To Professor, With Love (Forbidden Men 2)

He immediately lifted his hands and shook his head. “No. No, of course not,” he agreed. “I mean, after Coach Jacobi’s decree and the scandal on the volleyball team, you’d never risk her job and your own future like that, just to...” His eyes were wide and seeking. “Would you? You love her, right?”

It struck me just how truly innocent Quinn Hamilton was. I’d never heard the kid cuss, or say one disparaging thing about anyone else. He had that pure, boy-next-door edge about him and thought the best of everyone. We all teased him about being a virgin, and looking at him right then, I had to wonder if he really still was.

He stared at me with his hero-worship gaze on. I was the leader of our team, and he’d always looked at me as if I could do no wrong. If I said the wrong thing right now, I could wipe out his entire belief system.

“Fuck, yes, I love her,” I hissed. And then it struck me what I’d just admitted, but what shocked me most of all was that I hadn’t lied. All feeling drained from my limbs, and my face probably went sheet white as I stumbled back to sit on the closed seat of the toilet. “Oh, shit. I love her.”

I loved Aspen.

“Don’t worry.” Ham leapt forward and patted my shoulder to support me when I buried my face in my hands. “I won’t tell anyone. I swear. I mean, you’re really one of the only friends I have here, so...” He shrugged and offered me a pathetic smile. “I don’t have anyone to tell anyway.”

God, he just seemed so...young. I couldn’t remember ever being that young. I’d been wizened to the world since birth, always feeling responsible for someone, or avoiding a fight, or working to keep my nose clean. I’d never been able to gain such blind devotion for anyone the way Quinn seemed to have for me.

“Are you seriously only nineteen?” I wondered aloud, finding it hard to believe someone could stay that pure for that long.

Quinn flushed and cleared his throat before he scratched his ear. “Actually, I’m twenty-one.”

“Huh? But you’re a—”

“Yeah.” He shrugged and glanced away. “I was held back in school a few years.”

For some reason, that reminded me of Aspen, who’d been pushed forward in school. It must really fuck with a person socially to mess with their schooling timetable.

I stared at him with a new set of eyes, and opened my mouth to say shit-knew-what when the door to the bathroom opened.

Ten stumbled inside. A cut on his lip looked like it’d just finished bleeding. His eyes were bloodshot, but he seemed to have sobered quite a bit, because he immediately started apologizing.

“Gamble, man, I am so sor—”

Rage boiled in my bloodstream as I surged to my feet. Winding back my arm, I punched him right in the eye. “You son of a bitch.”

He moaned and clutched his face. “Shit,” he muttered, bending over and dancing in place as if that would alleviate the pain. “Fuck, man. That hurt.” He straightened, clutching his eye.

I pointed my finger at his nose and growled. “If she gets any grief because of what you just did, I will never forgive you.” Shoving past him, I opened the door to leave, but caught a wide-eyed Hamilton watching us.

“And you.” I pointed to him. He gulped and shifted a step back. I still couldn’t believe he was twenty-one. Old enough to drink alcohol, or more importantly, serve it. “Do you need a job?”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” - T.S. Eliot

~ASPEN~

Thursday night. Ladies’ night. The Forbidden Nightclub was crowded as usual.

After I splashed on a little makeup and slid on my favorite pair of tight pants with tall leather boots and dressy top, I strolled into the club, unable to stay away from my man.

Hugging the edges of the crowd, I kept close to the dark walls, wondering whether he’d be working tables or the bar this evening. I scanned the tables first, until I spotted a server. Noel’s roommate stood at one small table pulling some bills from his black waist apron to give a table full of girls their change. I had a bad feeling I knew exactly where he'd gotten the black eye he'd been sporting all week, so I'd never asked Noel about it.

As Ten handed the change back, he leaned in to speak into the ear of one girl. But whatever he said must’ve been pretty offensive because her mouth dropped open right before she slapped him. He merely grinned, blew her a kiss, and sauntered off.

Shaking my head, I wondered how Noel had ever befriended such a character.

The next waiter I spotted happened to be another student of mine. Another football player too. He must’ve sensed my gaze because he glanced over as he passed, and nearly tripped over his feet. He gaped a second before stepping toward me.

“D...Dr. Kavanagh,” he greeted. Shit. My cover was blown. “Do you need a drink?”

“No, I—” I started before cutting myself off. Great, if I didn’t need a half-priced drink on ladies’ night then what possible reason did I have for being here? So I opened my mouth to order something—anything—when he nodded his head toward the back of the club. “Noel’s working the bar tonight.”