Free Vengeful Heart: Fighting Heart Erotic Bad Boy Romance Series Book 3 by Nicole Hamilton

her down like a Giant Redwood, nice, long and slow. Geronimo.
    “What?” said her friend. “What?”
    The blabbermouth’s face turned crimson and she couldn’t say a word. Cody tuned in to Gossip FM elsewhere in the room. Two rows ahead, other students were muttering about the same thing. Cody looked at Ridgley. The man looked stressed, pressured, like he wanted to shout or hit someone or runaway. As he looked at Ridgley, their eyes met unintentionally. Their gaze froze on one another and Ridgley stopped speaking altogether. The room fell silent. The gossips fell silent a fraction later. In the moment their eyes met, the rest of the room seemed to fade away. They read each other without trying, they saw the hurt and anger, fear and suspicion in each other’s faces. It was a gaze as affecting as a lover’s, and it would stay with them the rest of their lives. The moment was gone, and Ridgley picked up his stress riven monologue and the gossips carried on sharpening their knives.
     
    Ten o’clock couldn’t come soon enough for Cody. When it came, most packed their satchels and backpacks as quickly as they could, some snatching an extra snicker at Ridgley’s expense before they made their way. Cody didn’t want to make small talk with the man, or want a repeat of that awful eye contact that had revealed everything. So instead he dawdled, packed slowly and listened to lanky Alex make another set of poor jokes. He checked his phone. There was a missed call from his new lover, Joanna, and a text message:
    Missed you. Bought new lingerie. Can’t wait to try it on for you.
    Cody smiled, knowing the evening would be worth the wait, but it still didn’t carry the same electrifying excitement as when he was with Ashley. He recalled the dark grey lingerie she’d worn for him in York, and the way he’d peeled it away to reveal an immaculate sweet body, ripe and hungry for his love. Nothing compared to that, not even Joanna in her finery or her voluptuous hips.  The thought was torture. He burned with indignation. The bastard lecturer was making a fool of him. Shouldn’t he at least be told as much? Damn all his bloody problems and the gossip, Ridgley didn’t deserve pity. He’d brought it all on himself.  Ridgley had packed up now that all of the students had left. The Professor picked up his leather briefcase and made his way to the door. Cody sped up, stuffing books and pens into his satchel double quick. He grabbed up his folder.
    “Alex, I’ll meet you in the canteen in five minutes. Tell those stalkers I’ve gone to a book signing in Alaska.”
    “Yeah, right. So where are you going?”
    “I’ll be five minutes, okay?”
    Cody sprang for the door, then looked along the short corridor of the building.  There.   Light from the college sports field poured in across two shapes lingering in the corridor. The neat clipped frame of Professor Tom Ridgley and the large muscular figure of Brandon Lynes. The men were talking animatedly, but quietly, and had not seen Cody at all. Cody merged into the stream of students moving between lectures, seminars and breaks. Smiths ran scores of degrees. Most students would have had no clue that Lynes and Ridgley were stars of the English Department, but having their confrontation in public – they were still taking an enormous risk. A risk Cody was glad they were taking.  He moved close by their huddle, and then he slowed down. And he listened, gleaning as much as he could.
    “You think that just because you’re a lecturer you can get away with that, do you?”
    “Get away with what, exactly, Mr Lynes?”
    “What do you think? Fucking my girlfriend.”
    “I beg your pardon.”
    “Don’t come all polite with me, Ridgley. I know what you were doing in there, locked in with my girl.”
    “Ashley Pearson needed help with her work.”
    “Yeah? Then why is half of this college saying you had sex with her?”
    There was a beat before Ridgley replied.
    “Because someone is