Chapter 13

Delaney

“Are you sure you're going to be okay?” Winter asks as we walk towards the main building.

It’s my third day of classes, and apart from the bullshit with Stacy, it’s been good. My professors seem nice, the classes look like they’re going to be interesting, and I’ve even made a few acquaintances.

While I can easily point out the students who grew up in this town versus people attending from out of state, for the most part, it seems like any other university. And for that, I’m glad.

“I’m going to be fine,” I tell her, wrapping my arm around hers and giving it a squeeze. The poor girl seems to be taking the whole Stacy thing harder than I am. Maybe it’s because she knows first-hand how horrible of a person that girl can be.

Either way, I’m not going to let her send me running with my tail tucked between my legs.

It’s not who I am. What I really want to do is knock the girl on her ass, but if Logan is right, and her dad really isn’t a good guy, I don’t want to risk having someone that powerful put a target on me.

The way the guys talk about this town, it’s like the outside world doesn’t exist and that rules and laws here aren’t the same for them.

Money makes their little world go round, and I don’t have any to keep it spinning.

From what I can tell, Stacy is a vindictive bitch, and if I were to retaliate, she would do the same. Most likely in the form of using Benny to hurt Logan, and I can’t be the reason for that.

That little boy is Logan’s whole world. He would be devastated if he wasn’t able to see Benny like he does currently.

I hate her. I hate her father. I wish she would fuck off and do the right thing by her son. And that's giving him to his father.

Hearing Logan talk about her and the things she does makes me pissed off on his behalf.

The past two days with Benny have been a lot of fun. He’s a good baby, and apart from the fussiness of the other day, he’s been nothing but giggles and smiles. Mom helps when she can, but honestly, I don’t mind taking the lead.

I haven’t seen much of Owen or Elijah, but I’m guessing with hockey practice starting up for Owen and—per Winter—the insane workload that Elijah’s taken on for school, they’ve both got a pretty busy schedule.

Honestly, I’m kind of glad. Some time away from them, as much as I can get, will help.

However, helping out with Benny has put me in a position to be around Logan more than I’d prefer.

Because the fact is, I do like being around him. And I hate it.

But I can’t un-see the way he looked so overwhelmed the other day. He’s a single dad with a baby mama from hell. He has so many things going on in his life that he must feel like he’s drowning.

He’s an amazing dad; Benny is one lucky little boy. So if me helping him a few hours a week can take some of that stress off his plate, I’m more than happy to help.

Not like I have a lot going on in my life. The only person I know here is Winter. And, well, now Justin. That man sure does keep me on my toes. Half the time, I’m not sure if he’s actually flirting with me or just joking.

Doesn’t matter because even though he’s fine on the eyes, he’s not my type.

Okay, he’s totally my type, but I’d never go there because he’s Logan’s best friend, and I don’t cross those lines.

Doesn’t matter if Logan and I were never officially a thing, it still wouldn’t happen. Too messy and I try to stay away from messy.

Yet, somehow, lately, I find myself smack dab in the middle of it.

Here in Rose Briar Hill, I haven’t had much luck on my side.

“If you see her coming, don’t make eye contact. Just turn around and walk the other way.” Winter looks up at me with panicked eyes.

Grabbing her shoulders, I hold her stare. “I’ll be fine . Stacy is two years ahead of me. We don’t share any classes as far as I know. I’ll avoid her the best I can.”

It’s Wednesday, and I’ve attended all but one of my classes at least once, leaving me flying blind when it comes to World History.

“Okay.” Winter takes a deep breath and nods.

“I better get going or I’m going to be late. I’ll meet you after your class, and we can hang for the afternoon.”

Her smile brightens. “Okay.”

I like her. She’s fun to be around and easy to talk to.

Leaving Winter, I head towards the building for my third and last class of the day.

Cursing as I look down at my phone, I realize I have less than five minutes to get through the building and into the room.

Rushing, I manage to get there on time, but the class is already pretty full. With a heavy feeling in my gut, I head towards the front and take a seat in one of the few empty seats in the first row.

No idea why this class would be so full, it’s not a class most people need to graduate.

Quickly, I open my bag to dig out a notebook and pen.

“Welcome, everyone, to World History,” a deep, booming voice flutters through the classroom. It takes me a second for the sound to register in my mind. My movements slow, my hand tightening around my notepad.

That voice. I know it.

Buried deep down in my mind, the familiarity comes drifting forward.

“My name is Professor Malachi Krane, but you can call me Professor Krane.”

Slowly, still hunched over with my hands in my bag, I look up towards the front of the class.

When my eyes meet the tall, looming figure standing on the little stage next to the massive whiteboard, my whole body freezes.

No. No, this can’t be. I have to be dreaming, hallucinating, anything but being stuck in this reality.

Because if this is real, and my eyes are not playing tricks on me, then that would mean the man standing before me, my World History professor, is the sexy stranger I hooked up with.

The new star of my dreams, the best sex of my life, the man who was only meant to be a fucking one-night stand in passing, is my professor.

This has got to be some kind of sick joke. What have I ever done for life to keep throwing this kind of shit at me? Am I paying for someone else's Karma?

He continues to talk, but I’m not understanding a word he’s saying.

The shock I’m feeling is slowly morphing into horror as the situation sets in.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck! If he sees me, he’s going to know I was lying.

Not that he would have much to say, seeing how the fucking asshole lied to me too!

Grabbing my pen and notebook, I carefully sit back in my chair and slouch down, hoping he doesn’t see me.

While I might be in the front of the class, thankfully, I’m more towards the outer edge of the room and could easily be passed over.

My eyes are glued to him as a sick feeling of panic takes over. I take deep breaths, trying to keep myself from puking. My heart is racing, head spinning. My whole body is breaking out in a sweat.

And I have to sit here for a full hour. Kill. Me. Now .

I give up on learning anything today, praying someone might be nice enough to let me copy notes later.

All I seem to be capable of doing is staring at him.

He looks different today. His long dark hair is tied back. He’s dressed in jeans that hug his thick thighs and tight ass, with a white dress shirt. The sleeves of his shirt are rolled up just above his elbows, showing off a bit of his inked skin.

But the biggest change is the fact that he’s wearing glasses.

He’s a walking-wet dream. My mind drifts back to the other night, me on my knees, his fat cock in my mouth, and the way he talked to me as my eyes watered and drool dripped down my chin.

Clenching my thighs together, my core grows warm, tight.

Fucking hell, Delaney, now is not the time to get turned on. This is a crisis.

I’m cursed because it seems like every one-night stand comes back to bite me in the ass. Maybe I should circle back around to that becoming-a-nun idea. Because clearly, my damn pussy only knows how to get me into trouble.

How am I going to get out of here before he sees me? Is it too late to transfer classes?

This campus is big enough, I’m sure I could avoid him if I try.

We’re so close, so damn close to the end of class, and just when I’m about to think that maybe I can get away without being seen, Kai’s eyes sweep across the room.

“Anyone?” he asks. I have no idea what the question was, my heart threatening to explode out of my chest.

When his gaze lands on me, I have to swallow down the bile rising up.

We lock eyes, and it’s like the whole world fades away for a moment. His eyes widen, lips parting, as pure shock seizes his whole body.

Busted.

After what feels like a lifetime, he swallows hard and yanks his eyes away from me. Clearing his throat, he picks up where he left off.

I have to scream at myself to take a breath before I pass out. For the next ten minutes, all I can do is resist the urge to run out of this room.

He doesn’t glance at me again, making sure to avoid gazing in my direction at all costs.

As soon as class is done, I’m shoving my things into my bag and jumping out of my seat. I’m ready to plow my way through the crowd when I hear him speak again.

“Daisy,” he states in a neutral tone. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”

My body tenses, and I pause.

I could pretend I didn’t hear him and continue out of this room, but there are too many people trying to get out at once.

I’m caught, and now I have to deal with the consequences of my choices.

My mother is going to kill me.

Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and pray I don’t puke before turning around.

Kai is perched on the edge of his desk, his thick arms crossed over his muscular chest.

I approach him like one might a wild animal, afraid of what’s to come.

“Let me guess, Daisy isn’t your real name? Seeing how I don’t have a Daisy on my roster for this class,” he asks, cocking a brow.

“And yours isn’t Kai,” I respond.

“But it is,” he replies,. “It’s short for Malachi.” Shit, he has me there.

“Well, you lied to me too. You said you were a traveling photographer that was just passing through,” I try to defend.

His jaw ticks, the anger finally shining in his eyes. “Not one thing I told you was a lie. At the moment we met, my plan was to move on and continue my travels. That was until I got a call a few days ago offering me this position.” He stands up, forcing me to take a step back. “Now tell me, how much of what you told me was a lie?” he growls.

A shiver runs through me, and I swallow down a whimper. Shame and guilt fill me.

“I–I didn’t think I’d see you again,” I whisper, licking my lips. My heart thunders inside my chest, threatening to burst free.

“Answer the question,” he demands through gritted teeth.

“Pretty much everything.” Tears fill my eyes, but I’m not sure why. I feel horrible for lying to him. I didn’t think I’d see him again. I wanted to be someone else for a night, free of all the drama that’s come with my new life. Only, it got me into more hot water, and I don’t know how to get out of this one. I don’t think I can.

He laughs, shaking his head. “Of course. So, you're not really a dancer traveling the world performing. You're a college student. My student,” he sneers, taking his glasses off before running a hand down his face. “I fucked my student in a damn fucking bar bathroom.”

“I’m sorry.” I hate how my voice cracks. It takes a lot for something to get to me like this, to make me feel so small.

“How old are you?” he growls.

Closing my eyes, I take a shuddering breath. “Nineteen.”

“Fucking hell!” He storms off onto the other side of the platform, running a hand over his face again. “A teenager.” He glares at me. “You're not even old enough to drink! Why the hell were you in that bar?”

“My... my stepdad owns the place. I was just looking for a night out, to get away, to forget. I’m sorry. I never meant to cause any harm. I really didn’t think it would be a big deal because I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.” I’m getting defensive now because it’s true: I didn’t go in there that night looking to be malicious or hurt anyone.

He stops his pacing, eyes snapping over to me. “I’m sorry, you said your stepdad owns the place?”

“Yes?”

He blinks at me a few times. “What's your real name?” he asks me slowly.

Biting my lower lips, I tell him, “Delaney Jones.”

His eyes widen, and he curses again. “Nope.” He shakes his head. “Nope. This is not happening. I can’t deal with this right now.”

“I’m sorry,” I say a little more strongly this time. I’m not going to continue to feel like this when I really didn’t mean for any of this to happen. “This was an honest mistake, and I truly am sorry. I’ll transfer out of your class. If I can’t, I’ll drop it. You won’t have to deal with me again. We can forget that any of this ever happened.”

I gasp in surprise as he strides over to me, getting in my face. “Just forget about it?” he snarls, gripping my chin. “You think I can just forget about you, Delaney? No.” He chuckles, shaking his head. “No, my Sweetheart, that's not possible. Do you understand that you’ve been all I can fucking think about? That every time I close my eyes, I see you on your fucking knees, sucking my cock like the perfect good girl you can be. Or how your cunt felt wrapped around me, so hot and tight, so needy, dripping for more. There's simply no forgetting about you, Sweetheart. Trust me, I’ve tried.”

My eyes widen, lips parted as I pant for air. I’m filled with a mix of fear and want. It’s so messed up–how damp I am between my thighs for him. Part of me is begging for him to throw me over his desk, rip off my pants, and fuck me like an animal.

We stare at each other with heaving chests and frantic eyes as the tension between us crackles and pops.

Then his lips are on mine with a savage sound. The kiss is punishing and scorching hot as his tongue plunges into my mouth.

But it’s short-lived because my whimper of need snaps him out of it. We break apart, him jumping back like he’s been burned.

“Fuck!” He slams his hand down on his desk, turning his back to me. I jump away, fear replacing the burning ache in my belly. “Go, Delaney. Now.”

He doesn’t have to ask me twice. Turning around, I run out of that room faster than I’ve ever run in my life. I keep going, out of the building and all the way to my car. I don’t stop until I’ve locked the door behind me.

Chest heaving, I sit there for a moment, staring out the front window before I close my eyes and just scream, getting all the frustration and anger out of me.

What have I done? Who am I anymore?

Having a one-night stand isn’t wrong. I have every right to do what I want with my body. I didn’t know who the guys were when we slept together, so I’m giving myself a pass for that.

But what I did with Kai, I lied. He is sixteen years older than me. I lied about my age. He was okay with a ten year age gap when he thought I was twenty-five, but what if he wasn’t okay with me being even younger than that? I feel sick for taking that choice away from him.

When I get home, I find Mom outside in the backyard with Benny. He’s sitting on a blanket, toys scattered around him, as he plays happily. Mom sits next to him, talking to my sweet little man.

“Hey.” I move to take a seat next to her.

Mom looks over at me with a smile. “Hey, you. You’re just in time,” she starts, but her face falls when she sees mine. “Laney, honey, what’s wrong?”

Tears fill my eyes as I give her a watery smile. “I fucked up mom. I fucked up big time.” I laugh, wiping at my eyes.

“Oh, baby.” She pulls me in for a hug. I cling to her, trying not to cry harder. “What's wrong?”

“Please don’t hate me,” I whisper.

“I could never hate you. No matter what you do, Delaney, you're my whole world. I’d never turn my back on you,” she promises fiercely. I consider telling her all about the guys for a moment, but I’m too much of a mess right now for that fallout. So I tell her about Kai.

“Remember the guy I saw the other weekend?” I ask her.

“Yes? What about him.” She pulls back and looks at me with wide eyes. “He wasn’t married, was he?”

“No.” I shake my head. “At least, I don’t think he was.” My brows furrow. Dear god, I hope not.

“Okay, then what happened?”

Mom is my best friend. I’ve always told her everything. And keeping things from her has been killing me. So, as messed up as this might be, I can’t keep another big thing from her.

“When I met him, I was at James’s bar here in town.” I cringe.

“Delaney,” she sighs. “Fake ID, really?”

“No,” I promise her. “I didn’t use a fake ID.”

“So... you went there and didn’t drink?” She raises a brow. “How did you even get in?”

“I may have dropped the stepdad card.” I grimace. “And yes, I did drink. Only one! And someone else bought it for me. The guy I spent the night with. We sat and talked the whole night.”

“Okay,” she says, like she can’t see what’s really wrong about what I’m saying apart from the obvious.

“I lied. About a lot.” I sigh heavily. “My name, my age, what I did for a living.”

“Laney!” she lets out on a harsh breath.

“I know! I feel so bad. Like grossly bad. I didn’t even think about it until now. I thought it would have just been one night of fun, and I’d never have to see him again. We were safe, it was consensual. But then today...” I trail off, biting my lower lip as the shock on Kai’s face flashes in my mind. “I found out he wasn’t just some guy who’s passing through town like I thought.”

“And who is this man?”

Closing my eyes, I admit, “My professor.”

“Dear lord, Laney,” she groans.

“I know! I’m sorry. It’s never going to happen again. I promise. Never again. I didn’t know. I swear.”

I begin crying again, and I hate it. Mom pulls me into her arms.

Benny’s little shriek of happiness has me laughing. “Hey, little man,” I greet him before looking back over to Mom. “So, you sure you don’t hate me?”

“Delaney,” she says in a warning tone. “No, I don’t hate you. But what are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know,” I sigh. “Drop out of his class? I don’t want him to get in trouble, and I don’t want to cause him any issues.”

Mom nods. “I think that's a good idea. I’m not going to say I agree with what you did, but you’re taking accountability for your mistake, and that’s all I can ask of you. You're a smart girl, Laney, but you're also human. People make mistakes. It’s about how we handle them and learn from them that matters. I will always love you.”

“Damn it, Mom,” I cry harder. “I love you too. Why do you have to be so amazing?”

“Because I’m awesome.” She smiles.

Feeling a little better that I’ve gotten this off my chest and told someone, I spend the rest of the day with Benny.

When Logan gets home, I don’t talk to him apart from giving him the rundown on Benny’s afternoon. I can tell he senses something is going on, but he thankfully doesn't ask.

I’m drained and need some sleep. This can be a problem for another day.