Somehow, I make it through his class and then mine. Back in the workroom during our lunch period, I hurry over to Piper. “Would you come with me, please?” The question may have come out sounding more like a desperate plea, but I don’t care. I’m beyond embarrassment at this point.
Piper sees the panicked look on my face and doesn’t hesitate or ask questions; she just leaves her lunch on her desk and follows me.
When we get to the ladies’ room, I bend over quickly to check under the stalls for feet, and seeing none, I flip the lock behind us.
Piper’s gaze flits quickly over my features as she attempts to assess what degree of crisis I’m having. “What’s wrong? You’re kind of pale and acting weird, and that’s totally not like you.”
“I need someone with a level-head.” I grit my teeth. “I’m worried. I feel like I’m—” I take a deep breath that ends up sputtering back out. “I’m really attracted to Sawyer, and it’s causing some issues.”
My breathing is so ragged Piper puts a hand to my arm and squeezes. “Breathe, Hadleigh. In through your nose, out through your mouth.”
I nod and try my best to calm down.
After another few seconds, Piper pats my arm and drops her hand. “Okay, so tell me more about it. I thought that’s what you might be dragging me in here for.”
My eyes dart to hers. “Is it that obvious?”
She throws up her hands with a shrug. “We talked about him at the book club meeting, so it was obvious to me, yes.”
“I know. But that was before I really got to know him. At that point it was just Oh my God, I have to work with the hot guy I saw at the bar.”
“And?”
“And now I’m kind of catching feelings for him, too, when I know I shouldn’t.”
“And why do you like him?” She scans my panicked eyes. I’m sure she’s trying to figure out if she needs to call in reinforcements to help her with my dilemma. As much as I love my girls, I don’t know if I could handle five varying opinions right now.
“He’s not like the guys I usually date. He’s really smart and sweet and funny.”
Piper smirks. “He’s definitely not like Ed, then.”
I give a quick shake of my head. “Sawyer would never do the things Ed’s done. He’s the kind of person I think I could trust, if I let myself. I can’t help but wonder a little bit if I’m worthy of him.”
She bites her lip. “Hadleigh, you don’t give yourself enough credit. Why wouldn’t he want to be with you? I mean, setting aside all the work crap.”
My gaze drifts away from hers to the floor. “I don’t know, Piper.” I am not ready to tell everyone what an idiot I was to stay with Ed as long as I did … or what Ed is holding over my head, literally walking around with it on his damn phone every day right here at school.
She purses her lips. “Well, I can tell there’s something you’re worried about, but you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. But maybe it’s time for you and Sawyer to sit down and talk things out. Nothing has happened between you yet, has it?”
I feel like a bone is wedged in my throat. “No. Not really.”
“Not really?” She raises an eyebrow at me. “What does that mean?”
“We came close to locking lips last week. Right in the workroom. But we stopped ourselves before it actually happened. I think it freaked both of us out.”
“Oh.” Her eyes widen. “Oh. Time for a sit-down, then. Sooner, rather than later.” She assesses my expression and body language with care. “You’re more of a mess than I’ve ever seen you.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“It’s only said out of love for you. Seriously. You two need to talk.”
“But what will everyone say if I decide I want to see what happens with him? When I brought it up at the coffee shop, everyone thought it was such a bad idea.”
“Don’t worry about that. That was before they knew you had feelings involved. You come first. Be cautious and use your brain, but do what makes you happy.”
With an uncomfortable laugh, I ask, “And if it’s Sawyer who makes me happy, do I do him?”
Piper snorts. “There’s the Hadleigh I know and love. Girl, that’s something only the two of you can answer.”
Chapter 13
Sawyer
I’m definitely curious to know what went down when Hadleigh grabbed Piper in the middle of lunch. They’d disappeared for a full twenty minutes and hadn’t returned until it was time for our next class to begin. She’d seemed flustered. I imagine that perhaps what almost happened last week between us is getting to her, but I don’t know how to help her because I feel the same way.
On one hand, I feel badly that I almost let that happen, but on the other, fuck—I’d wanted to taste her, hold her in my arms, inhale the scent of her skin. The more I’m around her, the more I want to say screw everything. Screw what people will think or say about us. I don’t care.
In an attempt to put her out of my head, I settle in at the desk in the workroom to help Hadleigh grade a test we’d administered earlier in the day. There are sixty to be graded over three class periods, and as much as I love what I’m doing, I’m still having one hell of a time keeping my head straight. My mind keeps wandering to what Hadleigh is doing and thinking. I don’t know where she’d gone right after class, but her bag is here, so I know she’s still in the building. I’m going to wait her out. We need to talk, to come to some sort of resolution for how to work together without the attraction between us getting in the way.
Faintly, the sound of heels clicking on the floor comes closer until the footsteps stop right at the doorway. I brace myself, knowing it’s her.
“What are you still doing here?” The words sound choked as they leave her lips.
I set my pen down and watch her enter the room where she sets a stack of photocopied papers on the other desk. My eyes roam discreetly over her for about the thousandth time today. She’s wearing a fantastic dress that has been taunting me all damn day. It fits her just right, hinting at the curves that lie beneath. Curves I want to get my hands on. Badly. “I was waiting for you. I thought—” I close my eyes for a few seconds, inhaling deeply. The way she’s raking her teeth over her lip is really fucking distracting. I exhale and open my eyes again. “I thought we should probably talk.”
She continues to abuse her lower lip, chewing on it, and subsequently drawing my eyes right to her mouth. “I don’t know what to say.”
I smile and stand up. “I’m not sure I do, either, but—” I rub my palm over the stubble on my cheek. “I feel like even though we kind of talked about it via text, maybe I should say something in person.”
She’s so fucking gorgeous I almost can’t stand it. Her cheeks have turned ever-so-slightly pink, and she’s having an awful lot of trouble looking me in the eye. I think in her position, I’d find it difficult to be the first to say anything, so that leaves this up to me.
“I wonder if maybe we should just admit that there’s an attraction between us. It may make things easier. Acknowledge the elephant in the room, you know?” I stare intently at her as her eyes flicker shut, her long lashes fanning over the tops of her cheeks. I imagine that’s just how she’d look if I were to put my lips on hers.
Flames flare in my veins and burst to life, rushing through me. She hasn’t done anything but stand here with me, and I don’t know if I can handle the heat raging between us.
I watch her chest rise and fall a few times before I step closer. “Hadleigh.” Her name rasps from my throat, a plea. At the sound, her eyes open again, and she looks almost startled that I’ve come close to her.
My heart beats so hard, I swear I can hear it in the blood racing throughout my body. It’s a steady, insistent rhythm that pounds through every cell for her and her alone.
Before I know what I’m doing, my hand coasts over her hip, my palm flattening against the small of her back, tugging her closer. So close. I look down at her, not sure what to make of the intensity i
n her eyes. They’re a dark brown abyss that I think I’m about to get lost in, and I can’t figure any way around it except to surrender to what we both so clearly want. Desire always tastes sweeter when it’s forbidden. And this thing between us? This feels wrong but at the same time so right.
Control snaps. Our mouths crash together, colliding in a tangled twist of lips, teeth, and tongues. Our bodies slam together too, hands immediately stroking over each other. It’s passion, hunger, and lust all wrapped up into one neat package. She’s so hot, writhing against me, her lips moving on mine, trying her best to somehow get closer to me. She grips my hand in hers and places it on her breast. With an agonized groan, I squeeze, then rub my palm over her nipple until it forms a stiff peak I can feel through her dress and bra. A tremor rolls through her and she moans, long and low. My dick is at full attention, branding her stomach right through our clothing.
She throws her head back, panting, and my mouth descends on her neck to feast. I leave open-mouthed kisses everywhere, savoring the taste of her skin like I’ve been hungering for her my whole life. And I have—I’ve been starving for her. She’s everything I want—everything I’ve been dreaming of.
“Sawyer.” She’s all breathy and hot as her hands grab my ass and hold on tightly, connecting our bodies as intimately as possible with our clothing still in the way. The heat radiating from her is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. I suck her earlobe into my mouth, and she whimpers, her whole body straining impossibly closer to mine.
Crash.
A noise in the hallway has us jumping apart so fast you’d think we’d burned each other.
For a few beats we stand there and stare at each other, pupils dilated, breath ragged and shallow.
Hadleigh blinks a few times, finally gathers herself, and peeks out into the hallway. “Oh, hey, Trey. You scared me.”
A man’s voice, slightly muffled, says, “Sorry, Ms. Beckett. I didn’t know anyone was still here. The mop got away from me. Do you mind if I clean the floors in there?”
“Nope, not at all. Come on in.” She pushes the door all the way open to allow the janitor into the room. “We were just finishing up.”
Were we? Because I know I wasn’t nearly done. I want more of her.
But how do we do that? I can already tell she’s not going to handle the fact that we almost just got caught in the middle of a make out session very well. She’s babbling to the janitor as if he has some sort of inkling about what was going on in here—he doesn’t—and she’s trying to convince him to forget about it.
I doubt he notices the beautiful flush to her cheeks, her shiny-wet, just-kissed lips, her puckered nipples through her dress, or the way her hands are shaking. I can’t deny it, knowing I did that to her and knowing she’d wanted my hands on her—it’s hotter than hell.
She’d tasted sweet like honey; her body had felt sexy like sin. I want more.
Lost in my own thoughts, I blink and realize Hadleigh’s gone, and I’m left here with Trey and his mop bucket on wheels. He gives me a quizzical look, and all I can do is chuckle. “Let me get out of your way, too.”
Chapter 14
Hadleigh
I hurry away from the workroom and Trey, leaving him to get his job done. I’d been unable to look Sawyer in the eye before I left and I feel like shit about it, but what am I supposed to do? I’m his mentor, for fuck’s sake. My face flames hot, ashamed of what I’d allowed to happen.
Oh my Jesus, what was I thinking? We’d totally just gone for it—bodies plastered together, mouths tasting, hands groping. I’d practically dry humped him right there in the workroom.
And the biggest issue is that I’d liked it. A whole lot. I’d been hotter for him than I can ever remember being for anyone else. Ever. My panties are a damp reminder of just how much he’d aroused me with his hard body and tempting mouth. I take a few careful breaths when I reach my classroom, trying in vain to steady myself. My heart still thunders in my chest, and I have a feeling it will be a while before my body stops wigging out. I don’t know where Sawyer disappeared to because I actually thought he might follow me in here. I blow out a semi-relieved breath for that small favor. I need to do some serious, serious thinking.
Holy shit. I press my fingers to my temples, squeezing my eyes tightly shut for a few seconds. Is he seeing that girl I saw him with? Had I made the first move, or had he? I can’t remember. I honestly can’t. My hand shakes as I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear and try to scan my recent memory. It had happened all at once. One second we were just standing there, and the next, we’d been in each other’s arms, no pretenses. There’d been no getting-to-know-you awkwardness, no fumbling around, just a full-on, explosive good time.
He’s an unbelievably good kisser, taking control and showing me no mercy. I’d been like putty in his hands. I’d wanted him so badly I think I’d even whimpered a little at one point. And, oh my God, I can’t help but think what it would be like if he used that talented tongue on other parts of my body. I huff out a laugh at myself. And we won’t even discuss what was going on below his belt. I press one hand to my stomach, where I can still feel the hard ridge of his cock against me. This man is the stuff dreams are made of.
I realize I’ve been staring off into space for who knows how long when I hear the wheels of Trey’s rolling mop bucket squeaking away to the next room. What the hell would have happened if Trey hadn’t been here cleaning? Would we have fucked right there in the workroom? I feel like I’d been about ten seconds from pulling my dress to my waist and yanking off my panties to let him bury his hard cock deep inside my body. I’d like to think I have better control than that, but Sawyer is proving to be a very real temptation.
My thoughts wander again, and I let myself entertain ideas about how it would have all gone down. Would he have had his wicked way with me right there on the desk we share? Would he have used his hot mouth on my nipples and slowly made me crazy with need before he made me come so hard I’d scream with the force of it? I shudder as a pulse of desire centered right in my core snaps me out of my dirty workroom fantasies.
Just great. I’m not going to be able to walk into the workroom ever again without every single one of those thoughts playing in my head. And it will be worse when he’s sitting there beside me. How am I going to look him in the eye? What have I done? I slip my hand into my pocket to retrieve my phone.
Me: Girls, I need advice. And help. And a cold bucket of water dumped on my head.
It takes them a few seconds to respond, and I swear my leg is bouncing up and down just as much as the little dots on the phone screen do as I wait impatiently.
Piper: Uh-oh. I take it you talked to him?
Me: Nope.
Madison: Wait, who?
Me: Sawyer.
Sophia: Uh-oh.
Me: I kissed him. He kissed me. I don’t really know who made the first move.
Me: My head is a mess.
Quinn: Double uh-oh.
Piper: Was it like a sweet little peck?
Me: Nope again. Please don’t judge. I’m freaking out over here.
Me: It was all heat and lips and lust, then we were interrupted when Trey came down the hall to mop the workroom.
Zoey: OMG, sorry, late to the party. Did Trey catch you making out?
Me: Fortunately, no. He dropped his mop in the hallway and made a big noise right before he got to us.
Me: You’ve never seen two people jump apart so fast in your whole life.
Quinn: Try not to panic. And we aren’t judging at all. We’re just concerned for you.
Sophia: Exactly. Did you talk about what happened?
Me: No :(
Sophia: So, that initial attraction is still there?
Me: And grown. A lot.
Madison: Where are you?
Me: My classroom.
Piper: WTH? It’s like six.
Oh shit. How long have I been sitting here, daydreaming about Sawyer’s big hand on my boob? The big hand
that I’d put there because I’d wanted him to touch me.
Zoey: I’m still here. I’m on my way to you.
Quinn: Bring her to my mom’s shop. We have chocolate.
Thirty minutes—and one of Quinn’s mom’s chocolate chip muffins later—I still don’t know what to do, but at least I’m comforted by the knowledge my friends are here for me no matter what. Sophia had been able to swing by as well, so I have assurances three times over in the forms of Q, Sophia, and Zoey that no one thinks poorly of me for acting on my feelings. I snort to myself. Feelings? More like my supercharged libido.
“Thanks for talking through things with me. I’ve been a mess over all of this for a while.”
Sophia smiles gently at me. “I think if you tread carefully, maybe you can work through this.”
Zoey chews on her lip. “And what about the other girl? That, you clearly need to ask him about.”
Sophia shrugs carefully, “Maybe he’s just dating her? Maybe it’s not serious.”
I drop my head into my hands, groaning.
“Damn. This is why you need to talk to him, Had. Stop running away from what you need to do. You said he stayed after because he wanted to talk to you.” Quinn winces.
“I know. And we never really got to talk. He admitted to feeling the chemistry between us right before our lips got in the way.”
Sophia worries her lip with her teeth. “I wonder what he’s thinking right about now.”
I sigh. “I really wish he had followed me back to the classroom. Maybe it wouldn’t have turned into this whole thing.” At their raised brows, I hold my hand up. “I know. I’m making excuses for myself. I could have gone after him, too. I should have. You guys know my track record with men is terrible. I think I’m scared because I’ve never wanted someone so badly, and I’m terrified that I’ll screw it up like I always do.”
Fight for You (Flirting with Forever Book 2) Page 7