6. Chapter Six
I duck my head and ignore my prickling skin as I focus on keeping in the center of the crowd of students shuffling into Professor Black’s lecture room.
It’s been four days.
Four days of hiding.
Four days of working dawn to dusk in the library.
Four days of remembering how it was to be held by a man who wanted me for me.
Four days of cursing because I can’t get Jacob Black out of my head even though he’s strictly hands-off.
It’s not right to be this obsessed. But no one ever accused me of being in my right mind. I’m not exactly a girl with a normal upbringing.
I tilt my back and put several students between myself and my professor as I climb the stairs to the seats at the back of the lecture theater. My every awareness is fine-tuned to the man standing behind the podium, scanning the crowd with eyes so vivid blue they could be fake.
Looking for me.
He’s not the only one.
The ball in my stomach turns to barbed wire at the thought of Daniel being on campus. I cleaned out my account, transferring the money he demanded, leaving me with nothing. He’ll demand more if he catches me and I have no idea how to pay him. The best I can do is hide. Hide and pretend he’ll go away.
And unicorns fart rainbows and sparkles too.
I slide into a seat in the back row of the theater, wishing I could fade into the furniture. My heart rate ramps up and my skin tingles as I swing my gaze around the room to snag on Jacob.
He’s looking straight at me, eyes burning bright.
The pressure at the base of my skull thickens and my nipples bead as pressure zips straight to my core. I clench my legs when my clit throbs.
I sink into my seat, only now understanding that getting out of here without him stopping me is impossible. Should have taken the seat nearest the door.
I pull my hoodie over my head, sink into the seat and open my laptop.
A flicker of color catches my eye in the doorway.
A bolt of lightning jags through the center of my head. Presses my temples apart. Strikes my heart.
Not a color.
Him.
Daniel is here? He found my class?
Every molecule in my body freezes. My vision grays around the edges. Chatter stops as everyone takes in how his black jeans mold to his muscular thighs and his broad shoulders fill out his sweatshirt. He’s every American girl and guy’s wet-dream. And he knows it.
Daniel’s gaze follows Jacob’s. Of course it does. His gaze tangles with mine and a smirk tugs his lips. A girl whispers behind me. If she only knew what he’s really like.
Daniel walks up the stairs toward me. I’m thankfully surrounded by other students. He takes a seat close enough that it will be hard to lose him in the exit crush.
Jacob speaks but I have no clue what he says because I’m about to hyperventilate. I suck air into my heaving lungs, trying to steady my breathing but it’s impossible. In. Out. In. Out. The lights go off and I sink into the darkness as Jacob conducts his presentation. I’m so stuck in my head, it seems as though only seconds pass until the press of voices and moving bodies signaling the end of the class lifts me from my stupor.
I grab my laptop and bag and launch from my seat. I push into bodies, heedless of complaints, and stumble down the steps. I reach the floor, my eyes on the open door to freedom.
“Miss Smith?” My thighs bunch, preparing to run from the man with the power to rattle my foundations when a hand clamps around my bicep.
I look up into Daniel’s face. My arm burns where his fingers clamp down. The scent of my fear flows to my nose, acrid and sharp. I don’t care. All I care about is getting Daniel’s fingers off me. My pulse hammers in his hold. “Don’t –”
“Let go of her!” Jacob’s sharp tone commands.
I stagger when Daniel releases me but I refuse to rub my arm where I still feel his fingers on me.
Jacob’s intelligent gaze slides from me to Daniel. “Is there a problem here, Mr. Adam?”
Daniel raises his hands and lifts his brows to feign surprise. “Just thought I’d say hello to an old friend. I was going to ask her out for a coffee. To catch up on old times.”
A frown forms on Jacob’s brow, the vivid blue of his eyes darkening. “Old friend?”
“He’s more of an acquaintance,” I say.
“Is there something you want to tell me, Ste—Miss Smith?” Jacob catches himself.
I wrap my arms around my laptop, feeling the hard edges dig into my stomach. “No. Nothing. I just need to get to my next class.” That’s a lie. I need to hide before Daniel can make more demands of me.
Jacob’s gaze roams my face. I reach up and adjust my hair so that it falls over my cheeks.
“You look tired, Miss Smith.” He sees me.
Dangerous.
He looks tired as well. I know why.
Doubly dangerous.
“I should go.” I take a step back.
“Have you teamed up with anyone for the group assignment yet?’ Jacob asks me.
“Group assignment? Great! You can help me with that—Steph,” Daniel says.
The muscles across my shoulders go rigid, driving my shoulders to my ears. The last thing I need or want is to work on a group assignment with Daniel. He would destroy me.
“I’ll assign you to a group more fitting to your experience in this class, Mr. Adam,” Jacob says.
My gaze flies to Jacob, but his attention is on Daniel. “Hey. That’s not fair. She’s without a partner. And so am I.”
“It’s best you learn from students who are still working on the fundamentals, seeing as you’re coming into my class at such a late date. I’ll send an email and bring you into the appropriate group,” Jacob says.
“But—”
“I hope you enjoyed your first class of Business Analytics. If you need help with the assignment, you can book some time with me on the university’s intranet. I’m available Monday and Tuesday afternoons,” Jacob says.
I turn to go, wanting to skip ahead of Daniel before Jacob finishes with him. Daniel sees me moving and mutters a quick okay to Jacob. I’ve barely made it to the door when his arm brushes mine, stopping me in my tracks. “You’ve been avoiding me,” he whispers.
The barbed wire ball begins to ping inside me, opening more bloodied wounds. There will be nothing left of me but a hollowed out husk. I have avoided him. For reasons obvious to us both.
“I’d still like to catch up your assignment, Miss Smith. I have those notes you asked for. I have time to go over them now,” Jacob says.
“Make another time. Tell him it doesn’t suit right now,” Daniel’s eyes flash a warning. He wants more money. It’s been a few days and he’s probably burned through what I gave him. But there’s nothing else to give. Not unless I ask Dad and that won’t happen, because then he’ll ask why I need it and I can’t tell him.
I’ll have to ask for more shifts at the café. And skip lunch. And breakfast. I can afford one meal a day. If it’s Ramen.
When I turn, Jacob has narrowed his gaze on Daniel’s back. His body is still. Solid. I haven’t answered either of them and the hole I want to open under my feet and swallow me isn’t opening up.
Neither is a good option, but Jacob is the lesser evil. As long as I can control myself.
I clutch my laptop so tight I hear the casing squeak and step back into the sanctuary of the lecture room. “I’ll catch you around another time, Daniel.”
“I’ll catch up with you soon, Stephanie. It’s a promise.” A tremble works through me and I feel the weight of his burning gaze in the long pause before he walks away.
I don’t know how long I can do this. But I can’t tell Dad. Or Tristan. Not even Adeline. The repercussions would be devastating. Hey. Daniel was my first sexual experience. Come and see the evidence. My one and only has photos and a video. Hours of entertainment. Bring popcorn. No imagination needed. Just the thing a father wants to see of his daughter.
“Is he really your friend?”
“He’s someone, all right,” I whisper. The air has gone from thick and heavy to become charged with nipple-beading intensity.
Jacob scrutinizes my face. “If he’s hassling you—”
“It’s nothing I can’t handle, Professor,” I snap and internally wince. “Look, I really should be going.”
“I really did want to ask you who you’re partnering up with for your assignment,” he says, stopping me in my tracks.
The ground grows sticky and catches my feet. I want to walk into the sanctuary of the unknown outside. But I don’t. Instead, I half turn to face him. “What about it?”
A list of class mates runs through my head. None will be happy to let me into their group. Not when they’re already partway through and will have to rework everything they’ve done so far. Besides, the hours of work I’ve already done will need to be rewritten to suit the idea they’ve come up with and I already like the fabricated company I developed for the sake of the assignment.
“Are you listening to anything I’ve said?” Jacob asks.
My head clears and I realize I’ve vagued out. Again. I blink back into the moment. “What?”
A smile tugs his lips and jolts straight through me. “As I was saying, you probably don’t want to join another group and personally the company you designed for the sake of the assignment is brilliant, quite frankly.”
I ignore my stupid heart fluttering. “Oh.”
“You still need to satisfy the group component, though,” he says.
“I understand. Thank you, Professor.”
Lines mar Jacob’s brow. “What do you understand? And please, don’t call me Professor. Not when we’re alone. It makes me feel old.”
His smile lingers, softening his words. Dark stubble coats his jaw and there are shadows under his eyes. He isn’t old. I don’t see the years between us. They don’t matter to me. I do see that he looks as though he’s had as little rest as I have recently. “What would you have me call you?”
“How about your assignment partner?” he says.
My gaze skips to his and I fall into twin pools of vivid blue. There has to be an ocean that color. That wasn’t what I expected him to say. Then again, most of what he says to me is unexpected. “I…don’t understand.”
“I’m happy to work with you to satisfy the group work component of the assignment.”
“That’s absurd.” I try to ignore the thrill that races through me at the thought of hours spent working together. Dangerous and far too tempting. “You’re a teacher. My teacher. I’m sure there’s a code of ethics that prohibits you from working on an assignment with a student.”
The accusations would fly. Especially when they find out I’m really the daughter of a billionaire mogul. I want to make it on my own two feet.
I want people to see I’m more than the money my father has made.
“Not if we publish a dissertation,” he says.
“It’s not a dissertation. It’s an undergraduate assignment,” I say. My heart rate picks up as adrenaline courses through me. There’s no way I can possibly do this. No way I’m ready for something of this magnitude. I’m an undergrad. A run of the mill business student.
Jacob steps close enough that his body heat sinks through my sweatshirt. My head tips back and I peer up at his eyes. Navy lines striate from his pupils, adding depth to the brilliant blue.
“Now that I have your attention again, an undergraduate assignment can serve as the foundation for a dissertation, especially since what I’ve read from you so far is high enough quality and the points you’re submitting are original with depth and potential for further research. You have to admit, the amount of work you’re turning in so far is because of that. The level at which you’re conducting your research is more graduate than undergrad. We can easily expand what you’ve started into a dissertation,” he says, and lifts a brow. “Usually an undergrad project requires finding a graduate advisor who can see the potential. I am. And I do.”
I step back because the temptation to close the distance between us and meld to his body is overwhelming. “I…”
He lifts his hands as though to touch me, but they drop back to his sides when I stiffen and glance at the still open door. Anyone could walk in here and see us. “Of course, I would have the honor of having my name co-published with yours.”
My hand tightens on the strap of my backpack and I swing my attention back to him. He’s serious. One hundred percent serious.
The ball of barbed wire spins from my stomach to my head, gouging the inside with words and memories that have followed me throughout my life. Poor little rich girl. Doesn’t matter what you do or how hard you work, you really don’t have to. Your father is wealthier than God. You have it so easy.
Yeah, so easy no one can see past the dollars.
Until him.
Until he finds out who I really am, that is. When he does, everything will change. I’m not deluded enough to know that it won’t. Those dollar bills will form a harder and more insurmountable wall than any other substance known to man.
For a second, I let my fantasy run through my head. That my accomplishments will be seen as mine alone and nothing to do with the Chandler name. I know better. “Thank you, Jacob. But…”
“Not only would you leave this university with your undergraduate degree, but also a published dissertation. This will also be good for my career.” He pins me with a stare I can’t pull away from. A stare that drills into me and rips open the place I keep that fantasy buried deep. “But it would launch yours.”
How does he know to say that? How does he know the very thing I want?
To be seen as more than the Chandler name. Beyond Blue Sky. To stand in my own light.
I stare at him. Waiting for a punch line that doesn’t come. He simply waits, locking me within a gaze that pulls me in, in, in.
My head spins. I can have what I want. Just for a period of time, this fantasy can be a reality. I can ignore how bad of an idea this actually is. Just as bad as kissing him was.
But I’m not going into this blind. I know exactly what I’ll be signing up for and, for a time, I’ll let myself buy into my fantasy.
To experience it like it could be real.
I know better, but the dangling carrot entices.
Too tempting.
I reach up and take a bite of poisoned orange enticement. “Okay.”