Lodged (Kinsmen Billionaires #2)

7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Gio Bianchi

“ O kay, class, remember, I’m available during office hours and by appointment. Don’t get a low grade in your lab reports just because you didn’t want to put in a little extra effort. Midterms are approaching fast,” I say, and I can feel the collective disappointment. I know this is a required class, but for the life of me, I cannot understand the lack of motivation some students have. I try to make it fun and interactive as much as the class material allows.

“I’ll be there tomorrow, Gio. I have so many questions,” Alyssa says in a playful tone as she waves on her way out. I give her a curt smile and quickly try to make eye contact with someone else—anyone but her. Her flirting is insane. I need to ask other TAs if they’ve had the same experience with her because it’s uncomfortable.

One by one, my students leave until there’s just one left. Her hair is a red braided mess, and I have the sudden urge to fix it for her—to take all the exhaustion from her body and melt it away. Somehow, her body language tells me she’s tired—her shoulders are slumped forward, her back hunched, and her movements slow as she finishes packing her belongings.

“Bye, Gio, have a good evening.” She’s holding her laptop to her chest, and I’m curious why she didn’t put it in her backpack. Does she have assignment overload?

“Bye, Ruin. I’ll see you around.” She smiles at me, and I swear her eyes light up. Damn. I need to remind myself I’m her instructor and nothing more—I shouldn’t be noticing if her eyes light up or not. Before I can think better of it, I hurriedly pack my stuff in my bag and rush to catch the elevator with her. We’re on the sixth floor, and although I usually take the stairs to get my steps in, I want to spend a few more minutes with her.

“Hold the elevator!” I shout as the doors began to close. I put my hand in between them just in time and they jerk back, allowing me inside. When my eyes meet hers, her pupils dilate, and a faint blush colors her cheeks.

“Oh, hi, Gio. Long time no see.” We smile at one another pleasantly. I don’t want to make her self-conscious, so I divert my gaze to the control panel.

“Any plans for dinner?” I settle on a light topic, hoping she’ll talk to me some more. I love her voice—it’s sweet and breathy.

“Not really. I still need to go to the grocery store, but I’ve been so busy since I got back. I haven’t had a chance to do much other than study.” She starts playing with her hair, and for some reason, I think she’s uncomfortable. But why?

“I’m sorry, Ruin. Did I say something wrong?” I need to know if her change in demeanor is because of me. Fuck, of course, it is. I’m her damn teacher, she must feel intimidated.

“No, not at all,” she hurries to say as she holds my hand, and I jerk in shock. Her touch is electric. She lets go as quickly as she grabbed it, but I can tell she’s as surprised by our connection as I am.

“You could never say something to make me uncomfortable. It’s just I’m still a little embarrassed about you lending me your car.” She lowers her gaze , and my mind drifts back to Monday, when I was chatting with Penny in my office , and Ruin walked in to return my key.

“Excuse me, is this a good time?” Ruin’s face peeks through the door, and I try to stifle my laugh about Penny’s weekend adventures. We try to get together on Mondays for coffee to catch up.

“Ruin, hi. Of course, come in.” She enters and closes the door before turning toward my desk.

“Hi, I’m sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to give you this back. Thank you so much.” She doesn’t even meet my gaze as she speaks rapidly. She offers a wobbly smile to Penny and is out the door before I can react.

“What was that? Fraternizing with a student?” Penny makes a tsk sound as she shakes her head.

“Come on, Pen. You know me better than that. She needed a favor, and I was happy to help, that’s all.” I get up from my chair and quickly catch up with Ruin.

“Hey, Ruin,” I say as I place my hand on her shoulder. She stops walking but doesn’t turn to face me.

“I’m sorry I interrupted, Gio. I didn’t know you had a girlfriend.” I chuckle, but Ruin tenses. Fuck, can I be more stupid?

“Penny? No, she’s not my girlfriend. Come on, let me introduce you.” For a moment, I think she’s going to leave, but she turns around and gives me a curt smile. Is she jealous?

When we walk back into my office, Pen looks at me with those sharp, amber eyes of hers. I hold her gaze; I have nothing to hide. She then looks at Ruin and smiles big as she gets up from the chair.

“Ruin, this is Penny. My best friend,” I say as I introduce them. Penny is the first to extend her hand, and Ruin takes it. Why does this have to be so awkward?

“Nice to meet you, Ruin. Gio, I’ll see you later. I don’t want to be late for my next class,” Penny says as she makes her way to the door and waves before leaving. I scratch the back of my neck, not really knowing what to say next.

“Do you have time to chat?” I ask her as I sit back down. She smiles and takes the seat Penny just left.

“How did it go this weekend? Did you have a good time?” I ask her, pocketing the fob key she just returned to me.

“Yes, it was great. I was able to spend time with my siblings and my Mama. I did things around the orchard. It was a good break.” I smile at her. I didn’t realize her family owned an orchard.

“An orchard, huh? That must have been so cool growing up.” I ask, wanting to know every single detail about her life.

“Yeah, my family was one of the founding families in our little town, and my ancestors had a small patch of land, which, with time, kept growing and growing as the family was able to buy more parcels around it. Then my grandpa started an orchard, since the climate is perfect for apples to grow, and it was something he felt passionate about,” she says, clearly more relaxed than when she came in. I don’t want to make a big deal about Penny or ask her if she is jealous—I’m enjoying getting to know more about Ruin and her family, so I do something I’ve never done with any other student before: I tell her about my grandpa.

“That’s awesome, I didn’t grow up in an orchard, but my grandpa had a lot of land in the Argentinian pampa. He bred horses.” Her eyes grow big with surprise.

“Horses? That’s amazing. It must be beautiful down there. We have a few horses, and I enjoy helping take care of them, but breeding horses sounds so cool.” I nod at her, and for the next thirty minutes, we continue to talk about our families and stories about when we were little. It is astonishing how many things two people from such different places have in common. Not only do we love the outdoors and the same music, but we also love our families deeply and have the best memories with our grandparents.

After that moment of awkwardness, I felt we had a great time chatting on Monday, so maybe we need to do that again? “Are you having dinner at the dining hall?” I ask as the elevator doors open on the ground floor. I hold the door open for her, and throws a grateful smile my way before exiting.

“I suppose I am. It’s the closest place to grab a quick bite.”

“Great, I’m going there, too.” Something like surprise transforms her face before she masks it. Why on Earth did I say that? I never go to the dining hall. I need to say goodbye and part ways before Alyssa or someone else sees us together.

“So which classes have you so busy these days? I know for a fact it’s not my lab.” I give her a playful smile , and she bites her lower lip. Fuck, my dick stirs in my pants. This has never happened before. I should be bidding her good night and running the opposite way, but the need to get to know her is greater than my moral compass, it seems.

“I’m trying to get a minor in parks and recreation, so needless to say I have way more on my plate than I can handle.”

“That’s impressive,” I praise her. Do I think she’s taken on too much for one semester? Yes. Do I think she can handle it? Absolutely.

“Do you think so?” she asks in a low voice, almost shy.

“Ruin, I’m definitely a fan.” A deep laugh bubbles out of her tiny frame and catches me by surprise. Seeing her so free and happy, her body finally looking less stressed, makes me want to join her. So I laugh, too.

We make it to the dining hall in no time, and after spraying hand sanitizer on our hands, we each grab a tray. I motion for her to get in line ahead of me. She curtsies, and I can’t help the way my lips turn up. She makes me feel incredible, like what I do or say matters.

Once we pile food onto our plates, I scan the room for a table. Surprisingly, there are not many people around—we have plenty of options, but I’ll let her take the lead. I don’t want to choose a cozy, far from everything table and make her feel uncomfortable.

When we get to the register, I cut in front of her and show my student ID. “I’m paying for both meals,” I tell the cashier, who gives me a knowing smile.

I decide to play dumb and murmur my thanks as I turn back to look at Ruin. She’s frowning at me, and I can’t help but chuckle.

“What?” I ask, heading toward the sitting area.

“You didn’t have to pay for my meal. Thank you,” she says, sitting down at the exact same table I’d been about to suggest.

“It’s nothing. You’re welcome.” I wave my hand dismissively as I take a seat across from her.

“It’s not nothing, Gio. You didn’t have to do that.”

Now it’s my turn to blush; I feel my face growing warm. Instead of saying anything else, I grab a forkful of salad, busying myself with my food and hoping we can switch topics—I don’t like being the center of attention. I practically inhale my salad as Ruin carefully cuts her chicken.

“So Ruin, it’s okay if you don’t want to talk about this, but I’m curious to know why you transferred to Wolfe?” I ask what I’ve been dying to know since I learned she’s twenty-four and a transfer student. Yes, I looked at her student records. I know—I’m the least ethical TA ever.

Wiping her mouth and placing her utensils on the side of her plate, then folds her hands together on top of the table and smiles softly. “Well, to put it simply, I’m from the mountains. My family has lived in the same town for generations, and I always wanted to see what was outside of those mountains.” I nod in understanding. I’ve always had the same feeling, the same call to see what was beyond Argentina.

“The members of my family who have gone to school, went to a community college in a town nearby. So that’s what I did.” She pauses, and I can tell that whatever she’s going to say next is painful—her relaxed pose is gone, and her shoulders are raised to her ears. She seems tense, like she’s bracing herself for a blow. “But when Daddy passed away, my world crumbled. We have always been a tight-knit bunch.” Her voice grows thick with emotion. Forgetting that we are in a public place and that I’m her teacher, I lean toward her and grab her hands. She gives me a wobbly smile, and I squeeze her hands, letting her know she’s not alone.

“I’m so sorry, Ruin,” I say in a low tone.

“Thank you. I don’t think it will ever be easy to talk about this. But I feel it’s an important step.” I give her a reassuring smile, and after a bite of her chicken, she continues. “Daddy was working the field, but he needed to go to town for something. My oldest brother, who was always working with him, offered to drive, but Daddy was adamant he was the one who needed to go.” She clears her throat and takes a sip of her drink.

“My brother decided to check the truck and give it a tune-up before Daddy left, just to make sure everything was running smoothly. You know how old trucks can be.” I nod at her, letting her know I’m listening, and she continues. “Daddy left home, and a heavy storm came out of nowhere. A couple of hours later, we got a phone call from the sheriff. Daddy had been involved in an accident and didn’t survive.”

A stray tear runs down her cheek, and I quickly wipe it away. “After mourning and feeling miserable for a while, I decided I needed to live my life the way I wanted—before it was too late. When I spoke with my family about transferring, they were very supportive. So here I am.” She smiles, her shoulders relax. A huge grin spreads across my face as I shake my head in wonder.

“See, Ruin? There’s at least a million reasons to be your fan, and I only know a few. I can’t wait to learn the rest.” Her eyes widen as a beautiful crimson blush spreads from her chest all the way up to her forehead.

My heart skips a beat every time I think about all the things this girl makes me feel. I need to figure out why she’s the only person on Earth who stirs my insides this way.