Page 69 of Hot for Teacher
The scent of rich leather filled the car, free of any cherry sweetness.
Spencer sniffed the air, then laughed again, obnoxiously loud. “Aw, don’t worry, Professor. Chasey is like a brother to me.” He poked his tongue piercing out between his teeth, wiggling his brows. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, he’s a handsome dude …”
This time Killian’s growl couldn’t be contained.
Spencer’s taunting smile took on an approving cast. “You’re possessive of him. That’s good. He deserves that.”
His smile immediately dissolved into a thoughtful frown.
Mercurial little fuck, wasn’t he? Killian could barely keep up.
“You know, Noah and I thought at first that you’d ended things.” Spencer’s spiced pheromones took on a sharp edge as his frown deepened. “I was all ready to kick your ass and get expelled for the trouble. But then we realized, if that had been the case, Chase would have just shut it all down and packed it in some secret feelings box and not even shown us he was hurting. So we figured out pretty quick that something else was up.”
He suddenly straightened, slapping the car door in a definitive way. “So, you know. Keep up the good work and get the fuck out of here.”
Killian was left reeling. Like he’d been given too much information and not enough at the same time.
He leaned out the window as Spencer started walking away, his backpack slung over one shoulder. “Wait!”
Spencer turned, brow raised expectantly.
“How is he?”
“Oh, he’s miserable. Really, super-duper sad.” Spencer held up two thumbs in the air. “So there’s hope.”
And weirdly, for the first time that week, Killian felt like there might be.
He sat there for a few long moments, watching Spencer head toward the house. He watched as he was intercepted by another alpha at the driveway, one with a broad build and loose blond curls. He watched as the newcomer turned toward Killian’s car and locked eyes with him, grinning wide. His smile was less mocking and more welcoming, but it still had Killian cursing under his breath.
That was both Chase’s roommates who now knew Killian was a fool.
Killian rolled up his window, letting the air-conditioning blast in his face before setting the car in gear. It was time to head home and find a few more scraps of patience within himself.
22
Chase
Chase hurried into the house, desperate to escape the late afternoon heat. He didn’t bother to see if anyone else was home, just rushed into his bathroom—his was the only room with an en suite—and got cold water running in the sink.
Chase was too worn out to shower fully, but he wanted to wipe off some of the day. He’d been getting irritated lately with the scents of all the students smothering him on campus. Which didn’t make any fucking sense, because he was a fucking beta and it shouldn’t be affecting him at all, but it still helped to wash it off, even if it was all in Chase’s head.
He splashed water on his face first, rubbing it down to his neck, then grabbed blindly for a hand towel. He ran it under the water and lifted his head, breaking out into a curse as he jumped, “Jesus fuck!”
Spencer grinned at him in the mirror’s reflection. “Afternoon, Chasey.”
He was leaning against the doorjamb, holding a bag of his favorite protein chips, and he popped one in his mouth, managing to keep his grin as he chewed. He looked smug as all hell, which was a change from the abnormally subdued concern he’d been failing to hide the rest of the week.
Chase gave him a look as he held a hand to his heart, willing it to slow down. “I’m not going out tonight. You and Noah can stop asking.”
His roommates seemed to think that—after a week of moping—going to a party or five was going to pull Chase out of his funk, but Chase had no interest. It was Friday, and there was only one place he wanted to be. One person he wanted to see.
One person he wasafraidto see.
“Your professor was just here, you know. Stalking you like a creep.”
It took longer than it should have for Spencer’s words to register. What he’d said was so unexpected that for a second, Chase had convinced himself his friend was speaking another language.
Hisprofessor.
