Page 20 of Heartflame

“I had class,” I said, keeping my voice neutral. “And a meeting.”

“With Professor Blackwood,” he stated, not asked. “I saw you going in.”

I forced myself to meet his gaze steadily, even as my mind raced. How much had he noticed? What did he know?

“We were discussing the assignment,” I said. That was mostly the truth and the best way to tell a lie was to make it as close to the truth as possible. “I tried to get rid of you, and she wouldn’t let me.”

Something flickered across his face. Satisfaction. He leaned back in his chair, clearly pleased with this development.

“Good,” he said. “Because I wasn’t going anywhere, anyway.”

“Yeah,” I grumbled. “You’re incredibly difficult to get rid of.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“It is.”

“Is it though?” He tilted his head, studying me with those unsettling golden eyes. “Or are you just scared of how you feel when I’m around?”

I felt heat creep up my neck, and I hated him for it. This was exactly what I meant. He had this infuriating ability to make everything feel personal, to turn a simple conversation into something loaded with innuendo and challenge.

“I feel annoyed,” I said flatly. “That’s the primary emotion.”

“Liar.” He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table between us. His horns caught the light again, and I found myself momentarily distracted by how pretty they were. I forced my attention back to his face, and he was smiling. “Your heart rate just spiked. I can smell it.”

“That’s creepy,” I muttered, opening one of my textbooks with more force than necessary.

“I can also smell that I arouse you,” he grinned wider. “And that you haven’t jerked off in at least a few days. It’s killing you.”

“Can we please just work on the assignment?” I sighed, trying to ignore the way my cock was thickening in my jeans. It always did that when he started talking about it. “That way I can be rid of you faster.”

“Whatever you want, Red.” He pulled a notebook out of his bag, the same one he always brought to Magical Theory. I noticed it was pristine, the pages untouched. He’d been at school for over a week and hadn’t taken a single note yet.

I watched him as he opened the notebook, pretending to focus on my own work. His jaw was sharp, his movements economical and precise. There was nothing about him that seemed out of place or suspicious on the surface. But then again, that was probably the point. My gaze traveled further down, taking in the curves of his thick pecs and the way his shoulders strained against the cotton of his t-shirt, almost too big to be contained.

“Enjoying the view?” he asked without glancing up.

“I wasn’t even looking at you,” I said quickly, dropping my eyes back to my book. “I’m just trying to figure out where to start with the assignment.”

“The beginning is usually a good place.” He finally looked at me, and there was amusement in his expression. “If you want, we can just skip to the part where we both get naked. I always think more clearly after I cum.”

“That’s not happening,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Not yet,” he corrected, and the confidence in his voice made my skin prickle with both anger and arousal.

I forced myself to focus on the assignment, pushing aside the complications of what Professor Blackwood had asked me to do and what Aeron was making me feel. One problem at a time. First, I’d get through this assignment without losing my fucking mind. Then I’d figure out what the hell was really going on with the grandson of the Elder Council leader.

And maybe, eventually, I’d figure out why spying on him made my stomach twist into knots.

Nah. It was probably just nerves.

Chapter 10

Aeron

I’d been a good boy all week. I went to all my classes, did most of the homework, and I even managed to participate in class with some thoughtful questions. Then, when class was over, I spent my evenings with Quill, working on our assignment while gently torturing him. It wasn’t much, but it was honest work, the kind that brought me far more joy than it should have. And the more Quill tried to push me away, the more I tortured him. I’d never had so much fun.

But it was Friday now and that meant no meeting with Quill tonight. The cross-country team was having their first meet of the season. However, since it was going to be on the Widdershins campus, that meant I could go watch. He had no idea I was coming of course. In fact, I was pretty sure he told me not to come anywhere near him outside of class or our little study group meetings. But I wasn’t the type to take orders from anyone.