His face remains pleasant while his words cut deep. “The accommodations committee would have no choice but to reconsider arrangements that might expose vulnerable students to unpredictable influences.”
“You would use a child’s well-being as leverage.”
Carson tuts in soft reprimand. “I would fulfill my obligation to protect this institution from potential disruptions. Your interpretation of that duty reflects more on your priorities than mine.”
He steps away from the desk, creating distance now that he believes his message has been delivered.
“I regret how these steps may become necessary,” he adds, softening with false concern. “But I will not allow personal feelings to interfere with my school.”
I hang my head, shoulders curving forward.
His pupils dilate as he commands, “Don’t look away from me, Leif.”
The Alpha timbre vibrates through my bones, and I raise my head, exposing my throat while peering at him through lowered lashes.
“Do you understand what I’m offering you?” Carson’s nostrils flare, scenting the air between us. “And the consequences for refusing?”
“I understand,” I murmur with the breathy quality he expects from an Omega acknowledging an Alpha’s claim.
“Good.” Carson leans back on the desk, his posture opening, legs spreading as his body language shifts from predatory to possessive, and the metallic sweetness of his scent thickens with unmistakable arousal. “You were always meant to end up under me, Leif. You simply took a longer route than was necessary to understanding it.”
Sunlight filters through the blinds, highlighting the hunger in his eyes as his focus drops to the pulse beating at my neck.
“Take the rest of the morning to collect yourself.” He adjusts his tie, fingers sliding down its length, and his tongue sweeps across his lower lip.
As if unable to help himself, he reaches out, his fingertips grazing my bruised cheek before sliding down to my split lip. His thumb massages the tender flesh where it had cracked and bled days earlier. “Visible injuries can lead to unfortunate speculation among parents and students.”
My stomach knots as he leans in, his breath on my lips. When his tongue darts out to lick the wound, every muscle in my body goes rigid. I force myself to remain still, though my lungs burnwith held breath and bile rises in my throat. As he pulls back, his pupils are dilated with a desire that makes my skin crawl.
His thumb swipes across my lip, smearing the saliva he left there. “Once you’ve regained your composure, return to your committee duties.”
He examines the glistening moisture on his thumb with satisfaction. “We’ll revisit our personal arrangement in the coming weeks, when you’ve had sufficient time to wrap up any personal affairs that will interfere with our courtship.”
Carson crosses to the door with unhurried steps, the sound of his expensive shoes muffled by the carpet. His hand closes around the doorknob, and he pauses to look back at me over his shoulder.
“Quinn’s quarterly review is next Tuesday,” he reminds me. “I trust you’ll have the documentation prepared.”
The door opens and closes behind him with a soft click. His footsteps fade down the hallway, leaving behind only the lingering scent of his pheromones, claiming ownership of the space in his absence.
I remain standing where I am for several seconds, the adrenaline that carried me through the conversation crashing hard enough to make my hands tremble. My heart hammers, and sweat beads along my hairline.
With a trembling hand, I reach for the phone resting on the desk and stop the recording. The screen illuminates with confirmation of twenty-seven minutes and forty-three seconds captured.
Every threat.
Every implication.
Every word of coercion, preserved in Carson’s own voice.
The evidence exists now, not because I tricked Carson or forced a confession, but because he was so confident of hispower and my weakness that he never thought I’d be brave enough to betray him.
My bruised cheek throbs with my pulse as I slip the phone into my pocket. Then I straighten my shoulders and turn toward the door.
Carson believes he won my surrender.
He couldn’t be more wrong.
Chapter Thirty-Seven