Zomerschoon by Wendi Dass

Author:Wendi Dass [Dass, Wendi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance; STEM; oxford; europe; frustrated attraction; geeks; netherlands; university setting
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2022-11-22T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Alone in her room, Anna stalked from bed to door and back again. Her heart still throbbing, she tried to force from her mind the feeling of Hendrik’s lips on hers. Why had she let him kiss her? Why had she combed his hair?

A pounding on the door shook her from her thoughts.

“Anna!” Hendrik called through the door.

The door rattled. The knob wiggled. Thank goodness she locked it when she’d stormed out.

“Please, Anna. Open the door.”

The pleading of his voice softened her rage, and she slowed her pace.

“I’m sorry.” He lowered his voice. “I trust you it’s…just…”

His voice sounded so sincere—so apologetic. Her pulse steadied, and she stopped in front of the door. “Just what, Mr. Van der Aart?” She reached for the doorknob, paused, steadying her breath, and then opened the door.

Hendrick stared for a split second before crossing the threshold into her room and wrapping his arms around her.

The warmth and firmness of his chest steadied her, and his cologne—a musky scent with hints of citrus—intoxicated her. The heady feeling of losing herself in his gravitational pull overwhelmed her again. She blinked her eyes. No. She wouldn’t let him draw her in again until he explained himself. Reeling back, she forced steel into her gaze. “Just what, Hendrik?”

Hendrik opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Rubbing his temple, he crossed in front of her and took a seat on the edge of her bed.

Standing above him, Anna searched his gaze, and waited, just as she’d waited these past three months for him to say something about them.

He swallowed. “There’s no doubt in my mind I want to be with you, but I don’t want to mess up things. Not just for me but for you.” He grabbed her hand. “I couldn’t bear it if what happens between us blemishes your future.”

Anna frowned and stepped closer. She rested her hands on his shoulders. “I still don’t see how anyone would ever find out.”

Hendrik laughed. “I’m not worried about you revealing our secret. I’m worried I will.”

Anna furrowed her brows. “But why would—”

“Don’t you see?” He grabbed her left hand and brought it to his lips. “The closer I get to you, the more I want you.” He kissed her wrist. “And the happier I become when I have you.”

A smile lit up his face, and his amber eyes glowed. Anna’s doubts slipped away, and she leaned closer.

“It doesn’t matter how hard I try to hide it, the whole department”—he kissed her nose—“hell, the whole university will see it written on my face. ‘Hendrik Van der Aart is smitten.’ ”

Anna placed a hand on his pale cheek, cool like autumn’s breeze, and lowered her lips to his. She kissed him softly but fully.

Hendrik wrapped his hands around her waist, letting his fingers climb her back, until they settled beneath her shoulders. “Can I stay with you tonight?”

Diamonds of goose bumps prickled her flesh, and she leaned back to gaze into his eyes. “But you just said—”

“I meant”—Hendrik sighed—“on the floor.

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