Chapter 14

I didn't know what last night had meant to be, but it hadn't turned out as I had planned. The last two days had been a confusing ride, and last night it ended in another passionate night with a man I really shouldn't be sleeping with.

It was just supposed to be fun. It had never meant to be anything deeper than just scratching an itch, but after last night, I questioned just how much we were keeping to that. I mean, we never really talked about what happened the first time... or the second time... but by the third time, I was pretty sure 'casual

fucking' was in the picture.

But last night hadn't felt just casual.

The soreness of my body and my head spoke of that the next morning as I woke up, feeling completely satisfied, but also strangely... strange. A dangerous feeling, in my opinion.

Opening my eyes slowly, I blinked in the harsh sunlight and realized I had to have slept in again. A quick assessment of the bed told me Harry was up and awake before me as usual, probably already showered and down in his study, reading or calculating whatever-

The door across the room to my bathroom opened, and out walked Harry. I should've been used to seeing him coming out of the bathroom since I seemed to be three for three now, but I still wasn't. His daily schedule seemed to start half an hour before mine, but I sure didn't mind as I watched the show that started as he came out of the bathroom, looking quite edible.

"Do you ever sleep in?" I asked with a hoarse voice, spent from being used to moan repeatedly and breathlessly last night.

At the sound of my voice, Harry peaked up as he started putting on his clothes from yesterday. I wondered if he had used my bath products, or the complementary ones that had been here when I came, like at a hotel.

"I try not to make a habit of it," He replied while buttoning up his shirt.

I bit my lip and watched him cover up his body. The same masculine body I had clung to last night... his somehow perfectly broad, but-not-too-broad shoulders, a perfect fit for his hips and height. His upper body which was just the right amount of defined to show he took care of himself without caring so much about six packs or eight packs and all that stuff.

His pecs were firm and his arms were strong, strong enough to hold me last night when the last of my strength had expired as I had been on top of him, taking all of his length to the very hilt.

Looking at him all over again, I felt the soreness throb in my body with that extra masochistic urge to feel even more of it right this moment. I wondered what he would do if I rolled over and slid to my hands and knees and presented to him like some wanton dog... but even I had some pride, thank goodness me.

Too bad I lacked shame and a filter, though.

"I wouldn't mind if we made this a habit," I now said, seeing him ignore my gaze, but listen to my words as he sat down on my divan to tie up his shoes.

"In fact, I think it might even make me study harder. You said it yourself, sex is a stimulant."

"When used correctly. Yes," He replied with a subtle smile.

Then, rising to his feet, he straightened out.

"I don't think you would benefit from too much of it, though."

"Are you saying I'll become an addict?"

"That would be conceited of me to presume."

"But that is what you're saying, isn't it?"

"I'm saying you could benefit from some discipline," He said, fixing the last of his appearance with a few tweaks.

Then, combing his hand through his hair, he walked towards me when I pursed my lips naughtily.

"I'm open to spanking if that's what you're suggesting," I smirked shamelessly and now rolled over on my stomach, letting my ass cheek peak out from under the covers.

I watched him over my shoulder as he shook his head slowly, but it definitely wasn't a no I was sensing coming from him. It was only when he grabbed his phone off of the floor, which had to have fallen out of his pocket in last night's scuffle in bed, I sighed disappointedly when he turned for the door, after tucking the phone into his pants pocket.

"Get to work on those papers. Come down once you're done."

"Buzzkill." I muttered, but then rolled over on my stomach again and gathered the sheets around my body.

I supposed I could use a break, even if that technically wasn't what I wanted. He might've been right. I was becoming a bit of an addict.

Which really wasn't good. Dangerous.

So, with some resolve, I got out of bed the second Harry walked out of my room, probably heading down to skip breakfast and head straight for work. As for myself, I desperately needed a shower and then three to four pounds of breakfast, at least.

And then I was going to take a third look at the papers he had given me before I officially gave up and admitted defeat.

For someone who wasn't tutoring me, he sure had me feeling like I was working as hard as a student trying to please her professor.

And wasn't that the euphemism of the day.

Four hours later, just around noon, I was about ready to rip my own head off. I had been staring at the papers he had given me, had tried to use the method he was suggesting, but I just couldn't understand it.

I had come down with three possible conclusions why that was, and I wasn't happy about either of them.

Number two: His brain was superhuman and this wasn't meant to be understood by someone with a mortal brain like me. That was also sincerely beginning to become a real possibility.

And then there was number three - the far less likely possibility, but a possibility nonetheless: His math was incorrect in this paper and I had just spent two days trying to understand it and solve it.

But I hadn't been meant to solve it, had it?

It had been to challenge me and my way of thinking. and maybe the message here was to show me how to recognize dead math and knowing when to stop trying to understand it.

I swear if that turned out to be the truth, someone was getting slapped today. Marching down to his study, my flip flops aggressively flopped against my feet as I nearly slipped in my eager to get this riddle solved. I damn well slammed my fist against the door to his study as I finally made it to it and watched as it flew open.

Harry lifted his head and merely looked at me as I stood there in his door, arms crossed. Oh, he had definitely expected this, or maybe he was finally getting used to my outbursts.

"I'm not supposed to understand this at all, am I?" I asked, fiercely.

He slowly leaned back in his chair and watched me with a raised brow.

"Aren't you?"

"Don't do that," I sneered and pointed my finger at him, rapidly walking towards him.

I had spent two days grilling and twisting my brain trying to understand-telling myself I wasn't stupid and that I was just missing something obvious- that he wouldn't have given me papers that were a literal dead end and would only waste my time.

"Tell me right here and now what the answer is, or so help me God. I'll.''

".. you'll what?" He smiled crookedly when I lost my train of thought.

Just what exactly was my leverage here?

"Just tell me," I said, leaning in over his desk and staring down at him.

"Tell me I didn't just waste two days on this bullshit."

He continued smiling at me for another short moment, looking into my eyes with a thoughtful look. Then, leaning in towards me and taking off his glasses, he met my stare with one of his own.

"Are you claiming you learned nothing from the papers I gave you?"

Oh, I learned something.

"I learned that you're a bigger prick than I originally thought.''

His lips twitched shortly. "Anything else?"

"That... this math doesn't make sense. It's completely useless," I pushed out frustratedly, refusing to let this lesson be about finding out just how stupid I was.

What if the answer was right in front of me and he was enjoying this because it had been so obvious?

No, it just couldn't be.

If so, I had still done my best, and that was all I could do.

But then, to my surprise, Harry leaned back with a proud smile on his lips.

"Correct."

I gaped. I actually gaped. He had said it like he didn't feel at all guilty for letting me waste my precious time on this.

"Are you kidding me? You just shaved at least a year off of my life by making me try and understand this, and now you're telling me it's complete nonsense?!"

"And the fact that you recognized that meant you have to have understood what you were looking at," He rebuked.

"You might not have understood why, but the fact that you came to the conclusion that it was rubbish meant that you actually understood the primary logic of the problem I gave you. You're more skilled than I thought."

I stared at him, unsure of how to react now. A part of me felt like I wasn't done screaming at him, but another part of me wanted to just slap him and then maybe suck his dick so hard, he finally broke that ever-shitting control he had. Just something to get a thumb under this cocky ass little prick I inexplicably found myself attracted to.

Although right now I couldn't remember so much why.

"Couldn't you have taught me that in some other way that didn't include spending two days hurting my head over a problem that was unsolvable?" I gritted out.

There I had been, feeling like a total idiot, but once again his stupid ways somehow made it all part of the journey to learning and realizing I was actually smart.

What even?

"So cry me a river about it. Studying takes time and commitment

"..not giving up because something doesn't make sense," He now stood up and made me take a step back as he walked around his desk and met me face on.

"The fact that you stuck with it for two whole days without giving up is impressive. Next time you'll know better when to spot a useless case."

Maybe I was looking at one right now.

"There won't be a next time. If you pull another stunt like this, I'm going to fucking find a match and burn this whole office down and see how you like it trying to screw your brain together when you feel like all is lost," I replied, poking my finger into his chest.

"If you refuse to tutor me properly, then stop wasting my time on this kind of shit. I want real help, not just some bored mathematician testing my commitment."

"Bored?"'

"Well, you must be, since you seem to have so much time to plan mean ways to get me to break my head over lessons you refuse to call tutoring," I snapped.

Yeah, I went there.

I was livid and I wasn't kidding when I said I might just slap him this time for trying to pull some clever stunt on me. How long was he going to test me before he actually gave me some real fucking help?

I was running tired of all of his unorthodox tricks.

Harry slowly stood up, watching me stare him down with daggers in my eyes, and walked around his desk with narrowed eyes. Oh, here it fucking came.

The explanation that was going to make me feel like I was the one at fault here.

"If I'm going to ever teach you, I need to know if you can keep your emotions in check," He said.

His voice had turned into that stern, deep voice that at any other moment would've sent chills down my spine, all the way down to my pussy.

Not today, though.

Right now I was just plain mad.

"I thought you made it perfectly clear you didn't tutor," I snapped back, mockingly.

He wasn't going to stand there and try and defend his reasons with an argument he had long ago dismissed himself.

"Teach. Not tutor," He corrected me.

"I'm teaching you how math works. Math takes discipline, it takes keeping your head cool under pressure and when it seems like you've tried everything. The same principles goes for being a doctor."

"...what?" I barked, taking a step back.

How did we get here?

"I told you; I would vouch for you by the end of the summer and get you into the college you want, if saw you fit enough to have earned it. So far, all I've seen is short-tempered behavior and outbursts at the slightest provocation. If you're going to be a doctor, you can't act like this anymore, Cassandra."

"You are... so full of bullshit," I breathed, clenching my fists and my teeth together.

I fucking hated him. He couldn't just steer the argument over to some bigger reason every time I confronted him. Every time I thought he did something for one reason, he was always ten steps ahead, thinking in the long run. It infuriated me. It made me feel dumb and like I was doing everything wrong here when I was trying my damn best. I didn't think it was wrong to feel mad about spending two days of my life trying to solve something, thinking it would make me a better student, only to figure out it wasn't meant to be solved at all.

Yet somehow, Harry made it seem like I was supposed to not care at all and just continue on like it was nothing.

His 'teaching' methods wasn't agreeing with me, and right in this moment, I felt ready to storm upstairs, pack my shit and get the hell out of here, if it wasn't for the fact that I knew I didn't stand a chance by myself. I would never get into the college I wanted without his help. And that made me feel even more pathetic and stupid.

Fuck it all.

"You know, it's probably a good thing that you don't teach," I said, looking at him coldly.

"You make your students feel dumb and like they have to bend over backwards to try and keep up with your lessons. You might be right that this attitude won't work once I'm a doctor, but I wouldn't be having these feelings if you would just straight up talk to me. I'm done with your lessons," I declared, pushing away from him and shaking my head.

"I'll make it on my own somehow. I'm just done being pushed around by you."

"Cassandra-“