CHAPTER 11
The morning light felt like punishment.
Her head throbbed. Her throat was dry. And the horrifying memory of dancing with Jay like a horny middle-schooler made her groan into her pillow.
What had she done?
"God," she muttered, rolling onto her back. The room spun. "Brittany would be so ashamed of me."
She sat up slowly, blinking against the ache behind her eyes. Her dress from last night was in a heap on the floor. Her shoes were missing. And worst of all, she couldn't stop thinking about him.
Aiden Stone.
His hands on her waist. His breath against her neck. The quiet command in his voice as he'd told Jay to back off. The way he'd carried her out of the ballroom like some dark angel. So hot!
He wanted her.
Even if he hated himself for it.
She pressed her palms to her face and let out a muffled scream.
A knock rattled her door.
"Go away!" she shouted, voice hoarse.
"Too bad," came Amara's voice. The door opened anyway. "We share a dorm room."
Elizabeth groaned. "I feel terrible."
Amara dropped onto the bed beside her and handed her a bottle of water. "So… what the hell happened?"
Elizabeth unscrewed the cap and took a long sip. "I don't even know where to start."
"How about the part where you danced like a midnight ballerina? Then collapsed. Then got rescued by the hottest teacher in Bridgerton."
"I didn't collapse."
"Keep telling yourself that Duchess," Amara said with a teasing wink. "And then Professor Stone stormed in like some assassin. I thought he was gonna punch someone."
Elizabeth buried her face in her hands. "Kill me."
"And also the whole school is buzzing."
Elizabeth choked. "What?!"
Amara grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Yep. Word is you and Professor Stone left together. People saw him carry you out."
Elizabeth's stomach sank. "Oh my God."
"Relax. Half the girls are jealous. The other half are plotting your downfall as we speak."
Elizabeth shot her a glare. "That's not funny."
"It's hilarious," Amara countered.
Heat bloomed in Elizabeth's chest. She tried to sound casual. "He was just… looking out for me."
"Oh my British friend. I saw the way he looked at you and trust me he wasn't just looking out for you. That man wants to devour you"
Elizabeth's cheeks flamed. "Amara!"
"What? I'm just saying, if my math teacher looked at me like that, I'd be failing on purpose just to get extra tutoring."
Elizabeth groaned and flopped backward onto her pillow. "It wasn't like that."
Amara just laughed. "Fine, Fine. Just… be careful, okay?" Amara added, suddenly serious. "You're not in London anymore. People here don't let scandals die quietly."
Professor Aiden Stone
The cold shower hadn't helped.
Neither had the workout.
Or the endless pacing in his apartment.
He couldn't get her out of his head.
Elizabeth.
Drunk, flushed, teasing. Looking at him like he was the only thing anchoring her to the earth.
He hated how much he wanted her. Hated the way her voice had made him weak.
He sat on the edge of his bed. The memory of her lips, parted and soft, her body leaning into him, the warmth of her breath against his jaw.
With a low growl, he shoved his hand down into his boxers, gripping his cock tight, mind burning with the memory of her gasping softly as he carried her.
His eyes squeezed shut.
He imagined her again. Straddling his lap, moaning into his mouth, whispering his name as she arched into him.
His breath quickened. His hand moved faster.
Knock knock.
Aiden froze.
"Fuck," he muttered, pulling his hand away and wiping it on his shirt.
Another knock.
He yanked on a T-shirt and opened the door.
His brother stood there, sharp suit, sharper expression.
"Lucian," Aiden said, still breathless.
Lucian gave him a long look. "I hope I wasn't interrupting."
Aiden stepped aside without a word.
Lucian walked in like he owned the place. M
"You look like hell," he said, inspecting the apartment.
"Why are you here?" Aiden asked tightly.
Lucian turned. "Because our father's dying. And you need to come home."
Aiden's heart dropped.
Lucian's gaze hardened. "It's time to stop pretending you're just a teacher. You're the Heir, Aiden. Whether you like it or not."
"I walked away for a reason, I've lost too much to the mafia." he said evenly, though his pulse roared in his ears.
Lucian stepped closer, his tone sharper. "And while you've been hiding behind chalkboards, the empire's been bleeding. Our enemies smell weakness. They're circling. If you don't come back, they'll take everything."
"I told you, I'm done with that life"
"You're not!," Lucian snapped, his eyes flashing. "Our father's blood runs in your veins. And when he's gone, The Stone Empire will be yours."
A muscle ticked in Aiden's jaw, his fists curling at his sides.
"I didn't ask for it," he said, voice low but laced with steel. "And I'm not going back."
Lucian's lips curled into a cold, knowing smirk.
"This is about Samantha, isn't it? She was collateral, Aiden. That's the cost of our world. You think you can hide in a classroom and wash the blood off your hands? You are the Stone Empire. And the sooner you accept that, the sooner you stop being a coward."
Aiden's jaw flexed, his chest tightening at the sound of her name. Samantha.
It was a ghost he'd spent the past five years trying to bury, and Lucian had just dragged her into the light.
"She wasn't just caught in the crossfire," Aiden said, his voice low, dangerous. "And if you think I'm going to walk back into that hellhole and pretending it didn't happen, you've lost your damn mind."
Lucian's eyes narrowed, but there was something softer beneath the steel. "You think you're protecting yourself. But all you've done is make yourself an easy target. You think hiding here keeps you clean? It doesn't. The world you left behind doesn't forget. And it doesn't forgive."
Aiden's pulse hammered in his ears. The words Stone Empire felt like chains tightening around his throat.
Lucian stepped forward, close enough that Aiden could smell the faint trace of his cologne, the same one their father wore. "You can't run from your blood, Aiden. You are the Heir of Stone Empire, whether you claim it or not."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked out, shutting the door behind him.