"At one time or another," I say, and then pause to take a sip of my coffee. "He doesn't single me out, though. We all fail to measure up in one way or another. He's left me alone this year because he's been focused on Cadence. She stood up to him by refusing to give her kids more homework every night. He didn't like it." I grimace. "I guess my luck ran out yesterday."
"You think he'll target you because of me?"
"You don't think he will?" I shoot him a disbelieving look and pick up my muffin again. "You put him in his place in front of me, Sebastian. He hates to have his authority questioned or to look foolish in front of anyone. I think he has a small penis."
"I was concerned about that," Sebastian admits, his expression grim.
"You were?" I blink, surprised. I didn't think men thought about other men's penises.
"Not about his cock," Sebastian mutters, shaking his head at me like it's my fault he agreed with me. What was I supposed to think? "If he targets you, I want to know about it. He may have gotten away with being a bully before, but that's over now."
"Please don't fire him because of me."
Sebastian blinks at me, going stock still. "You think I'd fire him for upsetting you?"
"Yes? No?" I throw up my hands, accidentally sending my muffin flying across the room. It sails across the office, smacking into the door. The muffin breaks apart upon impact, crumbling into a mess in the floor. "Oh, jeez."
Sebastian looks at it and then chuckles.
"Why is it always me?" I groan, laying my head on the desk like an overwhelmed, melodramatic student. "I swear, God made me a hot mess on purpose."
I hear Sebastian moving around, but I don't lift my head to look at him. My cheeks are probably bright red. He's so cool and collected all the time. Meanwhile, I'm accidentally launching muffins across the room. It's ridiculous!
A couple seconds later, I feel him moving closer to me. Energy hums to life all up and down my body right before I feel him lay his hand on my back and rub.
"I love that you're a hot mess," he says, his voice soft. "It's fucking adorable."
"Easy for you to say," I huff, lifting my head to glare at him. "You're not the one embarrassing yourself every five minutes."
"Baby." His lips twitch, but to his credit, he doesn't laugh at me. "I'm pretty sure I'm the one who was so stunned by you that I just stood there and let you run right into me. I'm also pretty sure I'm the one who was trying to hide an erection before you ever opened your mouth." His lips lift into a mischievous smile. "I'm also the one who was digging for any little tidbit about you during my meeting with Leslie Holland yesterday."
"You were?"
He nods. "She thought it was hilarious and didn't tell me shit."
"I like her."
"The feeling is mutual, Paradise."
"Oh! Why Paradise? You said to ask you today."
He grins at me, running his hand up my back to plunge it into my hair. He uses his hold on me to tip my head back. My body heats, responding instantly to the dominance in that move. The way he moves me like I'm his to do with as he pleases is way hotter than I ever thought it would be.
"Because," he says, his gaze locked on mine. Desire peeps from the dark depths of his eyes, searing me. "You're as close to heaven on Earth as I'll ever get, Rowan."
Oh, wow.
"I want to kiss you again."
"You should do that then," I whisper, staring at his lips, remembering how they feel pressed against mine. How he tastes. The little sounds of satisfaction he makes.
"Can't," he growls, his hand tightening in my hair just enough to make it sting. "I'm not going to start off breaking promises to you, baby."
"Oh." I pout, unable to help myself. I love that he wants to keep his promises to me even though part of me really hates that I extracted said promise. Sometimes, I have really stupid ideas.
"Come find me after the final bell rings and I'll kiss you again."
"Okay," I agree, winning another panty-melting smile from him.
His hold on my hair loosens and then falls away. He sends butterflies into flight in my stomach when he immediately sets about trying to fix it for me, smoothing it out as best he can. My mind drifts to Principal Johnson and the conversation we didn't finish.
"Would you fire Johnson because of me?" I ask, more curious than anything.
His hands pause in my hair before slowly resuming his task. "I feel…possessive of you," he admits, like it's a question he's never had to ask himself before now. "Protective. It infuriates me that he treats you the way he does."
"Oh," I whisper.
"But if I fire him, it'll be because his behavior demanded it," he says, turning me to face him. "I would never put you in that position, Paradise. I know how much this job means to you and how much you mean to the kids here. If we decide that Johnson has to go, it'll be because it's what is best for the school. Not because of you. Are we clear?"
"Yes, sir."
"Fuck, I love the way you say that." He drops his hands from my hair, adjusting his cock. His eyes are dark again, glazed with need. "I want to hear it while you're naked and on your knees, agreeing to let me do kinky shit to you."
"What kind of kinky stuff?"
"Nothing you won't enjoy, pretty Paradise," he promises, reaching out to touch my bottom lip. Before I can stop myself, I touch my tongue to his finger and then rake my teeth across the pad of it. He growls my name, sending a flood of desire through me.
I smile, pleased by his reaction. He's definitely as caught up in this as I am. That thought excites me way more than it should. We should take this slow and be careful…but I don't want to do that. I want this man to teach me every dirty thing he knows.
"The kids will be arriving soon," he says, regret heavy in his tone.
I glance at the clock hanging on the wall above the empty bookcases and realize that he's right. We've been in our own little world in here for almost an hour. "I should get to my classroom."
"Have lunch with me today?"
"I can't. I'm on lunchroom duty."
"Then I'll take lunchroom duty with you."
"Have you ever done lunchroom duty for a bunch of little kids?"
"No." He picks me up from my chair, placing me on my feet. "I taught high school."
"What subject?"