Page 18 of Manhattan Secret

All too aware of blue eyes in the back row. Assessing me. Picking me apart.

This is so bad; I want to throw up. I want to hide away and have this be a terrible nightmare.

How stupid… howrecklessI was doing that last night with a complete stranger. I guess in my defense I never expected a teenager to be in a bar at all and nothing about that guy screamedtoo young.

He was more demanding and controlling than any other man I’ve known before. Can I be blamed for thinking he was fully grown?

Yeah, god. I’m the adult here.

Jesus, I’m going to jail, aren’t I?

Sweat starts to bead on my overheated face. My heart goes into panicked free fall, thumping rapidly until it’s too hard to bring a decent breath into my lungs and in the middle of my inner panic, of course I look to where I shouldn’t—my eyes have a mind of their own and I see his intense glower again before his lips lift so slowly, so seductively into a secret smile.

Is the little shit taunting me?

I can just picture it now, being blackmailed into giving him passing grades.

I swallow a groan, switching to auto pilot because there’s nothing much I can do at the moment other than get through this class and… what? Start packing again? Run away?

No. Hell, no. I might be cowardly, but I can’t run away at the first sign of trouble. This is my fresh start. I’ve worked too damn hard for this. I didn’t jump through all those interview hoops to give up just because one cocky-ass delinquent boy is staring at me with his gorgeous eyes.

Wait… shut up, gah. Not gorgeous.

Okay, he is.

There’s no proof of what happened, of the things we did… is there?

It’ll be his word against mine.

Okay, lying isn’t my strongest strength, my face and stuttering always gives me away, but you bet your ass I’m gonna lie if Lachlan Fierro dares breathe a word of…that thing we did when I was too dumb to question if the stunning man was in fact a fricking teenage boy.

Just then I see his hand raised in the air and my entire body quakes with fear and something else…God, stop.I can’t feel attraction whatsoever,no exceptionsto that man-boy.

Last night was undoubtedly a colossal mistake. I know who he is now, I can’t…and I refuse to let my glands feelanythingfor him now.

Mistake. Mistake.Mistake.

I chant it even as I look at him and asked, “Yes?”

“I’ve finished.”

Really? Already? He’s gotta be lying. Some of those problems I set should take up the full hour. Walking down the aisle I glance at the others working, and sure enough most are only still answering question six.

Locking my spine, I prepare for whatever he’s about to do because it feels very much like he’s playing me.

This is how it will start. He wants a passing grade for not doing any work.

Well, Lachlan Fierro, with his hot eyes and cocky smirk can just take a flying jump for it.

Rounding my shoulders, I try with all my might to summon courage from my banked storage down deep. Reaching his desk, I pick up the paper and nearly faint when I see every question is answered. Every question is correct too.

Holy moly macaroni. There’s a tickle of pride in the back of my skull.

I’ve found my genius student; all teachers want those … and unfortunately, it’s someone that makes the back of my thighs feel weak.

My eyes ping up and find him smirking from one side of his mouth. He’s taking up a lot of space at his desk, slouched to the left, his legs out in front of him, larger than life. A sprawling arrogance radiating out of him. I noticed several times in the last hour how the other kids defer to him. Not to mention how he brought them to heel with just one command.

The genius is clearly their leader and can make or break how well a class goes.

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