Lost in Light (2 page)

“Come along, Miss Parker. We had better get you cleaned up,” he said with a sigh and a subtle shake of his head that made me sob all the louder.

“Don’t dawdle,” he added stiffly, the soft and impatient tap of his foot on the floor making my heart flutter as I quickly stepped out into the main room. Without actually touching me, Professor Davis ushered me through the thankfully deserted art room and into his office on the other side, pointing to the visitor’s chair in front of his neat and orderly desk.

“Sit.”

Skirting past him with my eyes downcast, I sat down as he instructed, perching on the edge of the chair and staring into my lap. I couldn’t hide my jump as he shut the door with a sharp click and walked around his desk with quick and deliberate strides, the light shining through the lush leaves of the trees outside the window casting his face in dappled shadow. The sound of creaking leather drew my eyes up as he settled himself in his chair, his expression clouded and stern, though his light green eyes held a glimmer of sympathy.

“Are you alright?” he finally asked. He retrieved a small packet of wet wipes from the top drawer of his desk and extended them to me. After a moment’s pause I took them from him with violently trembling fingers, almost dropping them in the process.

“I… umm… I’m not sure,” I mumbled, looking down at the packet in my hand, unable to meet his gaze.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” he prompted, the question bringing the memory of Jake’s hands pawing at me, hurting me, to the surface, and causing fresh tears to prick at my eyes. With my voice stuck somewhere in the back of my throat I shook my head emphatically, squeezing my eyes shut in an attempt to hold back the tears that had begun to trail down my cheeks again.

Through tear-blurred vision I watched him rise from his seat and come around the desk to stand in front of me. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his long ponytail draped over his shoulder, the dark strands stark against the whiteness of his shirt.

“I didn’t think he would…” I heard myself saying, my voice sounding distant and lost in the otherwise silent room. His fingers sent a spark of surprise and electricity through me as they curled around my chin and drew my face upwards.

“You foolish girl,” he sighed, the warmth in his eyes softening the words as he looked into my upturned face. Drawing a handkerchief from his pocket, he grasped my chin firmly and wiped the tears from my cheeks. “Don’t you know the reputation that boy has?”

Furrowing my brow I tried to shake my head but his grip stopped the motion. Instead I whispered a broken and strained “No.”

His raised eyebrows expressed disbelief, but he didn’t say anything else as he continued to dry my face. Stuffing the handkerchief back in his pocket he took the packet of wipes from my shaking hand.

“Stand up,” he commanded gruffly.

I flinched at his tone and he stopped moving towards me.

“Please,” he added softly.

Rising unsteadily to my feet I stood in front of him, our eyes level as he leaned against the edge of the desk. Tearing the package open in one smooth motion he withdrew a moist wipe and reached out to lift up one side of my shirt. I drew a shuddering breath, my cheeks heating as I stepped closer, my thighs almost brushing against his knees.

“Are you a virgin, Miss Parker?” he asked.

The boldness of his question caught me off-guard until I noticed him inclining his head towards my stomach, and the blood smeared there.

“Umm yes… well, I suppose not anymore technically,” I said with bark of bitter, hysterical laughter, feeling the prickling heat of tears in my eyes again.

“It’s a shame that such an undeserving fuckwit should rob you of that,” he said as he swept the cool wipe over my skin, gently washing away the evidence of Jake’s actions. I could only nod in response, my cheeks flushing at his language and the heated look in his eyes.

“Such a thing should be appreciated for the treasure that it truly is,” he added as he wiped away the last of the blood, pausing for the barest of moments before he buttoned my shirt, his fingers moving with practiced grace and speed. The intimacy of the act brought new heat to my cheeks, and caused my heart to flutter in my chest.

Pulling another wipe from the packet he cupped my chin in his hand and wiped away my fresh tears, the cool cloth a delicious counterpoint to the heat in my cheeks. His eyes were like icy chips of emerald as they regarded me with a professional distance as his fingers moved over my face, but they filled with a dark heat when they locked with my own.

“I think you had best go home now, Miss Parker,” he said stiffly, his hands dropping away from me as he rose to his feet. Leaning down to the side of his desk he retrieved a bottle of Tylenol from his leather messenger bag and extended it towards me. “Take a couple of these and a hot bath, it will help with the pain.”

“I… Thank you, Professor,” I mumbled as I accepted the bottle and slipped it into the pocket of my jeans. Pausing to straighten my clothes with trembling hands I ducked my head one last time in thanks before reaching for the door handle, my fingers closing over the metal but refusing to turn it.

“Was there something else?” he asked, his voice tinged with a small trace of concern.

“Could-would you… mind walking me to my car? I’m afraid that h-he might be out there,” I said, unable to turn and look at him.

In answer he shut his desk drawer, collected his bag, and fished his keys out of his pocket. Reaching around me to the open door his warm fingers closed over mine long enough to turn the handle before quickly releasing me as if burned.

“Let’s go,” he prompted as he held the door open, gesturing for me to precede him. We stopped long enough for him to lock the door behind us before walking through the main art room and out into the hallway. All the while I kept my eyes down, refusing to look in the direction of the darkened photo lab.

To my great relief Jake was not waiting outside the art room, or even the building, but I wasn’t able to truly breathe freely until we reached my car. My hands still shook enough to make me drop my car keys on the ground, and I sighed in embarrassment as Professor Davis bent to retrieve them for me. The late afternoon sun glinted on his rich chestnut hair, making several strands gleam a brilliant fiery gold as he straightened and unlocked my door.

Sliding into the old but reliable Jeep Wrangler I murmured my thanks as I fiddled with my seatbelt and rolled down my window to let in the cooling air. A brief shock of electricity passed through me as he pressed my keys into my hand, his fingers brushing my upturned palm. His penetrating gaze lingered on me as he stepped back and waited for me to start the car. Thankfully the engine turned over on the first attempt, roaring to life with only a brief splutter, his quiet words almost lost in the rumbling sound.

“Be safe, Miss Parker.”

Fighting to keep the flush from my cheeks, I dropped my gaze to my fingers curled around the steering wheel and nodded in acknowledgement of his words.

“Thank you, Professor.”

Shifting into gear I dared a quick and furtive glance at him, before nodding and pulling out of the parking lot.

Chapter Two

The apartment was blessedly quiet when I got home, the note tacked to the fridge letting me know that my roommate Liam was staying at his boyfriend’s house for the night. Although he was my best friend, and had been since our freshman year of high school, I was guiltily glad that he wasn’t home. I didn’t think I could bear to face anyone at that moment. I just wanted to take some Tylenol and a long hot bath as Professor Davis had instructed, and then crawl into bed.

Professor Davis!

Mortification lanced through me, weakening my still shaking knees as I thought of him and the fact that he had seen me practically naked. I had only taken a couple of his introductory art history classes so far, but I had admired him professionally for years. I had been thrilled to learn that he would be one of my professors when I enrolled at DU. His work had captured my imagination when I saw several of his photographs at a local artists show while in high school, and his obvious passion for art had instantly garnered my respect.

How was I ever going to face him again knowing that he had seen more of me than anyone else ever had? I wished that the ground would just open up at my feet and swallow me whole. He must have thought that I was just another insipid girl being ruled by her hormones.

And to let it happen in his territory, no less!

Maybe I
am
as foolish as all the other girls,
I thought as I moaned aloud in regret and buried my face in my hands.

“I’m such an idiot!” I cried in the otherwise silent room.

I received a disinterested meow as my cat, Ansel, came wandering out of my bedroom. He paused regally in the middle of the living room to stretch and yawn before making his way over to rub against my legs.

Reaching down to scratch him behind the ears I sucked in a harsh breath between my teeth as the movement brought the dull ache between my legs back up to a sharp pain. Startled, he shot back into the bedroom in a black and white streak only to peer at me from the doorway moments later, his large green eyes almost luminescent in the light from the living room. Instantly I thought of another pair of green eyes that had gazed at me in disapproval and I felt my shoulders slump in misery.

Dropping my keys in the small glass dish on the counter I moved into the kitchen. Taking a clean glass from the cupboard by the sink I poured myself a glass of cold water to quickly wash down a couple of the Tylenol that Professor Davis had given me. Leaving my empty glass in the sink I went back into the living room, shrugging out of my jacket and letting it drape over the back of the couch as I made my way towards the bathroom that separated Liam’s bedroom from mine.

Flipping on the overhead light I stepped into the nicely sized bathroom and turned on the water for the tub before setting the stopper in place, biting my lip to stifle the moan of pain that the movement caused. Toeing off my pink ballet flats I kicked them out into the hallway and turned to peruse the shelf above the toilet that was devoted entirely to various bath products. Between Liam and I there was no shortage of options when it came to bubble bath, oils, and salts. Selecting my favorite lavender scented bubble bath I added a few drops to the running water.

Unbuttoning my shirt and shimmying out of my jeans I dropped them in the dirty laundry hamper beside the door. My bra joined them seconds later, but I paused as I removed my underwear and found the dark blood stain in the crotch. A shudder of revulsion rippled through me, fresh tears threatening once again. Wadding my underwear up into a ball I buried them in the bathroom trash beneath a concealing layer of tissues.

Snagging a lobster clip I swept my hair up into a messy bun and turned off the water in the now full bath. Slipping slowly into the bath my breath rushed out in a hiss of both pain and relief as the almost too hot water flowed over me, full of the soothing scent of lavender. Stretching out I slid down into the tub until the bubbles tickled my chin and the heat of the water caused the tendrils of hair around my face to curl and cling to my skin.

Closing my eyes I tried to focus on the heat of the water and let everything else drift away on the fragrant steam, but those penetrating emerald eyes and the look of disappointment reflected in them kept floating to the surface of my mind. Shaking my head and drawing in a deep lungful of hot, moist air I pushed the thought of Professor Davis’s eyes away, sinking deeper into the water until I was submerged almost to my nose. But try as I might I couldn’t erase the picture of his eyes, and the displeasure shining in them.

Shaking my head in frustration I pushed myself up in the bath tub, baring my shoulders and the tops of my breasts. Retrieving a clean wash cloth and bar of soap from the small shelf built into the wall beside the tub I began washing my body. Starting with my face I washed away the last of the grime from my earlier tears and smudged makeup, relishing the feel of the slightly rough yet warm cloth against my cheeks.

Goose bumps rose along my arms as I continued down to my neck and shoulders, willing my tense muscles to relax. Brushing the cloth over the tops of my breasts I was surprised by the wanton sigh that flowed over my lips, the heat that filled my cheeks, and the tightening in the pit of my stomach. The thrill of arousal that coursed through me was unexpected given the events of the day, and the dull ache that still lingered between my legs. But there was no denying my body’s very obvious and ardent reaction.

Biting my lower lip I continued to wash my breasts, my nipples tightening into stiff pebbles as I brushed the rough cloth over them. Daring to pass over them again I moaned out loud as Professor Davis’s gleaming green eyes drifted into my thoughts once more. While I knew that my initial feelings of respect for him as a talented artist and knowledgeable professor had at some point morphed into the beginnings of attraction, the heat that shot through me in that moment felt like something far more powerful than a simple school girl crush.

Abandoning my breasts for the moment I let the warm cloth glide down first one arm and then the other before moving over to wash my stomach. I quickly squashed the memory of the blood that had been smeared across my skin, and instead focused on the rough feel of the cotton against my skin that seemed to set fire to my nerve endings. I slowly circled my belly button, hesitating for only a moment before dipping lower, my fingers grazing the top of my pubic hair. The sensations my actions were stirring up were not completely foreign, I wasn’t
that
innocent, but I’d never felt my arousal rise to the surface so quickly and with such vengeance. I was already fast approaching the precipice of climax and had yet to touch myself down there!

Easing back down into the soothing heat of the water I let my eyes slide closed, my fingers parting my pubic hair to gently brush against my sex. My breath hitched in the back of my throat, my blood instantly pounding through my veins. I easily found the little nub of pleasure at the top of my mound, already swollen and aching to be touched. The first gentle sweep of my fingers across my clit caused my spine to bow and my breath to hiss between my teeth.