Page 21 of Perfect Harmony

“Bye.”

Chapter Four

“Thank you again, Connor. The kids lovedthe toothpaste.” Addison stepped into the hallway with him and shut herclassroom door.

Connor laughed. “Yeah, I don’t think theywere as impressed with me as they were with Gideon.”

“It’s hard to top a guy with a badge and agun,” Addison said.

“True,” Connor said. “I’d better go. IsPreacher still coming for three?”

“Honestly? Probably not,” Addie said. “Ithink he just said he would come because of how Harrison reacted to the idea.”

“You never know,” Connor said. “He mightactually want to spend half an hour with a bunch of little kids who -”

“Ms. Moore?” Sarah Beckerson, the gradeeight office volunteer sounded nervous and unsure.

Addison turned around, the reason for Sarah’snervousness becoming instantly clear. Preacher was walking behind her, and hislarge tattooed body seemed even more menacing when it was surrounded by children’sdrawings plastered on the walls. He carried what looked like a large fishingtackle box in one hand, and the tight black t-shirt he was wearing was stretchedacross his wide chest.

Addison swallowed hard. What she wasfeeling was not lust, she told herself. It absolutely, one hundred percent wasnot lust. Preacher wasn’t just some silly town bad boy that a good girl likeher could pretend she might want to sleep with.

No, he was much more than that. He was…well, he was forbidden and dangerous and everything mothers warned theirdaughters about.

Don’t forget sexy as hell.

She ignored her inner voice. She didn’tfind Preacher sexy. Women like her weren’t attracted to men like him. They fellin love and built their lives with nice, safe, good men like Harrison. Men whowere always respectful and polite, and who you could bring home to your parentswithout worrying what they’d think.

Women like her did not secretly fantasizeabout a man like Preacher and what it might be like to ride on the back of hisbike. Or what it might feel like to ride something else that belonged toPreacher.

You sure about that, Addie?

She was positive. And if in the lastcouple of months, she’d had the odd strange dream or maybe –maybe– thetiniest fantasy about what it would be like to kiss Preacher, to have those bighands of his pushing her thighs apart, to let him take what he wanted from herwhile she dug her nails into his back and begged for more… well, that was justa wonky part of her brain acting out because of the stress of planning awedding with a mostly absent fiancé.

“Ms. Moore, they told me to bring him toyour classroom.” Sarah looked like she might ask Addie to blink twice if shewas in danger.

“Thank you, Sarah,” Addison said.

With a final glance at Preacher, Sarahreturned to the office.

“Hey, Preacher. How’s it going?” Connorsaid.

“Good.”

They stood in silence and then Connor said,“I better go. Bye, Addison.”

“Thank you again, Connor,” Addison said.

She waited until Connor turned the corner ofthe hallway before smiling up at Preacher. It felt stiff and unnatural. Her handswere weirdly sweaty and forget butterflies in her stomach, a whole herd of dinosaurswas trampling around in there. She’d never been alone with Preacher before.

“Thank you for doing this,” she said.

He nodded, and she cleared her throat. “Um,so, I’ll introduce you to the kids, give them a little bit of information aboutwho you are and what you do, and then you can take it from there. All right?”

“Sure.” Preacher shifted the tackle box tohis other hand. “I brought some of my equipment and ink to show them. Thatall right?”

“Yes,” she said. “That was a great idea.After you’re finished speaking, I’ll give the kids the opportunity to ask some questionsand then you’re done. It’ll be thirty minutes at the most.”

He just nodded again, and she had a momentof panic. She’d never heard Preacher speak more than a few sentences at a timeand now she was asking him to talk to a classroom of kids. What was shethinking?

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