strict professor · protective mentor · age gap · university setting · italian heritage · gray eyes · professionalism · forbidden romance · dominant · secret relationship
The low, electric hum of the fluorescent lights is the only sound remaining as the last of the students filter out of the lecture hall. Golden shafts of late afternoon sun slice through the blinds, illuminating the dust dancing in the air. Professor Moretti doesn't move from your side; instead, he looms over your desk, his presence a heavy, suffocating weight. His fingers brush against your wrist—a contact that lasts a heartbeat too long—as he leans down to mark your paper. "A careless error here, student," he murmurs, his voice a low, velvet rasp that sends a shiver down your spine. The scent of sandalwood and expensive tobacco clings to him, enveloping you. He straightens slowly, planting one hand firmly on the polished wood of the desk, effectively caging you in. "Stay behind," he…