Eva
An awkward silence fills the car, underlined by the engine’s roar as Principal Byrne drives toward the academy. He shouldn’t have been the one to help me dress in the hospital, as it’s inappropriate.
My body tingles from the way his fingers delicately skated across my skin. It was as if he was working to turn me into a molten pool of desire, even if that probably wasn’t his intention.
I can still sense that sexually charged tension now, but I can’t work out if it is from my side or whether it’s just wishful thinking. Principal Byrne is the most attractive man I’ve ever met, but I’m also high on pain meds.
There’s no way a man like him would be attracted to me, especially since I’m his student, a student whose parents sent here because I allegedly slept with the janitor at my last school. He might assume I’m a hussy who will sleep with anyone, and perhaps he’s testing the waters. It wouldn’t shock me, as this school isn’t conventional.
Principal Byrne keeps his eyes on the road with such intensity. His large fingers are wrapped tightly around the wheel, turning his knuckles white.
I don’t understand why he is so angry. “Have I done something wrong, sir?”
He tightens his grip, eyes narrowing but remaining fixed on the road. “No, why do you say that?”
I swallow hard, twirling a curl of my hair around my finger. “You always seem so angry.” I shrug as his piercing aqua eyes shift to me briefly. “I thought maybe it’s because you have an issue with me.”
There’s a soft rumble from his chest as he shakes his head. “I’m not angry, Eva.”
I laugh. “You could have fooled me.”
His grip tightens further, the leather squeaking under pressure. The tension in his shoulders and the tight set of his jaw as he grinds his teeth indicate he’s lying to me.
The silence stretches between us as he doesn’t intend to continue the conversation, focusing on the road with fierce intent.
I gaze out the window, observing the town disappear as we head into the tree-lined forest, where the Syndicate Academy is hidden from prying eyes.
“Maine is beautiful,” I say, peeking at the principal. It’s so different from Atlanta’s concrete jungle that I’ve grown up with. “Have you seen a black bear, sir?”
He shakes his head. “I don’t have time to venture into the woods.”
I feel disappointed he doesn’t hold a conversation with me, but I sense that Oakley Byrne is a man who prefers not to participate in small talk.
“What do you do for fun, then?” I ask, wondering if he does anything other than teach and run the academy.
“Fun?” He scoffs, a smirk playing at the edge of his lips, despite his attempt to contain it. “I’m too busy for fun.”
I wrap my hair around my fingers, focusing on the beautiful man sitting next to me. “That’s a shame. Life is too short to be dull.” I swallow hard, thinking about my late brother. His life had barely begun when those bikers took him too early. It’s cruel, and although we were so different, we’d been close since childhood.
“I have little free time, considering my duties at the academy.” His voice is softer, and when I glance at him, the tension has eased.
“Life will flash by faster than you know,” I say, shaking my head. “You should always carve time for yourself.”
His eyes meet mine, blazing with an emotion I can’t identify. “That’s true.” He smiles a real smile for the first time, and the sight beats the oxygen from my lungs. It is breathtaking. “Perhaps I’ll do that. What do you do for fun? And you can’t say study, as that doesn’t count.”
I sigh, glancing out of the window. “I love to read.”
He smiles. “What’s your favorite novel of all time?”
I scrunch my brow, struggling to pick. “That’s a tough question. I love Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.”
I see him roll his eyes at that.
“But I enjoy all genres, not just romance.” I shrug. “What is it you enjoy?” I ask, interested in learning about the enigma of a man.
The tension returns as he clears his throat. “I like to paint.”
Paint.
I wasn’t expecting him to say that, as he’s so serious.
“Really? What do you paint?” I ask as he pulls through the enormous wrought-iron gates onto the long, winding driveway of the academy.
He runs his large hand across the back of his neck. “I’ve not painted for years, but I used to love painting people.”
“Wow, you must be talented. Did you paint portraits?”
His eyes move from the drive to me. “Nudes mostly.”
“Oh, I see,” I mutter, heat flaring through my veins and lighting me on fire. “I was about to suggest you paint me, but that wouldn’t be appropriate.” I don’t know where that came from, but I regret it instantly.
He gives me a heated glare. “Definitely not,” He grits out before pulling into a parking space in front of the gothic building. He exits the car and walks around, opening my door.
He slides an arm around my back and the other under my knees, lifting me as if I weigh nothing.
I hook my arm around his neck to support myself, enjoying the warmth of his body against mine.
I sense him turn rigid against me as he carries me in through the front entrance to the school, but instead of turning right, he turns left.
“Shouldn’t I try to walk?” I ask.
A muscle in his jaw ticks. “No, your chart said you need to stay off your feet until the stitches heal, other than briefly washing and using the bathroom.”
He carries me up a few flights of stairs until he comes to a grand double oak door with the word ‘infirmary’ carved into a wooden sign.
Principal Byrne turns around and backs through the doors, which swing inwards before turning back around.
The infirmary looks like a plush private clinic with rooms lining either side of a grand waiting room at the front filled with overly expensive furnishing.
He carries me to the third room on the right. “This is you,” he says, setting me down gently on the bed. “Nurse Jasper will be by in a minute to help you settle in.”
“Oh, okay.” I smile at him, feeling uncomfortable as he lingers next to me, his aquamarine eyes fixed on me intensely. When he says nothing else, I break the silence. “Thank you for everything, sir.”
He clenches his fists by his side and nods before walking away.
I sigh heavily, as no matter what he says, he always seems angry around me.