Chapter -
Piper
Hunter turns and walks back towards the front of the classroom.
I glance around carefully and feel a small wave of relief when I notice everyone with their attention fixed firmly on their papers.
At least I hope they didn’t see much.
With Hunter standing between me and the rest of the class, they shouldn’t have been able to see me properly.
He’s well over six foot, and his broad build likely hid most of my tiny five foot two frame from view anyway.
I quickly take my seat and begin the exam.
I need to pass, and considering Mr Wardgrave decided to spring a surprise test on us, I had absolutely no time to prepare for it.
The next hour passes in a blur as I work my way through the essay.
“Time’s up,” Hunter says.
I look up only to find him standing close to my desk yet again.
I quickly finish the sentence I’m writing before setting my pen down and handing him the exam paper.
His fingers brush mine again as he takes it.
Then he moves further down the row to collect the rest of the papers while I shove my things back into my bag and stand.
I fully intend to leave without another interaction, but apparently that isn’t happening.
He’s back in my space within what feels like seconds.
“A word,” he murmurs.
At least this time he doesn’t announce it loudly in front of the entire class.
Though, judging by the smirk he wears whenever he does it, he clearly enjoys putting me on the spot.
I swallow and pretend to search through my bag while the rest of the students slowly file out of the classroom.
I’m sure he gets some sort of satisfaction out of this.
Out of constantly pushing when I keep asking him for distance.
Yet he always finds ways around it anyway with small touches, those intense looks, and reasons to keep me behind after class.
Everything I explicitly asked him not to do.
And the worst part is that, deep down, I don’t hate the attention he gives me.
I just can’t afford to have it.
As the door closes behind the last student, Hunter leans back against his desk, his legs casually crossed at the ankles.
And then his attention is on me again.
His eyes travel slowly over my bare legs, my platform boots, the dress clinging to my body, before finally lifting to my chest, and suddenly breathing feels more difficult than it should.
The way he looks at me makes my skin grow hot.
Like he’s undressing me right here in the middle of the classroom.
I narrow my eyes at him.
“Why did you do that?” I ask.
“Do what?” he replies, completely unbothered.
I stare at him in disbelief.
“You made them leave because they were talking to me. You keep making everything obvious. The way you ask me to stay behind after class, the way you always call for me, the way you touch me…” I swallow. “The way you look at me. You’re making it seem like something is going on between us!”
A smirk slowly appears on his face.
“Something is going on between us, Miss Ashthorne.”
He takes a step closer.
“Might I remind you how your virgin blood stained my cock while I fucked you raw?”
I swallow hard.
Thank God for the morning after pill because with this man I completely lost my mind that night, and judging by the way my body reacts to him now, I’m clearly still losing it.
He takes another step closer.
“Or the way you screamed my name while you came for me over and over again?”
He moves even closer, and his ocean clean scent reaches me again. Before I can stop myself, I discreetly breathe it in.
“Or how I buried my face between your thighs and ate you out like your pussy was my favourite thing in the entire bloody world because, apparently, it is.”
The last words reach my ear just as he closes the remaining distance between us.
I can barely breathe.
And somehow, despite everything, I’m still turned on.
“That was a one-time thing,” I say quickly. “It didn’t mean anything. Maybe there was something between us for one night, but not anymore.”
His eyes darken, the amber in them turning almost black.
“Didn’t mean anything, hmm?”
His voice turns deadly calm.
“Careful, sweetheart. Don’t push me into proving you wrong by taking you on this table right here and now.”
He reaches up and brushes his knuckles along my cheek, the roughness of his skin completely at odds with how gently he touches me.
“Because your mouth says one thing, but I guarantee if I slipped my hand beneath that little dress of yours, I’d find you absolutely soaked for me.”
“I… I have to go,” I say weakly.
“Run then, red.” A dangerous glint enters his eyes. “Because the more you run from me, the harder I’ll chase.”
Anger courses through me and I glare at him as I take a small step closer myself this time.
“And what if I stopped running?” I ask coolly. “What if I gave you exactly what you want? Would you finally leave me alone then?”
“It irritates me more than it should how desperately you seem to want distance from me,” he says calmly. “But no, love.”
His eyes hold mine.
“If you let me fuck you right now, I would. And afterwards I’d want you again that same evening. The following morning. Every bloody hour in between.”
His voice lowers.
“You’d stay in my head constantly. I’d think about you nonstop.”
A humourless smile touches his mouth.
“You’re like a disease, red. One that spreads through me faster every time I touch you.”
“So let me understand this properly.” I look at him in disbelief. “If I run from you, you want me. But if I stay, you seem to want me even more.”
“Exactly.”
He narrows his eyes slightly, and that damned dimple appears again.
“It’s really not that complicated, red. It seems I just want you.”
My stomach tightens, but I quickly shake my head as if that might clear it.
“I need to go. Julian’s probably waiting.”
The dimple disappears from his face so quickly it’s unsettling to witness.
And just like that, every trace of warmth in his eyes disappears entirely, leaving this version of him cold.
Deadly even.
I barely recognise the man standing in front of me anymore.
A chill runs through my body.
“You’re not seeing him.”
His tone leaves absolutely no room for argument.
“And who exactly is he anyway?”
I shake my head. “You don’t get to make that decision for me.”
His jaw tightens. “Like hell I don’t.”
I look at him practically pleading with my eyes for him to stop pushing this.
“Please,” I whisper. “Just let this go. You and I… we could never work.”
“Why?” he asks, anger clear in his voice now. “Why the fuck do you keep saying that? Just tell me.”
“I can’t tell you that!” I nearly snap because honestly, this is becoming exhausting.
He keeps pushing and pushing when all I need is for him to let this go already.
I can’t tell him.
Hunter closes the distance between us again before taking hold of the back of my head, and the exact moment he does, the classroom door suddenly opens.
Panic slams into me so fast I nearly stop breathing.
Then a deep laugh echoes through the room.
“Am I interrupting something?”
I look up to find Milo Markev standing by the door, and I instantly feel some of the tension leave my body.
A slow grin appears on his face as his eyes move between the two of us before he lifts his brows knowingly.
Hunter lets go of me reluctantly, then turns to Milo and sends a dark glare in his direction.
“Has no one ever taught you basic manners?” Hunter asks flatly.
“Nope,” Milo replies without a trace of shame.
I quickly gather my bag.
“I was just leaving,” I mumble, carefully avoiding eye contact with either of them.
I walk towards the door as calmly as I can when what I really want to do is run.
Once I step into the corridor, I finally breathe a little easier, though the relief barely lasts a second before the anxiety returns all over again.
I have to go see Julian now.
He promised that if I followed the rules, I’d be allowed to stay at the academy.
The problem is… I’m no longer sure he believes I have.