Chapter 14 Watching Harmony squirm throughout my class had to be the most delicious sight in the world. I worked through the lesson plan on autopilot, answering questions and asking my own without really hearing the answers. It was a shameful way to conduct class, but my ability to compartmentalize helped me disassociate the two. "Now. Who can interpret this phrase?" I ran my blue marker along the board, underlining the Italian poem I'd written earlier. A hand raised, and as much as I hoped it would be Harmony, when I turned, it was the girl behind her who waved at me. I pointed the marker in her direction. "Yes, Miss Kirkwood?" "For all the hearts, in all the years, it is among the stars where I find you." Her blue eyes went soft as she clasped her hands beneath her chin. "Correct." Her words and pronunciation were on point, but it was Harmony's voice I wished to hear. Should things be different, I would hear her whisper my language into my ear in the depths of night. I would hear her cry out my name in that luscious voice she hid. According to Matthew, if we truly wanted to hear her, we needed her to sing. I had a different song in mind than one appropriate for an audience beyond my best friends. Too risky. I walked back and forth along the front row. Harmony tracked my movements until I turned and scanned the group. "Language is often considered a barrier. How can we speak to one another if we cannot understand the language?" The question brought confused looks among my students. Seemed it was more than language that created barriers. I checked my watch and raised both hands. "Excellent class, everyone. It's been wonderful." I locked eyes with Harmony. "Miss Vogel, do you have a minute?" Every time I'd even glanced her way, she'd ducked her head and concentrated on her work. Without her computer or notebook to hide behind, she stared at the floor while approaching my desk. "Yes?" Her barely audible question stirred that protective instinct I'd worked so hard to control. We were all feeling it, especially after last night. "I'd like to discuss your work." I allowed the response to carry to the students lingering around the door. I gave no indication of her grades. It was none of their damned business. Her head rose enough for me to see her eyes. "I have an idea how to help with your tests." I walked backward, doing my best to hold her gaze. She flushed and held onto her bag. The sight of her blushing cheeks went straight to my cock. It was 100 percent wrong of me, but I imagined locking the door and inviting her to join me in my office. By the time I finished with her, she wouldn't have any trouble looking me in the eye. Which brought up an important discussion I'd considered avoiding. Once the room cleared, I motioned for her to come closer. "You mentioned your struggles with taking tests, and it made me think about the ticking clock. I'm considering a new testing technique that would remove time limits from test taking." Her stranglehold on the bag eased. "I'd like that." "I thought so. Being pressed for time is my least favorite aspect of class." I loved taking my time, especially when it came to Harmony. Her gaze slid past me, an adorable blush causing her freckles to pop along her nose. "Is there anything else?" "I want to do a trial run. You'll be alone, able to test at your own pace. No distractions." Fuck. Every word out of my mouth conjured illicit images of Harmony in varying stages of my very imaginative dreams. The elephant in the room I'd meant to discuss turned into a rock-hard cock that pressed into my zipper and all but begged for a minute alone with Harmony. I palmed my crotch while sitting in the leather chair and crossing my ankle over my knee. It did very little to hide my erection, but it would have to do. Students walked past my door, the flood slowing to a trickle, then to emptiness. "Thank you for taking the extra time and giving me a chance to improve my grade." She wore a pinched expression and sounded like she was reading from an instruction manual. The contradiction to her soft curves covered in jeans and a cropped shirt with a picture of red lips on the front did a number on my psyche. I'd never had this kind of attraction to anyone, much less a woman as young as Harmony. "I'll need you to be honest about the trial test. If it doesn't help, you need to tell me." I sat forward, propping my elbow on the desk. Harmony squirmed in her seat and pulled the bag into her lap. It was a self-conscious move I'd noted in her several times. What made her so shy? The sudden need to know more about her, to understand her, created a split of priorities. "I think it will work. It's a good plan." Her smile started with a slow sweep of her hand down her cheek to brush hair away from her eyes. The quirk in her lips turned into a grin that I matched. "But I'll let you know if it doesn't help." "Good." She stood and turned. "Harmony, wait." I risked touching her hand, my heart in my throat at the potential exposure should anyone walk by. "Can you stay for a minute?" She shot a look at the door, then at me. "I have class, but yeah, I can spare a minute." What could have only been a second stretched into infinity as her fingers curled around mine in a light squeeze. What was she doing to me? Stephen's breakdown last night was one thing. Matthew's insightful responses another. They both might try and deny their feelings, and I had refused to admit mine to them. It did not change the fact that I treasured every moment with Harmony. "I feel like we left a few things unresolved." I brushed my thumb over her knuckles, enjoying the way her fingers tightened ever so slightly. How was I supposed to let her go when she lit me up from the inside out? "Pretty sure we said everything we needed to say. One-time thing. Right?" Maybe it was just me, but I swore she meant it as a question, and a bloom of hope burst wide open in my chest. This was my chance, and I'd be damned if I was going to ignore it. "That's what we said. I'm not sure it's possible to hold up my end of the bargain." Her beautiful eyes shone bright, the brows drawing together in her confusion. "What do you mean? You'll get in trouble. I don't want that. I couldn't stand the thought of any of you getting in trouble because of me." I fell a little bit in love with her as she tried to protect us. "We don't want you in trouble either. You have as much to lose as us." "It was incredible though." She said it in a burst of breath, almost like it came out against her will. Her flushing cheeks confirmed it. "What about your feelings? You said you had a crush on me." I wasn't trying to fish for a compliment or her agreement unless she truly meant it. But I had to know the truth of it all. "Last night was incredible. And that's why I'm not sure I can be satisfied with one time." It was the most honest I'd been with a woman in any kind of relationship. We'd had sex. She didn't owe me anything, especially not what I'd call a relationship. But the thread of attraction between us had too much potential to ignore. "My feelings haven't changed." She withdrew her hand from mine and pushed it into her hair, sweeping a few errant strands behind her ears. "If anything, they've grown stronger." A light laugh shook her shoulders. "I didn't think that was possible either, but after what we shared, it's like there's a whole new world of experiences and feelings unlocked deep inside." She put words to the exact thing I'd been feeling. It was why I'd indulged the conversation with Stephen and Matthew last night but not given them my reassurances that I'd stop. "What the four of us did ..." Another head shake dislodged the hair she'd moved moments ago. It fell around her cheeks in silken strands that begged for me to pull her closer. Her voice dropped lower, barely a whisper. "I've never experienced anything like last night. I know you've shared women before, but that was new for me." "One woman." I held up a single finger. "But it was different. Last night was the best night of my life." I felt no shame in admitting that to her. Loving women came easy to me. I'd learned how to please them and gain pleasure in return. But last night surprised me. "Which brings me to my original question." One eyebrow arched, but she remained loose-limbed and curious. It was that curiosity that had drawn me to her in the first place. She took in the world through her youth and vigor, and she appreciated every moment. I'd seen her in class, listening and weighing in when she felt she had something to say. She wasn't frivolous or careless with her words. And yes, she was beautiful, with a face like an angel. Secondary attributes to a beautiful mind and heart. "Would you be willing to come to the house and discuss things further?" "Your house?" I nodded. "I share a penthouse with Stephen and Matthew. We could get together in a safe environment and talk about possibilities." Say yes. The desire to be with her again created an eddy of heat in my stomach. My muscles clenched. I'd accept a no without hesitation, but I prayed she'd say yes. "You want to talk about it? As in, consider the four of us having sex again?" She wore a slightly bewildered expression. "Am I dreaming?" "If you are, then so am I, and I do not want to wake up." I managed to keep my hands to myself, refusing to give in to the urge to touch her in case she thought I wanted to coerce her into saying yes. Her pulse thudded in her neck, a delicate vein showing her excited emotions. "I'd like that. When?" "Tonight. Seven o'clock?" Only after she nodded did I take her hands in mine and brush my lips over hers. The balance between propriety and the risk of getting caught blurred. Harmony leaned forward, her breasts brushing against my chest as she raised her lips for a second kiss. I gave in with a heady rush that set my body on fire. This woman had me enraptured. One word from her and I'd give up anything, everything. It was dangerous feeling this way. Fuck if I cared. Her warm lips smoothed under mine, opening to allow me to deepen the kiss. I swept my tongue into her mouth, drawing her close enough to wrap my arms around her waist with a quick squeeze before I released her. "I'll see you tonight." Eyes heavy and glazed, she touched her fingertips to her lips and took a step back. "Tonight." With that, she turned and walked away. My heart pummeled my ribs so hard they nearly cracked. Harmony agreed to meet with us. One obstacle overcome. Two more to go. Stephen would not be happy with me. Matthew ... he could go either way. I reminded myself that just because she'd agreed to meet and talk didn't mean we were going to fall into bed together. Oh, but the things I'd do to her in bed. A single mother returns to the city she left seven years ago after breaking up with her ex to seek treatment for her son’s leukemia. Upon learning of her return, the ex immediately searches for the lo...