by Marian Tee
Sensing her pain, Alessandro pressed another kiss to her knuckles in silent apology. “I’m sorry,” he said again. Releasing her hand, he stroked her hair, tucking loose strands behind her ear. “Forgive me?”
Kassia remained silent, but her eyes spoke volumes. The scent of her emotions changed, the sharpness of her pain fading as the musky fragrance of her desire tinged the air.
A low sigh escaped him at how sweet she was, and he said roughly, “I know I don’t deserve you, baby.” He stroked her cheek with his thumb. “But I don’t think I can ever let you go.”
Kassia swallowed, having never imagined that the professor could say such things. Of course she had dreamt he would, but those had been dreams. It had been wishful thinking, and there had always been a part of her that believed the professor would never really be able to love Kassia, the way her own mother couldn’t love her.
Taking a deep breath, she said slowly, “I forgive you, Professor, but…” Kassia bit her lip. “Surely you know by now…” Her chest heaved as she struggled to take another deep breath. “Surely you know how much power you have to hurt me?”
Alessandro’s chest tightened at her words. He remembered the last time he had used the power she spoke of, his mind tormenting him with the devastation on Kassia’s face when she realized he had slept with Melissa. He said grimly, “Yes. I know.”
“Then…” Kassia mustered the courage to raise her hands and frame the professor’s face. Even as he stiffened, making her nervous, Kassia didn’t take her hands away. Looking into the professor’s eyes, she said shakily, “Please don’t hurt me again, Professor.”
The words twisting his heart, Alessandro tried to find the right words to say but couldn’t. There weren’t any, no words enough to describe the way seeing her pain had ravaged him. And so he did the next best thing.
Taking her hands from his face, he placed them on his shoulders.
Heeding the silent invitation, she moved her hands up, clasping them behind his neck. He lowered his head, and she raised her face to meet his. Their lips touched, and the whole world disappeared.
With every second, the kiss became hotter and sweeter, deepening until she felt it reaching all the way to her heart. Her toes curled even as she moved restlessly under the professor, wanting more even though she knew he was already giving her all of him. She knew it by his ragged breathing, the almost painful, rough movement of his hands over her body as he divested Kassia of her clothing. His every guard was down, the professor wanting her to know that she, too, wielded power over him.
Her body arched when he cupped her breasts, Kassia’s eyes drifting close in ecstasy. The professor was touching her breasts. The professor was running his hands over her naked body. On and on her mind went, as if hoping a play-by-play of the professor’s actions could calm her down.
It couldn’t.
When the professor’s lips left hers, Kassia cried out in protest. But she quieted when she felt his lips return to her body, caressing the side of her neck before moving down until his lips latched onto one proudly pouting nipple. She gasped as he started to suck, and again her body arched against his.
“Professor,” she whispered.
When he sucked harder, her voice came out a moan. “Professor.”
His entire body growing taut at the alluring sound of Kassia’s moan, Alessandro moved to her other breast, making sure to bestow it with the same devoted attention. He laved her nipple with his tongue before he started sucking and biting, Kassia rewarding him with her moans and the restless movements of her body.
Her hands rushed down his back, cupping his buttocks, her innocent touch spiking his desire. “Kassia.” He couldn’t stop himself from saying her name, feeling like he was able to claim her as his with it. Releasing her breast, he moved down once more, and this time he parted her legs open with his hands.
Her hands fell away from his body as he lifted her up by her buttocks. She found herself gripping the sheets the higher he lifted her, and then there it was, his tongue lining her folds, and Kassia’s lips parted in a silent scream.
It was sweet, beautiful torture, his tongue stroking up and down her folds. When he lowered her back to the bed, she started to breathe, only to feel the professor parting her folds wide open—
Her eyes flew open, her breath quickening.
His tongue slipped between the folds.
“Aaaaaah.” She couldn’t stop herself from whimpering this time, and she hastily released the sheets to cover her mouth with both hands. The professor started thrusting his tongue in and out of her, and Kassia’s world started to spin faster and faster. She pressed her hands closer to her mouth, struggling to keep her whimpers down.
Kassia found herself clutching the professor’s rock-hard shoulders. She didn’t think she could stand any more of this without dying. It was too much, too exquisite, too beautiful. She tried to pull away, but the professor wouldn’t let her, even deepening the thrusts of his tongue in response.
“Oh God, Professor…” She tried to make it last, but it was impossible. Kassia came with a cry, no longer able to stay silent. The professor’s mouth ground down on her sex, and she came even harder. She felt him lapping every drop of her come, drinking it, and her world spun out of control. She saw stars behind the lids of her eyes, her orgasm completely taking over her body.
When Kassia opened her eyes, the professor was seated next to her in bed, and he was cleaning her with a damp hand towel. Shyness struck her, and heat stole across her cheeks as she tried to push his hand away and close her legs.
The professor’s gaze narrowed. “Be still.”
The command in his voice made her go weak, and Kassia found herself obeying him. She fought to keep still even as the sense of awkwardness grew. He was just so thorough at cleaning her.
When he was done, she watched him stand up and turn towards her bathroom. She rose up to a sitting position, self-consciously clutching the covers to her body as the professor got rid of the hand towel and washed his hands.
Alessandro’s lips curved when he saw Kassia hiding behind the sheets. “You look like you’ve been ravished,” he commented softly.
Her blush deepened as she mumbled, “We both know no kind of ravishing was involved.”
Returning to the bed, he sat down next to her, stretching his legs before scooping a surprised Kassia into his lap.
“Professor!” She tried to wriggle away, but his arm around her waist tightened like an immovable chain, preventing her from leaving.
“Rest here.” His hold gentle but inexorable, he pushed her head down until she was lying against his chest.
The fact that she was naked and in his lap while he was fully clothed made her feel both aroused and awkward, but with her curled up in his arms this way, the urge to leave had all but disappeared. The truth was, she liked – no, she loved – being this close to the professor…and they both knew it.
“Is your sister okay?”
As Kassia spoke, Alessandro felt her snuggle deeper into his arms, and his lips curved, knowing that the action had been unconscious on her part. Whether she liked it or not, her body already knew it belonged to him, and he liked it that way.
“Esmeralda’s fine. She’s learned her lesson.”
She nodded against his chest. “I’m glad to hear that.”
Alessandro ran his fingers through her hair, something he had never done with another woman. But with Kassia, the need to touch her was always there, and it was one he never could resist. “How was your day?”
“It was okay.”
“You were bored without me?”
“You’re arrogance personified, aren’t you, Professor?”
“Ah, but I hear the truth in your voice.” Satisfaction filled him. “You were bored without me.”
Kassia almost told him the truth. More than bored, she had been hurt by his silence, the pain growing in proportion to the length of his absence. But in the end, she kept it to herself, knowing there was no
point dwelling on making him feel guiltier.
Changing the subject, she murmured, “You never answered my question.” She lifted her head up to look at him. “Tell me more about your childhood.” She wanted to know something that the other students – that all the women who wanted the professor – didn’t know. She had tried researching about him online, but stories about his childhood were surprisingly sparse despite the Morettis being famous for their wealth and bloodline.
Gazing down at her, Kassia’s eyes once again proved to be windows to her soul, telling him exactly why she was asking her question. Alessandro almost sighed as the truth once again struck him.
He did not deserve to have her feel so strongly about him.
“I’m not on good terms with my older brother.” It was Alessandro’s first time to speak of his silent feud with Domenico without being asked, and the meaning behind it wasn’t lost on him.
Surprise showed in her eyes. “You mean, Domenico Moretti?”
He bristled at the way she said his brother’s name. “Don’t tell me you find him attractive, too.”
“I’m not blind. Of course I…wait a minute—” Kassia started to smile. “Are you actually jealous?”
“The hell I am.” But he placed a quick hard kiss on her lips right after, wanting to remind her that he was the only man who could make her body sing. When he lifted his head, he found her grinning like an idiot at him.
Alessandro grimaced. “Shut up.”
Her grin widened, but then Kassia saw the professor looking around and she quickly wiped it off her face. She knew he was trying to find a piece of paper he could roll and smack her head with.
The suddenly solemn expression on her face didn’t fool him one bit, and he growled. “Impertinent little chick.” Almost every woman he had fucked didn’t care to tease him the way Kassia did, and he found it both amusing, disturbing, and arousing all at the same time. He also found himself needing to kiss her for it.
When the toe-curling kiss ended, Kassia released a dreamy little sigh as she settled herself more comfortably in the professor’s arms. Closing her eyes, she asked, “Is it serious? Your fight with your brother?”
He considered the question seriously and finally, he said, “Yes and no.”
Just like the professor to answer so vaguely, Kassia thought ruefully. “Well, I hope you two make up soon.” She paused then added wistfully, “I always thought it would be nice, you know, to have siblings.”
“Your parents can always adopt.”
Her smile faded. “No, they can’t. My father’s dead, and my mom…” She hesitated then told him in a rush, “She’s Kimberley Dresden.”
Astonished, he tipped her chin up, asking, “Do you mean the one who came here…”
She nodded. “She left me with my grandparents – her parents, actually – and a few months ago, she came back into our lives just so I’d sign a non-disclosure agreement to never tell anyone I’m her child, among other things.” She shrugged. “Technically, I’m breaking that agreement now, but I know you won’t tell anyone so…” Her voice trailed off.
Kassia’s struggle to keep her hurt from coloring her voice was visible, and anger rose inside him at the sight of it. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
She could hear the sincere regret in his voice, and it eased her sadness away. “Thank you, but you don’t have to be sorry for me. It makes me sad when I think of it, but I really had a happy life with my grandparents, so in a way I’m not sorry for it either.”
He nodded, seeing that Kassia meant every word. Damn Kimberley Dresden, he thought grimly. He knew it was not his place to seek revenge on Kassia’s behalf, but he also knew he wouldn’t be able to rest until he made the woman pay for the pain she had caused her own daughter.
To lighten the mood, he sought for something else to talk about, asking, “How are you doing with your classes so far?”
Kassia coughed.
He rolled his eyes, knowing what that meant, saying dryly, “Don’t bother trying to think of excuses.”
Crap. The professor knew her too well. “Well…”
“Kassia.”
She gave him a shamefaced look. “If I don’t pass the quiz next week, I may need to attend a supplementary class for my Lit subject.”
His voice became pained. “Kassia.”
“I can’t help it,” she protested. “I don’t like reading.” She was barely done speaking when the professor lifted her off his lap and reached for her clothes. Before she knew it, he was dressing her, and she asked dumbly, “Why?”
“We’re reviewing.”
Her eyes widened in horror. “Noooooooo—”
He shut her up with another hard kiss. “Yes.” He continued dressing her.
“But Professor…” Her voice was faintly muffled as she obediently lifted her hands and let the professor slip her tank top over her body. When she could see him again, she said glumly, “We have so little time together.” She shifted her hips as the professor pulled her shorts up. “I don’t want to waste it on studying.”
Alessandro absolutely refused to let his smile make its way to his lips. “Do you know how childish you sound?”
“I’m being honest,” she corrected, “not childish.”
Refusing to dignify her even more childish words with an answer, Alessandro lifted her up and dumped Kassia in her armchair. Frustration flashed in her lovely brown eyes, and this time, his amusement won over.
He laughed.
Kassia’s toes curled at the sound of the professor’s laughter. It was so beautiful, Kassia thought giddily. She could listen to it the entire time and never get bored.
The dreamy expression on Kassia’s face was telling, and Alessandro shook his head. “Kassia.” How could she be so open with him, he wondered tautly. He had hurt her so many times already, and even her own mother had only served to teach Kassia lessons on betrayal instead of unconditional love.
And yet here she was, still wearing her heart on her sleeve.
“Don’t ever change,” Alessandro heard himself say.
Kassia frowned warily at him. “Do you really mean that?”
He nodded.
“Then…if so, you shouldn’t mind that I may fail my classes from time to time—” The professor moved so fast, and before she knew what he planned to do, he had already reached for her review sheet on the desk, rolled it into a scroll, and—
Smack.
“Ouch!” She glared at the professor even as she touched her forehead.
He was unimpressed. They both knew that getting smacked by rolled-up paper wouldn’t cause her any pain.
“You said you didn’t want me to change,” she accused.
“Not that way.” And he smacked her again on the forehead with his paper scroll for being so stubborn. “I’d have eased up on you if I knew that you were truly struggling with your classes, but that’s not the case, is it?”
She thought about lying. But then the professor started slapping the paper scroll against his palm, and she changed her mind. “No, sir,” she grumbled instead.
He smirked.
She scowled. “I hate you.”
“Yes, yes, I’ve heard that before, and to be frank…”
Her breath caught at the way the professor looked at her under his lids.
“I’m addicted to the way you hate me, Ms. Summers.”
All sorts of memories seared her mind at his words, every one of them featuring her naked in his arms, and Kassia turned red at the innuendo. “Professor!”
Leaning forward, he nibbled on her lip, and her entire body quivered. But before she could fall against him, the professor was already pulling away. “Professor.” This time, she said it with longing.
He shook his head. “Another kiss will cost you.”
Her eyebrows shot up.
Taking her notebook from her desk, he handed it to Kassia, and at her wide-eyed look of confusion, he said silkily, “A kiss…for every correct answer.” His voice turned do
wn a notch. “And if you get everything right, I’ll kiss you…”
Before she could even blink, the professor’s hand was suddenly cupping her sex, and the sudden, powerful heat of his touch made her brain go haywire.
Oh. God. So. Hot.
Her sex throbbed hard.
“Right here, Ms. Summers.” The professor gripped her pussy hard as he spoke, and Kassia started seeing stars again. “Get every answer correct, and I’ll kiss you here, my head between your legs, my tongue inside your pussy, and I’m going to make you come so hard…”
He stopped.
Her pussy on fire, she didn’t hesitate, whimpering, “Let’s start studying now, Professor.” He laughed, but she didn’t mind. She wanted that reward.
****
It was four in the morning, Kassia in his arms, having succumbed to a deep, exhausted sleep after coming three times in succession, when Alessandro’s phone played a tune that warned him of imminent danger. It was his security team’s ringtone, and only an emergency would have them calling him at this time of the day.
Careful not to wake her, Alessandro disentangled himself from Kassia before reaching for his phone on the desk. Answering the call, he asked abruptly, “Tell me the worst of it.”
His security head obliged with a concise report, and Alessandro mentally swore. It was another planned ambush against Domenico, and if he wanted to prevent it, he would have to leave now.
Perhaps he could tell Alejandro about it and let his twin fight the bastards. But then, Alejandro had his own troubles to deal with, especially if the rumors about the panther princess his twin was currently serving were true.
Maybe he should let it be, he thought broodingly. It wasn’t his fight anyway. But even as the thought occurred to him, Alessandro knew his honor wouldn’t allow him to simply do nothing.
If he turned his back on this, Alessandro was certain his brother would only allow himself to get beaten up. The thought was galling, even more so when he imagined weak, pretentious bullies of his race being able to truthfully claim that they had trashed the great Domenico Moretti to within an inch of his life.