Chapter 16 16
Sofía was rooted to the spot, utterly frozen. Every nerve in her body screamed with awareness of his closeness, of the sheer weight of his presence. His masculine scent wrapped around her, heavy and intoxicating, paired with an aura of dominance that made her feel impossibly small.
The blood drained from her veins when something warm and wet dragged slowly along the side of her neck right over the place where her pulse fluttered wildly beneath her skin. A violent shiver tore through her, sparks erupting where his tongue had touched, ripping a gasp from her lips before she could stop it.
“Fuck,” he muttered sharply.
The sound snapped her back to herself.
Her hands flew up instinctively, palms landing against his broad, solid chest as she shoved at him with what little strength she had. Her breath hitched when tingles shot through her fingers at the contact.
He didn’t move.
Not an inch.
“M-move!” she cried, pushing again, desperation seeping into her voice. He was immovable unyielding as stone. Beneath her palm, she felt the cold press of his wolf pendant, sending goosebumps racing across her skin.
His hot breath brushed over the damp spot on her neck, and her body betrayed her with another shudder.
Fernando was lost.
His mouth hovered inches from her skin. He had licked her, tasted her. Her flesh was impossibly soft, delicate beneath his mouth. Right there was where he wanted to mark her, to claim her in a way that would leave no doubt.
But he didn’t.
Not yet.
She wasn’t ready. And still, her scent was unraveling him in ways he couldn’t fully understand. This bond this mate madness was driving him straight toward the edge.
His fingers twitched with the urge to tangle in her thick hair, to pull her back and force her surrender. Her small hands striking uselessly against his chest stirred something primal inside him. He felt the sparks knew she felt them too.
The weight of his dominance only sharpened his hunger.
If he wanted, he could bend her over his desk in seconds, tear away her jeans, take her hard and unapologetically. But she was too fragile, too untouched for the brutality clawing at his instincts.
She was so small against him. So vulnerable. He could hear her heart how unnaturally fast it raced, how terrified it was. It was maddening. He hadn’t even done anything, and she was already unraveling. He didn’t know how she would survive him when he finally stopped holding back.
“M-move a-away!” she cried again.
That was when he heard it.
The fracture in her voice.
Tears.
He pulled back immediately, just far enough to see her face and the sight hit him harder than expected. Her eyes were red, glossy with tears that clung desperately to her lashes. He had scared her.
“Why are you crying?” he asked, his voice cold yet measured.
She hiccupped softly, gaze dropping to the floor. Her lashes were soaked, the tip of her nose flushed red, lips trembling. She looked heartbreakingly innocent too innocent for what he was doing to her.
“Move away,” she whispered again, still pushing weakly at his chest.
“Who was the man you were with last night?” he demanded suddenly, the question tearing from him harsher than intended.
Her brows knit together in confusion. “W-What?”
“The man,” he repeated, grinding the words out. “Who was he?”
Fear slammed into her chest. He was her teacher he had no right to ask that. Teachers didn’t invade their students’ lives. But nothing about this moment resembled anything appropriate.
She swallowed, sarcasm dying before it could escape. Survival won.
“He’s my best friend,” she said firmly, dropping her hands to her sides, fists clenched.
Fernando hated the instant her hands left him.
Jaw tightening, he stepped forward again. She gasped, one hand flying back up to his chest to stop herself from pressing into him. Her eyes snapped up and what stared back at her from those green depths was pure danger.
“Just a best friend?” he asked, suspicion dripping from his tone.
The audacity of it made her want to scream. Who did he think he was? A stranger. A threat. A dangerous, feral man masquerading as something human.
“Y-Yes,” she answered, lips trembling.
“Move away. T-this is inappropriate,” she insisted, trying desperately to reason with a man who clearly didn’t want reason.
“Forbidden sounds better,” he murmured near her ear, stealing the breath from her lungs.
Her gaze flicked to his arm braced beside her head the dark ink etched into tanned skin, dusted with coarse hair. Fear curled violently in her stomach.
This was wrong.
So wrong.
“M-move o-or I’ll s-scream,” she warned, though the words felt hollow even as she spoke them.
Her courage shattered when he lowered his face to her level, eyes dark and sinful.
“I dare you to scream,” he growled softly. “But trust me, Ana you won’t be screaming for help.”
She flinched violently, eyes squeezing shut as terror coursed through her. She didn’t understand his meaning but the way he used her middle name sent a fresh wave of fear through her.
This man wasn’t normal.
“I-I’m w-warning y-you,” she muttered, eyes still closed. “I’ll s-scream a-and the d-dean w-will t-throw you o-out for h-harassing a s-student.”
She was too afraid to look at him. She had never been this close to a man before—never been subjected to something so invasive, so overwhelming. Her mind struggled to keep up.
“Have I touched you, Ana?” he asked calmly.
The question hit her like ice water.
Her eyes flew open.
He had touched her.
That lick that counted.
“B-but…” Her chin quivered, lips shaking helplessly.
His gaze locked onto her mouth like it was the only thing he could see.
“Run, Ana,” he said finally, stepping back. “That’s enough for today. We wouldn’t want you fainting in my office… would we?”
The dark glint in his eyes made her blood run cold.
The moment he gave her space, she didn’t hesitate. She forced her trembling legs into motion and bolted from his office, heart pounding violently in her chest.
“Be on time tomorrow for your lesson.”
The words followed her like a curse, sending a final shiver down her spine.