Temptation (The Hunted, #1)(78)

Melissa smiled at us. "Going from taking no risks to dating a professor is a huge leap. I didn't really understand it. But seeing you two together..." Melissa shrugged. "I get it."

"Well I'm glad we have your approval. Your opinion seems to be very important to Penny, and therefore important to me."

"And I promise not to tell anyone. Your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you, Melissa."

"And let me officially invite you to our birthday party. I'm sure Penny has already told you about it."

"Actually, she hasn't invited me yet." Professor Hunter smiled at me. "Or mentioned it at all."

Melissa laughed. "Well, normally I guess you couldn't come. But since it's going to be close to Halloween we're having a costume party. So as long as you wear a good costume, I think it'll be okay."

Professor Hunter flashed me a smile. "I wouldn't miss it."

My stomach was in knots. I needed to tell him that I was only 19. Now I was afraid that I had waited too long. The lie seemed worse and worse the longer I waited.

"Can I come over to your place for a bit?" I asked Professor Hunter. I would tell him tonight, no matter what.

He rubbed my back. "Of course."

"I'm sorry, I just have one more thing to say before you go."

"Melissa," I pleaded.

"No, it's okay," Professor Hunter interjected. "What is it?"

"You better not hurt her."

"I won't."

"Well, you already have. So your word is hard to believe. I've never seen Penny act the way she did this past week. And you two may have forgotten about that, but I haven't."

"That was just a misunderstanding."

"Maybe if you're more upfront about your baggage, things like that won't happen."

"I won't hurt her," Professor Hunter repeated. For the first time he looked truly angry. I held my breath.

"That's all I can ask." Melissa finished her brownie. "You two are cute together."

Professor Hunter looked down at me. "It's getting late. If you wanted to come over for a while, we better get going." He got off my bed and put on his jacket.

I slid off the bed and put our plates in the trash.

"Penny, can I talk to you for a second?" Melissa asked.

"I'll pull the car around," James said. He extended his hand to Melissa. "It was...interesting to meet you, Melissa."

"Good choice of words. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." Melissa shook his hand.

"Looking out for your friends is a good quality to have. I hope to see you again soon. You're going to make a good lawyer."

It looked like his words made Melissa blush. So his charm did extend to everyone. Professor Hunter walked out the door, leaving the two of us alone.

As soon as the door closed I turned to Melissa. "You promised you'd be on your best behavior. What the hell was that?"

"I'm sorry, Penny. I didn't mean to lie. I just had so many questions for him."

I sighed. "So, what did you think?"

"He's very handsome. So handsome. And he seems nice."

"Stop being vague. Tell me what you really think."

"Penny, I don't know what it is exactly, but I don't trust him."

"He answered all your millions of questions. What else could you possibly need to know?"

"It just seems like he's hiding something. I don't know how to explain it. Penny, I want you to be happy."

"I am."

"Just be careful, okay?" She reached over and squeezed my hand. Her concern made me slightly uneasy. Maybe he was hiding something else.





Chapter 51


Wednesday

Professor Hunter was waiting for me when I walked out of my dorm. He was leaning against the car with his arms crossed. It was still drizzling, but he didn't seem to notice. He looked angry. But when I reached him, he smiled and opened up the door for me. I climbed in and he shut the door behind me. I buckled my seatbelt as I watched him walk around the car to the driver's side. He got in and we immediately sped off. His silence was unnerving.

"I'm sorry about all of Melissa's questions."

"It's okay."

He looked straight ahead at the road. He was gripping the wheel so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.

"It doesn't seem like it's okay."

"When I told you to tell her about me, I thought you were just going to say that I was your professor."

"I thought I was allowed to tell her everything? She would have asked questions if I didn't tell her what our fight was about."

"You should have asked me if it was okay."

"I'm sorry."

"I like to keep my personal life private, Penny."

"I know. Even from me." I folded my arms across my chest and looked out the window. We were pulling up to his apartment building. I was already suspicious that he was hiding things from me. And now Melissa's words haunted me too. The car circled the garage and Professor Hunter parked it with ease between his assortment of other cars. He cut the ignition and got out of the car. I pushed my door open without waiting for him.