Undone Read Free

happening.”
    “Really?”
    “Really,” she deadpanned.
    “You sure?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
    “Positive.”
    “Friends?” he said.
    She glared at him.
    He tilted his head, widened his eyes, and pouted, giving her what she was sure was his best puppy-dog face. “Come on, we got the sex out of the way. Now we can keep it strictly platonic.”
    Her eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Sex? What sex? There will be no sex!” A few curious gazes settled on Embry. She said that louder than she meant to. She should have been aggravated, but for some reason, Jeremy was making her laugh. And he was right; her first-day jitters were history.
    “It’s out of the way. I hit on you, you friend-zoned me, so we’re all good. It’s platonic now.”
    “Okaaay,” she said reluctantly.
    “That is, until you realize how ridiculously attractive I am and regret your decision. I can’t promise I’ll wait for you, though.”
    She rolled her eyes again. “You’re unbelievable.”
    “Believe it, baby.”
    “Embry,” she stated, pointing toward her chest again.
    “Embry-baby.”
    “Just Embry.”
    “We’ll work on it, Blondie.” He winked again.
    He was infuriating, but she couldn’t fight the smile tipping her lips. “Friends,” she agreed. And that was that.
    “So, you hear anything about Professor Coleman?” he asked.
    “Nothing good.”
    He nodded as he tapped his pen on the desk. “You know, after that Oscar-worthy performance by the dean, I’m starting to think this is all just a big setup to make us go running for the hills.”
    “Yeah, I thought he was laying it on a bit thick,” she said, searching her bag for her textbook.
    “I’m pretty sure it’s all a big act. It can’t be that bad,” Jeremy said.
    “Let’s hope …” Embry’s sentence trailed off as the room went silent.
    Students craned their necks toward the door to catch a glimpse of the professor. After the rumors she’d heard, Embry expected someone a bit more intimidating. Instead, Professor Coleman was a petite woman, about mid-forties, with librarian glasses, shoulder-length brown hair, and a stylish skirt suit. She glided up to the podium, put down a stack of papers, and headed to the whiteboard.
    “I’m Professor Coleman.” The dry erase marker squeaked across the board. “I’ll be your contracts professor. This is my contact information. My door is always open during office hours, so feel free to stop in. We’re going to go over the syllabus and class objectives today. Then I’ll tell you a bit about myself and send you on your way, so you can all let out that breath you’ve been holding.”
    The entire class breathed an audible sigh of relief as they realized Professor Coleman was not going to torture them on their first day.
    At the end of class, Embry packed up and felt Jeremy’s eyes on her.
    “So really, where are you from? What did you study?” he asked.
    “Oh. Um, well, I’m from here. I did my undergrad at the University of Florida. Studied political science. What about you?”
    He smiled as he gathered his things. “I’m from Rochester. My dad owns a law firm back home and one in the city. I’m going into the family business, so law school was the next logical step. I went to Syracuse.”
    Before Embry could ask Jeremy about his father’s firm, Professor Coleman gave a late announcement. “Oh, before I forget. I’m looking for a research assistant for the year. If any of you are interested, come and see me.”
    Embry’s ears perked up. The research assistant position would be the perfect solution to her problem. She could make the money she needed and still focus on law. All she had to do was impress the professor. “I’m going to go check that out.”
    Jeremy raised an eyebrow. “Apply at your own risk. I hear she can be pretty tough.”
    “Thanks for the warning.” She waved good-bye and made her way to the front of the room.
     

     
    Embry walked out of the classroom in a far