Prologue
Liam
“What the fuck?” Annika, the COO of my company, shouted as she stood from the chair in front of my desk and started pacing.
“I’m promoting you to CEO and stepping down,” I repeated calmly. I was springing this on her pretty unexpectedly, so I could understand why she was shocked. For so long, I’d thrown everything I had into working. My company owned several diamond mines and exported the gems to multiple countries. I’d grown up in South Africa, and while I’d traveled a lot, it was my home. But lately, I’d begun to feel restless. Especially when I was around Annika with her husband and twin boys. Why this all meant leaving my home, I had no idea, but the moment the thought entered my mind, I knew it was the right choice for me.
“And moving to New York?” she clarified as she stopped moving and faced me with her hands on her hips. I nodded. “To teach at NYU?” I nodded again. “Students?” she practically shrieked.
I raised an eyebrow and leaned back in my chair. “That’s the usual combination,” I answered dryly. “Teachers and students.”
“I don’t understand.” Her brown eyes were boring into my face as though she was trying to root through my brain to do a sanity check. “You’re just going to put your company in my hands and leave everything behind to go be Dr. Henry Higgins?”
I cocked my head to the side and laughed. “Well, he taught phonetics, and I’ll be teaching foreign languages, but…essentially.” I’d earned my bachelor’s degree in business and had an MBA, but in my business, being multilingual was a huge asset. I’d always loved languages and was fluent in six languages and passable in another four. So, right after grad school, I’d gone on to earn a doctorate in Language Studies. Teaching foreign languages had seemed like the natural choice when I decided I needed a change. Plus, I thought it would be fun.
Annika pushed a lock of hair away from her face and dropped her head back to stare at the ceiling for a moment. Then her shoulders began to shake as she broke out into a fit of laughter. Once she was done, she looked at me again and rolled her eyes. “For some reason, this isn’t as shocking to me as I thought it would be. But”—her demeanor shifted, becoming nervous—“are you sure you want me running the company?”
I stood and walked around the desk to pull her into my arms for a big bear hug. Annika and I were complete opposites in looks. I was a tall, muscular man with brown hair, light skin, dark blue eyes, and a full beard, whereas, she was a willowy woman with jet-black hair, dark skin and eyes, and thankfully, no facial hair. But we were siblings in every way that counted. I’d taken her under my wing when she was five and I was ten, and it had always been the two of us. “There’s no one I trust more, Annie. I’ll always be available to offer advice, but it’s your time to shine. You’re going to be amazing at this job. Just like you’re an amazing wife and mom.” She beamed at me, her confidence quickly returning, becoming the kickass woman I knew her to be. “Besides,” I continued with a shrug, “I’m ready to start my own family.”
Annika pulled back and looked at me curiously with a raised brow. “You met someone and didn’t tell me?” Her tone held a hint of hurt, and I shook my head as I let her go.
“No, I wouldn’t do that,” I assured her. “When I meet her, I promise you’ll be the first to know.” I winked and went back to sit behind my desk.
“When do you leave?” she asked as she plopped down onto one of the leather chairs across from me.
“Next week. I want to have a month or so to get settled in my apartment before the fall semester starts.”
“Okay…that’s fast,” Annika sputtered. Then she sighed, “We’ll miss you, but you’ve got to go with your gut. It’s gotten you this far, right?”
I smiled and nodded. My gut was telling me that this was the right move, and that something was waiting for me in New York City. Something—or someone—that would change my life.
Chapter 1
Liam
2 years later
“Hey, everybody,” I greeted the class with a welcoming smile and began handing out stacks of the syllabus for the students in the front row to pass back. “Welcome to Basic Italian. I’m your professor, Dr. Grey, but you can call me Liam.” I grinned. “As long as the head of my department isn’t around.” There were some chuckles, but the sound of a slamming door quickly stole our attention, and we all looked toward the entrance to the room.
HOLY MOTHERFUCKING HELL. Desire and possession slammed into me, nearly bringing me to my knees. Mine. The word was screaming over and over in my head and…whoa. My cock, which had basically been asleep for the past several years, was suddenly awake and straining toward the vision walking into my classroom.