Chapter 13 Say You Do Not Want Me.
Evelyn
“My son does not want to tell you.”
A laugh immediately broke out from one of the students before playful words followed: “If you were my mother, I would brag about you in front of my friends all the time.”
Laughter echoed across the wide hall. A faint smile tugged at my lips while my head shook lightly.
“Do not say that, son... all mothers are beautiful. You should not say something like that. Now let us begin the lesson.”
Calm steps carried me between the rows as I explained the material, examples appearing one after another across the smart screen while questions moved between students naturally. Still... Adrian Blackwood’s eyes never left me for a single moment.
Sharp stares.
Heavy with something that unsettled me.
Anger? Jealousy? I honestly could not tell.
Thankfully, work always transforms me into someone else entirely. Tension fades the moment I begin teaching, as though this place was created specifically for me.
Eventually the lecture came to an end, students pouring out of the hall while excited conversations filled the atmosphere. Most of them seemed relieved that I was not the strict type of professor. Studying alone is dull... naturally, I enjoy joking with my students.
That is simply who I am.
Marcus had already disappeared somewhere. Most likely he found someone to talk to within minutes like always. Sometimes his social skills are honestly terrifying.
Stacks of notes waited across my desk while I organized the lecture details before the workload could pile up later, especially with the administration demanding daily reports during the first week. Relief reached my eyes the second I removed my glasses for a moment.
Then my gaze lifted.
Everything inside me froze.
Still there.
Alone.
Far back inside the massive lecture hall sat Adrian, his black mask finally gone. Dark hair fell messily across his forehead, and those eyes remained fixed on me with an intensity that made my breathing falter for a second.
Dear God...
Even the way he sat looked sinful.
Anger shadowed his expression clearly though. Why was he angry in the first place?
Questions almost left my mouth before his deep voice interrupted first.
“Are you satisfied with yourself now, Mrs. Carter?”
Confusion tightened my brows as the pen slipped from my fingers onto the desk.
“What? Why would I not be satisfied with myself exactly?”
Silence stretched between us while Adrian slowly rose from his seat. One step after another carried him down the stairs toward me, each movement tightening something painfully inside my stomach.
Only a short distance remained between us when his voice cut sharply through the air.
“Everyone was flirting with you... whispering about you... looking at you as if you were—”
Frustration interrupted him. Long fingers dragged through his dark hair before he spoke again.
“Why do you even dress like that? Do you enjoy everyone flirting with you?”
Shock spread instantly across my face.
Is he... jealous?
Disbelief escaped me in the form of laughter as I stood from my chair.
“What? Are you actually serious right now?”
Whatever amusement I felt disappeared the moment he stepped closer.
Low. Rough. Dangerously serious.
Heat crawled through my body against my will from nothing but the sound of his voice.
“For heaven’s sake, I am serious.”
Another step.
My body reacted before my mind did, feet unconsciously retreating backward. Nothing about him felt like a university student in that moment. No... Adrian looked like a grown man fully aware of the effect he had on me.
Terrifying.
Exciting too.
“We are inside the hall... what exactly do you want?”
Nervousness tangled through my voice while my eyes darted toward the entrance, terrified some professor might suddenly walk in. Amusement flickered faintly across Adrian’s expression before he closed the remaining distance between us.
Warmth radiated from his body immediately.
“And if we were somewhere else... would that make it acceptable to you?”
Painfully fast heartbeats slammed against my ribs.
Damn his voice.
Dryness caught in my throat before words rushed out quickly. “Adrian, you are like my son. You should not feel this way toward me... this is wrong.”
For a moment, nothing moved except those dark eyes lifting toward me slowly.
“I am not like your son... and I never will be.”
A whisper.
Dangerously soft.
Another inch closer, and suddenly his breath brushed near my ear.
“Mam.”
My entire body shivered.
Eyes closed briefly while he inhaled the scent of my hair. Weak fingers pressed against his chest, pretending to push him away, though the touch barely counted as resistance at all.
Too close.
Then gentle teeth caught the edge of my ear.
A gasp escaped me immediately.
“Am I not right.. Mami?”
Instantly, my eyes squeezed shut.
“Damn it... do not call me that, Adrian.”
Air no longer felt enough for my lungs. Fast breaths kept escaping me uncontrollably, and the realization terrified me.
Does he truly affect me this much?
Barely any distance separated us now. My chest still pressed lightly against his while warm breaths brushed directly over my lips. His gaze remained locked onto my mouth with a focus that made something inside me tremble.
Then his hand settled against my waist.
Shock widened my eyes again.
Still... I did not move him away.
Instead, my eyes closed.
God, what is wrong with me?
Satisfaction flashed clearly across his lips, as though he had just won something important. Gentle pressure squeezed against my chest, drawing a soft sound from me against my will before Adrian pulled me fully against him.
“Damn... your body exposes you.”
The whisper ghosted near my neck.
Just his voice alone nearly destroyed me.
“Look at yourself... even your breathing changed.”
Heat rushed violently into my cheeks while butterflies tore through my stomach uncontrollably. No denial came out this time.
Because he was right.
Everything inside me felt warm.
And everywhere he touched burned.
A wider smile spread slowly across his lips.
“Silence is a sign of satisfaction.”
Quick refusal shook through my head immediately.
“Adrian... this is wrong.”
This time, only he shook his head calmly.
“Then let it be wrong.”
Closer.
Closer to my lips.
“The most beautiful things are always wrong.”
My fingers tightened desperately around the fabric of his shirt while uneven breaths escaped me.
“Marcus trusts you... how can you even think about me this way?”
Soft laughter slipped from him then.
Beautiful. Cruel. Dangerous.
“Do not pretend you are difficult to get. I know you wanted me from the very first look.”
Shock crashed through me instantly.
How did he know that?
Nervous sarcasm slipped into my laugh. “You are unbelievably confident.”
“Very.”
One strand of my hair wrapped slowly around his finger.
“And I know you want this.”
“You are narcissistic.”
Immediate amusement appeared across his face.
“I am narcissism itself.”
Again, he leaned closer until his lips nearly brushed mine.
“Come on... say you do not want me.”
Words tangled badly inside my throat while my gaze slipped away from him.
“I... do not want this.”
One eyebrow lifted slowly.
“Really?”
Barely above a whisper now.
“Then why are you not stopping me?”
Every muscle in my body froze.
Because he was right.
“If you truly minded... you would have told Marcus that I harassed you, right?”