“Son of a fucking bitch.” I got out of my car and followed that little shit Tucker down the path toward Penny’s apartment.

I’d worked late, keeping an eye on the library from my office window. It had become something of a ritual. Watching Penny. Ever since the first day I’d seen her in class, she’d become my unhealthy obsession. Wrong? Hell yeah. Could I stop myself? Not a chance.

A beauty by any standard, her dark hair, serious eyes, and killer curves had snared me at first glance. But there was so much more to her. Half mystery, half fantasy, she filled my thoughts. I noticed every detail about her. The way she had a habit of counting, how she tucked her hair behind her ears, the way she preferred to do things in fours. And now, she was in danger. I could feel it.

Pulling my collar up around my ears, I hurried over the bridge and into the thicket of woods. Tucker had finally gone too far, following Penny when she’d left the library. He’d been after her all semester, watching her almost as closely as I did.

He had to be stopped. I didn’t have a plan, hadn’t thought it through. Just seeing him take off after her had my blood boiling. And now I was racing along the path, desperate for a glimpse of her.

The wind blew a voice to my ears. Tucker. They were just up ahead. The path was clear. I wound to the right, following the concrete until I saw a lump in the pine straw next to the walkway. Penny’s green backpack. Fuck.

I scanned the trees on either side. Movement to my left caught my eye. Tucker stood with his back to me, his blond hair an ugly gray in the faint moonlight. He had Penny pinned against a tree trunk. She tried to fight him, but he was too big. Rage roiled inside me as I stepped off the path and crept through the trees, the pine straw muffling my footfalls.

“Fucking tease.” Tucker’s hand disappeared beneath her skirt. “You’ve wanted this since we met.”

She let out a muffled cry, but he covered her mouth with his left hand.

I wanted to rip him apart until there was nothing left. Not a good choice. I would be fired, maybe even disbarred for mercilessly beating a student. Instead, I caged my fury and crept closer.

A ripping noise cut through the cold air. Tucker yanked Penny’s panties off and tossed them onto the ground, the shocking white at odds with the murky leaves and pine cones.

She fought, trying to kick him, but he wedged his knee between her legs. That was as far as he got before I landed a vicious haymaker on his temple. Pain radiated from my knuckles as I put everything I had into dropping Tucker before he got a chance to turn around.

Penny shrieked, her eyes wide with terror as Tucker hit the ground in a heap. I gave him a good kick in the side, enjoying the sick thud my boot made against his ribs, then I took Penny’s hand.

“Are you hurt?”

“P-Professor Elliot?” Tears rolled down her pink cheeks. “You saved me.”

I cradled her face in my hands and stared down at her. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

She blinked hard. “No. He didn’t do anything. He tried t-to…” A sob shot up from her lungs.

“It’s okay.” I snatched her panties off the ground and pocketed them. “Everything’s going to be fine.” Glancing behind me, I found the path was still empty. “Come on. Let’s go before he wakes up.”

I pulled her jacket lapels closed and took her small hand.

She walked around Tucker’s still form, stopped, and gave him a hard kick in his stomach. “Asshole!”

I smirked. She was tougher than I’d thought.

“He deserved that.” I pulled her out onto the pathway and hefted her backpack. The blue light of the emergency phone glowed through the trees about twenty feet ahead. “This way.” I hustled up the path and kept her at my side. Letting go of her hand wasn’t an option, not now that I finally knew what it felt like to touch her.

I opened the box and picked up the red phone.

“University Police.” A woman answered.

I kept my voice low and gruff. “Hey, there’s a guy passed out drunk in the woods over here.”

“You’re at the Grover Hall walking path?”

“Right.”

“Stay there. I’m sending someone right now.”

I hung up and used the sleeve of my jacket to wipe any prints off the box and the phone. Tucker had it coming, and my actions were beyond defensible, but I couldn’t risk it.

“Should I wait for the police?” Penny’s voice shook, her chin trembling. “Will they want a statement?”

“No.” I led her back down the path toward campus.

“Wait. My apartment is that way.” She pointed over her shoulder.

I tugged her along at my side. “You aren’t going back to your apartment.” I needed her with me, safe in my arms. It was rash to take her home with me. But this was one mistake that I couldn’t avoid. I wasn’t letting her go. “We’re going to my place.”