“Is that really what you thought of me?”
Bree laughed, but I could tell by her eyes that it wasn’t out of humor. “Coming from the man that thought I was the one that supplied the school with secrets about us. That’s rich, Axel.”
“In case you’ve conveniently forgotten, I tried to turn you down. I tried to put an end to it. You’re the one that wouldn’t let me. You’re the one that pursued me and said you needed it. So how in the world could you possibly think that about me?”
Her eyes scanned the ceiling tiles above us. “Insecurity, I guess.”
“Like I said…we have a lot to move past. I don’t think it’s impossible.”
“We’ve destroyed each other in some way. Why would you even want to be with me again? After all we’ve been through, why in the hell does it seem like a good idea for us to try again?”
I reached for her hand, barely holding on to her fingertips but craving the connection. “We didn’t destroy each other, Aubrey. Society and circumstance did. I know better than anyone how devastating the end was for us, but put that aside for a moment and think back to before that happened. Remember how we were in the months prior to it all imploding? We were good together. Great. And I know we could be even better now that we’re older.”
“I know,” she whispered, lowering her head until her chin touched her chest.
“So why not try?”
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t try. I only need time to work some things out first. I won’t push you away while I sort everything out, but please allow me enough space to do this on my own.” Her sad eyes finally met mine, and I had no choice but to believe her. “But there’s a very real chance I will be the one to hurt you.”
I smiled, despite the fact that her lips remained flat. “I highly doubt that’s possible, Bree.”
She nodded and took a deep breath. With the slight hold I had on her fingers, I pulled her into my chest, wrapping my arms around her, holding her tightly against me. It only took a second before she circled my waist with her arms and relaxed her body against mine.
“Just so you know…I’ve always had a fantasy involving you, my desk, and a whole lot of moaning,” I teased into her hair.
She leaned back and smiled, the comfortable easiness we always shared returning. The way her top lip nearly disappeared proved her happiness was genuine. God, she was always so easy to read. I loved that about her.
Her hands caressed my cheeks before sliding into my hair. “I don’t know how I feel about the short hair,” she said as she studied me. “I couldn’t grab onto it the other night. I liked pulling on it before.”
My abs clenched with a short laugh. “I know. How could I forget the way you held onto it like reins. Nearly yanked out every single strand. But since we’re being honest about hair…I don’t know how I feel about the brown.” I twisted a lock of her hair around my fingers, enjoying the silky texture. “I’ve always loved the red.”
“Well, I hated it. And I’m so glad Ayla didn’t get it.”
I pictured her daughter in my mind, thinking about her features. “She has some really blond hair,” I said with a chuckle. “But I have to admit, I don’t really think she looks very much like you. Are you sure you didn’t kidnap her?”
Bree laughed and pushed away from me. “I’ve always worried that people would think that, but I can assure you, she’s mine. She is an even mix of me and her father. Perfectly balanced.” Her eyes twinkled with a tenderness that felt like a punch in the chest to witness.
I didn’t want to think of the boy who had Bree, the one who gave her a child. I didn’t want to think about his genes merging with Aubrey’s, creating a perfect baby. But if I wanted to make this work between us, that meant Ayla would be part of the equation as well, and with that, I’d have to accept Aubrey’s previous union.
“Speaking of Ayla…I’m going to ask the office if they can move her into another class,” Bree said, pulling me out of my thoughts. “I don’t think it’s right for you to be her teacher.”
“You can’t do that, Bree. There has to be a really big reason for them to pull a kid from a class and move them in the middle of the school year. Plus that would be really hard on her.”
“It’s not the middle. It’s only the beginning of October. And if you want us to be together, it’s only fair. I’m sure the school wouldn’t want you dating a student’s parent.” She spoke with very even-toned logic. However, it infuriated me.
“Doing that will ruin any chance I have at a permanent job here. One week in and a parent is already requesting a class change? No. Absolutely not. You’re right, they wouldn’t care for a teacher dating a parent, but it’s not against policy. What’s more damaging is if you request a transfer.”
“We’ve played with the lines once before, Axel, and we both got burned. This time, the situation involves my daughter, and I will not allow her to be caught in the crossfire. If you want this, then we have to play by the rules.”
I dipped my head and ran my fingers through my hair, attempting to calm down my racing heart and see her logic. “Fine. I agree with you. But you said yourself that you need time to figure it out. Can we just wait until that point before making any decisions regarding school? For all we know, her teacher will come back and then this will be a moot issue. You’ve asked for time and I’ve agreed. So now, I’m asking for the same thing.”
She pulled her shoulders back and nodded. Her pursed lips showed me that she didn’t like it, but at least she’d agreed with me. “Fine. But the moment we decide to take this thing between us seriously, and commit to being with each other, I’m going to the school office to request a change if you’re still in this class.”
“I’ll go to them myself.” It was a lie meant to make me look good. Just the thought of going to the school office and requesting a student’s transfer because I was dating her mom made me nauseous. But at least I didn’t have to make the call then. I still had time to figure out a way around it.
“Okay then. It seems like we’ve got everything figured out.”
“I still want to bend you over my desk, Miss Jacobs,” I teased, hoping to lighten the air around us. Although, I wasn’t really joking. I really did want to take her again, not sure I’d ever have my fill of her.
“Keep your thoughts to yourself, Mr. Taylor.”
“I think we broke those rules years ago.”
She winked and turned around to leave, stopping at the door. “Parent-teacher conferences are coming up. Make sure my meeting is the last one of the day.” And then she vanished, leaving me standing still in front of my desk with an impossibly hard dick.
Between Bree’s job and her father being released from the hospital, we hadn’t spent much time together since her visit to my classroom. Her dad was released Saturday, so she’d taken the night off work to help him settle in at home. She then spent the entire day on Sunday at his house, so I didn’t get to hear from her until she called later that night after Ayla had gone to bed.
“What’s the deal with your stepmom?” I asked, wondering why she needed so much help from Bree and her sister.
“Robin suffers from severe migraines. She has to get Botox injections every three months to calm them. When she has flare-ups, they’re debilitating. However, for a week after she gets the injection, she suffers from a continuous headache. It’s not quite a migraine, but it’s enough to knock her down. She doesn’t drive when she’s like that, and stress only exacerbates them. Because of the wedding, she pushed the treatment back, not wanting to chance the headaches that weekend. So Monday morning, she went in for the injections. Dad’s accident set off a massive migraine, and she’s been suffering ever since. That’s why she’s had to rely on me and Sarah, since Clarissa is still on her honeymoon. I feel bad because we haven’t even been able to get ahold of Clari.”