My brow furrows. I knew my father was involved in old university stuff—alumni events, fundraisers. I didn’t think he was that serious about it though. Not serious enough to try to fire someone over anything.
Tony shakes his head. “Anyway, I knew you got into the school because of him. I’m sure you had good grades too, but you’d have gotten in no matter what. And your teachers, they’ll all have given you great grades no matter what kind of work you did because your father was behind the scenes threatening them at every wrong turn.”
I flinch. I didn’t know about that either. Daddy and I are going to have to have a talk about this, if he’d really done that… “So you took it out on me,” I say softly.
“I’m sorry. I just, I knew everything he’d done, and I assumed you were in on it, that you’d asked him to do it.”
“Of course not. I would never.” I clench my fists, my brow contracting. “I can’t believe my father would do that behind my back.”
“Well, now I know that about you, of course. But before, I… I’m sorry, Corina. I judged you. I took my anger at your father out on you. I made you a target. And I don’t know how to apologize enough.” He gazes into my eyes, his own so full of heartache that I can’t help it. I reach up and cup his cheek. Draw him closer until our lips are inches apart.
“I understand,” I murmur. “This semester sucked, and I was pissed at you for treating me like that, and today I got even more angry that you wouldn’t explain why you did… But I get it. Really. And I forgive you.”
He closes his eyes. “I’d understand if you didn’t.”
“I do, Tony. But…”
“What is it?” he asks softly, when I don’t elaborate.
I bite my lip, unable to meet his gaze now. “You were right, the other day,” I murmur. “When you called this dangerous. We can’t do this anymore.”
He freezes. I look up to find him frowning, eyes intense. “What are you saying?”
“Tony, I’ve loved this time together. It’s been…” I shake my head. “Against all odds, being trapped in this cabin has been incredible—because of you. Because you’ve been here with me, to talk to, to help me through it. But once we leave…” I bite my lip on a bitter, dark laugh. “I mean, assuming we even get out of this alive, of course. Once we leave, if we ever do… Everything goes back to normal.”
“Why does that have to be?” He asks it slowly, brows knit, as though this is a real question.
I blink in confusion. “I… I’m your student, and you have your job to do, and this was just a dalliance, just some fun—”
“Corina.” His eyes bore into mine. Pin me in place. “What I feel for you… This is more than fun. I care about you, I want to be with you.” He grips my hands tighter, pulls me back in close to him. I can feel every inch of his body against mine, including the slight swell in his boxers, the only thin scrap of fabric that separates us. His muscles tense against me as he holds me tight. “I know we’d have to be careful for the next few months, until you graduate, until you’re free. But I don’t care, I’ll wait. Corina, I didn’t know I could feel like this for anyone. The way I feel about you…”
“I thought you’d want me to end it,” I whisper.
“I want you.” His lips crash into mine, and I sink into him. Let him cup my cheek and pull me in close. I’m suddenly aware of our bodies pressed together, bare skin against bare skin. Even more so when he drops one hand under the covers and slides it along the flat plane of my stomach to my hip, my thigh, clenching my leg, lifting it up and over his waist.
I arc my hips to angle them forward, until my clit presses against the hard bud of his cock, still constrained in his boxers.
He reaches down and, in one swift motion, tugs my underwear off.
I reach down too, feel for the hem of his boxers, and push them down. His cock springs free, the velvet smoothness of it hotter than ever when it digs into my stomach, freed from its constraints. I tug until he kicks off his boxers, and then I let my hand drift back up to explore his cock. Slowly trace his length.
He drops one finger to slide it back and forth along my slit. I’m already wet with desire, getting wetter every second as he strokes me.
“Corina,” he whispers into my mouth. “I want you, every way I can have you. I’ve always wanted you, always will…”