Lover (Court University 4)

“What Mom said isn’t true. Not the way she said it. She’s just scared. She thinks what happened at Brown is happening again.”

“What happened?” I asked, wanting so hard to give him the benefit of the doubt. Wanting to trust him.

“I’d hurt first.”

I’d hurt first for him, too. Because I loved him, but I wasn’t certain it’d be enough. The odds continued to be stacked against us and I was just so tired.

I wondered if he was tired, too. I mean, how much was just too much?

People started to pass us in the hall, and Ramses let go. But once the area was clear, he placed a hand on the wall and blocked both prying eyes and ears by putting his back to them. “For starters, she wasn’t my professor. She was a mentor in my business program. An older mentor.”

“How old?”

His eyes close before he faced me. “Why does that matter?”

It didn’t. Probably not. I mean, what happened, happened.

His fingers drew down his mouth. “Forty. Forty-one?” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter.”

It didn’t, but I definitely couldn’t stop my reaction to that.

I studied the wall and he adjusted, doing the same.

“We had no right getting involved,” he said. “Especially because she was my mentor. I admit I rushed into it. Wanting it to happen…” He tapped the wall with his fist. “To feel something.”

I braced my arms.

“I’d gotten tired of casually fucking,” he stated. “I did a lot of that. Didn’t want to get really involved after December and I didn’t. I played the field and had fun, but I didn’t want to do that anymore. I was about to graduate, and I guess I wanted something real.”

“So why her? That woman?”

“I can’t tell you.” He frowned. “We had a connection. On the base level, but we had one. I shouldn’t have gotten involved with my mentor, and there were signs it was a mistake besides the obvious. When I looked into those signs, I found out she was married.”

My gaze jerked up.

His head bobbed twice. “Once I knew, I tried to end it. I did end it.”

“What happened?”

His shoulders lift. “She didn’t want it to end. Became obsessed and threatened to blackmail me if I did. She had influence over the department at Brown, over my grades and that’s when I got my lawyers involved. My mom involved.” He shook his head. “We were able to get it sorted, but not without a settlement. My mom was super adamant about keeping me out of any scandals. Got really crazy and protective. She paid the woman to let this thing go, stay away from me. Which she has. My lawyers advised transferring schools in addition due to the obvious.”

I framed my face, visually cringing but not for myself or this situation we were in, but for him.

No wonder Evie hates me.

She thought this was happening again, an older woman taking advantage of her son and I didn’t blame her. I’d probably hate me, too. I would hate me, too. I hadn’t been pregnant for long, but in that short time I’d loved my unborn child as if they’d been with me every day. I’d want to destroy anyone who ever hurt them.

“Look at me, Bri.”

I did. Though, he cupped my elbows anyway, directing me to look at him.

“This situation isn’t like that.” His palm cupped my head. “I know that, and you know that.”

“But Evie doesn’t.”

“She will.”

“And how could she?” I shrugged. “We’ve been lying to her. I’ve been lying to her. I have no credibility with her, and I shouldn’t. Not after what happened to you. I’d feel the same way she does if it’d been the other way around.”