“Thank you,” he said, turning to address the entire class. “So let’s discuss the significance of this case on how damage awards are determined.”
He outlined the finer points of the court’s decision as Embry looked on with disgust at him, at herself. She couldn’t believe she had behaved that way in front of the entire class. She was motivated by her hurt and anger, but now that Luke had moved on, she could see how childish she had been. She kept quiet the remainder of class, taking notes but not bothering to pay close attention to Luke or his interaction with the other students. By the time they finished, she was downright depressed.
As they packed up, Jeremy leaned over. “What’s gotten into you?”
She gave him doe-eyes, feigning innocence. “What do you mean?”
The look on his face told her he wasn’t buying it. “You know what I mean. I’ve never seen you like that. It was a ballsy move, pissing off the prof like that, Jacobs.”
“Oh, come on, I was just—”
“Miss Jacobs?” Luke’s voice stopped her short.
Embry looked at Jeremy with eyebrows raised before turning toward Luke.
“Yes, Professor?” She winced at her own tone. Try as she might, she couldn’t keep the snark from her voice.
Jeremy pinched her side, and she noticed Luke’s eyes following Jeremy’s hand. The muscle in his jaw jumped once more.
“Please come see me before you leave.”
Jeremy rose from his chair, grabbing his books. He leaned in as he walked past her. “You’ve gone and done it now.”
She swatted at him. “Shut it, Jer.” After packing up her computer and books, Embry slipped her tote over her shoulder and walked toward Luke. She looked behind her only to realize that the rest of the students were exiting the room … and they were alone.
As soon as she was within reach, he pounced. “What the hell was that?” he whispered harshly.
“What was what?” she asked, shrugging. She was desperately trying to keep her cool, but she felt heat creeping up her neck at Luke’s obvious anger.
He ran his hand through his short hair, letting his frustration show. “What the fuck, Bree? It’s one thing to be pissed at me, but taking it out on me in the classroom? What’s gotten into you?”
Her eyes went wide, and she worried at her bottom lip. She had no answer. All of her bravado had disappeared, and she was left with uncertainty. She felt empty and unsure. Looking into his eyes, she saw nothing but frustration and anger, and it made her nervous. She’d never seen him that way and was completely unprepared for his reaction. She also wasn’t prepared for the heat pooling between her thighs. When Luke was angry, his southern accent got stronger. Embry felt a little foolish and a lot turned on.
As if he could sense her discomfort, Luke visibly softened. His eyes closed, and he took a breath, relaxing his tense shoulders. When he opened his eyes, they were bright blue and sad. He reached for her but hesitated. He must’ve thought better of it because he let his arm fall back to his side. She would have welcomed his touch at that moment, and his resistance stung. She was an emotional basket case; hating him one minute, desperate for his touch the next.
“Are you finished grandstanding in class?” he asked. His voice was smooth and calm, but there was still a hint of warning underneath.
Her snark wanted to make a comeback, but Embry tamped it down. Embarrassed and uncomfortable, she twisted her hands and continued to chew on her lip. “Yeah,” she mumbled. “I am.” She looked at Luke, his closeness making her feel things she didn’t want to feel. “I am pissed at you, Luke. Really pissed. But I shouldn’t have brought it into class like that.”
“Fine,” he said, “it’s already forgotten.”
“It is?”
“Yes, Bree. That’s not why I called you up here.”
“It’s not?”
“No, it’s not.” He shook his head in frustration. “Well, it was part of it. I mean … what the hell?”
Embry watched as he ran his hand through his hair again and tried to calm himself. It was a rhetorical question, and she didn’t have an answer anyway. Unless she wanted to admit that she was acting out because he’d hurt her.
“I need to talk you about your research position with Coleman,” he continued.
“Wow, okay,” she said, taken aback by the subject change. “I hadn’t even thought about that. I guess I should start looking for a new job, huh?” Her shoulders slumped as defeat filled her. The good news just kept on coming.
“Not necessarily,” Luke said.
Embry perked up. “Really?”
“I’m taking over.”
“Taking over what?” she asked.
“I’m taking over the research.”
“Oh.” She still didn’t fully comprehend what was happening.
A small smile crept over Luke’s face as she processed his words.
“Oh!” she said again, realizing the implications of what Luke had just said. “So then me and you?” She gestured between them as a blush rose on her cheeks.
“Yes, me and you,” he said, his sea blue eyes boring into her green ones. “I’ll supervise, set the parameters, and report the findings back to Professor Coleman.”
She felt elated and crushed all at once. She wouldn’t lose her position, but it meant working closely with Luke. Can I do this?
When Luke reached out again, he didn’t stop himself. Resting his hand on her shoulder, he looked into her eyes. “Look, I know this is a lot to digest, but we can make this work. I want to make this work.”
Embry didn’t hear his words. She was too distracted by the searing warmth on her shoulder. His touch caused a reaction in her that she couldn’t control no matter how pissed off or hurt she was.
Luke continued to speak. “I don’t want you losing your position. I know how hard you work, and the last thing you need is to serve beer on the weekends instead of focusing on school.”
Embry agreed with that. She wanted the research position on her resume. It would open doors for her, especially if Coleman got published and Embry’s name was on the research. But could she and Luke really work together? “Can I think about it?”
Luke dropped his hand from her shoulder and brought it up to rub his neck. “Yes, think about it. But I want you to consider one thing.”
“Okay,” she said, warily.
“If we’re going to do this, if we’re going to make this work, I need you to hear me out first. You have to let me explain why I did what I did.”
12
Embry sat on her living room floor, back against the couch and long legs splayed out on the carpet. Her hair was in a haphazard ponytail, and her right hand gripped a bottle of her favorite white wine.
“You are one hot mess, my love,” Morgan said, walking into the living room with two plates of steaming hot pizza in one hand and her own glass of wine in the other.
“Hah,” Embry scoffed, taking a swig straight from the bottle. The sweet taste lingered on her lips, and her head was becoming cloudy enough to relax.
“And classy, too. What happened to your glass?” Morgan looked around for the missing object.
“I ditched it about the same time I decided to go to town on the whole bottle.”
“Nice. Not that I don’t love drunk Embry, because I do, but what brought this on?” Morgan slid onto the floor beside Embry.
“Seriously?” Embry eyed her best friend. “You have to ask?”
“I know who brought it on. But when I spoke to you earlier, it seemed like you two were playing nice.”
“That was before I had the chance to think about him trapping me into hearing his explanation.”
“Oh, so before the half-bottle of alcohol was consumed?” Morgan countered.