Page 12 of At His Wife's Behest

Of course, Mr. Harding, the principal, was standing just outside his classroom as he speed-walked closer. The man eyed his watch and scowled just before Connor slipped through the door. Once he’d dropped his belongings on the desk, he breathed a sigh of relief. He’d barely gotten sorted when the first of his students arrived.

“Morning!” he called, flashing them a smile. He received a few hugs and a couple of high fives as more meandered in.

“Mr. Q! The babies are here!”

All who’d arrived rushed to take a look.

“Guppies,”he corrected as he walked closer. Amelia’s guppies had indeed arrived. More than would fit as they grew.Wonder if I can convince some parents to take some home?

More students rushed over as they arrived, enthralled by the guppies.

“Daddy, look!”

Connor’s head swiveled at the sound of Abigail Rhodes’ voice. Her arrival was always the best part of his morning—mostly because of her handsome father who usually dropped her off. Connor was quite confident the man wasn’t one hundred percent straight, but he was married to Abigail’s mother and a class parent, so he was fully hands off either way.

I can look, though.

And he certainly was eye candy. Kellan Rhodes was maybe five-eight with dark brown hair and the bluest eyes he’d ever seen. He always wore off-the-rack suits that didn’t fit as well as they should, which made it harder to tell what kind of body he had underneath. The man had the kind of income to wear bespoke clothing. Why he didn’t, Connor didn’t know. Frugality? Lack of self-awareness?

He caught Connor ogling, and his face grew pink. Connor grinned inwardly, enjoying the reaction. The father-daughter pair made it to the tank where Abigail pushed closer to see the guppies, too. Her father lingered behind the pack of children, hands stuffed in his pockets.

“Good morning, Mr. Rhodes. Lovely to see you this morning.”

“And you,” he replied, face growing a bit pinker.

How pink can it go?“That’s a beautiful tie.”

“Thanks,” Rhodes murmured.

“The same shade as your eyes,” Connor added, grinning slyly. “You’ve got beautiful eyes, too.”

The man’s eyes widened, lips parting. He pegged Connor with a stare, one that sent a thrill zipping through. He saw a flicker ofsomethingin the depths of those blue eyes. Connor couldn’t be sure what it was.

Oh, he’s definitely not straight.

Fuck! He’s a parent.Do notcross the line.

Kellan Rhodes was a temptation he struggled to ignore. A line begging to be crossed.

“Yours aren’t too bad yourself.”

Connor’s smile grew. Kellan had never responded in kind before. “I’m glad you like them.”

A hint of a smile curled up at the corners of the man’s mouth before it quickly faded. “I… I need to get to work.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to his daughter’s head. “I’ll see you tonight.”

“Okay, Daddy!” Abigail said, gaze glued to the tank.

“Have a nice day, Mr. Rhodes,” Connor called out, watching the man depart.

Kellan Rhodes stopped at the door and turned to eye Connor. It was there that he saw it.

Pure, unadulterated desire.

Oh, he’sdefinitely,definitelynot straight.

He exited, leaving behind a little heat in Connor’s belly.

“Mr. Q? Why is Amelia eating her babies?”

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