Page 68 of Hope & Harmony

I back away, heading toward my door. “I…I don’t want to lose you as a teacher. But I’m afraid I don’t share your feelings, Professor.”

He walks to the door. He cups my cheek, thumbing my lower lip.

It feels all kinds of wrong.

I brush his hand away. “Please go.”

He nods and walks out the door without another word.

I close it behind him.

Then I slide, still in my red velvet gown, my back against the door, down to the floor.

I think about Gunnar’s kiss.

And I feel like Professor Morgan tainted it in some way.

As if, when he touched my lip, he negated what Gunnar and I shared.

I swallow.

I may have just lost my teacher, right when I need him the most. But he’s against the collaboration with Gunnar and Sarah. And there’s no way I can share a small studio space with him after he declared his love for me. At least not for a while. We both need some time to cool our jets and move past it.

In the meantime, I’ll find another teacher. I’m sure Opera Livingston will have some recommendations.

And before that, I’ll meet Sarah tomorrow, and I’ll start working on this new project.

I take a shower and get ready for bed. I’m halfway through my skincare regimen when I hear a knock on the door.

My heart skips a beat. It’s far too late for company.

I slowly walk to the door. Shivers skitter over my entire body. Why didn’t I insist that my landlord install a peephole when I moved into this place?

Another knock. I’m close enough to the door to feel its reverberation.

I ignore it. Whoever it is will get the message. He’ll go away.

But another knock, and another. Then, “Blaire, please.”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath in.

And I open the door.

CHAPTER 7

GUNNAR

I arrive early at Sarah’s office.

I spent the entire night tossing and turning, unable to get Blaire’s kiss out of my mind.

All I could think about was how her lips felt against mine, how the softness of her curves felt against my chest.

The receptionist gestures me to go on back, and I knock on Sarah’s office door.

“Come on in,” she calls.

I walk in. Sarah’s seated at her desk. On the other side of the desk is a young woman with platinum blond hair and high cheekbones.

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