Three
904 Words
Elara pov
His mouth was hot and hungry and devastating.
I'd imagined what it would be like to kiss Professor Hyde. Late at night, with my hand between my thighs, I'd pictured all sorts of scenarios. Gentle. Rough. Slow. Fast.
None of them prepared me for this.
He kissed like a man who'd been starving for years. His hands cupped my face, tilting my head back, and his tongue swept into my mouth like he was claiming territory. I tasted coffee and something darker—something wild that made my head spin and my knees buckle.
I should have pushed him away. I should have said stop.
Instead, I fisted my hands in his shirt and pulled him closer.
He groaned against my mouth—a low, guttural sound that vibrated through my entire body. His hands slid into my hair, tugging gently, and I moaned. Actually moaned, like some kind of wanton creature I didn't recognize.
"This is insane," I gasped between kisses.
"Yes."
"We shouldn't—"
"I know."
His mouth moved to my jaw, my throat, the sensitive spot behind my ear. I tilted my head back, giving him access, and he bit me. Not hard—just a scrape of teeth that sent lightning straight to my core.
"Aldric," I breathed.
He pulled back.
His chest was heaving. His lips were swollen, his pupils blown wide, his eyes burning gold in the moonlight. He looked like a man on the edge of losing control.
And then his expression crumbled.
"God." He stepped back, putting distance between us. "God, Elara. I'm sorry."
"What?"
"This." He gestured between us, his hand shaking. "This was a mistake. I shouldn't have—I can't—" He turned away, running his hands through his hair. "You're my student. You're eighteen years old. I'm your professor. This is—"
"A mistake," I finished flatly.
"Yes." He wouldn't look at me. "A mistake. It can't happen again."
Something cold settled in my chest. Humiliation. Rejection. And underneath it all, a burning, aching want that wouldn't be extinguished.
"You kissed me," I said. "I didn't ask you to."
"I know. That's why it's my fault."
"You dragged me into the woods. You told me to call you Aldric. You—"
"I know what I did." His voice cracked. "And I'm telling you it was wrong. I'm sorry, Elara. I'm so sorry."
I stared at his back. At the tension in his shoulders, the way his hands were fisted at his sides.
"Look at me," I said.
He didn't move.
"Look at me, Aldric."
Slowly, he turned.
His eyes were brown again. But they were red-rimmed, raw, wet. He looked like he was in physical pain.
"This changes nothing," he said quietly. "I'm still your professor. You're still my student. The age gap doesn't disappear just because we—"
"Because we what?" I stepped closer. "Because we kissed? Because you want me so badly you can't stand to see me with another guy?"
His jaw tightened. "That's not—"
"It is. I saw your face in the dining hall. You looked like you wanted to kill Liam."
"I didn't—"
"You're jealous, Professor. Possessive. You can't stand the thought of anyone else touching me." I was close enough now to see the pulse hammering in his throat. "So don't stand there and tell me this was a mistake. Tell me the truth."
He was silent for a long moment.
Then he reached out and touched my face. His fingers were trembling.
"The truth," he said hoarsely, "is that I've wanted you since the moment you walked into my class. The truth is that I think about you constantly. When I close my eyes, I see your face. When I sleep, I dream about your body underneath mine." His thumb traced my lower lip. "The truth is that I'm forty years old, and I've never wanted anything the way I want you."
My breath caught.
"But," he continued, "the truth is also that I'm your professor. And if anyone found out about this—about how I feel—I'd lose everything. My job. My reputation. My life."
"So what are you saying?"
He dropped his hand. Stepped back.
"I'm saying that we can't do this. That I can't be near you without wanting to—" He stopped. Swallowed. "Without wanting to ruin you."
"Then don't be near me."
"I can't." His voice broke. "I can't, Elara. I've tried. I've stayed after class, graded papers until dawn, walked the perimeter of campus just to avoid the dining hall where you eat. Nothing works. You're in my blood."
The words hung between us like a promise.
"I don't know what you want from me," I whispered.
"Neither do I." He looked at me—really looked at me and for a moment, the mask slipped. I saw something raw and desperate behind his eyes. Something that looked almost like love. "Go back to your dorm, Elara. Forget this happened."
"And if I can't?"
His expression shuttered. "Then we're both in trouble."
He turned and walked into the trees, disappearing into the darkness like a ghost.
I stood alone in the clearing, my lips still tingling, my body still aching, my heart a war zone.
This was a mistake, he'd said.
But the way he'd kissed me felt like the only truth I'd ever known.
- Writer
