I observed her for a time, amused at how obviously nervous she was. The bond in my chest was going crazy, so I knew she felt the same. Did she realize yet that that feeling meant I was nearby? She paced in front of my door, stopped, and shiftedfrom foot to foot, before pacing again. Clearly anxious. I decided to put her out of her misery and traveled down the hall with the silence of a hunter. Eryn spun around just as I reached her, hand on her chest, and I smirked. She definitely felt me.
“Nervous?” I taunted, unable to help myself. Her glare, one of my favorite expressions of hers, was firmly in place.
“Unless you plan to berate me once again for my outfit choice, no. And you never made me nervous,” she added, the little bob in her throat betraying her.
I reached around, my arm brushing her bare shoulder, to grab the doorknob and invite her inside. “Then, by all means, please come in.”
The office was two inches bigger than a shoe closet, with only enough space for my desk, chair, filing cabinet, and another chair squeezed next to the door. There was hardly enough room to get around to the other side of the desk, and if I stretched, I could almost touch the opposite wall. The close quarters were usually inconvenient at the best of times, but today they were perfect.
I watched her settle in, realize there wasn’t enough room to put her bag on the floor, and instead decide to hold it in her lap. Her cheeks were flushed from my obvious attention, and my smirk deepened. It was pure manners that kept me from speaking first. Allowing her to regain her composure had nothing to do with how much I enjoyed watching her squirm. Those rosy cheeks, her nibbling her bottom lip, the vulgar thoughts they created, it was all purely coincidental.
She cleared her throat, bravery gathered for the moment. “I realized I never properly thanked you for helping me earlier this week. So…thank you.”
I nodded and clutched the armrests of my chair, unable to speak over the memories. If she knew who that asshole was—the one that dared to try and assault her—she’d know that hewas no longer enrolled here. That he’d just up and left the next morning with no warning or explanation to the university.
She’d been very irresponsible that night, not to say that the pervert's actions were her fault, but her lack of awareness hadn’t helped the situation. Drinking without a tolerance, slipping off into a dark hallway alone with no regard for her safety—I still had the urge to spank that luscious ass red when I thought about it.
And it seemed she hadn’t learned her lesson. This meeting would end after the library closed to students, making this slot the latest I could offer. The campus shuttles wouldn’t be running when she left, which meant she would have to walk back to her dorm, on the opposite side of campus, in the dark. Why the hell had she picked this time slot?
“Have you been responsible since?” I asked her, knowing full well what the answer would be. I was a sucker for punishment, but maybe she was too.
“Excuse me?” I smirked again at her wide-eyed look of surprise. Anger slowly followed behind it.
I leaned back in my chair, hands raised. “I only meant, have you been more aware of your surroundings?”
“You…” Her lips pursed in an adorable frown. “You just don’t know when to quit.”
I really didn’t.
My lack of remorse only pissed her off more. Gods, she was a sight. Her emotions shone through her gaze; she couldn’t conceal them there. Her eyes were more jade than emerald, and they practically sparkled with fury. They had me entranced, at least, until she spoke again.
“I love how this amuses you, I truly do,” she said. “But I’m only here for the required meeting, and I’d rather go ahead and get it over with so we can move on from this interaction and hopefully never have to repeat it. Ever.”
That wouldn’t do. I looked down at her file, and the rising panic dissolved as I read over my notes. My little bond wasn’t going anywhere. If she wanted to stay in this class, she would be seeing a whole lot more of me.
“Very well,” I told her, my excitement in check by strength of will. “Allow me to get straight to the point then. You failed the test.”
It was my first time seeing her at a loss for words, and it didn’t disappoint—full lips, glossy and open in a perfect little circle. I really was getting too much enjoyment from this.
“What?” she whispered. “Like, there’s a few subjects I don’t grasp but—”
“No. Failed the whole thing.” I didn’t want to hurt her, as I knew this would, but she needed the truth. “You’re actually behind by a significant amount. Even your grasp on basic molecular foundations isn’t as strong as you need for this class.”
She slumped in her chair, soaking in the news. I frowned, worried she wouldn’t fight back on this. Denial, anger, literally anything to tell me she didn’t accept my findings. Then like a switch, she freaked out. Jumping to her feet, she paced as much as the small room would allow; two steps one direction, turn, two steps back, turn, repeat.
“I did so well in the 101 class. Granted, it was online, and the instructor was nonexistent, butstill. I studied so hard. How the hell can I be this far behind?” The question was directed at me, with her hands slammed flat on my desk, but before I could answer, she was off again. “I won’t make the program cut at the end of the year without this credit. I’ll be delayed for at least another year. My entire life’s plan will be pushed back and…”
Her panicking turned internal as she thought through the repercussions. The color in her face brought on by her earlier anger fled. She sat once more, pale, shaking, and silent. Fuck. I hadn’t meant to send her into a spiral.
“Ms. Montalli.” She stared at my desk, lost in her thoughts. “Ms. Montalli,” I tried again. I could almost sense her anxiety, and our bond wasn’t even strong enough yet for me to pick up on her emotions. Double fuck. “Eryn,” I growled, plucking at the strand in my chest that connected us, and she snapped out of it. “I can help you.”
“You can?” she breathed, and some of that color returned.
“I can tutor you twice a week to get you caught up and later maintain your understanding of the material.” She nodded, and a relieved sigh escaped. “We can meet here whenever works for you,” I offered.
“Tuesdays and Thursdays?” she asked. “Since the class is on the other days of the week, I assume those would be better for you?”
She would be correct.
