Dr. Cameron O'Clare believed being the smartest girl in the room meant she was in control of her research and her life. But when Dr. Mavis Leroy, a brilliant and fiercely private expert in environmental psychology, backed her breakthrough project, everything shifted. Leroy did not just fund the work. She embedded herself into Cameron's world. The choices were no longer hers. She became the variable Cameron had not accounted for. The catalyst. Power. Intimacy. Surrender. Suddenly, Cameron was not sure what she wanted or who held the reins. Like any true catalyst, Leroy did not change herself. She changed everything around her.

"Don't touch me" He said through gritted teeth, "I don't know what I'll do if you touch me" My heart dropped. "I don't want to see you like this" I frowned and hesitantly tried to touch his shoulder, but he grabbed my hand tightly but gently. "Fuck it" He murmured as he held my jaw and pressed his lips on mine. (The guy is 22 and the girl is 17 a few months away from 18. If you're bothered by that please don't read it.)