“It was just a little water, nothing too bad.”
Taking a step back, I crossed my arms, hoping to enforce the boundary I was setting. She was about to respond, but before she had a chance to say a word, her name was called. “Addy!”
She turned her head to Brandon, and I found myself studying the creamy skin of her neck and a stray piece of hair that had escaped her ponytail. It fell down onto her shoulder in a soft curl, and before I realized my actions, I had uncrossed my arms and stepped forward as if to touch.
As she rounded back to me, she caught my movement and whispered under her breath, “Meet me at my car this afternoon.”
Choosing not to acknowledge her words, I gestured to the class with my head. “Please take your seat.”
“Yes, sir.”
She answered as politely as any of my other students, but all I heard was—meet me—and all I wanted was to touch her smooth skin.
“Addy, you gonna come back to my place Friday night?” Brandon asked, as I watched Mr. McKendrick take a seat at the front of the room.
Brandon was your typical all-American teen. Popular and full of confidence, he was the other star athlete of the school. With his short brown hair and seriously ripped muscles, he was every high school girl’s dream, and I had him.
He winked at me, adding arrogantly, “We can celebrate winning.”
My eyebrow rose and then I laughed. Hell, he was right. We both would win. We were the two to beat when it came to track, so the Friday night meet was something I was anticipating.
It was satisfying and exhilarating to know that you were the best.
“Yeah, I’ll be there.”
“Perfect! Wear that little red skirt, would ya?”
I knew exactly which one he was talking about. It barely covered my ass and was so tight that it almost cut off my circulation. My mother didn’t know I owned it, but what she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her. Just like she had no clue that the last time I wore it, Brandon had pushed it up around my hips and fucked me like a raging bull in the front seat of his brand-new Jeep.
“I’ll wear it just for you,” I promised with a slick slide of my tongue along my bottom lip, loving the thrill I got from the tease.
“Addison?” My name was called from the front of the room.
I swiveled in my chair to face my irritated teacher. “Yes, sir?”
“Do you have something you’d like to share with the rest of the class?”
No, I thought in a silent battle of wills, but I’d love to know why you didn’t single Brandon out. My eyes held his as I shook my head. That would be a negative.
“In that case, how about you keep your mouth shut, and do your work.”
“Yes, sir,” I replied bitingly and went back to writing down the major facts about Catherine of Aragon.
For the rest of the class, I sat with my mouth closed and my mind whirling. When the bell rang, everyone jumped to their feet and made their way out the door.
Brandon, however, lingered by my desk.
“I have to ask a few questions,” I lied.
Nodding, he bent down to kissed my cheek, and I noticed Mr. McKendrick watching us. His attention was on Brandon as his mouth moved to my ear.
“Hurry, my parents won’t be home for two hours,” he told me, and I couldn’t help the smirk I gave when my teacher’s attention shifted to me.
I kept my eyes on the man at the front of the room as I replied loud enough for him to hear, “Two hours is a long time to play.”
Brandon straightened, unknowing of the private exchange. “Yes, it is. So hurry in here, okay?”
Still focused on my teacher, I agreed. “I’ll only be a few minutes, then I’ll drive over.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see ya there,” he replied, making his way out of the room and leaving me to face the intimidating silence of Mr. McKendrick.
Reaching down beside my legs, I picked up my backpack and felt him track my movements. He had his hands clasped on the top of his desk as he sat there, silent and alert. I packed my books and pens away and stood from my seat.
When I stopped in front of his desk, he said nothing. But when I dropped my bag on to the floor, and the sound reverberated in the empty room, he pushed his chair back and stood quickly.
“Miss Lancaster.”
With one finger, I began to draw circles over the wooden surface of his desk. “Mr. McKendrick.”
“Cut the crap, Addison. Did you need something?” he fumed openly.
“Are you married?”
He shook his head, and his mouth pulled into a tense line. “That’s none of your business.”
“So that’s a no.”
“That is not a no. It is exactly what I said it was, none of your business.”
Rolling my eyes, I continued to trace my finger on top of his desk, liking the feel of the rough wood under my finger.
“Why did I get in trouble today?”
“You know why,” he stated matter-of-factly.
“No. I don’t. Why did I get in trouble and Brandon didn’t?”
“You were talking.”
“So was he,” I fired back, unwilling to let him think I was some ignorant child who didn’t know what was going on.
He let out a deep, frustrated sigh and pushed his hands into his pockets. “Addison, you need to pay more attention in class.”
“I do pay attention.”
“Do you? I don’t think so. You’re so busy talking and flirting that I’d be surprised if you took more than three notes.”
Bending down, I snatched up my backpack and unzipped it to pull out my notebook. Opening it to the day’s work, I showed him how wrong he was and then raised my eyes to his, as if to say, see?
“One day doesn’t prove anything. You need to stop disturbing the others around you.”
“Like you?” I challenged.
“Like Brandon.”
“Jealous?”
Emotions I wasn’t familiar with darkened his eyes, giving him away as they singed me. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Is it so ridiculous? I was jealous of you and Miss Shrieve this morning.”
“You’re out of line, Miss Lancaster. Way out of line. You need to leave.”
I made my way to the door, but before I walked through it, I looked back to where he was standing.
“Meet me at my car. I’ll wait.”
As Addison left the classroom, I sat down in my seat and adjusted the erection that was now throbbing like a harsh reminder between my legs.
I felt defeated.
I had come home to be with my father, a man who was slowly fading a little more each day. The same man who’d instilled in me my sense of morality, the difference between right and wrong—yet, here I was, failing him. Just like his heart was.
Addison was a dangerous distraction to a man whose life was in chaos. She was the promise of youth, of being fearless…of being alive. She was everything I couldn’t have and shouldn’t want, but the more she taunted, the more my resolve crumbled.
Temptation had come to visit, and her steely determination would likely destroy us both.
Chapter Four
I waited by my car for an hour, and he never came. In the back of my mind, I’d known that he wouldn’t, but I held out hope that I’d be wrong. By the time four rolled around, I had several text messages from Brandon.
Brandon – Where are u?
I was still in the parking lot.
Brandon – I’m waiting…
Yeah? So was I.