by Wendi Zwaduk
She scratched her nails down his torso, then sucked his nipple. Shards of desire stabbed at his heart. How the hell had he even thought he could live without her? The thunder of his pulse rumbled in his ears.
Melissa eased the shirt down his arms until it plopped onto the floor in a soft thunk.
“Oh, Mr. Pallas, have you been working out?” She dropped to her knees and swirled her tongue around his belly button. “So many muscles.” She stared up at him. “Very hot.” With both hands, she shoved his boxers and pants to the ground. Instead of wrapping her hands around his cock, she smoothed her fingers up and down his inner thighs.
The move tickled him. He shivered. “Baby.” He didn’t care if he slipped from the role play fantasy. “You’re dangerous. Teasing me.”
“You like it, Mr. Pallas.” She buried her face in his crotch, rubbing his erection on her cheeks. Her hair dusted his thighs. Melissa flicked her tongue along the underside of his cock.
“Fuck.” The sound of their moans reverberated in the room. Fire licked him from within. Holy crap. Just when he thought he’d figured out what she’d do next, Melissa sucked one of his balls into her mouth. The move stole his breath. His belly flip-flopped. He massaged her scalp.
Dear God. If she kept up licking his sac, he’d come apart. “I want you on the bed.” He eased away from her. “Now.”
“Mr. Pallas? Did I displease you?” The concern in her eyes wasn’t a show. She sat hard on her butt.
“Not a chance.” He yanked his socks off his feet, then put his hand out for her. “I’m making love to my girl.” Adam grabbed a condom from the nightstand. With his free hand between her legs, he kissed her. Her cream slicked over his fingers. “Lie down for me.”
Melissa stretched out on the bed. Her shoes clunked to the floor. Adam spread her legs and nuzzled her sopping pussy. Her juices exploded on his taste buds. So sweet but tart.
“Let me help you, Mr. Pallas.” She reached for the condom, but he swatted her hand away.
“Touch yourself.” Adam stood tall and wrapped his erection. He met her wide-eyed gaze. “Get yourself ready for me.”
“I’m ready.” She slipped both hands over her cunt. Her liquid desire glittered on her skin. Melissa plucked at her clit and moaned.
He’d never seen anything so sexy in his entire life. He loved seeing her happy. How could any man not want her? And she was his. Hot damn.
“I want you.” Adam stroked his cock, getting himself primed for her. He didn’t need much help. A blush spread across her cheeks and down her chest. Her nipples peaked and she parted her lips a fraction of an inch. This woman completed him. He surged into her tight cunt in one thrust.
“Adam.” She’d slipped out of character, too. Good to know he had her right on the edge. She squeezed him tight from within.
Yeah, he wanted to stay tucked tight in her pussy as long as possible, but he’d never be able to hold back the orgasm. He pistoned his hips. Each ripple and fold of her cunt caressed him. The familiar tingles of climax started low in his balls.
“Missy.” He bit her name out. Fuck. “Want you so much.”
Melissa arched her back. “Yeah.” She grabbed her knees, folding herself up. In perfect rhythm, she met him thrust for thrust. The bed squeaked beneath them and their groans filled the air.
Adam gasped for breath. The rest of the world melted away. Being inside her, feeling her surrounding him, pulling him in with each push into her body—those things mattered. His heart swelled for her. He’d never be the same without her.
“Adam.” Her cry broke through his thoughts. “Please let me come.” Her body trembled and she shivered. “Please.”
He couldn’t hold back if he tried. “Come, baby.” He swatted her hip. “Now.” His restraint shredded. No going back. Adam pistoned into her and threw his head back. A moan ripped from his throat. He emptied his seed into the condom. Totally spent, he wobbled on his feet.
Melissa shuddered beneath him. She clamped down tight on his cock as he added a couple of extra thrusts. Hands fisted in the sheets, she wrapped her legs around him and then sagged against the bed.
“Whoa,” she puffed.
Adam leaned forward and rested his hands on the bed at her shoulders. “One of these days, this will be slow and sexy, not fucking like animals.”
Melissa grinned up at him and brushed her fingers over his lips. “Hush. You know me and my body so well. I’m ready to come before you’re even inside me. I love hot and frantic as much as I love slow and sexy.”
Her words buoyed his spirits. “I love you.”
“Adam.” She giggled. “This is what I’ve always wanted—you.”
Not the words he wanted to hear, but then again they’d come soon enough. He kissed her and pulled out of her. “Shower?” He stretched, reaching toward the ceiling. “I’ll start the hot water.”
“Later.” She scrambled to hide under the covers. “I want you to hold me.”
“You got it.” Adam ditched the used condom in the wastebin, then climbed into bed beside her. The energy sapped right out of him. He curled his arm around her shoulders and cuddled her. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get comfortable. His brain wouldn’t shut off.
“Adam, you’re thinking again. I can feel the wheels in your head spinning at warp speed.” She tangled her legs with his. “What’s up? Wasn’t I good enough in bed for you?”
“No sweetheart.” He sighed. “You were better than fantastic.”
“Then what?”
He might as well get the stressor out of his mind. No need to hold onto it. “Kevin was at the dance.” Christ. Saying the words out loud didn’t help much.
“His oldest daughter was on the court.” Melissa shrugged. “He had the right to be there. Lots of the other parents were.”
“You’re going to think I’m nuts, but he leered at you.” Adam rolled onto his side to look into her eyes. He brushed her hair off her forehead. “Something down in my gut won’t let me forget the way he acted.”
“You’re jealous?” She laughed, but there wasn’t any humor in her tone. “Adam, where am I? With him? No. I’m here with you.” She trailed her index finger over his chin. “Yes, he’s gotten creepy since we split, but he doesn’t matter to me.”
Adam toyed with the lock of her hair. Her words made sense, but something didn’t feel on the level. Maybe it was the shit with the parents or the overwhelming protectiveness he felt for Melissa. He wasn’t sure. But something wouldn’t let him let go of what he saw. “You’re right. You’re in my bed and wearing my ring. I have no need to be jealous. Still, I got the feeling he wasn’t ready to give up.”
“He’s a jerk and likes to leer. He’s harmless.” She snuggled against his side. “I’ve got a strong, sexy stud who gets me like no other. I don’t need anyone else.”
Adam closed his eyes. For the first time since he could remember, the past didn’t bother him. The future wasn’t a scary proposition, either. He had a good woman. Even if she couldn’t voice the words, he felt her love for him. The words would come and life was definitely good.
Chapter Twelve
Melissa tapped the test papers together and paper-clipped the pile. Having a test the last day before break sucked for the students because they had to pay attention. The test meant she’d be grading papers over the holiday. Not smart if she wanted to spend her time doing anything but school work.
A knock on her door interrupted her organizing. Tessa held two of the boxed lunches provided by the administration as holiday gifts to the staff. “I brought lunch and no one else is free right now. Mind if I come in?”
“Are you kidding? I’m thrilled you’re here. I never get to share my lunch period with anyone.” Melissa rounded her desk and took one of the foam boxes. “This is great.”
“I eat in my room so I can get work done.” Tessa smiled. “It’s nice to be out of the cave.”
“I know what you mean. Sit, sit.” Melissa opened her lunch and devour
ed the turkey club. “This is really good,” she said between bites. “Dennis did a great job with these.”
“He ordered them from Deli in the Rye.” Tessa munched quietly on her sandwich. She and the rest of the staff knew about Melissa’s engagement to Adam. Of all her peers, Tessa gave them the biggest thumbs-up. “Are you and Adam doing anything special for the holiday?”
“He met my father and brothers, so I figured I’d introduce him to my mother.” Melissa peeled open her chip bag. “The guys sort of ambushed him, but he lived.”
“He got you out of the deal. I’m sure he’s happy.”
Melissa held the bag but didn’t eat her chips. “Jordy, Corey and I have the same dad, but different mothers.” She wasn’t sure why she felt the need to share the information, but she felt better for doing it. “My brothers are very protective and my dad is a drunk.” She shrugged. “You looked like you wanted to know.”
“I’m honored you felt comfortable enough to tell me.” Tessa closed her lunch box. “Having protective brothers seems like it would be better than having to compete with your sister for the attention of cute guys. Peri always got the hot guys to come running. Me? They thought I was one of the guys.”
“You and I have so much more in common than I thought. Why haven’t we hung out before?”
“We’re on opposite ends of the building.” Tessa grinned. “It’s cool. Speaking of common.” She glanced up at the door. “Two handsome guys are here to see someone. What’s the good word?”
Graig sat beside her and draped his arm across the back of her chair. “The history department needs a new chair and I nominated Adam. He’s got the most seniority and the best ideas for integrating history with the arts.”
“Adam?” Melissa patted his arm. “That’s great.”
“It’s not final.” He didn’t look at her. “The powers that be are still deciding and wanted to use the holiday to think it over. There’s a tiny pay raise and a change in the contract wording, but it’s really nothing.”
Graig sighed. “Well, I hate to break up the powwow, but Tessa and I are on assembly duty. We get to make sure no one throws up during the relay races.”
“Ah the glamorous life.” Tessa picked up her box. “Nice having lunch with you. Want to do it again sometime?”
“Absolutely.” Melissa waited for them to leave the room before she questioned Adam. “What are you talking about? The department chair is a big thing. Don’t you want it?”
“It’s a really great thing, but I don’t think I’m the guy for the job.” He leaned back in his seat. “The administration is still figuring things out because of the accusations by the student. It’s like a freaking black cloud over my head that won’t go away. And it’s getting worse.”
“How?”
“A parent, or rather two parents, came forward. Dennis won’t tell me who. Apparently someone says we were dirty dancing at the homecoming shindig. This person was truly upset by the way we were together and felt it was inappropriate for the dance. I have no idea what we did, but it was inappropriate.”
“There was daylight between us.” Melissa snorted. “That’s crap.”
“Yeah, well there’s something even better about all this.” Adam dropped a file folder on her desk. “These pictures supposedly show me and a student having sex.”
Her hand shook as she opened the folder. Part of her needed to see the alleged images. She refused to believe Adam did anything wrong. Still, she peeled back the front of the file folder. The moment she saw the figures in the top picture, she knew exactly who she was looking at.
“This isn’t you,” she blurted. The two people in the image were grainy, but easy enough to see. The female had her back to the camera and nothing on from the waist up. The window curtain obscured part of the man’s face and the woman’s body. Still, she knew those bodies from anywhere.
“No shit.” Adam forked his fingers into his hair. “That guy has a fat face and a double chin.”
“Adam, that girl is me.” She sagged on her chair. The wind rushed from her lungs. She didn’t regret a moment of her past, but seeing her own image on the page broke her heart.
“How?” He leaned on her desk, hunching over her. “When?”
Melissa blinked back tears. She knew she’d have to tell him about Kevin sooner or later. “I don’t usually tell my boyfriends or lovers about my fetishes. I have to feel really, really comfortable with them before they find out.” She grabbed his hand, needing the support. “We’d been dating for a year when I finally told Kevin. He flipped out and told me he was disgusted. My heart broke. I thought I really liked him.” She shrugged. “We were engaged for about six months when he seemed to change his mind. He wanted to role play with me.”
Adam collapsed onto the nearest chair. He shook his head, but said nothing.
“We played and I knew he wasn’t cool with it. He wanted to be the dominant, but he had no idea how to be. I dressed up like a schoolgirl to please him.” She balled her hands together. “He mentioned someone taking pictures. I ignored him because he knew better—or I thought he knew better.” Embarrassment washed over her. She wasn’t sure how, but she’d brought the troubles down on Adam. “This is total crap. I don’t know what Kevin’s play here is, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he was the parent with the issue and the anonymous tipper.”
“Crap or not, I’m on paid leave until this is all sorted out. Why? The police aren’t sure it’s not me, but they’re not playing around with someone who could be having an affair with a student. Your face isn’t seen, so they can’t prove who that is.” He stood and threw his hands in the air. “Yeah, feels great to be booted out of the school. I’m on top of the world. I’m a teacher without a classroom and I didn’t do a darn thing to bring any of this crap on myself.”
“I’m on your side.” Her mind reeled. If Kevin had a hand in the destruction of Adam’s career, who would want to help him? Mrs. Harper? Sure, the woman had an agenda. Her daughter hadn’t gotten into the class she wanted her to be in, but still. Was the harassment a ploy to get rid of Adam? She wasn’t sure what the hell got into Kevin. Dirty dancing at the dance. Jesus. The man spent his time ogling the girls in the clingy evening dresses and making out with his current girlfriend. How’d he have time to supposedly see her and Adam doing anything wrong? Or was he trying to back up his former wife? The guy had a mean streak a mile wide. Like Harper, if he felt he’d been wronged, he went for blood.
“I know.” His shoulders slumped. “Still sucks.”
“We’ll sort this out.” She squeezed his arm. “At least this means you get out of the staff relay races.”
“Some prize. I’ve got to collect my stuff from my room. Howard Gains is taking over for me after Christmas. He’ll wreck my room.” Adam sighed. “Come over tonight.”
“You bet.” She didn’t even check to see if anyone was watching. Melissa kissed him on the cheek. “You needed that.”
“I did.”
“We’ll sort this out.” She wiped her cheeks. Now wasn’t the time for tears or feeling sorry for herself. “Go. I’ll catch up to you after school.”
Adam’s half-smile broke her heart. She watched him make his way out to the staff lot and drive away. What the hell was she going to do? First, she’d talk to Dennis. He’d know what steps to take next. Then she’d bust Kevin’s balls.
The winter assembly seemed to drag on through the afternoon. The more she wanted to go home, the longer the games took. Finally, the staff basketball game concluded. Dennis gave his annual speech, then released the students.
“Thank you,” she muttered. Melissa made a beeline for her classroom. She’d gather her things and head to the office. Come hell or high water, she’d talk to the principal. The couple in the picture seared into her brain. Her and Kevin. Whoever supplied the picture cropped the image to obscure the details of where they were, but she knew better. She recognized the brick around the window and the decorations on the wall. Adam didn’t have any
beer signs lighting his apartment. Kevin did.
“Hello, Melissa.”
She hadn’t heard his footsteps, but she knew the voice well. “Mr. McCombs.” No need to use his first name. She glanced over her shoulder, then turned around to face him.
“Where’s your lackey?”
“I’m sorry. Did you need something?” She jammed the stack of test papers into her shoulder bag. “I don’t have either of your daughters in my class this year.”
“Ah.” Kevin bowed his head. His shiny blond hair dipped over his forehead. He crossed the room and sat in the chair Adam vacated a couple of hours before. “I see Mr. Pallas isn’t here.”
“His room is located on the other side of the building.” She continued to gather her things to leave. “I’ll ask again. Did you need something?”
“Haven’t you heard?” Kevin stared at her. His blue eyes blazed. “He’s been fired.”
“Oh?” Adam hadn’t said a word about firing. The rest of the staff hadn’t said anything, either. Usually when something bad happened, everyone knew about it almost before the offending party heard the news. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
Kevin folded his arms. “It’s truly awful. Screwing around with a student. You’d think he’d know better. He must like ‘em young.”
“I see.” She gritted her teeth. Don’t let him see her frustration. Don’t give him the upper hand.
“Do you?” The smugness in his voice was all over his face. “You do have a thing for playing the role of a student. Did you do it to make him want you? You’re a tad old to be the poor little student.”
He’d pushed his luck far enough. “Kevin. Leave.” She yanked the zipper on the bag. “It’s time for winter break and I’m needed in the office.” She grabbed her coat from the back of her chair and slung her bag over her shoulder. “Anything else?”
Melissa didn’t give him a chance to answer. She marched past him and strode into the hallway. Once he passed her, she locked the door. She left him standing in the hallway. The rules might not have allowed Adam to stand up for himself, but damn it, she’d stand up for the both of them. She didn’t stop until she reached the main office.