one become more than the other.”
Eli studied my face. “Like I said, you’re an enigma. Or you’re just very good at hiding who you really are.”
I felt a faint blush crawl up my neck. “I just told you, I’m smart about how I do things. That doesn’t make me a mystery.”
“But it’s more than that.” He tapped one finger. “You want people to think you’re a wild child, but even from the little bit I know about you, I can tell that control is important. That whole idea of balance is more about controlling the ratio of fun with hard work. You like setting boundaries.”
For a moment, I was silent, taken aback by how eerily well this dude read me. He saw things that no one else had noticed, and it was more than a little unnerving. He wasn’t wrong that I liked control—and part of that was managing how people viewed me. I didn’t mind that most of the world saw me as a slut, if that was what they chose to call me. It didn’t bother me that girls as a group hated me for how I looked and for my willingness to have strings-free sex. I had intentionally contrived that image, that persona, and very few people were allowed to see something more.
Eli Tucker was not on the short list of those I wanted to see the real Zelda. Once upon a time, I’d let him in, and he’d proven to be untrustworthy. I didn’t plan to make that mistake again.
“You don’t know as much as you think you do,” I blurted out. “You see pieces and believe you see the whole.” Lowering my voice and leaning toward him, I added, “Just because I sucked your cock and gave you an incredible orgasm doesn’t give you the right to the secrets of my soul, Eli. You’ll never earn that.”
He jerked back, probably a little surprised by the vehemence of my words. But before he could formulate a response, the professor came in and class began.
I sat with my hands clenched in my lap and my gaze straight ahead, but I was acutely aware of Eli next to me. I felt every time he shifted in his chair, every breath he took and every movement of his pencil against the notebook. My skin was hot, prickling as though he was actually touching me.
Paying attention to the teacher took more concentration than I had. I took notes on autopilot, grateful that most of what she seemed to be covering was review or classroom procedure and that she’d already emailed us the syllabus. I could figure everything out after I was safely back in my room.
As the minutes ticked by, I watched the clock, ready to bolt the minute class ended. I wanted to get as far away from Eli as I could, as fast as I could.
“All right, I think that’s all I have for you today.” The professor beamed at us. “I’m looking forward to this semester. I hope you are, too. See you next time.” She nodded and turned away from us, flipping through pages on the podium.
I twisted to reach for my handbag, but before I could stand up, I felt Eli’s hand on my arm.
“Zelda, I’m sorry.” He sounded sincere and a little . . . worried? I wasn’t sure. “I don’t know exactly what I said or did, but I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t.” Lying came easily this time. “How could you? We’ve already established that you don’t know me, so anything you say means nothing.”
“I thought maybe we’d gotten to know each other a little better last May.” His fingers curled on my arm, almost gripping me but not quite. It was more of a caress, and I hated my traitorous body for liking the feel of his touch. “And when I say that, I’m not talking about the blow job. I meant when we were talking. Watching St. Elsewhere.”
“It was one evening together. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that me being friendly changes things between us.”
Eli’s eyes narrowed. “Between us? What is there between us to change? Other than the fact that you clearly still don’t like me. I don’t understand it, Zelda.”
“There’s nothing to understand.” With great effort, I shook off his hand and stood up.
“Listen.” He unlocked his chair and maneuvered around the desk, blocking my path to the door. “You have every right to take a dislike to me, if that’s just what it is. But