Bitter Sweet Heart (Lies, Hearts & Truths #2)(14)

Maverick starts to stand, but he doesn’t secure his towel, so I get another eyeful of his junk.

I finally manage to find the doorknob and wrench it open, taking a quick step out into the locker room. “Oh my God. Did you wait for me?”

He shakes his head, eyes wide and flitting around the sauna. “No, Clo—I mean Professor Sweet—”

“Did you follow me here?” My voice is high-pitched and strained, but also appropriately incredulous. “You can’t offer me your dick in exchange for a better grade!” There are so many better ways I could have phrased that statement.

His eyebrows climb his forehead, and I swear for a moment I can see the wheels turning in his head. But his cheeks flush red and he swallows, shaking his head with vehemence. “That’s not . . . I can explain.”

“Explain what exactly? You need to get the hell out of here!” I take another step back and point toward the door at the other end of the locker room.

He follows the order, turning sideways as he moves past me, but his arm still manages to brush mine. He mumbles an apology and fists the towel at his waist. His free hand grips the back of his neck. “I honestly thought I was alone, and no one was here. Some asshole pissed in the rocks in the guys’ sauna or something, so it smells horrible in there, like dirty ball sac and feet. It smells nice in here—not like any of those things—so I thought I’d sneak in for a few minutes and unwind. I wasn’t waiting for you. And I didn’t think I could offer my dick in exchange for a passing grade, even though it’s gotten rave reviews from you in the past.” He cringes.

“Are you fucking serious right now?” I whisper angrily, glancing around the room, paranoid that someone is going to catch us in here and jump to conclusions. He might be correct about the rave reviews but bringing it up now certainly isn’t going to win him any damn points.

He closes his eyes for a moment. “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I don’t know why I said that. Sometimes I open my mouth and stupid shit comes out. But you know that already since I do it regularly in your class. I didn’t even know you came to the gym.”

He definitely puts his foot in his mouth. He does it on a weekly basis, in between adding meaningful points to the class discussion. It’s both infuriating and sometimes mildly entertaining. However, him showing up in the women’s sauna is the opposite of entertaining.

“I should call security! I could get you expelled for this!”

His eyes flare, and he points to his bare chest. “I could get you in trouble for sleeping with your student.”

Heat, the kind associated with blind rage, courses through my veins. There is no way I’ll allow myself to be manipulated like this. “Are you trying to blackmail me?”

His eyes bulge again. “No! That’s not—I’m just saying—”

“You need to leave. Right now!” I point to the door.

“You’re right. Okay. I’m sorry, Professor. I’m going.” He makes a beeline for the exit, head down, broad shoulders rolled forward. He trips on his way and stumbles, hitting the door with a grunt. He pushes it open, and I wait a few seconds, my heart thundering in my chest, before I rush across and turn the lock.

I’m shaking and on edge as I gather my things and quickly dress in one of the stalls that locks from the inside. I half expect him to be waiting outside the locker room again, but I slip out into the darkened hallway and manage to leave the building without running into anyone else.

It isn’t until I’m in my car on the way home that I finally feel like I can breathe again. I don’t know what to make of that entire situation—or whether I should believe him when he said he didn’t follow me.

The second I’m in the door at home, my phone dings with a message from Sophia. I scan the first line and ping her back right away. I’m much later than usual, and she’s been worrying for the past half hour. She doesn’t like the way Gabriel keeps calling and messaging me. She’s afraid things will escalate.

He’s a control freak and good at manipulating situations, but I don’t think she has to worry about him seeking me out here. I haven’t told him where I’m working, and the only address I’ve given him is a PO Box in Pennsylvania. The mail goes there first before it’s forwarded here.

I’m aware I can’t keep my location a secret forever, especially if I plan to finalize the divorce before my contract with the college ends, but if I can get through this semester, so my one-night stand is no longer in my class and stops being a constant reminder of my bad decision-making, that would be great.

A minute later, Sophia is at my door, letting herself in and locking it behind her. “Is everything okay? I figured you’d be home an hour ago.”

“I’m sorry if I made you worry. I stayed at the gym longer than I meant to.”

“It closes at eleven, and it’s almost midnight,” Sophia points out.

I motion for her to have a seat. It’s not as though I’m going to keep what happened to myself, and I feel like not reporting Maverick to security right away was on brand for me. I don’t love conflict. It’s part of the reason it’s taken this long for me to serve Gabriel with divorce papers.

“I closed down the pool and thought I’d sneak into the sauna for a few minutes after hours.”