The lecture hall smelled like old books and caffeine, filled with students who actually cared about today’s discussion on criminal intent.
Evelyn Carter was not one of them.
No, her focus was on something much more… enticing.
Professor Alexander Reid stood at the front of the room, posture perfect, voice deep, explaining the intricate details of premeditated crime. But Evelyn? She was thinking of a very different kind of crime.
A sin. A forbidden, delicious, very illegal kind of sin.
Her professor was an enigma—unshaken, unreadable, and so goddamn sexy in that tailored suit that hugged his broad shoulders and powerful frame.
And she wanted to break him.
“I bet he’s a perfectionist in bed, too. The kind that makes sure you come apart exactly how he wants.”
She shifted in her seat, letting out a soft sigh. Would he be slow? Or would he be ruthless?
Her eyes flickered to his fingers—long, skilled, the veins along the backs far too prominent for her sanity.
“Those hands would feel so fucking good around my throat.”
Heat curled low in her belly. She swallowed, dragging her nails against her wrist in a weak attempt to ground herself.
Control. She had control.
He wasn’t looking. He never looked.
She needed to push harder.
Professor Reid continued his lecture, his deep voice echoing through the room, commanding attention.
Everyone listened.
Well, almost everyone.
Evelyn stretched, arching her back just enough to lift her sweater, exposing the soft skin of her lower stomach. A few students glanced her way.
But the only eyes she wanted? Still fixed on the board.
Tsk. Boring.
She leaned back, biting the tip of her pen before dragging it across her lower lip—slow, suggestive.
Nothing.
“Oh, come on, Professor. Give me something.”
Fine. Time to be bolder.
Her foot stretched forward under the desk, lightly brushing against the leg of his podium. Just a light nudge.
Still nothing.
Hah. Is he really that disciplined?
Her shoe pressed against his ankle.
And that’s when it happened.
A flicker. A small, barely noticeable hesitation.
His fingers froze around the chalk mid-word. His grip tightened—just a fraction, but she caught it.
A rush of triumph and heat pulsed through her.
“Oh, you felt that, didn’t you, Professor?”
But he still didn’t look at her.
“I need more.”
She bit her lip and pressed further—this time, trailing the tip of her foot higher, barely brushing the fabric of his slacks.
That did it.
A slow, deliberate inhale. The clench of his jaw.
Oh. Fucking. Finally.
She could feel his frustration in the way his fingers tapped against the podium—a slow, controlled rhythm.
“You’re thinking about it now, aren’t you?”
His patience was starting to crack.
The corner of her lips curled. This was fun.
But then—
“Miss Carter.”
His voice was sharp, commanding, dangerously low.
“Oh, shit.”
She blinked innocently, masking the sudden jolt in her chest. “Yes, Professor?”
Professor Reid turned. Finally.
And oh.
Oh.
His gaze was blistering cold.
Dark. Deadly.
“Perhaps you’d like to explain to the class why you seem so… distracted?”
The room went silent.
He took the bait.
Evelyn sat up straight, feigning innocence. “Oh? Me, Professor?”
“Unless there’s another Miss Carter in this class, yes, you.”
A few students chuckled, but Evelyn? She didn’t break eye contact.
She leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on the desk, smirk teasing the corner of her lips.
“I was just thinking…” she said, drawing out the words.
He was waiting.
“That sometimes intent is… misunderstood,” she continued. “I mean, you said earlier that intent is everything in criminal cases, right?”
“Correct.”
“So if someone—hypothetically—did something provocative, but didn’t actually intend for it to be taken that way, does it still count as intentional?”
Silence.
Tension.
Fuck, the way he’s looking at me.
His fingers tapped once against the podium.
“Are you asking from personal experience, Miss Carter?”
Touché.
Gasps and low chuckles rippled through the room.
Evelyn bit back a grin.
But then, his gaze darkened.
Something shifted.
“Careful, Miss Carter,” he murmured, voice silky smooth, edged with something dangerous. “You’re starting to test my patience.”
Oh.
Oh.
Her skin prickled—heat creeping down her spine.
“That sounded like a warning.”
Maybe she had pushed too far.
Her fingers curled slightly against the desk.
She forced a shrug. “I was just curious, Professor.”
Professor Reid didn’t break eye contact.
“Curiosity can be dangerous,” he said smoothly. “Especially when it’s directed at the wrong things.”
The way he said it—low, deliberate, with a small, knowing smirk—
Her stomach dropped.
Her thighs squeezed together.
Oh. He knows.
He fucking knows.
Her breathing hitched for half a second.
And then—
He smirked.
Just a flicker. Barely there. But she saw it.
Oh, fuck.
“This man is going to ruin me.”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
🔥 Let’s Talk! 🔥
“Evelyn’s playing with fire, and it looks like she’s about to get burned. ☾ What do you think is waiting for her in his office? Will she keep teasing, or is Professor Reid about to put her in her place?”
Like, vote, comment, and gift if you’re ready for what’s coming next. Trust me—you don’t want to miss Chapter 2. ☾
~P¿ndaWriter!
