"I could've sworn I saw her come in here," Jason said to Scarlett as they made their way inside.

Oh God, of course, it's them. If she were with anyone else, Lexi wouldn't have cared to open the closet door. Yet, because she was with Tom Miller, the man that looked nearly identical to one of their past targets, she couldn't risk messing things up for her family by being taken off the case.

"That bed looks cozy. What do you say we do a quickie before we go back out there?" Jason said seductively to his wife.

Lexi gasped and Tom shifted to clamp a hand gently over her mouth. "Shhh. Don't make any sounds," he whispered. His warm breath hit her ear forcing the short hairs on the back of her neck to stand up. With her back now flush against his chest, the butterflies in her stomach were on a rampage.

Scarlett giggled. "Jason, you naughty boy! We're not kids anymore."

"But you look so sexy in that dress," Jason said. Kissing sounds traveled through the closet door and landed on Lexi's ears. She was trying hard not to start dry heaving and quickly covered the sides of her face to block out the noises. God, please let this not be happening.

Tom turned her around to face him and gave her a quizzical look, illuminated by the dim lighting filtering through the slats. He lifted a finger to indicate she needed to stay quiet. Their eyes stayed glued to each other. Being this close to his face again made her heart beat faster. She shifted her gaze to his sharp jaw and firm lips, briefly forgetting what was happening on the other side of the door. The hint of whisky on his breath that she could almost taste drew her a millimeter closer. She could've sworn he glanced down at her lips.

Yet she quickly made a face and lifted her shoulders when the smacking kiss sounds from the main room hit her ears again. Don't throw up, Lex. Don't throw up!

Scarlett giggled. "Jason, we should stop. Our daughter, who is likely roaming around right now trying to find us, might walk in here any second."

"Alright, you're right. But let's make sure to continue this later tonight. We'll tell the kids we need to work on something."

"Good thinking!" Scarlett said before the pair made their way out of the room.

As soon as the door shut, Lexi burst out of the closet. Placing her hands on her knees, she focused on settling the bile in her stomach. "I'm so glad that major disaster didn't pan out!"

Tom slid his hand through his hair and adjusted his white button-down. "That would've been...awkward to say the least."

"We should not be here," Lexi said as she moved to straighten her dress. When she glanced back up, Tom's eyes were on her figure. He quickly shifted them down to the floor and rubbed his palm against the back of his neck.

"You need to drop my class," he said in an even tone.

"No."

"Well, if you're not going to, then just know it's going to be ten times harder for you to get through the coursework."

Lexi scowled. "Is that a threat?"

Tom returned her scowl and shrugged. "I said what I said."

"I would expect nothing less from an asshole. You know, I actually thought there was a chance you were a decent person. Now I'm realizing you're just, y-you're just a big meanie!"

"Oh, I'm the meanie?" Tom whispered harshly. "That's rich from someone who literally can't listen to a word I say for two goddamn seconds! Like hello? Earth to Hannah! Can you not run away when someone tries to talk to you like an adult!"

"I wish I'd never kissed you that night!"

"Well, at least we can agree on something! It was a mistake and it's best if we just forget about it."

Lexi inhaled and flipped her hair back. "I need to leave before someone else comes barging in."

"Just great. Go ahead and do what you do best."

"You're a professor. You shouldn't be talking to a student like this." Lexi crossed her arms.

"We both know that that ship will set sail soon enough when you drop my class. If you think you're going to get any respect from me in the meantime, then think again."

"Bye, asshole." Lexi stormed out not bothering to hear Tom's response. How could I actually have had any feelings for that jerk?

Blood was boiling in Lexi's veins and her heart was pounding as she made her way to her parents who were talking to Dean Kovsky. She cringed slightly upon seeing them, recalling what had happened just minutes ago, but they didn't seem to notice. "Hannah, dear! Come meet the Dean!"

Lexi forced a smile and held out her hand to the man in a pinstriped suit. While he had a full head of styled-back white hair, his smooth features made him seem younger than she initially thought. "Nice to meet you Dean Kovsky. It's an honor to be going to school at LMU."

"Wow, Joe and Judy, you both have raised such a polite and beautiful young girl." The way Dean Kovsky held his gaze toward her made her skin crawl.

Lexi smiled politely. Jason thanked him and asked something about the computer science curriculum. Her parents continued to chat and once there was a lull in conversation, Lexi whispered to her mom that she was going to take an Uber home because she wasn't feeling too well.

Scarlett raised a brow in concern. "Are you sure? We'll only be another couple of hours tops. I hear they're going to bring the food out soon."

"Yes, I think I ate something that isn't sitting well. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Alright, sweetie, we'll see you later."

Lexi made her way out of the mansion. She quickly took out her phone and clicked through to the Uber app. Surge pricing meant a hundred and twenty dollars just to get back to LMU. Lexi groaned and swiftly flicked over to Lyft. Not much better. Ugh, I can't spend that kind of money right now.

"It's the Ioniq Five. Like a grayish blue color." Tom's voice struck her ears like an unwelcome icy wave and she turned around to find him handing a slip to the valet.

She furrowed her brows and took her attention back to her phone, but seemingly not before he noticed her. Okay, focus Lex. How are you going to get back to the dorms? Maybe you can take Dad's car and have them Uber? No, they're strapped for cash just as much as I am... Ugh, Tom better not come anywhere near me.

"You don't want to stay for the dinner?" His deep voice forced her to look up. The setting sun cast a glow over him. The breeze seemed to turn a couple of degrees cooler, causing Lexi to run her hands over her arms.

She squinted and gave him a forced smile. "I could ask you the same thing."

"I lost my appetite."

"Same here," Lexi said before a long silence hung over the space between them. "So, Ioniq Five, huh? Do you like driving space shuttles?" Lexi asked, hoping small talk could help ease the tension.

Tom scoffed. "So sue me. I care about the environment."

"Hey, no judgment here. I own a Prius for the same reason."

Tom's hard expression softened. "It can be a pain in the ass to find a charging station sometimes though."

"Totally, I agree." Lexi glanced back down at her phone and sighed. She decided to just head back into the party.

"I thought you were leaving," Tom called out to her after she moved back toward the entrance.

She turned back to face him. "Uber is too expensive right now and I came with my parents. I'm just going to sit on the patio and wait for them." Why'd you say that last part? Now you sound like a loser.

Tom's expression was hard to read and Lexi wondered for a moment if he was bordering on an aneurysm. "Do you live on campus?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?" Please don't ask me what I think you're going to ask me.

"I live near there. I can't believe I'm asking this, but do you need a ride?"

Lexi's eyes widened a fraction. "I thought you lived at Sky Residences?"

"My brother Greg, who you met, lives there. I just go to use his pool sometimes."

"Ahh, so I see I wasn't the only intruder that night."

A faint smile forced its way out of Tom's facial features. "Well, do you want a ride, or not? The offer expires any second now as I see my car coming up next."

Lexi involuntarily bit her lip. She had wanted to leave to try to get some distance from Tom and going with him was the exact opposite of that. "Are you going to kill me and then drop my body in the river, making it look like an accident?"

Tom's eyes grew wide for a second before he chuckled. "I could say the same about you. You have three seconds to decide." The valet attendant opened the driver-side door and was walking around the front of the car, ready to hand the keys over.

As much as Lexi loathed him right now, there was something about him that still tugged at her. She was curious to get a peek into his personal space. On top of that, the thought of getting into PJs and catching up with Mindy sooner was like being in a desert and seeing an oasis in the distance. "Fine," Lexi said before walking up beside him.

"Just don't think this means I'll be going any easier on you in class," he said while flipping the key in his hand that the valet had just given him.

She rolled her eyes as she made her way to the passenger side door. "Of course not. I wouldn't dare dream of being treated fairly with my peers."

Tom smiled as he walked to his door. It was a seemingly genuine smile. "Good. Just making sure."

***

Hehe, these two!! They can't seem to stay away from each other! :) Thanks for reading, voting, and commenting! ♥️