“Yes. Although I don’t blame Asher so much as I do our father for influencing Beckett to act in the first place. And—wait.” Sutton pauses, frowning. “You’ve seen him?”
“Well, I ran into him and your dad the day I saw you in the woods.”
“What do you mean you ran into them?” he grinds out, jaw tense. “My father rarely leaves the family manor due to illness, and Beckett’s been so despondent lately that he barely leaves this apartment. Frankly, the fact that you were able to sneak in the one time he was gone is a bit frightening, but I’m willing to overlook it for the moment. Stay away from my father, Elle.”
Unease slinks down my spine. Now would be a good time to mention my history with the man, but I can’t make myself do it. I don’twanthim to know—don’t want him to think less of me. “It’s not like I sought him out. I ran into him by pure chance. If you hadn’t kicked me out of the forest, actually, I probably would’ve missed him altogether.”
Sutton’s laugh is humorless and made of glass. “You’re blaming me for being put on his radar?”
“What is he, a UFO?”
“No, what heisis a major fucking influence in this town and a founding family member who believes your family is responsible for the downfall of ours. He believes in that ridiculous fucking curse, and he’s the reason Beckett tried to kill your brother meremonthsago. Fuck. Do you take anything seriously, or is this all some big joke to you? Did you come to Avernia just to cause problems? Was LA not doing enough for you?”
I cross my arms, waiting while he seethes, ignoring the bite of his judgment. A part of me wants to walk over and offer him some sort of comfort since he’s clearly spiraling, but I thinkthat might make the final thread keeping him tenuously sewn together tear.
Finally, he sighs, dropping his head. “My father is not a good man, Elle. Stay away from him.”
“Stay out of the forest, don’t hang out with Lexington, stay away from your dad. Normally, I want a man to fuck me afewtimes before he starts trying to dictate my entire life.”
“Christ.” Groaning, he scrubs his palms over his face. “Don’t talk about fucking right now.”
“Why not? You’re the one who told me to come for office hours.”
The air goes still. He spreads his fingers, peeking at me through them. “What sort of office hours did you think I meant?”
“Is that not…” I trail off, cocking my head to the side. Heat blooms in my cheeks, flushing warmth through my entire body.
Oh my God. Thatwasn’ta come-on in class.
He wasn’t offering sex in exchange for a spot in Visio Aternae. He really meant for me to come to hisofficeduringoffice hours.
Humiliation burns my retinas, blurring my vision.
I want to die.
“Forgive me for misunderstanding,” I mutter.
Genuine horror registers on his face. “In what world would you believe I’d ask you to trade sex for group membership, Elle? Jesus Christ. You must think I’m a raging piece of shit if that was your first conclusion. Is that what Hollywood taught you?”
Tears sting my eyes as he scolds me, his words like a branding iron to the face. I feel utterly small. Infinitesimal.
My skin itches, and I scramble to fix the buttons on my shirt. Sniffling, I push to a standing position and grab my things, tugging my skirt down in the process.
“Like I said, it was a misunderstanding,” I say, my voice robotic.
Stupid, Elle. You are so fucking stupid.
You fell for itagain.
Sutton stares at me as I try to collect myself, an unreadable expression marring his features. “What aren’t you telling me?”
I glare at my feet. “Nothing.”
“Elle.”
“What? We’re just teacher and student, right? You don’t need to know everything about me. An incomplete hookup doesn’t make us friends, and you don’t want us to be more so just drop it.”
Keys jangle at the front door, and Sutton curses under his breath, springing into action. His arm collides with my stomach, shoving me backward as he practically drags me past the sofa and into a short hall with two side-by-side doors.
