Thankfully it’s a quick drive to my place because, within a couple minutes, Darlene is nodding off. By the time I pull into my garage, she’s asleep. I lift her from the truck, and she sleepily wraps her arms around my neck. I carry her to the bedroom and lay her out on my bed before going to the bathroom and running her a bath.
She whines that she’s tired when I strip her from her clothes, but she moans contentedly when I put her in the hot water of the bath. She sinks into the bubbles happily, laying her head back on the lip of the tub. I carefully wash her clean, taking my time to massage out any tension in her muscles. She’s nothing but a pliant, wet woman when I finish. Her eyes are half-closed when I lift her from the tub and dry her.
I once again carry her to bed and pull back the blankets. She crawls in without a single protest. I strip and take a quick shower, then wrap my body around hers, letting sleep take me.
When I wake up, Darlene is still fast asleep. I carefully disentangle her from around me and pull on a pair of gray sweatpants. I quietly close the bedroom door and start making breakfast. I’m flipping the last pancake when I hear the bedroom door open. She walks into the kitchen, wearing one of my shirts, and my dick is instantly hard.
Fuck she looks like sin in my clothes. I want to rip my t-shirt off her body and fuck her right here on the counter, breakfast be damned. She closes the distance between us, and I’m slightly shocked that she wraps her arms around my middle and hugs me to her curvy frame. I return the hug, pulling her close. She tilts her face up and looks at me with a sultry smile.
“Morning, daddy.”
I press my lips to hers, giving her a brief kiss. She tries to deepen it, but I pull away, knowing that if I kiss her any more than a quick peck, I’ll have her pinned to the counter fucking her like my cock wants.
“Good morning, sleeping beauty. Did you sleep well?”
“Mm… very.”
I press another quick kiss to her lips. “Good. I made breakfast.”
She peeks around me and smiles when she sees the pile of pancakes and bacon. “My favorite! How’d you know?”
I chuckle. “Good guess. What little girl doesn’t like pancakes? And it takes a monster to not like bacon. And you’re no monster.”
Darlene lets out a little growl. “I could be a monster,” she says playfully, nipping at my shoulder.
“My fierce little monster. I do apologize.”
She laughs a full belly laugh. “You’re forgiven for the oversight. Thank goodness this monster loves bacon.”
I make her a plate and pour her a glass of juice. I set her place at the table, but when I sit down, she crawls into my lap instead. My cock throbs under her ass as she wriggles into a comfortable position.
I laugh when she pushes my plate to the side and pulls hers into place. “Comfortable?”
She turns and smirks at me, giving her bottom another little wiggle. “Very,” she says, then tucks into her food.
After breakfast, we both take a quick shower and make plans for the day. Since she’s new to the city, I decide to take her to the art museum. She wanders from painting to painting, getting more excited as she goes.
“Look at this one!” she says animatedly. “The colors and the brush strokes… You can practically feel what the artist felt when he painted it. I can feel his yearning for the woman in the painting. He must’ve loved her very much.”
I make a humming sound in agreement, thinking I’m starting to know how he felt because even though it’s been such a short time since I met Darlene, she’s already asserted herself into my heart. I can’t imagine a life without her in it. I should be scared at feeling this depth of emotion so quickly, but I can’t seem to find the fear. I feel nothing but excitement and desire.
I follow her through the whole museum, loving her enthusiasm. She shares her thoughts on just about every painting, even the ones she doesn’t like. I love how happy she is, and it pleases me that I was able to do this with her. Seeing her in her element is a sight to behold for sure. I can’t wait to see her work. I can tell just from her excitement that she’s got a great eye, and I can imagine how brilliantly that translates to her own art.
After the museum, I regretfully take her to her car. I offer her dinner, but she declines, saying she really needs to work on her curriculum for the week. Wanting to prove to her that I respect her time and her dedication to her career, I don’t argue. I simply kiss her silly and help her into her car. She drives off with a little wave, and I feel like I’m watching a piece of my heart drive away.
Chapter Seven
Darlene
Monday morning comes earlier than I wanted. I tossed and turned half the night last night. How is it that after just one night in Colt’s bed, I feel like my own bed is inadequate? I missed his arms wrapped around me and the warmth of his body against mine. All feelings that tell me I’m in big trouble when it comes to keeping him at arm’s length outside of the club.
The school is quiet when I get there. I came early to get my room prepared for my first class—a lecture on art history. I set up the prints of the Mona Lisa and Starry Night—two of my favorite paintings.
I’m writing notes on the whiteboard when a voice behind me startles me. “Good morning!”
I quickly turn, holding my hand to my heart at the scare. A portly man with a balding head stands in the doorway to my classroom. He’s wearing a plaid flannel shirt that’s tucked into a pair of slacks that are at least an inch too short for his stature. I force a smile to my face, not liking the way his eyes boldly trail up and down my body.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” he says with fake chagrin. “I didn’t get the chance to introduce myself last week.”
He walks across the room, his hand outstretched. I put my hand in his clammy one as he gives me a limp handshake. “I’m Levi Troy. I teach science.”
“Darlene Larson. Nice to meet you, Mr. Troy.”
He clicks his tongue. “Now, we don’t have to be so formal. Call me Levi.”
I give him a half-hearted nod, not wanting to be anything but formal with this man. Something about him has my creeper radar going off something fierce. Thankfully the first bell rings, and students start flooding into the room.
“Well, I better get to class to keep these idiots in line.”
I narrow my eyes and give him a disgusted look. How could a teacher think that his students are idiots? Why even become a teacher if you dislike kids? I shake my head without commenting. Thankfully he leaves quickly, and I don’t have to come up with any kind of response.
“Okay, class, settle down…”
The morning passes by in a blur, and before I know it, it’s lunchtime. The teacher’s lounge is nearly empty, aside from three other teachers whom I met last week. “Darlene!” Patty says with genuine enthusiasm. “How’s your second week going so far?”
“So far, so good. The students have all been well behaved after the little incident last week.”
Coach Lockwood chuckles. “I can imagine so. Todd and Leon aren’t enjoying their punishment very much and have warned the entire student body not to mess with you.”
I shake my head with a smirk. “Well, I guess it’s better to start off the semester with them afraid that I’m going to send them to Principal James than have them try to run roughshod all over me.”
Patty laughs, “Darn straight. There are some great kids here, but they definitely need to know who is boss. Some of them can get rowdy if they aren’t put in their place quickly.”
“She definitely did that,” a familiar voice says from behind me.
I turn and see Colt striding into the breakroom. He goes to the fridge and pulls out a dish, then warms it in the microwave. I look at our small table, seeing that the only empty chair is directly beside me. My body heats, and I can feel my nipples pebble beneath my shirt. I thank God that I’m wearing the matching jacket to my skirt; it does the job of hiding my instant attraction to Colt.
A small part of me
hopes that he’s going to take his lunch back to his office because surely there is no way that I can hide the desire to touch him every time he’s near. A larger, greedy part of me wants him to sit next to me. To walk up and claim my lips and mark me as his right here in front of everyone. I push that part of me down because that’s crazy. It’s the exact opposite of what I want him to do.
He sits down, and nothing happens. I don’t self-combust. I don’t throw myself at him and kiss him like crazy. He just sits beside me with a benign smile, the same smile he gives the rest of the teachers. My heart clenches, and I hate it even though it’s exactly what I asked for.
“So what did you do this weekend, Miss Larson?” Colt asks. “Stayed out of trouble, I hope.”
I choke on the sip of water I just took at his question. His big hand is instantly on my back, rubbing and patting as I cough. He gives me a worried, but knowing look. I clear my throat, trying to get my bearings.
“My weekend was okay. I went to the art museum. Nothing exciting,” I say with a smirk just for him.
“Oh really?” he says, returning my smirk with a sly grin of his own.
“Yep.”
“You really should check out the downtown historical museum if you like museums; it’s amazing,” Patty says with enthusiasm.
“Or the aquarium,” Melinda says quietly. “I love going there.” She blushes bright red when she realizes that she’s gathered the attention of all of us. I’ve noticed in the short time that I’ve known Melinda that she’s incredibly soft-spoken and shy around her colleagues, but in front of her class, she’s loud and in charge. A total juxtaposition if ever there was one.
“Oh, I love aquariums,” I say excitedly.
I look at Colt, and he smiles at me, giving me an imperceptible nod, which tells me he’s making a note of it. Excitement courses through me at the thought of spending another day with him. I jump in my seat when his hand surreptitiously rests on my thigh under the table. He lightly squeezes, and I barely bite back my moan at the forbidden touch.
Outwardly, he’s being a perfect gentleman, following the rules I set for him. Keeping our secret. Inwardly, he’s obviously struggling with the confines enough to bend the rules. I put my hand on top of his, giving him a warning squeeze. His hand turns, and he threads his fingers through mine, briefly squeezing them before releasing me.
That small connection cements my knowledge that I’m in deep with Colton James. He’s going to steal my heart, and I’ll just have to hope that he’ll be careful with it.
The rest of the day moves slower than the first half. My kids are good but getting them to focus on their projects is like herding cats with a water hose. Impossible. I’m cleaning up for the day when there is a rap on the doorframe. I turn with a smile, suspecting it’s Colt… I’m disappointed when I realize it’s Levi.
“Come to dinner with me,” he asks without any preamble. Though saying he asked is a bit of a stretch since he actually demanded it.
I try to smile, but I have a feeling the look on my face reads more like disgust than friendly. “Sorry, I’ve already got plans tonight.”
Like scrubbing toilets with my toothbrush, I think to myself. Something that is much more appealing than going anywhere with him.
He tsks. “Tomorrow then.”
I shake my head. “I don’t date co-workers,” I say with fake sadness.
“Who said it had to be a date,” he says with a raise of his bushy eyebrows. He licks his dry lips and looks me up and down in a slimy way that makes my skin crawl. “Just a little fun between colleagues.”
“Sorry… I don’t do that either.”
There is a soft knock on the door, and Melinda comes in. “Are you ready?” she asks shyly, coming to my rescue.
I give her a grateful smile and grab my things. “Yes, I’m starving!”
I follow her out to the parking lot, and she turns, looking back at the building with disgust. “Sorry for stepping in back there…”
“No, thank you for stepping in, seriously. Dinner is on me tonight,” I say with a smile.
“Oh,” she says with wide eyes. “I didn’t mean… you don’t have to…”
I give her a kind smile. “I want to. It’s the least I can do for you being my knight in shining armor.”
That gets a real laugh from her. “Mr. Troy is a real piece of work. Definitely avoid him if you can.”
“That’s my new goal in life,” I agree. “Now, how about pizza? I think we deserve something nice and greasy after that.”
Melinda gives me the scoop on all of the teachers as we eat. I notice she mentions Coach Lockwood several times, and if I’m not mistaken, it’s with a dreamy smile on her face. I’m guessing there’s something there, even if she doesn’t know it yet. The way he looked at her at lunch made it seem like he was ready to eat her for lunch instead of his food.
“Principal James is a whole other thing altogether,” Melinda says, taking a bite of her pizza. She chews so slowly I could strangle her for leaving me hanging.
“What about Principal James?” I somehow manage to keep my tone calm and collected when, in reality, I’m chomping at the bit for any little piece of information she might divulge.
“Well, first of all, he’s got the whole silver fox thing going for him. All the single female staffers want him, but he doesn’t pay them the time of day. He’s respectful of his position at the school.” She shrugs. “I mean, I don’t see the draw, but everyone else seems to go gaga when they are around him.”
“Huh…” I can’t seem to come up with a better response as jealousy courses through me at the idea of dozens of women throwing themselves at my daddy.
Oh crap. Did I just stake a claim on Colt? I think I did. Which means I’m already in deep with him. I really do want more than just weekends at the club. I should be freaking out, but I’m not. The only thing I feel is desire for him. In fact, I’m kicking myself for not getting his phone number. Maybe I could stop by his place? Would that be terribly forward of me? He’s the one who was upfront about wanting more than just time at the club.
I push those thoughts aside and enjoy the rest of my meal with my new friend. I can worry about the rest later. For now, I’m going to relax and eat my greasy pizza and laugh about the time Coach Lockwood dressed down the entire marching band for groaning over doing halftime in the rain, then promptly slipped on the wet grass, nearly falling to his butt.
Chapter Eight
Colt
I stay at the school longer than normal doing paperwork and sending emails. People don’t realize how much work being the principal of a school can be. It’s not all punishing students for being bad and making sure that the teachers are on track with their curriculums. Once I’ve fully caught up on everything, and there isn’t a single thing left to do, I decide to head to the gym and get in a workout.
One of the perks of working at Thurston Academy is the top-notch gym on-site that I have twenty-four-hour access to as the principal. I’m not surprised to see Cooper lifting weights. He might be an ex-football player, but he hasn’t let himself go soft now that he’s a high school gym coach. No, he’s as fit as he was when he played for Pittsburg all those years ago.
“Hey, Coop,” I greet, walking to the treadmill for my warmup.
“You’re here late.”
“I had a shit ton of paperwork to catch up on and decided to work out my frustration before heading home.” By frustration, I mean sexual frustration. I love my job and all that it entails… it’s the sexual tension and the desire to head straight for Darlene’s apartment once I leave here that I need to work out of my system.
I set the treadmill to a faster pace than my standard warmup, starting at a flat outrun. After a few minutes, I up the speed until my mind is cleared of everything except my muscles' stretch and pull as my feet rise and fall.
I’m sweating profusely by the time I finally slow the speed for my cooldown. I move on to weights and realize that I’m alone. Cooper must’
ve noticed that I wasn’t good company and gave me the privacy I obviously needed.
I lift until my muscles burn, but my need to be near Darlene hasn’t eased at all. Just that innocent touch under the lunch table today was enough to drive me insane. I shower off and head home. Barely keeping my steadfast resolve to stay away from her as I turn the opposite direction of her home.
I make it ten minutes before texting her, and I’m honestly surprised I lasted that long.
Chapter Nine
Darlene
My phone pings on my way home, and I wonder who it is. No one here has my number and Charity would still be at cheer practice so it can’t be her. I wait until I’m inside my apartment to check it. I pull out my phone and see the text is from ‘daddy.’
Thinking about you, is all it says.
I smile, not even upset that at some point this weekend he managed to add his phone number into my contacts without me knowing. I kick off my shoes and put on some cozy clothes before responding. My mind going over dozens of things to say, but only one thing keeps running through my mind… how much I miss him.
I miss you, daddy.
No sooner than I’ve sent the message, my phone rings. My heart skips a beat, and a warm lightness spreads through my body.
“Hello,” I greet.
“Hi, babygirl. I don’t like you missing me when we could be together,” he growls.
I know how he feels, which is the only explanation for my next words. “You could always come see me,” I offer, feeling bold.
“What about the rules?” he asks warily as if he doesn’t trust that I know what I’m asking for.
I do. Even though I’m skating a fine line between keeping things casual and at the club or at the very least keeping our relationship out of the weekday grind, I can’t seem to find it in me to care. I’m realizing that just because it’s a school night doesn’t mean we can’t be together. We’re not at work, and no one will know. Why deny ourselves?
Teaching His Babygirl Page 5
