HIRAM’S POV:
As I stop the car in the parking lot, Juniper opens the door and strides off without a second glance. I exhale sharply, stepping out and following her. She pushes the front door open without knocking and brushes past Winston. She quickens her pace down the hall.
“June!” I call, but she doesn’t stop.
I speed up, reaching for her hand and pulling her back to me, my arms wrapping around her waist to keep her from slipping away. She struggles against my grip, her hands pounding on my chest as though that could make me let go.
“You know that isn’t doing anything, right?” I ask, looking down at her tiny figure, still struggling relentlessly. She scoffs and averts her gaze, clenching her jaw. “It was never my intention for you to see the paintings, and-”
“So I wouldn’t find out you’re a creep who paints every woman he has sex with?” she snaps in a sharp tone. Her words are so off the mark that a short laugh escapes my lips, which makes her scowl.
“What’s so funny?” she demands, her irritation only heightening her beauty.
“You,” I say, leaning in to kiss her, but she turns her face away, letting my lips meet her left cheek. “It’s absurd to think I paint every woman I sleep with. I’m not that jobless.”
Her expression softens.
“What are you saying?” she asks, but she rolls her eyes before I can answer. “Actually, I don’t even care. Do whatever you want; just let me go.” She struggles in my grip, so I release her.
A part of me wants to let her walk away, to give her the distance she’s demanding. But my body refuses to allow it. I scoop her up and throw her over my shoulder.
“Hiram, stop!” she protests, but I ignore her, carrying her through the hall toward the art room.
Once inside, I set her down.
“There, you’re free to look,” I say, watching as she catches her balance with her arms folded. “You know, you’re incredibly sexy when you’re angry.” Her brow twitches as she tries to fight a smile.
She steps forward, pulling the cloth off the first painting, then the second. Her eyes widen as she takes in the images of her face, and her body, captured intimately.
“Oh,” she breathes, and I move in close behind her.
“Are you satisfied now, or you want to check all of them out?” I ask in a low tone, but she turns around, frowning.
“No! Because that doesn’t change the fact you were out with Nala.” At the mention of her name, a slight surge of tension ripples through me. “I overheard you talking to some girl, Alex, about Nala. So, did you make up with her?” she presses, her eyes narrowed.
For a moment, I debate whether to tell her the truth. I could end this jealousy in an instant-but a darker part of me wants to see how far this goes.
“Yes,” I say, letting a faint smirk play on my lips. “We made up.” Her jaw tightens, and she takes a step back.
“Fine,” she says casually, with a shrug. “Not that it matters. I’m not your girlfriend, so you can go off and plow whoever you like.” Her eyes meet mine. “Just like I can go around with any man I like, since none of this is official, right?”
Her words slam into me, stoking a surge of anger I can barely contain. I feel my chest tighten as a possessive rage simmers beneath my calm exterior. The thought of her with another man-of anyone touching her, kissing her-is an image I cannot stand, but I have to be gentle with her.
I grab her arms, pulling her close to me with a straight face.
“You think I’d let any other man near you?” My tone comes out harsher than intended, and her breath hitches as she flutters her lashes.
“It’s not your choice, is it?” she asks, raising her voice to sound brave.
“It is. Because you’re mine, Juniper.” My hand moves to cup her face, and my thumb brushes over her lips. “And no other man will touch what’s mine.”
She rolls her eyes, but I catch the flash of hurt she’s trying to hide.
“But you can touch other women, right?” She hurls the words at me, daring me to confirm her worst fears. “I am supposed to be utterly yours, but you cannot commit to me.” She reaches for my hand, pulling it away from her face.
A dark, hollow laugh escapes my lips.
“Touch other women? If only I could.” I close the distance between us, my hand sliding around the back of her neck, pulling her even closer until our breaths mingle. “But you-you’ve destroyed that option for me, June. You think I want someone else?” My fingers tighten slightly, feeling her pulse race beneath my grip as I struggle to contain the storm raging inside me.
Her face softens, her lips parting as she stares up at me, realizing the hold she has on me.
“I wish to god I could kiss someone else just to get you out of my system. I wish I could touch another woman’s skin, anyone’s-but you’ve ruined that for me. You’re in my head, every single day, every moment since the night we met. No one else exists for me anymore. Just you.”
Her hand pushes against my chest as if to shove me away, but I don’t budge. I loosen my grip on her neck as my hands slide down her shoulders, holding her in place.
“You think I’d drive out at night just to find any woman who tries to make me jealous by lying she is in a club?” I shake my head. “You’ve infected me, Juniper, and you’re so damn small, but somehow, you’re everywhere. In every thought, in every breath.”
She gapes at me when I say this, and part of me regrets opening up to her, but then there’s a feeling of relief in my chest.
“I… I didn’t know you felt this way, Hiram,” she says, shaking her head, then I scoff.
“You do not have to do…” she presses her lips against mine before I can finish, then she smiles against my lips.
“No one has ever made me feel this wanted,” she says, and I take her lips again, wrapping my hand around her waist, and pressing her body into mine.
She pulls away from the kiss, looking into my eyes with a mischievous smile hanging on her lips.
“Are you angry with me?” she asks in a small tone, fluttering her lashes with a pout on her lips.
“Maybe,” I reply, then she grabs my collar, pulling me closer to her.
“Then maybe you should punish me for being a bad girl, professor.”