Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 70489 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70489 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
My eyes stung with tears again. What the fuck was wrong with me, and why was I spilling all of this to Dr. Theriot? I wanted him to think I was hot, not that I was a hot mess.
“Go on,” he urged.
I took a slow, steady breath, and then I did. “I finished off some Jell-O shots we had in our fridge. I’m guessing if I really was drugged, that’s how.”
“Would he have known you’d take them?” Dante asked.
“No, but it would have been one of my friends, if not me. I doubt he would care if they got fucked up.”
He nodded. “How did you end up here?”
I thought about it. There were still moments that were a complete blank, but some of what happened came back to me. “I remember feeling weird. I kept telling myself I was just drunk, but I kept feeling stranger and stranger. That’s when I knew I’d been drugged. I’d looked up your address when we first met, so I guess I found my way here, but I don’t remember anything else until you found me.”
“Do you think Randall did it?”
When I met Dante’s gaze, my mouth went dry. He didn’t look like a stern professor; he looked dangerous, like he could kill easily. I was beginning to believe the mafia rumors were true. Remington Theriot was rumored to be the most powerful man in the New Orleans crime world, and his father, known as Bébé, was a legend in South Louisiana. But Theriot was a common name, so what were the chances he was related? I swallowed, trying to produce some moisture so I could speak. “I… I think so.”
“He needs to be dealt with.”
Holy shit. What did that mean? “What are you going to do to him?”
“I’m going to scare the fuck out of him, or rather, a friend of mine is.”
“A friend?”
Dante ran a hand through his hair. “A family member.”
“You’re not going to, like, kill Randall, are you?”
He seemed to be considering that. “Does he deserve it?”
“I don’t want to be responsible for that.”
Dante nodded. “I respect that. Though if he comes after you again—if he hurts you—I will make sure he pays.”
Fuck. This was as good as any protector fantasy I’d ever had, except for the fact that we weren’t naked. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because I hate bullies, and I want to keep you safe.”
“You do?”
“Yes. You obviously need protection, and I’m going to provide that for you.”
“What else will you provide for me?” I realized I shouldn’t have said those words out loud. Heat rushed to my cheeks.
“Alexander, I don’t think that’s a question either of us should answer.”
“But I—”
He shook his head. “I’m going to see that you’re protected, and you are going to take care of yourself. Whatever that means you need to do. You’re going to get sleep, you’re going to cut back on drinking, and you’re going to get your work done on time. Not just in my class but in all of them.”
Damn, that commanding voice of his was hot as hell. He liked being in control. I could tell how much he needed me to agree to his commands. It made me hot as fuck. My cock twitched in my pants, and I wanted to squirm. I wanted to touch him. Instead, I just said, “Yes, Professor.”
He glared at me. “You’re playing with fire, Alexander.”
“I’m used to danger.”
“Your life doesn’t need to be dangerous. You’re making bad choices.”
I stared at him. “You can call someone to make sure Randall’s never going to bother me again, but you’re lecturing me about making bad choices?”
“I’m making very good choices. I’m protecting someone who deserves it.”
Was that true? “How do you know I deserve it? How do you know I’m not just as evil as he is?”
“You chose to help a woman when you could’ve ignored the problem. You knew your interference would give Randall even more reason to hate you. That would be enough to sway me, but I’m good at reading people. I can tell you’re not evil.”
“What can you read about me, other than my lack of evilness?”
He shook his head. “That’s not important. You wrote a damn good paper, even working on it after having had your face sewn up?”
“Yeah.”
“I look forward to seeing what you can do when you’re in better shape.” I wondered if I’d be in better shape anytime soon. “Randall will not continue to harass you. I will see to that.”
“What if he thinks I’ve turned him in or—”
“No one will think you turned him in, and the university will have nothing to do with this. Have you eaten anything today?”
I knew he wasn’t going to like the answer. “No.”
“Jesus, no wonder you passed out in my yard. I’ll make you something to eat. After dinner, I’ll get you settled in the guest room.”