Embry snapped her jaw shut as she watched Luke. He turned toward the woman and guided her to a table, his hand on the small of her back. Bile crept up Embry’s throat, and she had to grip the table for support. Turning away from Luke, she saw Morgan’s concerned face. She must have followed Embry’s eyes.

“Um, we’ll be right back!” Morgan announced, hopping from her stool to grab Embry.

“Weren’t you girls just in the bathroom?” Brett asked, shaking his head.

“Shut it, babe.” Morgan’s eyes sliced across the room, giving Brett a hint. He had no idea what Luke looked like and probably thought his girlfriend was crazy, but he shrugged and went back to his conversation.

As Embry followed Morgan back to the bathroom, she heard Jeremy say, “Hey, isn’t that Professor Brody? Holy shit, that chick is hot!” A small whimper escaped her lips.

Morgan pulled her into the bathroom. “Shit, Bree, I’m so sorry. What the hell is going on with you guys?”

“Clearly nothing is going on with us,” Embry said, trying to compose herself. She flipped the toilet cover down with her foot and plopped on top of it, staring at the floor. How had it gotten to that point between them? They were angry and bitter, fighting their feelings so hard, and seeking comfort anywhere else.

He’d seen her with Brendan and that had to have hurt, but she hadn’t gone on a date. Brendan was sprung on her, and although she was having fun, nothing could distract her from Luke. But him? He was on a date. After everything, he was with someone else. Images flooded her mind: Luke kissing someone else, touching someone else, shirtless and turned on and braced above someone else in his bed. She couldn’t bear it. That had to have been who he was on the phone with when she’d walked into his office earlier. He was planning his date right in front of her.

“Morgan, I have to get out of here,” she pleaded. Tears threatened to fall.

“Bree, think about how that’ll look. Luke walks in and you turn white as a sheet and leave? I dragged you away from the table before Jeremy and Cindy saw your face, but you can’t let on that he’s bothering you. Just go out there, have another beer or two, and try to ignore it. I promise we’ll leave soon.”

It was easy for Morgan to suggest that. She had no idea what’d been going on. Embry and Luke had been pushing every boundary they had. A touch here, a kiss there, his middle-of-the-night rescue. There was no ignoring Luke, especially when he was across the room with another woman. Embry could lay no claim to him, and that hurt the most. No matter what went on between them behind closed doors, no one could know. She could never go out to dinner with him or be seen with him in public. But that would never change.

She had two choices at the moment. She could put on a brave face, enjoy the rest of her night, and deal with Luke later, or she could run out crying. No matter how upset she was, she knew option two wasn’t the way to go.

She stood up, splashed some water on her face, and touched up her makeup. “You’re right. Let’s go have fun.”

About an hour later, Jeremy left with Cindy. Embry hadn’t made much effort to get to know her. Cindy wouldn’t be around long anyway, so Embry didn’t feel too bad about it. She had enjoyed herself, laughing with Brett, Morgan, and Brendan, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t keep her eyes off of Luke. He seemed to be having the same problem. She felt his eyes on her and caught him glaring at her multiple times.

When she sat back down after giving Jeremy a hug good-bye, she glanced in Luke’s direction. He and his date had slipped out. Anxiety clutched at her stomach, and she struggled to keep her thoughts from going to what they’d be doing next. Would he kiss her? Take her home? Had he been with her already?

“Hey,” Morgan said, gently nudging Embry. “You want to get out of here?”

Embry nodded. They walked to the parking lot, said their good-byes to Brendan, and got in the car. Morgan or Brett must’ve warned him off, because other than a sweet kiss on the cheek, he didn’t push her. She was relieved she didn’t have to turn him down. She didn’t want to have to explain her situation. She didn’t even know what her situation was.

Morgan and Brett dropped her off by her car in the student parking lot. She slipped in, threw her purse on the passenger seat, and searched for her school tote. Her studying had taken a back seat to her memo, and she had a lot of catching up to do over the weekend. She checked the back of the car and rummaged around in her trunk before she realized exactly where her bag was. She’d left it in Luke’s office when she ran out that afternoon. Shit!

She was thankful Luke had given her a key to his office. After grabbing her purse, she walked back to the school and up to the faculty wing. The building was still open since the law library didn’t close until late, but all of the faculty had left. It was eerily quiet. She walked to his door, inserted the key, and walked in. Her eyes went to her bag, sitting right where she’d left it. She nearly screamed when she looked up and found Luke sitting at his desk with his head in his hands, his banker lamp the only thing lighting the room.

“Oh! You scared me. I’m s-sorry,” she muttered. “I didn’t think you’d be here.”

He looked up at her, his face unreadable. “Who was that?”

“What?” She wasn’t sure who he was referring to.

“Who was that you were with at the bar?” he asked again.

She felt the tension rolling off of him, and she didn’t like his tone. It was too accusatory considering he’d been there with someone himself.

“You should talk,” she scoffed. “Who was that woman you were with?”

“You didn’t answer my question,” he said. “Who. Was. That?” The words were spoken deliberately as if he were fighting to keep his calm.

“It was no one, Luke. I was out with friends.”

“He looked more than friendly to me.”

“Yeah? Well it didn’t look like you were just having a friendly bite to eat with that blonde bimbo.”

“Careful. She’s a colleague.”

“Careful? You show up on a date, and you’re pissed at me because I was having fun with some friends? Brendan is just a friend.”

He flinched at Brendan’s name. Shit. He didn’t need to know his name, just like she had no desire to know the name of the girl he was with. She knew why Luke was upset. She felt the same way.

“Look, he’s a friend of Brett’s,” Embry said. “I just met him.”

“Really? You looked pretty cozy. You were practically in his lap.”

“What do you want me to say? I’m sorry I flirted with someone else?”

He stared daggers at her but refused to respond.

Embry threw her hands up. “Fine! I’m sorry. I’m sorry I tried to have fun for one night. I’m sorry I wanted to feel like a normal person instead of the girl sneaking around with her professor she has feelings for.”

He let out a breath, some of the tension falling from his shoulders. “You ran out of here so fast today. Why?”

She was thrown by the change in subject. “Seriously? Are you completely oblivious to how you affect me?”

His anger seemed to recede further as he stared at her with an unreadable expression.

“Do you need me to explain to you how hard it is for me to be around you? How I can’t think straight when you’re near me? How I can’t breathe when you get too close? That despite how hard it is, I find myself rationalizing all of this,”—she waved her hand around wildly—”just to find another excuse to be near you?”

Luke’s face fell. He stood from his desk and stalked toward her. He cupped her cheeks, and her hands flew up to his forearms, trying to steady herself.

“I didn’t know,” he said, his voice filled with sincerity.

“Didn’t know what?”