Temptation (The Hunted, #1)(52)

I pressed my back against the opposite side of the elevator and slowly slid until my butt hit the ground. I hadn't just slept with an older man. I hadn't just slept with my professor. I had slept with a married man. What had I become? That wasn't me. None of that was me. I put my face into my hands and let myself cry. It felt like my stomach was in my chest. Because the truth was, I hadn't just slept with him. I loved him.

The elevator dinged and I fell backwards. I had forgotten that there was a door on this side. Shit! I pulled the t-shirt down so that I didn't reveal myself. I was looking up into a man's crotch.

"Miss, are you okay?" His hands were on my shoulders, pulling me to my feet.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." My face was more crimson than it had ever been. I wiped my tears off my cheeks. I was standing half naked in the lobby of Professor Hunter's prestigious apartment building. The man who had helped me to my feet was staring at my legs. He was wearing shorts and a sweaty t-shirt. He must have just worked out. Probably at a gym somewhere in the building. I pulled the sides of my shirt down again. This isn't happening.

"Are you sure you're okay?" It looked like he wanted to laugh.

"Yes. Thank you." I stepped back onto the elevator. Please don't get on.

The man stepped onto the elevator beside me.

Damn it!

"I'm guessing you weren't trying to go to the lobby," he said. He had stopped staring at me and was now looking at the elevator doors. "Where were you trying to go?"

"The parking garage. Third floor."

The man pressed a button on the elevator. His lips were pursed together and there were a few small lines around his eyes as he tried not to let his laughter escape. "Bad morning?"

"You have no idea." I looked away from him. This was so embarrassing. The ultimate walk of shame. I had never been more mortified in my life.

"I suppose it will only get better from here then."

"God, I hope so." I squeezed through the doors as they were still opening and ran as fast as I could. The cement floor of the parking garage was freezing against my bare feet. I wrapped my arms around myself and ran toward Professor Hunter's convertible. Luckily my bag was still on the passenger seat of the car. I pulled my sunglasses out and put them on my face. If I was lucky, no one would notice me on my way back to my dorm room. My beach towel was wadded in a ball at the bottom of the bag and it was cold and damp. I sighed. I grabbed my bag and hoisted it over my shoulder.

I looked around the parking garage for a set of stairs and ran toward them. Professor Hunter would have realized I was missing by now. Would he try to come after me? Would he even realize something was wrong? I ran down the stairs and stepped outside of the parking garage. There was a chill in the air this morning. It was as if autumn had appeared overnight.

If I went toward Main Street, I'd easily be able to find my way back to my dorm. But I didn't want to be seen in just a men's t-shirt. My teeth chattered as I crossed the road. I walked as casually as possible down a side street. People lived here. Respectable families were probably just waking up for their normal days. Please don't see me. I quickened my pace and turned down another street.

My phone buzzed. I grabbed it out of my bag and looked down at Professor Hunter's text:

"I would have driven you home. Persuading you to miss two classes would have been way too irresponsible."

Persuading me to have sex with you when you're married was irresponsible! That pretentious bastard! I shoved my phone back into my bag.

A car drove by and beeped at me.

Are you kidding me? Screw this. I began running. I didn't care if anyone saw me. I just wanted to be safely in my dorm. Behind one of the houses ahead of me, I could see the small parking lot by my dorm. I looked around but didn't see anyone around. I ran through someone's yard. The ground was slightly muddy and I tried to ignore the squishing noise that my feet were making and the mud splattering on my legs.

I peered around the back of the house to see if anyone was there. The coast was clear, but there were large bushes all along the perimeter of their backyard. Damn it! I moved a few branches with my hands and squeezed through as best I could. I tried not to cry out as the small thorns pricked against my bare skin. When I got untangled from the foliage, I was left with a torn shirt, tons of tiny scratches on my arms and legs, and splotches of mud on my calves and shins. But my dorm was right there. And everything was silent. Thankfully college students were always reliable at not waking up until they had to. I ran through the parking lot and up the stairs of Sussex. I quickly pulled out my wallet and pressed the access card against the sign. The familiar buzz of the doors unlocking almost made me cry. I opened the door and ran into the building, up the stairs, and to my room.

Panting, I unlocked the door and tiptoed into my room. Melissa's light snoring greeted my ears. Oh, thank God. Finally something had gone my way. I grabbed my shower caddy and went to the bathroom. I needed to get the smell of Professor Hunter off of me.

I locked the shower door, pulled off Professor Hunter's destroyed t-shirt, and closed the curtain. The water stung the cuts on my arms and legs. The bottom of my feet were sore and scratched too. But soon I didn't feel the pain, just the shame of what I had done. The pressure I had felt building in my chest last night was back. Why did I let myself fall in love with such a creep? I grabbed my soap and began to scrub my skin harder than I ever had. Get off of me. Get off of me! I began crying again. I lifted my face under the showerhead and let the water wash away my tears.