Chapter 70 Back to where we started.

Chapter 70 Back to where we started.
Laramie:

Ethan planted a gentle kiss on my temple before pulling out of me and straightening. He put himself away and closed up his zipper, walking around his desk and taking a seat.

I stood up straight, fixed my bra and shirt, pulled up my pants, and ran my fingers through my hair.

When I finally looked at Ethan again, he was watching me with a soft smile on his face.

Colour rushed to my cheeks, making my face feel warm and flustered.

"What?" I mumbled uncomfortably.

He tilted his head slightly to one side.

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?"

I looked away, my face burning bright. I didn't know what to say - nothing I could come up with sounded appropriate.

Besides, I never actually thought of myself as being beautiful.

"Thanks." Was all I managed to say.

"You are, Laramie. You're beautiful in a way that other women can only dream of being. And you make me very, very happy."

I looked at him again, his eyes and expression showed nothing but absolute sincerity.

"Thank you, Ethan."

His smile turned into a dirty smirk.

"You make me especially happy when I'm inside you."

"I could tell." I shot back at him, only trying to move the focus off of me.

He only shrugged casually and leaned back in his chair. He looked exceptionally pleased with himself as he locked his fingers together and rested his hands in his lap.

I took a deep breath as I tried to steady myself for what was about to come. Then I looked over my shoulder just to make absolutely sure that Zoey wasn't still standing outside the door - she wasn't.

Ethan watched me with a mixture of intrigue and curiousity.

"What is it?" He finally asked.

"We need to talk."

"About?" He barely moved in his chair, he still looked as relaxed as cat lazing in the afternoon sun.

"Zoey." I said simply.

The mention of her name made his shoulders tense. He sat bolt upright. His jaw tensed. His mouth drew into a thin line.

I was surprised by his reaction, but I couldn't quite figure out why.

"What about her." His voice was flat. All of the low seductive passion from moments before nowhere to be found.

"She knows about us... or... at least she suspects."

Ethan tensed even more. His back went utterly rigid - to the point that it actually looked uncomfortable. He lay his hands on top of his legs and rubbed them up and down tensely - a very uneasy look spreading across his face.

"The first day that you canceled class. She came at me in front of a few other students. She practically accused me of having an affair with you."

"And what did you tell her."

"I told her that she was crazy and that she had no idea what she was talking about, of course."

"And did she believe you?"

"Of course not. She just kept coming at me until Noah stepped in and pulled me away."

"Noah?" Bot of Ethan's brows shot up dangerously. A dark and forboding shadow crossed behind his eyes. A small muscle pulsed just below the curve of his jaw.

"He's a friend... or at least, he used to be."

"I know who he is, Laramie - the Dean's son. But what does he have to do with any of this?"

I began to feel very uncomfortable. The air in Ethan's office suddenly felt heavy and suffocating. The look he had in his eyes scared me - reminded me of the way he looked that night.

But the cat was fully out of the bag and there was no turning back. I had to tell Ethan the truth - the whole truth. He deserved to know.

"Nothing. Not really. He just saw the two of us going at it and stepped in before the argument got out of control."

Ethan eased back in his chair, but he by no means seemed to relax. If anything, he made me even more nervous.

"I see. And does he know about us?"

I had to look away then.

Zoey only suspected that Ethan and I were sleeping together, so she had nothing but her gut to go on.

But Noah was a completely different story.

He knew the whole truth. I pretty much blurted it out in his face.

"Laramie?" Ethan demande again.

I shifted my weight uncomfortably.

"Yes." I muttered.

"Jesus, Laramie." Ethan shot to his feet, his face red with anger, his eyes bulged wildly. "Did you tell the entire campus about us while I was gone?"

Anger instantly rose up inside me like wildfire. Where the hell did Ethan get off blaming me for any of this?

I straightened and raised my chin, looking him straight in the eye.

I wouldn't let him bully me like that. I did nothing wrong. He wasn't here and I couldn't find him anywhere. I did the best that I could.

"I didn't tell anyone, Ethan. Zoey accused me of sleeping with you because she actually wants to sleep with you."

"Noah figured it out for himself because he was just trying to be a good friend to me, but he promised me that he wouldn't tell anyone about us."

"And you believed him? Come on, Laramie. You can't honestly be that stupid."

The rage I was feeling bubbled up inside me and threatened to spill over, leaving a horrible taste in my mouth.

"Yes, Ethan. I did believe him, I still do. Otherwhise, you would be without a job by now and I would have been expelled. Noah is a good guy and I trust him. The one you should be worried about is Zoey - she's the troublemaker. What the hell is her deal anyway?"

"How the hell should I know? It's not like we talk."

"Well, she was just here, knocking on your dorr like you owed her something."

"Maybe she had a question about class or one of her assignments."

"Or maybe, she came to see you just like I did. Maybe the two of you have been carrying on just like we have. Maybe you just like screwing your students."

The words were out of my mouth before I could do anything to stop them.

Ethan looked at me like he wanted to look right through me.

I was so angry that I didn't even care.

"You weren't here, Ethan... you weren't here and everything went to shit. I tried to find you, but you were gone. You left me all alone and I had to deal with all of it. I did the best that I could."

The lines of his face softened somewhat. Remorse filled his eyes.

But it was too late. I didn't want to be there anymore.

"Laramie, I..."

"If you don't like the way I handled things, then don't leave next time."

I turned on my heel and rushed toward the door.

Ethan rounded his desk, calling my name. But I was already out the door and halfway down the hall.

Tears burned my eyes as the streamed down my cheeks.

I hated him...