hadn’t left a voicemail, but the texts made her nervous.
Baby, please call me, I need to talk to you.
Are you there?
Shit, Bree. Please answer me.
What the hell is going on? She dialed Luke’s number while trying to keep her eyes on the road. It rang until his voicemail picked up. Crap. Embry hung up and concentrated on getting to campus. She lucked out with a spot right out front. It was 2:05, but at least Coleman would just be getting started. She hurried into school and through the atrium as she typed out a text to Luke.
Hi baby. Went home for a nap, I was exhausted. Everything ok? I’m worried.
Whitman wasn’t a huge law school, but it felt as if it took Embry forever to make it through the halls. She reached the end of the hallway, and her classroom was the last on the left. As she went for the door handle, her phone chirped again. Luke’s words made her stomach drop.
I am so sorry, baby.
Embry pulled up short and stared at her phone. What? With shaky hands, she attempted to type a response. She had no idea what he was sorry about, but whatever it was, she couldn’t deal with it until after class. She’d call him as soon as she got out, and they’d figure it out then.
Sorry for what? You’re freaking me out. Late to class. I’ll call when I get out. xx
Embry took a deep breath, steeling herself and settling her nerves, and walked into the classroom.
As she entered the room, Embry breathed a sigh of relief. A man stood at the front of the classroom writing on the whiteboard, and she realized they must have a sub. Weird, why didn’t Coleman just cancel class? She was mesmerized by him. She liked the way the muscles in his back expanded and contracted under his white dress shirt, sleeves rolled halfway and exposing thick, tan forearms. He reminded her of Luke. Get a grip, Bree.
She was about to move toward her seat when the man turned to address the class. “I wasn’t supposed to start until next semester, but Professor Coleman had an emergency. Unfortunately, she won’t be back this semester. So I’ll be taking over from here on out.”
Embry was frozen to the spot. She heard the words, but they weren’t registering. Luke, her Luke, stood in front of the room, speaking to the class like … No, it couldn’t be. She focused in on the words written on the board behind him: Professor Lucas Brody.
The room swayed, and Embry felt light headed. Professor . The word ran through her head on a loop, assaulting her mind and ripping through her chest. She couldn’t focus, and her heart pounded so loud in her ears, she wondered if the entire class could hear it. No one had seen her yet. He hadn’t seen her yet. Embry backed toward the door, but her movement must have caught Luke’s eye. His beautiful blue irises locked onto hers, a million emotions playing across his face. She was paralyzed, too stunned to move. She blinked furiously, willing herself to see something different, but there was nothing different to see. Luke stood at the front of the class, his sad eyes still searching hers, and in that moment she felt as if her heart had leapt from her chest and fell to the floor.
He lied to me.
That thought snapped her out of it. As quickly as she had frozen, Embry sprang into action. With one last look at Luke, she pushed out of the classroom, walked back down the long hallway, and straight out to the parking lot. She sat in her car gripping the steering wheel for dear life, her bare legs sticking to the warm leather seat. Of course I wore a dress. She’d planned on teasing Luke with her lack of pants again.
Embry let out a choked sob, and the tears began to fall. It was too much. She couldn’t get her head around it. He had lied. A huge lie. A lie that could affect both of their futures. And for what? They may be falling for each other—or had been until that revelation—but he knew that she was a student. And he was a professor. Luke was a
Baby, please call me, I need to talk to you.
Are you there?
Shit, Bree. Please answer me.
What the hell is going on? She dialed Luke’s number while trying to keep her eyes on the road. It rang until his voicemail picked up. Crap. Embry hung up and concentrated on getting to campus. She lucked out with a spot right out front. It was 2:05, but at least Coleman would just be getting started. She hurried into school and through the atrium as she typed out a text to Luke.
Hi baby. Went home for a nap, I was exhausted. Everything ok? I’m worried.
Whitman wasn’t a huge law school, but it felt as if it took Embry forever to make it through the halls. She reached the end of the hallway, and her classroom was the last on the left. As she went for the door handle, her phone chirped again. Luke’s words made her stomach drop.
I am so sorry, baby.
Embry pulled up short and stared at her phone. What? With shaky hands, she attempted to type a response. She had no idea what he was sorry about, but whatever it was, she couldn’t deal with it until after class. She’d call him as soon as she got out, and they’d figure it out then.
Sorry for what? You’re freaking me out. Late to class. I’ll call when I get out. xx
Embry took a deep breath, steeling herself and settling her nerves, and walked into the classroom.
As she entered the room, Embry breathed a sigh of relief. A man stood at the front of the classroom writing on the whiteboard, and she realized they must have a sub. Weird, why didn’t Coleman just cancel class? She was mesmerized by him. She liked the way the muscles in his back expanded and contracted under his white dress shirt, sleeves rolled halfway and exposing thick, tan forearms. He reminded her of Luke. Get a grip, Bree.
She was about to move toward her seat when the man turned to address the class. “I wasn’t supposed to start until next semester, but Professor Coleman had an emergency. Unfortunately, she won’t be back this semester. So I’ll be taking over from here on out.”
Embry was frozen to the spot. She heard the words, but they weren’t registering. Luke, her Luke, stood in front of the room, speaking to the class like … No, it couldn’t be. She focused in on the words written on the board behind him: Professor Lucas Brody.
The room swayed, and Embry felt light headed. Professor . The word ran through her head on a loop, assaulting her mind and ripping through her chest. She couldn’t focus, and her heart pounded so loud in her ears, she wondered if the entire class could hear it. No one had seen her yet. He hadn’t seen her yet. Embry backed toward the door, but her movement must have caught Luke’s eye. His beautiful blue irises locked onto hers, a million emotions playing across his face. She was paralyzed, too stunned to move. She blinked furiously, willing herself to see something different, but there was nothing different to see. Luke stood at the front of the class, his sad eyes still searching hers, and in that moment she felt as if her heart had leapt from her chest and fell to the floor.
He lied to me.
That thought snapped her out of it. As quickly as she had frozen, Embry sprang into action. With one last look at Luke, she pushed out of the classroom, walked back down the long hallway, and straight out to the parking lot. She sat in her car gripping the steering wheel for dear life, her bare legs sticking to the warm leather seat. Of course I wore a dress. She’d planned on teasing Luke with her lack of pants again.
Embry let out a choked sob, and the tears began to fall. It was too much. She couldn’t get her head around it. He had lied. A huge lie. A lie that could affect both of their futures. And for what? They may be falling for each other—or had been until that revelation—but he knew that she was a student. And he was a professor. Luke was a
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