Page 69

“Yes. Massive. Two brothers and two sisters, though none of them live close, unfortunately. We’re all kind of scattered around the country at the moment.”

“And your parents? Are they alive and still together?”

I found the question to be sad, like she assumed all families were broken or gone like hers. It brought out the protective side of me—even more than usual. I wanted to fold her into my own family, to make sure she was never alone again. “They are. They live in Florida.”

“And do you get along with them?”

“I do. They’re wonderful.”

“And all your siblings? You get along with them too?”

“Most of the time. With siblings it can be complicated, but for the most part we’re all pretty close.

“It sounds like a really nice family. You’re lucky.”

She sounded so forlorn and wishful then that it was a struggle not to move close and touch her. My hands flexed with the effort not to grab handfuls of her.

I wanted to tell her she could meet them, that I would share my big family with her, that they’d welcome her with open arms, but I couldn’t.

They wouldn’t. They’d all be horrified by what I was doing with a student.

And worse than that, none of it was really on the table. Our status was so in the now, no future in sight. It was a long shot at best to think I’d be introducing her to my family.

I wanted her to think about what she wanted to do with her life, not lose herself in mine. Anything else would be unfair to her.

“In the sun, your eyes look liquid like honey,” she surprised me by blurting out.

I don’t know why, but that put me at my limit. I excused myself.

I used the restroom, taking the time to collect myself. She was temptation incarnate, but that was nothing new. There was a reason I’d long since lost the battle against my obsession for her.

I grabbed a stiff drink at the nearest bar and knocked it back. It was going to be a long day with her looking like that and me unable to partake. Liquor it was.

When I came back to where she waded in the pool, I found some middle-aged man talking to her, standing way too fucking close.

I couldn’t help myself. I moved behind her, rubbing my chest into her. I stroked her stomach underwater, nuzzling the top of her head. I threw my free arm over the front of her collarbone, gripping her shoulder possessively.

I met the man’s gaze boldly. “Who is this, pet? Made a new friend?” Even as I spoke I was rubbing her tummy, pushing her back firmly until her ass was flush with my groin.

I smiled unpleasantly at him.

He paled. I was twice his size.

“Excuse me,” he choked out, “I see someone I know.” He practically ran away.

I watched him go, hands still full of her delicious skin. I put my mouth against her ear and said softly, “You’re going to get it for that.”

She shivered. “For what, exactly?” she gasped.

I couldn’t see her face, but I could read her mind or at the very least her body. She was deeply turned on.

“For talking to strangers,” I growled into her ear.

“I wasn’t talking to him. He approached me. I barely said a word.”

“It doesn’t matter. Nothing you can say will erase the way he was looking at you out of my brain. It’s not fair, but neither is life, and you’re going to pay for that look. I’m going to have to fuck my aggression out on you now, and soon. Frankly, I’m having a hard time remembering why I shouldn’t fuck you right where we stand.”

“Probably because it’s against the law,” she said archly.