“I thought you said no one ever failed this test,” she said, unable to hide the panic in her voice. “I thought you said it was a practice test…”
“It is, I mean, it’s supposed to be. Something went wrong.” Valerie said, shrugging her shoulders. “But you heard Professor Whitmore. He’s going to find a way for us to raise our grades. There’s no reason to panic.”
“I can’t help it. If I lose my scholarship, I won’t be able to finish my degree, and I’ve worked too hard to get here.” she said, but the shock was beginning to wear off. “Who is that guy anyway? I don’t remember seeing him before. Is he even part of this class?”
Valerie didn’t answer right away, and she looked over to find her new friend staring at her, mouth hanging open, eyes bugging out in shock. “You don’t know who that is?” she asked. “How could you not know?”
“I’ve only been here for a couple of weeks,” she reminded Valerie. “I’m just getting settled, and I swear I’ve never seen him in class. How did he get a perfect score on that test anyway? Is he a genius of something?”
Valerie rolled her eyes. “Emily, he’s one of the hottestguys on campus, just look at him,” she said. “I don’t know if he’s a genius or not. He doesn’t really have a reputation for being smart; in fact, he barely comes to class, but who knows, he kind of keeps to himself.”
“So, he’s a loner,” she said, glaring at the back of his head. “You still didn’t tell me his name.”
“He’s not a loner, he’s part of a fraternity, the Sigma something or the others. I can never keep that stuff straight,” Valerie said, waving her hand in the air. “I just meant he doesn’t date or anything.”
“Or have a name, apparently,” she said, getting impatient.
“Taylor Gordon,” Valerie said, a wistful smile on her face. “His name is just as dreamy as he is.”
“Gross, aren’t we a bit too old for crushes?” she asked, then leaned closer. “Do you think he cheated on the test? I mean, what other explanation could there be? You said he never comes to class, and Professor Whitmore has been giving him funny looks since class started. I bet you anything that’s why; he cheated.”
Valerie shook her head. “No way, Taylor wouldn’t cheat, he’s not that kind of guy,” she hissed, giving Emily a dirty look. “It’s not his fault that you failed the test, most of us did. Get over it and move on, it’s not the end of the world.”
“I still think he cheated. You said he never comes to class,” she said, unwilling to let go of the feeling in her gut. “How did he get such a good grade without coming to lectures? It just doesn’t make sense. I hate cheaters. They ruin everything for the rest of us; he should be kicked out of school.”
When the last word slipped from her mouth, Emily realized that she might have gotten carried away, that almost flunking the test had freaked her out a little more than it should have. Snapping her mouth closed, she felt her cheeks beginning to fill with heat. Telling herself to calm down, shetook a deep breath, but then, to her horror, Taylor turned around and looked right at her.
“You might want to get some proof before you start throwing those kinds of accusations around,” he said, his voice full of so much arrogance that she instantly wanted to punch him. “Cheating is a big deal at this school, even being accused of such a thing could hurt my chances of getting into a good law school. You’d better be careful what you say, missy, or you’ll be sorry.”
“Missy…how dare you…” she growled, then clamped her teeth shut and sucked in a deep breath through them. “Eavesdropping is a nasty habit, Mr. Gordon. Maybe you should mind your own business.”
“It is my business when you’re talking about me,” Taylor said, leaning across the desk that separated them and locking his eyes on hers. “I’m going to make this very clear here and now, I didn’t cheat on that test. I got that grade fair and square, and anyone who says differently had better be able to prove it.”
Emily never backed down from a fight and had learned a long time ago how to stand up for herself, but staring into Taylor’s eyes, something strange began to happen to her, and she found herself unable to breathe, let alone speak. Warmth began to spread through her body, followed by the distinct tingle of attraction, and she sucked in a shocked gasp of air, hoping that he couldn’t tell what was happening to her.
Completely surprised by her body’s reaction, it took her several seconds to start searching for control. Still, to her embarrassment, her nipples hardened under her sweatshirt, and there was a familiar tingle between her legs. With a huge effort, she broke eye contact with Taylor, relieved when her body instantly cooled, her heart rate returned to normal, and she could breathe freely again.
CHAPTER 2
***TAYLOR***
Taylor didn’t realize how deeply the pair of green eyes had pulled him in until the woman across from him finally looked away, but the damage had already been done. Even with the anger throbbing through his body, he could feel the bolt of attraction that started somewhere deep inside him and radiated out until it had filled him completely. When he saw color beginning to fill the woman’s cheeks, making her olive skin look like it was touched by the sun, and her green eyes framed by long dark lashes all the more intense, he found it difficult to breathe for a second as desire stampeded through him.
It all took less than a few seconds, but it felt like a long time before she looked up at him again. Her plump lips parted in surprise, and visions of kissing her suddenly popped into his mind. Lost to the picture in his mind, he wasn’t ready when the woman gave a little shake of her head. A scowl appeared on her face as the color faded away, leaving the air between them suddenly cold.
“It just seems strange to me that you got a perfect score on a test that no one is supposed to be able to pass,” thewoman said, clearly not planning to back down. “From what I hear, you barely come to class. That makes me even more suspicious.”
The anger was back full force and he found himself getting to his feet. “I don’t have to defend myself to you,” he said, leaning over the woman. “How I got that score is none of your business.”
“Don’t try to intimidate me,” the woman said, getting to her feet and putting her face right in his. “You can’t scare me with your bullying tactics.”
The thought of kissing her raced through his mind again, and he was so shocked he just stood there sucking in deep breaths of air that was tinged with the scent of sugar, vanilla, and something slightly spicy. When he realized it was the woman, he staggered back a step, his head reeling a little, then gave her a dirty look, wondering if she knew what she was doing to him. It was a stupid thought, she was clearly as angry as he was, but he’d never felt anything like it before, and it was confusing and frustrating him that he couldn’t seem to remain in control.
“Okay, you two, I think that’s enough,” Professor Whitmore said, rushing over to them. “Ms. Torres, I’ve known Mr. Gordon since he was a freshman, and I’ve never known him to cheat. I’d like to think that is the case this time as well, but it’s my job to make that determination.”
She was silent for a second, then nodded her head, “Yes, sir, I understand. I’m sorry. I might have gotten carried away. I don’t usually…” Her words died away as she looked down at the test on the desk in front of her.
“Not to worry, we’ll make that right. I’m giving everyone the entire class period to fix their tests,” he said, his voice filled with sympathy. “I know how upsetting this must be. Let’s just try to move on; you only have two hours, so you might not want to waste them.”
