Chapter 9
DIEGO
She almost kissed me. Her plump lips were right fucking there. The way she stared at me.
She wanted me.
Needed me.
I felt it.
She felt it.
I’m not fucking delusional. But shit, if she didn’t throw me for a fucking loop. This whole fucking day has been one fucking mess. Waking up with a black eye from another one of Em’s knuckleheaded party stunts. Like Friday night wasn’t enough, they had another on Sunday.
What was supposed to be a simple grilling out with a few people turned into another packed crowd overstuffing their mansion. And with Em, the bigger the crowd, the more attention he receives and the crazier he becomes.
The idiot jumped from the second-floor balcony into the pool and almost killed the guy on a float still in the water. The dude was carted off in an ambulance, but not before his boys went after Emilio to beat his ass.
Not that I blame them.
We’d have done the same.
As always, I had to back up my boy, and an all-out brawl started before the cops arrived with the ambulance. It was fucking fantastic luck that no one was arrested.
That bullshit aside, I thought all weekend about what Dom said, going through several different plans until I settled on apologizing to her for being disengaged and uninterested in her lectures.
I figured she could perceive it as another form of disrespect.
I didn’t want that, especially when I was trying to manage my hard dick the entire time.
But everything took a drastic and unpredictable turn in my favor. A serendipitous result, as we say in chemistry. Holding her in my arms, her body pressed against mine, those tits smashed against my chest . . .
Kokami.
I was reciting the periodic table of elements in my fucking head to distract me from getting a boner. The feel of her silky hair in my hands and the crown of her head tucked against my shoulder were testing my will.
How I managed to keep talking to her, comforting her, without making a move, is a fucking miracle.
The battle of will and opportunity quickly became too great until they finally called her name.
I am relieved and disappointed when she stepped behind the door, leaving me in a cloud of floral-perfumed intoxication and confusion.
My mind is spinning.
One minute, she’s scowling at me.
Next, she’s embracing me.
Clutching the edges of my jacket like a damn lifeline. Shit has my head all fucked up. Pulling out my phone, I call the one friend who can help me with this situation.
Dominic.
He picks up on the second ring, his voice clipped and mildly annoyed.
“What?”
“I’m losing my fucking mind,” I mutter, running a hand through my hair. “You busy?”
He exhales heavily, probably pissed that I’ve interrupted whatever evening activities he has going.
“Define busy.”
“Professor Rossi.” I lower my voice so the receptionist doesn’t hear. “It’s bad, Dom. Like, really bad.”
There’s a beat of silence on the other end before he groans.
“What did you do now?”
“I didn’t do anything,” I snap, though my tone is more defensive than I’d like. “She hugged me.”
“She hugged you?”
That gets his attention.
“Yeah, man.”
Closing my eyes and replaying the moment. The feel of her everywhere against me, the smoldering look when she gazed up at me. It felt so fucking right that my heart was beating a mile a minute.
“Like, full-on, arms wrapped around me, head on my chest. She was upset, and I didn’t know what to do. But she started it, and I—”
“So, you hugged her back,” he finishes, his tone sharp and accusatory. “You’re an idiot, Diego.”
“Why the fuck am I an idiot?” I shoot back, sitting up straight. “I was being helpful. She’s dealing with her dad being hurt. What was I supposed to do? Just stand there?”
“You were supposed to keep your hands to yourself. She’s your professor. There’s a line, and you’re practically pole-vaulting over it,” he says flatly as if he’s never done some dumb shit before and needed advice. On second thought, I realize he has never called me for advice, so maybe not.
I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head.
“It’s not like that, man. She—”
“She what? Needed comfort? You already said that.”
A feminine voice cuts through his words, slicing them with intent until he mumbles a goodbye to her.
Whoever she is.
“Look, I get it. You’re good at being the guy people lean on. But this is a mess waiting to happen, and you know it. Didn’t you think about what I said at the party?”
All damn weekend.
“I didn’t make a move. I didn’t even think about it. Well, okay, I thought about it, but I didn’t do anything. And her lips were right fucking there. Like right in my face.”
Dominic sighs again.
I wait for him to call me an idiot a second time.
“I thought we agreed that this was bad news. That you’re going to stop chasing. You said you don’t like the climb, yet you got your mountaineer gear on.”
“I mean . . .”
I shrug, knowing he’s not wrong.
But she felt so right.
“Just stay out of her personal space from now on, alright? You said you’re already skating on thin ice with her. Weren’t you supposed to be apologizing? You mentioned something about that, or am I just making that up in my mind?”
“I was trying to,” I grunt in response, my frustration bubbling under the surface. “It’s not that simple. She’s hot and smart. Her dad is a fucking legend, and don’t even get me started on that. It’s a long ass story, but I’m waiting for them at the urgent care.”
“What the fuck?”
“I know I messed up, but fuck, she needed me, her dad did, too, and I’m not not helping a legend.”
“You’re an even bigger moron than the twins. And that’s saying a lot.”
That’s uncalled for. I open my mouth to tell him so, but he keeps on.
“Make it simple. Stop thinking with your micro dick. Focus on getting the credits you need to graduate. And leave her the fuck alone. Don’t screw this up by getting caught up in whatever this is.”
I let the words sink in, my gut plummeting into my balls with a nauseating feeling. My jaw tightens as I stare at the tiled floor.
“Yeah.”
“And get the fuck out of the urgent care. Shit’s a place for germs and emotions. Neither do you want.”
“But I drove them here. Her dad fell, and she needed me. I—”
“You already said all that. Let her call a ride. Now get the fuck out of there. Make up some bullshit reason and jet, got it?”
“I guess,” I mutter when he makes it sound so easy.
“Good.”
The line clicks dead.
I lower the phone and lean back again. My hands rest on my thighs as I try to piece everything together. Dominic’s right. Don’t get caught up in this. But he wasn’t here for that look and how she felt in my arms.
Sure, it’s a mess.
One I should be walking away from. But we have chemistry.
And I’m not about to let it go. Even if it fucks up my world and possibly hers.
What did he say the other night about what I bring to the table?
I haven’t even focused on that because, shit for brains, I have no idea what I bring to her.
Nothing other than a shoulder to cry on and a chest to rest her cheek on?
Is that enough?
I stretch my legs in front of me, mindlessly watching the television screen without seeing it. Dom said to bounce and leave them stranded, but there’s no way I can do that to her, especially when trying to stay in her good graces. I especially can’t do it to my idol.
Mostly, I don’t want to do it with the outside chance that I can get a kiss out of her tonight. There are so many reasons not to leave, and only one reason to go. To not fuck everything up. It’s the safest bet, and the biggest risk is staying.
Time ticks by on the clock.
My decision sways from side to side until the door bursts open, with her hurrying into the lobby. I jump to my feet, adrenaline pumping through my veins, ready to act. Her steps are unsteady, and her face is blotchy from crying.
The strong, composed Professor Rossi, who had no problem icing me, now looks like a completely different person.
Vulnerable.
Human.
When her gaze lands on me, she’s surprised I’m still here. Like she didn’t expect me to wait. Honestly, I didn’t know if I’d still be here either. If it were up to Dom, I wouldn’t be.
“How’s he doing?”
I tuck my phone into my pocket and rest my hands on my hips, itching to caress down her arms.
“Okay, it’s sprained, like you thought.”
Her perfect lips roll together, her eyes are red, and tiredness rests heavily on her features.
“A sprain we can deal with. I’ve had more of those than broken bones.”
I smile at her, keeping my voice clear of any inflection or tone that could flip this against me. She’s still open and exposed to me, and I’ll do almost anything to keep her like this. The other version is too tough to crack.
“Listen, Diego, I just . . . you know about before—”
I step closer, keeping my movements slow and deliberate, not wanting to spook her. My hands stay planted on my hips, though everything in me screams to pull her back to where she feels safe enough to let go.
“You don’t have to say anything,” I cut in, dropping into a deeper octave to convey authority beyond my role as her student.
“Seriously. Whatever happened before, it’s not a big deal.”
Her brows draw together, a flicker of frustration crossing her face.
“It is, though. I crossed a line.”
“You didn’t cross anything. You needed someone. I was there. That’s it.”
Her lips press together, and she looks away, her gaze darting to the far side of the room. The moment of openness is slipping through my fingers. I can feel her pulling away, retreating into that cold, composed professor mode.
“Isabella.”
Her name slides out before I can stop it.
It’s the first time I’ve said it.
The way her wide, startled eyes snap back to mine tells me she notices. Her throat works as she swallows, and the faintest tremor in her chin betrays the effort it takes to keep it together.
“You shouldn’t be here,” she murmurs, worried and hushed. “This is . . . complicated.”
Kokami.
She didn’t say wrong.
I can work with that.
“Life’s complicated. Doesn’t mean I’m going to be a douchebag and bounce out of here just because you’re my professor.”
She blinks at me.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do right now.”
Her voice is so soft I almost miss it. I close the last bit of space between us. My hands drop to my sides, fighting to keep them there. Touching her now is too much of a risk and puts too much pressure on her. That’s certainly enough to spook her.
“You don’t have to know. Not tonight. You just have to deal with what’s in front of you.”
She lets out a shaky breath, her eyes searching mine.
“What’s in front of me?”
“Me.”
My pulse spikes. My offer is thrown out there. Risking it all.
Swallowing my pride for a bold move.
Her lips part slightly. For a second, I’m scared, nervous, and panicking. Having overplayed my hand. Then, without thought, like the moron Dom accuses me of being, I up the ante.
“Being with you.”
I meant to say being there for you. But somehow, the words didn’t come out correctly. My throat throbs, beating in time with my pulse. Seconds feel like minutes until she sags slightly, the fight draining out of her.
“I don’t know how.”
The corner of my mouth tugs into a small smile.
“Neither do I.”
Her gaze drops to the floor, strands of hair slipping over the sides of her face that beg me to brush them away. When she looks up again, there’s something different in her eyes.
“Diego . . .”
Her hands slowly start to reach for me when the fucking door opens again. The sound of her dad laughing with the nurse wheeling him out with his arm in a medical sling fills the room.
The interruption is jolting, robbing me of another moment with her.
“Well, my boy, it looks like you were right after all.”
Her dad gives me a thumbs-up, which is assuring. Her soft smile and unfiltered stare have me collecting their belongings and digging out my truck keys. I'm ready to drive these two anywhere they want as long as I get more time with her.
“Who’s up for ice cream? It’s what you get after you sprain or break something,” I offer, hoping they go for it.
It was a racing tradition that my trainer and I adhered to back in the day. Isabella casts a worried look at her father.
“I could go for some rocky road.”
“Rocky road it is, Dr. Rossi.”