She closes her eyes. As if she’s absorbing the barely contained desperation in my voice. Then she spreads her legs, bending her knees and digging her heels into the bed for support.

I breathe Solange in. Yes. This all-consuming lust makes sense to me. Attraction. Pheromones. The dopamine hit that goes along with being horny. It’s biology, plain and simple. My only job here is to drive her wild. I won’t stop until I make her come with my tongue. I needn’t worry about anything else. As she rightly pointed out, this isn’t the start of our love story. We’re just two people making each other feel good.

Best thing is, we’re in agreement on that.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Solange

Thursday afternoon, I arrive at Victory Academy earlier than usual, not because I’m a particularly punctual person but because I need a quiet place to think. A quiet place to put my time with Dean in proper perspective. Far from his piercing gaze. Far from Brandon’s smug expression (which, fair, considering I came home with a dazzling just-fucked glow that left little doubt about the nature of my morning activities).

I sit at my desk and stare out at the rows of empty chairs. Every class is a new opportunity to reach someone. To give them the boost they need to shoot for the stars. To remind them that life presents us with a host of opportunities, and it’s up to us to decide which ones are worth pursuing.

It stands to reason, then, that I should heed my own advice and accept the obvious: Dean isn’t worth pursuing. Dammit, I know this. And yet I’m imagining a scenario in which a man I’m totally incompatible with becomes the person I need.

Someone who isn’t driven by a single-minded desire to attain professional success.

Someone who doesn’t approach dating as if it were a job interview.

Someone who wants to love their partner to distraction for the sake of that soul-deep connection and nothing more.

Someone who isn’t so fixated on never deviating from their life plan and can appreciate the freedom in exploring all their options until they land on the right one.

Dean isn’t that person, and he isn’t interested in becoming that person either. So I should just let him be. That’s easier said than done, though.