Chapter 1

Aliyah's POV

Strong arms reached out for me, and my eyes zeroed in on the bulge of muscles that lined them, each one rippling with veins that could very well pass for belts.

He always had his shirts rolled up at the sleeves, leaving a very delicious forearm on display. A moan slipped past my lips at the sight of those arms, and wetness traveled their way down below my waistband to...

"How badly do you want me, Aliyah?" His deep voice asked, inducing me further into the spell of his sexuality.

I looked into his green eyes, the glasses sitting over them doing nothing to hide the brightness that shone from those jewels. 

My throat moved in a swallow. "Very badly." It came out in a croak. I licked my lips and tried again. "Very badly."

He smiled at me, making my insides turn to mush. One more step brought him closer, and when he gripped the side of my face in a tender caress, my eyes dropped closed, a purr traveling past my throat.

I snapped them open again, I couldn't miss any second of the one moment I'd been waiting for my whole life. The bright green was still there, peering down at me, but with a frown between his brows.

"Maybe you should've stayed back at your dorm to catch some sleep instead of snoring away in my class, Ms. Marcus."

Huh? What the hell was he talking about? I wasn't sleep...

A sharp elbow nudged my side, and I jumped up, removing my head from the desk. I looked around me, and my classmates were staring at me from all directions, amusement in their gazes.

Professor Deville leaned forward and reached for my face, making me wonder if maybe the dream wasn't just a dream, then his fingers clutched a piece of white and tugged it away from my face.

He held it up. "The paper was for reading. It's not a pillow."

I opened my mouth to give an explanation even though embarrassment was making me burn really hot, but he beat me to it.

"The next time I find you sleeping in my class will be the last time you attend it. Do I make myself clear?"

I nodded shamefully, and he turned and walked away.

Oh my goodness! Did I really have to dream about stuff like that right now? My eyes followed the straight back clad in a black dress shirt, wondering what it would be like if that was my reality instead. His shoulders were temptingly broad, fingers long enough to pet, and...

"You need to stop staring," Leah started, breaking through my very inappropriate thoughts. 

I shook my head slowly in an attempt to clear it before I turned to face her with wide eyes that were still layered with sleep.

"What?"

"You need to stop staring at Jude that way. I know he's hot and stuff, but he's also a senior and has like half the school as his body count. Do you really want to be a part of that?"

My eyes widened, a mixture of shock and relief in the gesture. She thought I was staring at Jude? 

Before I could give any response, though, she leaned into me and sighed. "But he's so handsome, though. I can totally see the appeal. Those blue eyes are the exact shade of the ocean."

I refrained from saying anything, or cringing as hard as I wanted to. Jude was the poster boy for STIs, and I...

"Oh my God, did he just wink at you?" Leah gushed, once again cutting off my train of thought. "Totally get his number."

My brow raised in her direction. "What exactly is your problem? Do you want me to stay away from him or throw myself at him?"

Leah huffed. "You can do one and then the other."

"Leah!" I scolded.

"Ms. Marcus," Professor Deville's voice cut through the chaos that was our conversation. 

I raised my head sharply, eyes connecting with his. The look he gave me was sharp, and it was definitely annoyed.

"See yourself out of my class, if you would."

My mouth dropped open in shock. "Professor, I..."

He glared at me, icy daggers practically shooting from his green orbs in my direction. "Did I ask for an explanation?"

I shook my head, my mouth snapping shut.

"Good. Now, get out."

******

"Aliyah, right?" A smiling face popped into my line of vision, blue eyes raking over me in appraisal.

I raised my head to fully absorb the effect of the smile Jude was shooting at me - it didn't have any.

"Yeah," I mumbled in answer to his previous question.

He rounded the table and came to sit in front of me. "What did you do to piss off Prof. Deville?"

"Fuck if I know." Again, my words were a mumble.

He flashed me another grin and suddenly the garden I was sitting in didn't feel so peaceful anymore. Jude carried this aura that seemed to beg for attention, and he was getting tons of it from the girls that strolled past us.

"What are you doing later tonight? Asides writing an apology essay, of course."

The question threw me off course and a frown marred my face. "What?"

He chuckled. "Don't act coy, I totally saw you checking me out in class today. Isn't that why the prof sent you out?"

My mind shuttered. What the hell was going on today? Everyone was being... crazy.

"I wasn't checking you out, Jude. I was uhh..."

He interrupted me. "You even know my name. That says a lot about us."

"Us?" Confusion hit me like a train. "There's no us. And everyone knows your name. You're the captain of the drama club."

My words made him beam with pride, chest puffing out. "I am. And you, pretty thing, are about to get the most interesting date of your life. Besides, who else could you be checking out at the blackboard? Prof. Deville?"

His words hit so close to home that I stuttered for a response. "I... I wasn't..."

He leaned over the table and smacked a kiss across my lips, too quick for me to avoid. "See you later, sweet cakes. Marble Tower. 7pm. Don't be late."

I sat there like stone watching as he walked away. What the fuck just happened?

As if on cue, Leah walked up from behind me. "Did you just kiss Jude Thurnbull?”