The Biker's Teacher

Controlled

CLAIRE

I rounded the corner of the third-floor hallway, and my breath instantly trapped itself in my lungs. Levi was waiting right at my apartment door.

"You're late, Claire," he murmured, his deep voice echoing in the hallway.

I gripped my keys tightly, forcing myself to step closer despite the urge to turn and run. "What are you doing here, Levi?"

He let out a low, rumbling chuckle, straightening up from the doorframe. A slow, wicked smile spread across his face, his dark eyes glittering with genuine amusement.

"You went through a lot of trouble to skip a free ride this morning, Claire," he said. "A cab at six thirty? That's almost impressive. You actually thought you outsmarted me."

"I don't think it's funny," I snapped, my fear finally giving way to a hot wave of anger. I marched right up to him, stopping just inches from his chest. "I am incredibly thankful that you saved me from those hooligans on my first day in town, Levi. Really, I am. But that night is over. You have absolutely no reason to torment my life this much."

"You think I saved you just to be a good Samaritan, Claire?" He reached out, his fingers brushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear, his touch lingering against my burning skin.

"I don't lose, and I always get exactly what I want," he murmured, his deep voice dripping with absolute certainty. He leaned down slightly, his dark eyes locking onto mine with a predatory intensity. "And you, little teacher, won't be an exception to that rule."

The pure relief of hearing my engine crank to life the next morning felt like a victory. As I pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the school, a smug surge of satisfaction settled in my chest. I had defied him, survived his midnight hallway ambush, and got my car back. I was completely independent again.But halfway down the main stretch to the school, the dashboard lights violently blinked out. The power evaporated, the steering wheel locking up instantly.

Levi’s dark SUV pulled up, creeping to a halt inches from my back bumper.

"What did you do?" I hissed.

Levi leaned down, his dark eyes dancing with absolute arrogance.

"I told you yesterday, Claire," he murmured. "I always get exactly what I want. My mechanic installed a remote kill-switch. Your car only moves when I say it moves."

He opened my car door from the outside, his massive frame completely blocking out the sun as he reached down, unbuckling my seatbelt for me.

"Now get in my car. We're going to be late for the first period."

"Don't touch me! I can unbuckle myself."

"Then do it," Levi said, stepping back just an inch, his smirk only widening at my outburst. "I'm not a patient man, Claire. You have ten seconds."

"You know, for a doctor, you sure have a lot of free time," I mocked, my voice dripping with venom. "Don't you have lives to save, Dr. Hilton? Or does your hospital just let you roam the streets playing god with a remote control?"

"I always make time for my priorities," he murmured, his deep voice maddeningly calm. "And right now, little teacher, ensuring you show up to work on time is at the very top of my list."

Levi pulled the massive SUV directly into the front drop-off lane and let the engine idle, drawing immediate attention. I threw the door open and stepped out, but the sudden, shocking silence of the courtyard made me freeze.Every single one of my colleagues had stopped dead in their tracks.

"See you at four, Claire," Levi called out smoothly from the open window.

I barely made it three steps up the school stairs before Sarah intercepted me, grabbing my arm and pulling me quickly into the empty faculty breakroom.

"Are you insane, Claire?" Sarah hissed, shutting the door behind us. "You lied to me yesterday about a motel. You were with him?"

"Sarah, it's not what you think—"

"You need to stay away from Levi Hilton," she interrupted, her voice a frantic whisper. "You have no idea who that man really is. Yes, he is a brilliant doctor, but the things he does when he's off the clock... the people he runs with... they are incredibly dangerous. If he has his eyes on you, you are in way over your head. Just promise me you'll keep your distance."

The afternoon bell rang at four o'clock. I checked the front drop-off lane from my classroom window, but Levi's dark SUV was not there. By four thirty, the parking lot was completely empty.

---

At three in the morning, a sudden, heavy knock on my apartment door shattered the silence of the night.I didn't even have to look through the peephole to know who it was.

"What are you doing here, Levi?" I demanded, my voice a fierce, trembling whisper. "You need to stop this. You're a dangerous man, and I want you completely out of my life."

"Dangerous?" he echoed, a slow, mocking smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Yes," I snapped, my mind racing back to the terrifying pieces of the puzzle I had collected over the last forty-eight hours. "I don't know who you are, Levi. I know you're not just some prestigious doctor saving lives."

"Your little motorcycle friend cornered me at my own front doors," I said. "And my colleague at school warned me exactly what happens to people who get too close to you. I am telling you right now, stay away from me."

He took another step forward, his massive frame completely cutting off the exit to my own living room. He didn't deny a single word. Instead, he reached out, his fingers wrapping firmly around the nape of my neck, tilting my face up until his lips were just inches from mine.

"They're absolutely right, Claire," he murmured, his deep voice sending a terrifying shiver straight down my spine. "I am a monster. But here's the part they didn't tell you."

"You're already under my skin, little teacher. And once I claim something, I never let it go. You can try to run, but you'll only find out just how far my territory reaches."

He dropped his hand and walked out, leaving my front door wide open to the cold, silent night.