LOGINAdrian Vale is a 24-year-old young and strikingly charismatic English professor at Blackwood College. Despite his strict reputation in the classroom and his sharp intolerance for laziness, he remains one of the most admired lecturers on campus, with almost every female student secretly crushing on him. Yet behind his calm authority and flawless image, Adrian is fiercely private and completely uninterested in relationships. Ryder, 21, is a third-year student at the same college and a rising hockey player known for his talent, arrogance, and troublemaking streak. He’s not a freshman anymore, and his confidence has only grown with time—along with his reputation for challenging authority whenever it suits him. To most people, Ryder is just another cocky athlete with too much freedom and not enough discipline. Everything changes when Ryder and his friend make a reckless bet—one that challenges Ryder to break Professor Vale’s unshakable control, push him past his limits, and get under his skin in ways no student has ever managed before. Ryder and Professor Vale cross paths in a way neither of them can ignore. What begins as irritation, defiance, and constant clashes in and out of the classroom slowly turns into something far more dangerous. The tension between them is undeniable, blurring the line between hatred and desire. But at Blackwood College, relationships between students and lecturers are strictly forbidden. One wrong move could destroy Adrian’s career and end Ryder’s future in hockey. Still, neither of them seems willing—or able—to walk away.
View MoreADRIAN'S POV The dining table hums with the clinking of silverware against fine china, a rhythmic underscore to the polite conversation flowing. Mr. Knight sits at the head of the table, carving a roast with precise, practiced movements, while Mrs. Knight leans forward, her eyes bright with curiosity as she leads the discussion. Drake sits beside Adrian, his posture relaxed and open, radiating a charm that fills the room. Across the table, Ryder sits in shadow, barely touching his food. His attention is fixed entirely on Adrian. Adrian keeps his eyes on his plate, cutting his meat into smaller and smaller pieces, though he has no intention of eating them. Every time he cautiously lifts his gaze, he finds Ryder already watching him. The eye contact is intense, a physical weight that presses against Adrian’s chest, making it harder to breathe. Ryder doesn't blink, doesn't look away, his dark eyes stripping away the layers of Adrian’s composure. "So, Drake," Mrs. Knight says, br
RYDER'S POV The metallic clatter of skate blades cutting through ice gives way to the dull, rhythmic thud of hockey gear hitting the floor as the team floods toward the locker room. Laughter echoes off the high rafters, a chaotic mix of bragging about plays and complaints about fatigue, but Ryder hangs back. He watches them go, the energy of the room feeling distant, like static on a radio he can’t quite tune out. "Ryder. Hold up." Coach Muller’s voice cuts through the ambient noise, sharp and commanding. Ryder stops, his hand hovering over the latch of the bench door. He turns slowly, his legs feeling heavy, leaden weights dragging against the friction of the ice. He glides over to where the coach stands near the center line, clipboard tucked under one arm, his expression unreadable behind the wire-rimmed glasses. "You're staying back?" Ryder asks, trying to keep his voice even, though his throat is dry. Muller doesn't answer immediately. He studies Ryder, his eyes narro
RYDER'S POV Maya bounces up to Ryder, her bright smile lighting up her face with a calculated, practiced radiance. She wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him down with a sudden, jarring force, and plants a kiss squarely on his lips. Her mouth is soft, tasting of artificial strawberry gloss, but the contact feels invasive, like a violation of the air he breathes. Ryder doesn’t push her away. He stands there, his body rigid, a statue trapped in a moment he despises, and kisses her back. It’s a mechanical motion, lips moving without passion, his eyes still locked on Adrian over Maya’s shoulder. Adrian stands frozen a few yards away. The shock hits him like a physical blow to the solar plexus, stunning him silent, knocking the wind out of his lungs. He watches for a second longer, his heart shattering in his chest with a soundless, violent crack. He sees the way Ryder’s hands hover at Maya’s waist, not pulling her close but not letting go either. The image burns into Adrian’s
ADRIAN'S POV . "So... is what you were said to William true?" Adrian’s spine snaps straight. The architect’s shirt is unbuttoned just enough to reveal a hint of chest hair, and his eyes are fixed on Adrian with an intensity that makes his skin prickle. "I... how long have you been standing there?" Adrian stammers, his voice tight. He feels the blood drain from his face, certain that Drake must have overheard the part where he confessed something equally damning. Drake lets out a low, rich chuckle that vibrates in the space between them. He pushes off the doorframe and walks closer. "Long enough to see you panic," Drake says, a smirk playing on his lips. "But I wasn't asking about that. William mentioned you used to be exceptionally skilled at historical restoration. Structural analysis, masonry preservation, the works. He insisted you were the only person who could help with the project I’m working on." Adrian lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, his shoul
RYDER'S POV The corridor stretches out before Ryder, a long, polished expanse of linoleum reflecting the fluorescent buzz from overhead. He walks with a loose, rhythmic gait, the kind of stride that comes from years of dominating the ice, his hockey-honed thighs rubbing together against the roug
RYDER'S POV The silence in the lecture hall is thick enough to choke on, heavy with the dust of chalk and the collective held breath of fifty students. The question—Are you gay?—hangs in the air like smoke, curling around the fluorescent lights. It isn't a whisper. Adrian grips the edges of
RYDER'S POV The fluorescent lights of the lecture hall hum with a low, headache-inducing buzz, a sound that usually drives Ryder straight back to his dorm room and into a bottle of cheap whiskey. But today is different. Today, the air tastes like ozone and opportunity. Ryder sits in the very fron
RYDER'S POV The Friday night air hangs heavy and humid over the sprawling estate, thick with the scent of chlorine, expensive cologne, and the sharp, yeasty tang of spilled beer. Inside the mansion’s massive glass-walled sunroom, the atmosphere is a suffocating heat of bodies and sound. The bass












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