Page 18 of Classroom Confessions

“That you slept with him.” The thought of her with David created a hollow feeling in my gut. He was a great guy. We’d been friends for a long time. This… thing with Rebecca, it could ruin our friendship. How could all three of us have feelings for the same woman? Was it the thrill of her being a student that finally caught up to us? We’d been warned last year that it would happen sooner or later. Either students would come onto us, or we’d find ourselves drunk on the power of our position. It couldn’t be either of those things. Not like this.

The pet store lights clicked off one by one, leaving the parking lot cloaked in shadow.

Rebecca hugged her elbows to her stomach. “What all did he say?” Fitz yipped from inside the car, and she reached through the open window to pat him on the head. He sat in his little seat with his head up and ears perked forward.

I could tell her a lie and end all of this. I could make her so mad at David that she’d never speak to him again. On the same note, she could become so angry that she reported him. “Nothing. He hasn’t said anything except that neither of you knew.” The truth came easily, as did the surge of emotion when Rebecca’s sigh whispered over the empty space between us.

“Is that a problem? That I’ve slept with David? It doesn’t change my feelings for all three of you.” She said it so quietly that I almost missed it.

What a mess. What was I supposed to say? No, of course. I was supposed to say that we couldn’t pursue any of these feelings. Tamping down the desperate need to comfort her, I focused on the truth. I wanted her.

9

REBECCA

What did I think I’d accomplish by confronting my feelings for Cole? He stood in front of me, thoughts racing across his face too fast for me to figure out. He knew about me and David. Nerves fluttered harder with every second he didn’t answer me.

“I don’t care.” He breathed deep through his nose and met my gaze straight on without flinching. “Follow me home, and I’ll show just how much I don’t care.”

Wait. What? “I thought…” I trailed off

Cole stepped back toward his truck. “I understand if you don’t want to. But the invitation stands.”

“No. I want to.” I lurched forward, almost throwing myself into his arms before I remembered the employees might be watching us from inside the pet store. “What about Fitz?” I had to ask, because asking the real question on my mind, why he’d risk his career for me, refused to come out of my mouth.

“He’s welcome too. He can stay with the puppies. The house is dog friendly.” Cole jingled his keys in his pocket. “I’d better go. Pretty sure I just saw the cashier peek out the side door.”

“I’ll be right behind you.” I kept my voice low, the promise firm. I wanted this, and so did Cole. Maybe once we’d had sex, I could put him out of my mind. Impossible, but I had to try something because the alternative held absolutely zero appeal. And it wasn’t like any of them were looking for a long-term thing with me. A little fun never hurt anyone.

I climbed into my car and checked on Fitz while Cole pulled out of the parking lot. What would sex with him be like? I’d never compare him to David, but curiosity kept me daydreaming possibilities until we pulled into a short drive and parked in front of a cute white house. I spotted a large back yard through the fencing and reached back to unclip Fitz from his car carrier. “You’d love a place like that, wouldn’t you?”

He spun in a circle and bounced up to lick my chin.

Cole carried the dog food and supplies up onto the porch and unlocked the door.

My stomach somersaulted. I’d only thought I was nervous before, but I made myself open the car door and carry Fitz up to the porch.

We stepped into the dim interior, and Cole paused with the door open, his hand on the knob. “If you change your mind at any point, say so. I don’t want you to have any regrets.” The low, genuine tone and concern in his face sent me up onto my tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

“I’m sure.” I took the door from him, closing and locking it before I lowered Fitz to the floor and risked a quick peek around. I’d expected the typical bachelor pad, but I should have known better. Bookcases lined the back wall, each of them full of an assortment of books. I tipped my head to read a few of the spines and found a bit of everything from math textbooks to Sci-Fi novels. A TV hung on the wall in front of the couch. The floors were clean, no dust on the tables, and no empty food containers or dirty dishes in sight.

Fitz ran around, sniffing the corners and checking everything within sight. Once he deemed it fit, he flopped down on the rug under the coffee table and settled his head on his paws.

“Well, Fitz approves.” I tried to make myself laugh or to sound light and airy, but I sounded more like a strangled cat. Why was I so nervous?

Cole took my hand and brought it up to his lips. He caressed each knuckle, the heat of his lips sending shivers of need through my body. When he flipped my hand over and kissed the pulse point on my wrist, I melted into him.

“I’m not the kind of man who hurries, Rebecca.” He lowered his head to mine and skated his lips over my cheek.

I shivered at the touch and turned my head to capture his lips. I could handle slow.

Cole explored my lips, and when I parted for him, he slid his tongue into my mouth with a careful sigh. He held my waist with both hands, his thumbs moving back and forth over a sliver of exposed skin between my jeans and shirt. That simple touch was enough to stoke the fire of need between my legs. I wanted more of him. I thought I could handle slow, but there was a sudden urgency driving me forward. I worked my hands beneath his shirt and stroked the flat planes of his abdomen before skimming over his hips. Muscles ridged either side of his spine, and they flexed beneath my fingertips when he pulled my hips flush against his. The hard outline of his cock pressing into me drove my excitement higher.

Breaking off the kiss, he took my hand and led me down the hall and into his bedroom. Dark colors covered the bed, adding depth to the room. I barely registered the off-white walls and tan curtains before he reached for me again.

“I know you said slow, but I don’t know how much longer I can wait.” I gripped his shirt and tugged it up over his head. His body was the kind of masterpiece that made sculptures weep. Perfect tone and musculature drew my gaze from his face to his chest, and then lower to the thick bulge of his dick. I licked my lower lip and a desperate, whimpering sound escaped my throat.

Cole cupped my breasts through my shirt, squeezing and stroking my hardened nipples. “What do you want, Rebecca?”

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