Page 19 of Rejected By My Shifter Billionaire
“The gates seem bulletproof,” she murmured.
“It is,” the professor confirmed in a casual voice.
She gulped but told herself that there was nothing wrong about it. Maybe rich people were just quietly paranoid like that.
As the professor’s sports car sped further down a winding driveway, Kassia’s curiosity knew no bounds when she saw men marching, dressed in what seemed like private combat uniforms. “Are they soldiers?”
“Bodyguards.”
Oh.Well, that told her then. The rich were indeed a paranoid bunch. She didn’t ask much after that, finding herself intimidated by everything about the professor’s...place.The entire property was just too vast to be called a home.
With Kassia so close to him, Alessandro could not only hear her heartbeat, he could practically feel it, too, the way her heart slammed against her chest with each beat. She was nervous, and it was...cuteof her. Before he knew what he was doing, he was already asking – hell, he wasteasingher – with a barely suppressed smile, “Are younervous?”
“Nope.”
He smirked at her high-pitched tone. “You asked for this, remember?” But his smirk disappeared right away when hiswords made Kassia twist around to face him, causing her to wriggle on his lap and waking his cock.
Alessandro bit back a groan.
Kassia was making a face at him. “I wouldn’t have asked if I had known you lived in Fort Knox.”
Unable to stop himself from responding to the genuine worry darkening her eyes, Alessandro slowed the car to a stop before pressing a kiss to her nose. “Everything will be fine.”
The quiet assurance in the professor’s voice relaxed her, but then the door on the driver’s side suddenly opened, and she found herself face to face with a composed-looking man in uniform.
“Mr. Moretti, mademoiselle,” the man murmured, his face remaining stoic even at the sight of Kassia on the professor’s lap.
“Ronnie,” the professor returned the greeting calmly. He tightened his hold on Kassia when she tried to get off his lap again. “Let me help you down.” No sooner had he said it than he was already stepping out of the car, Kassia still in his arms. He lifted her up, princess-style, stepping aside to let his retainer close the door to the car before slowly allowing Kassia to slide to her feet.
The moment her feet touched the ground, she didn’t waste any time, trying to put a little more distance between them, but again the professor didn’t let her. His hand captured hers, and firmly pulling her to his side, he held her to him while he made the two of them face Ronnie.
“I’ll take care of this, sir,” Ronnie said, accepting the keys from Alessandro.
“Ms. Summers also has her belongings inside. Make sure it’s delivered to my study, please.”
“Yes, sir.”
The entire exchange was conducted in such a business-like manner it was almost like listening to a general rap out commands to his soldiers. It was very...surreal,and even that felt like an understatement. Looking around her didn’t help since everything seemedmoresurreal up close. The professor’s home was a three-story complex with a stark white façade. Like the rest of the “place,” the building looked more like it belonged to a CIA agent than one of the world’s most eligible bachelors.
“No wonder I’ve never seen your house featured on GQ,” she mumbled when the professor faced her.
Alessandro’s lips twitched but he didn’t say anything, knowing that Kassia was still taking everything in.
Biting her lip, she asked one of the most pressing worries in her mind, whispering, “You’re not worried that they’ll find out I’m your student and tell others about it?”
“No.” There was also the fact that most everyone in the Moretti compound was Lyccan, which meant even her softest whisper would have been heard by anyone within a few miles.
Kassia frowned up at him. “I don’t get it. You were like this in school, too, and I’m just...” She started tugging at the tips of her hair. “Why aren’t youmoreworried?”
It was a legitimate question, and guilt nipped Alessandro as he realized that she had always been genuinely worried over people finding out about them.
The straight answer to her question was that he was Lyccan and for that reason, no human would be able to catch him unawares. Unfortunately, the truth was the one thing he couldn’t say to her.
"I am worried," he said finally. "I'm just not the type to show it." Releasing her hand, he cupped her chin and told her quietly, "I promise you, though. Nothing we do will ever harm you. Trust me on this, little chick.”
Slowly, Kassia nodded. She might not have known the professor for long, but she knew she could trust him. She might not be a terribly sophisticated person, but she trusted her instincts when it came to seeing people for who they were and not what they projected themselves to be.
And the professor, despite being a wolf in sheep’s clothing, was a good man.
