10

What could he possibly want?

That’s all I kept thinking as I sat there, watching the room slowly empty. One student after another filed out, laughing, chatting, shoving notebooks into bags. I didn’t move. My fingers curled tight around the edge of my desk.

He didn’t look up.

Chance Black sat at his desk, flipping through a stack of papers like I wasn’t even there. Focused. Still. Like he hadn’t just said my name out loud in front of everyone and told me to wait.

I cleared my throat.

“Um… you said you wanted to see me?”

Nothing.

No reaction, just the sound of paper shifting.

Up close, he looked even hotter than I remembered. His hair hung just past his jaw, loose and dark, the light catching the strands as he tilted his head. His black shirt was buttoned, sleeves neat, but it clung to his arms in just the right places.

Then my eyes dropped.

It wasn’t on purpose. Not really.

But there it was. His cock.

Pressed tight behind those slacks.

I could see the outline. Thick. Long. So big the fabric couldn’t hide it. My breath caught. My thighs clenched instantly.

Fuck.

Heat surged between my legs. It happened fast, too fast. My pussy throbbed, wetness blooming deep in my core, and I was suddenly terrified that I’d soaked through my jeans. I crossed my legs, squeezed them together hard.

He cleared his throat.

I jerked in my seat, spine snapping straight.

When I looked up, he was staring right at me.

His expression was blank but I knew what just happened.

He caught me looking.

My cheeks went red, burning. I looked away, fast, but the damage was done. My heart was pounding so loud I could hear it in my ears. My legs were shaking. I couldn’t tell if it was from fear or how close I was to dripping through my fucking clothes.

I swallowed and sat still, waiting, trying not to imagine what it would feel like to get on my knees and unzip his pants.

He finally looked up.

“I see you were missing from my last class.”

His voice was calm, flat, almost bored. He didn’t look at me like he remembered anything. I was just another student on his list and nothing more.

“I don’t tolerate absences,” he said, flipping another page like I wasn’t already clenching my thighs under the desk. “If you’re in my class, you show up. Always.”

I opened my mouth, but he kept going.

“You get one warning. That was it.”

He didn’t blink.

“No late work, no excuses and no disappearing.”

My throat tightened. I nodded, eyes on the edge of the desk. He said my name again, just to make it official. No heat, no trace of recognition.

I wasn’t the girl from the bar. I was a name on a roll sheet.

“You can go,” he said.

That was it.

There was no smirk, no glint of memory, no reaction to the way I’d stared at him all class.

I stood and left without saying a word. My face was hot. My chest was tight. I walked faster once I hit the hallway, needing to get out of the building before I exploded.

I should’ve known.

Whatever I thought had happened that night clearly didn’t matter to him.

I was almost back at my dorm when I saw her.

Ava.

Standing by the steps, laughing with someone I didn’t know. Her hair was perfect, like always. Lip gloss shining like she hadn’t just ruined everything.

She saw me and stopped smiling.

I didn’t turn away.

I walked straight up to her.

“Really? No apology? Nothing?” I said.

Ava blinked. “Apologize for what? For fucking your boyfriend?”

The air left my lungs.

“You didn’t even think to...”

“Oh please,” she cut me off. “You were never going to keep a guy like that. We both know you don’t know what the hell you’re doing. Virgin, quiet, all soft and boring.”

I stared at her, my jaw tight.

“You think he didn’t complain about it? Every time we talked. ‘She doesn’t even moan, Ava. She doesn’t know how to ride me.’”

She smiled like that was supposed to make her proud.

“But you know what the sad part is?” she added. “Even now, I bet you still want him.”

That hit something sharp in me.

I stepped closer.

“No, Ava. What’s sad is you always wanted what I had. You had to crawl into my bed and open your legs for the guy who couldn’t even make me come.”

Her face dropped.

I didn’t stop.

“You think I’m boring? Last night I screamed so loud three girls had to hold me down. You’ll never know what that feels like.”

She blinked.

I smiled.

“Have a good semester.”

Then I turned and walked up the steps, leaving her standing there, mouth open, nothing left to say.

When I got back to the dorm, Danika wasn’t there.

The silence made everything worse. I threw my bag on the bed, kicked my shoes off, and sat down hard. My heart was still racing. I could still hear Ava’s voice in my head like she was standing in the room with me.

Her smug smile, Kole’s name in her mouth, the way she’d said I didn’t know how to moan.

I needed to get out.

I didn’t bother dressing up, just slipped into a plain tank top and jeans, grabbed my phone and ID, and left without overthinking it.

I just wanted a drink, some noise and somewhere I wouldn’t have to think.

The bar wasn’t crowded, dim lights, low music and a few booths half full. I pushed the door open and stepped inside and the first thing I saw was him.

Of course.

Chance Black.

Sitting at the far end of the bar, back straight, shoulders squared, one hand wrapped around a glass. He was dressed in black again. Always black. Sleeves rolled just high enough to show the edge of a tattoo, hair pushed back from his face, eyes sharp.

I froze for half a second.

Then I muttered under my breath.

“Of course he’s everywhere I go.”