Jennifer Finn hadn’t moved. The bright bathroom light formed a halo around her red-and-gold hair, making his breath catch. Why wasn’t she saying anything? Surely she knew that he and Trick… He’d said it that first day in class. He’d implied it, but Jennifer had gotten the gist.
He was buttoning his shirt as Trick dressed swiftly, his sharp gaze returning again and again to Jennifer. When they were both as decent as they could be she moved, walking over to pick up the small open bottle of lube from the floor, staring at the circle of moisture on the carpet.
She wasn’t looking at them at all.
“Trick, could you get me some tissues from the bathroom? And then straighten the bed if you value your life, because I won’t take the blame when it comes to Leroy.”
“On it.” Trick was worried, he could hear it in his voice. Hell, Declan was worried and he didn’t know her as well. Something was definitely off.
“Miss Finn, about what just happened...”
She shook her head, smiling at Trick with thanks and—regret? Resignation. “You didn’t shock me, Professor. I’m a big girl.” She dabbed at the spot for a minute before standing up again, her skirt still veil thin but all her important parts mostly covered. “Thank you both for the fashion rescue. I don’t think raves and I are the best mix anymore. Not now that everyone feels the need to record all their mistakes via cell phone. I know I’d rather forget mine.”
She didn’t wait for, or seem to expect, an answer. Instead she found her bag and, holding it to her chest, walked toward the door.
Hell.
“Jen, hang on a second.” Trick strode over to her while Declan put his cape back on. It felt like an anchor around his neck, but he couldn’t walk back through that mob without it. “Talk to me.”
“We can talk later,” she said, still pointedly not looking at Declan.
He joined her at the door as Trick fumbled with the deadbolt, his hunched shoulders revealing his frustration. “Miss Finn?”
She finally looked at him then and he could see the spark in her blue eyes. Anger? At him? “Don’t forget your mask, Professor Kelley. You don’t want to spoil everyone’s fun.”
The door opened and she was the first one outside. Declan put on his mask and started after her, but Trick put a hand on his arm, stopping him. “Don’t.”
“Why not? Did you tell her about us before you decided on this plan of yours? If you didn’t, you’re the real asshole, and she should be throwing daggers at you not me.”
“She heard you,” Trick answered quietly, seeing her disappear around the corner. “While we were… I knew she was there before you said it. I think she heard you.”
It’s not going to happen, Trick. Not with her…
He thought about how it would sound out of context. Outside of his messed up mind. “Fuck.”
“Pretty much.”
Chapter Three
Not with her…
Jen wasn't sure what she was feeling as Trick drove her back to her apartment, so she kept her thoughts to herself. He was quiet too. Either he was respecting her need for space or he was afraid of giving her an opening to tell him off.
It was probably for the best. She knew he hadn’t been planning to end up in Leroy’s room, flat on his back with Declan… He loved games, but he wasn’t that cruel. On the other hand, he really should have tested the waters before he spent months seducing her with promises of the world’s most erotic ménage. Should have talked to the man he was obviously intimate with about the expectations he’d given her, and made sure Declan was open to it before she made a fool of herself flirting with him for months.
Not with her.
Jennifer ran a hand through her tangled hair. She was angry and hurt, and trying not to let it give her an inferiority complex¸ but more than anything else, she was disappointed. She’d gotten her hopes up way too high and now she was paying the price.
It wasn’t Declan’s fault he didn’t want her—he didn’t know her that well and he had a right to say no as much as she did—but the letdown was epic. After watching that scene on the bed, she would have gladly torn off her damp clothes and joined them right then. Leroy’s wrath would have been worth it for five minutes of Declan Kelley’s undivided attention, especially the kind of attention he’d given Trick.
The saying, Those who can’t do, teach, was now utterly disproven. This teacher knew exactly what he was doing when it came to sexual behavior. When he took charge of Trick, something inside her had instantly submitted, as if she were the one he had pinned down for his pleasure.
His dominance came as a surprise. Trick had always struck her as the prime example of an alpha male. He ran the show. Except, apparently, when the restrained psychology professor was on top. Then he seemed more than willing to submit. Declan wasn’t the tamed one. He was a caged beast, but when he got free…