I took my usual seat in the back corner, far away from the line of fire that always seemed to follow Mr. Montgomery's gaze. I tried to disappear into the safety of my textbook, but his piercing blue eyes seemed to find me anyway, as if daring me to challenge him once more.
"Ah, Miss Taylor, how lovely of you to grace us with your presence," Mr. Montgomery quipped, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he glanced up from his papers. "I trust you've come prepared to dazzle us with your unparalleled enthusiasm for Shakespeare?"
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, opting instead for a tight-lipped smile that did little to disguise my annoyance. "Of course, Mr. Montgomery," I replied, my voice dripping with equal parts sarcasm and defiance. "I live for the thrill of dissecting centuries-old plays written in a language I can barely understand."
Mr. Montgomery's lips twitched in amusement, a hint of a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "Ah, a true lover of literature, I see," he remarked, his tone teasing. "Well, let's see if we can't expand your horizons a bit today, shall we?"
Bellamy
I was late to class. He made sure everyone knew it.
Dr. Elijah Parks. My Microbiology professor.
Brilliant. Distant. Impossible to crack. He barely looks at me. Barely acknowledges me. And when he does, it's to make some dry, cutting remark meant to put me in my place.
But I see the way his jaw tightens when I push back. The way his hands clench when I tease. The way his cold, unreadable eyes darken when I step too close.
I didn't expect him to get under my skin the way he does. I didn't expect to enjoy pushing his buttons, cracking that icy exterior until I saw the fire underneath. And I definitely didn't expect our late nights in the lab to start feeling less like work and more like a dangerous game-one we're both on the verge of losing.
Elijah
I don't like people.
I tolerate them. I endure them when necessary. But I don't like them.
Bellamy Rhodes is no exception. My late best friend's daughter.
She's brilliant. Headstrong. Reckless. She gets under my skin in a way no one ever has. And the worst part? She knows it.
I ignore her. I cut her down with sharp words and colder looks. I remind her, again and again, that I am not someone to be toyed with.
And yet she keeps pushing, keeps testing, keeps smiling at me like she knows something I don't.
She's temptation wrapped in chaos-bold, relentless, completely unaware of just how much she affects me. She pushes me too far. She tests every boundary I set. She teases me with that wicked little smirk, knowing damn well I'm close to snapping.
She's forbidden fruit.
And God help me, I've already taken a bite.
***
Professor x Student
Grumpy MMC that's secretly a softie
Jealous/possessive MMC