminding me of my hands in it.
She's wearing a soft sweater that clings to her curves and those fitted jeans that have no business being allowed in my line of sight right now.
I grip the podium harder than necessary because I can't move.
Not unless I want the entire room to see how hard I am just from looking at her.
It's been like this since day one, but somehow today it's worse.
More intense. I think it was the kiss. The memory of how she melted against me outside her apartment.
Or maybe it's the ache of how she pulled away.
She sits in the middle of the class, like always, pulling out her notebook, and for a moment, our eyes lock.
And fuck. There it is. That look. The one that tells me I'm not the only one suffering.
Her pupils dilate just slightly. Her lips part. She shifts in her seat, squeezing her thighs together, and I know.
She's turned on too.
That knowledge doesn't help me. It only makes me want her more, and makes my cock even harder. Makes it harder to focus. To teach.
I start the lecture, forcing myself to stay behind the podium, using it as cover. Because there's no way I can stand in front of the class like this.
Every time I glance at her, I feel it again. That connection. That pull.
During the ten-minute break, while the students stretch and chat, I pull out my phone and text her.
Me: Meet me in my office after class.
She looks down at her phone, reads the message, then glances up at me, and then back at her phone.
Skye: Okay.
The relief of knowing I will have even just a few minutes alone with her isn't enough to make my cock go down, but it eases the ache in my chest slightly.
The rest of the class passes in a blur. I wrap up, dismiss the students, and keep my distance as everyone files out.
Except her.
She walks out last, doesn't look back, but I know she'll meet me. I can feel it.
Ten minutes later, she's knocking on my office door. I open it and step aside, locking it behind her before I even say a word.
She barely has time to turn before I'm there, pressing her gently against the door, cupping her face.
"You look so beautiful today," I whisper.
She gasps softly, and then she's kissing me back, arms around my neck, fingers gripping my shirt.
We kiss like we're starving. My hands slide down her sides, pulling her closer, her body molding to mine as if we've done this a thousand times. She moans into my mouth, and it's my undoing.
I lift her just enough to pin her gently against the door, letting her feel exactly what she does to me, how hard I am. Her hands dig into my shoulders, and her thighs tighten around me. It's messy and desperate and so, so wrong, but I can't stop.
Her sweater rides up as my hands slip beneath it, palms pressing to her bare skin, warm and soft and perfect.
I slide my hands up to cup her breasts, and even through the bra I can feel how hard her nipples are, how turned on she is.
She arches into me, her breath catching as my lips trail along her neck, down to the hollow of her throat.
She smells like vanilla and something uniquely Skye.
Her hands slide under my shirt, fingers brushing the lines of my stomach. I growl softly, and her breath hitches again.
"God, Skye," I murmur against her skin. "You're driving me insane."
She bites her lip, tugging gently on my hair as I kiss her harder. Her legs tighten around me, and I grip her thighs to hold her up. She's panting now, gasping softly with every kiss, every touch. All I want to do is make her come, give her the relief I know she desperately needs.
Then she stops. Her hands flatten against my chest, pushing gently but firmly.
"Gage," she whispers, breathless. "We have to stop."
I freeze, resting my forehead against hers, panting. "I know."
We stay like that for a moment, holding onto each other, before I slowly set her back on her feet.
"Come to Club Red tonight," I say, my voice rough.
She shakes her head. "No."
"Then come to my place. We can just talk."
Another shake. "I can't."
"Skye…"
She kisses me again, a soft press of lips that ends too soon. "I want to. So badly. But we can't."
I exhale, hands sliding down her arms. "I'm not giving up."
"I know."
She moves to the door, and just before she opens it, I call after her.
"Wear a dress to class next time."
She glances back over her shoulder with a small smile. "Only if you wear one of your button-downs. Sleeves rolled up."
We both smile. I cross the room and kiss her again. This time it's slower. Tender. A promise. My hands frame her face, her lips soft beneath mine, like we're trying to memorize each other.
Her fingers brush my cheek before she pulls back. Her smile is soft, tinged with longing. "If only this were simpler."
"It will be," I promise. "Somehow."
Then she leaves, and watching her walk away feels like tearing a piece of my chest out.
A knock sounds a few minutes later.
I barely look up. "Yeah?"
Part of me is hoping Skye is coming back to tell me she will meet me somewhere tonight, anywhere.
That hope is dashed when Professor Larkin walks in, all heels and perfume, leaning on my doorframe like she owns the place.
"Gage, you might want to be more careful."
I look up from my desk, brow furrowing. "What's that supposed to mean?"
She steps into the office slowly, arms crossed and eyes glittering with thinly veiled malice. "That girl…Skye? The one in your class?"
My pulse spikes, but I keep my control. "What about her?"
She shrugs and starts circling my desk, like a lioness appraising prey. "It's just the way she looks at you. And the way you look at her."
I clench my jaw. "I don't know what you're insinuating."
Larkin leans against the edge of my desk, too close, her voice low and cool. "Of course not. But others might. You know how fast rumors start around here."
"Thanks for the warning," I say tightly.
Her smirk widens. "Just looking out for you. Wouldn't want the ethics board getting curious."
She pushes off from the desk and starts toward the door, but pauses with her hand on the knob. "Though I have to say... if she's worth risking your career over, she must be something."
I don't take the bait.
She studies me for another moment, then adds, "Oh, and try to keep your office door locked. Just in case."
She leaves, the scent of her perfume lingering like poison.
I exhale and rub a hand over my face.
Fuck.
Later that night, I meet up with Ridge and Hunter at a bar near campus. We drink, talk, and catch up.
They don't pry, but when I bring up the frustration of wanting someone I can't have, they both get quiet.
Hunter nods slowly. "Been there."
I don't probe, because they don't pry when I don't want to talk. I just let them share what they are willing.
Ridge adds, "Sometimes you just have to wait."
I hesitate, then down the rest of my drink. "I kissed her in my office after class today. We got carried away, but she stopped it."
Hunter whistles low. "Damn. That's risky."
"Yeah. Don't I know it," I mutter. "It's like when I see her, all sense of danger disappears. She's trying to keep her distance, but every time we're alone, it's like gravity."
Ridge tilts his head. "Is she still worth it?"
"Every second," I smile just thinking about how she looked at me when I asked her to wear a dress to class next time.
Hunter tips his glass toward me. "Then bring her to the masquerade ball at Club Red. Everyone there has something to lose. So, it'll be the safest place for you guys. If anyone can protect her from whispers, it's us."
Ridge smirks and leans back. "Plus, a good mask hides a lot more than just a face."
I grin despite myself. "You two are terrible influences."
Hunter raises his glass again. "But we're the kind that gets results."
I nod, swirling the last of my drink. "There's more. Professor Larkin came by my office. She saw Skye leaving and said something about how we looked at each other, making it sound like a warning."
Ridge's eyes narrow. "Larkin's trouble. I hear whispers that she likes to be in everyone's business and uses it to her advantage to climb the ranks."
Hunter leans in. "She report anything yet?"
"Not yet. I don't know if she will or if she just wants to hold it over my head for something.”
Ridge nods. "Then the masquerade might be your only shot to show Skye what this really means. On your terms."
I nod, feeling the fire settle deeper in my chest. I'm going to fight for Skye. Even if it means going to war with people who think they can tell me what love should look like.
And suddenly, I have a plan.