We walk close, side by side. We don’t hold hands, because Orion is working. Because it’d be inappropriate.
But that doesn’t stop him from looking at me like he could eat me whole.
“I need to go to the admin building,” I say, checking my watch. There’s time. “I want to sign up for next semester.”
Orion glances down, amusement flickering in his deep brown eyes. “You don’t gotta stalk me anymore, sweetheart. I belong to you.”
I laugh.
He makes a low, satisfied sound in his throat. “I love that sound.”
God, so do I. Especially when it’s him making me laugh.
“I like art,” I say, tilting my head. “You said I make pretty paintings.”
His gaze softens. “Whatever makes you happy.”
And then he stops at the door, holds it open for me. Just like he always does.
Because Orion takes care of me.
Because he’s mine.
“You make it to class okay?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I wink at him, and then I watch him walk away.
That ass still mesmerizes me.
Inside the admin building, I find the same disinterested woman I met when I first registered.
Except now she’s interested.
Because ofhim.
I stop in my tracks.
Oh.
Oh, fuck.
He’s leaning against the counter, casual, effortless, but there is nothing casual about him.
His suit is dark, expensive, tailored to his broad, strong frame. Sharp but not stuffy. Just… refined. Elegant. Controlled.
God, his hair.
Dark and thick, touched with silver at the temples. The kind of hair a woman could fist in her hands while he…
Jesus Christ.
And then… his eyes.
Steel gray. Sharp as a blade.
He doesn’t just see things. He studies them.
He’s older. Not in a way that makes him feel distant, no. In a way that makes him dangerous.