Page 65 of Crossing the Brooklyn Briggs
He shrugs out of his corduroy jacket and drapes it around my shoulders, lingering near me in a way that I feel everywhere. Heat spots my cheeks while I wrap the fingers of one hand around the collar of his jacket to hold it in place.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“I failed to properly express how stunningly beautiful you are tonight, Briggs,” he murmurs back.
I don’t remember the last time a man ignited a swarm of butterflies in my belly, the kind that seem to be on fire and are as uncomfortable as they are pleasurable. Mark’s looking at me in a way I can’t misinterpret, his desire written all over his face.
I’ve wanted him to look at me this way for so long, which makes the next words out of my mouth the most pathetic thing I’ve ever said.
“It’s a school night.”
Mark blinks, clearly processing my words, and then he chuckles. “You’re a more disciplined person than me, Briggs. I guess I’ll take you home.”
Was he not planning on doing that?
We reach my house far too quickly, which means I haven’t decided what I want to happen next. Mark’s already out of his seat and opening my door, so I take his offered hand and let him lead me down the stairs to my door.
He picks up my other hand, making it impossible to reach for my keys. “I’m glad we finally made this happen,” he says.
“I.” That’s the only word that comes out.
Mark doesn’t seem to mind. He leans in closer, eyes fixed on my lips. “You have no idea the temptation you present every day at work.”
“I?” Apparently that’s a question.
He grins. “You are both beautiful and intelligent, and no man stands a chance.”
That’s not true. Plenty of men have taken that chance and moved on, leaving me behind because I have something left to be desired.
But I can’t tell Mark this because he presses his lips to mine, claiming my mouth in a kiss that speaks of a yearning I didn’t expect from him. It’s not frantic or greedy, but he kisses like he’s hoping to find something.
And despite my reservations earlier, I melt into that kiss because it soothes some of the ache I’ve carried the last few years. He wants me, and I badly want to be wanted. I reach up, hand cupping his smooth jaw, and focus on the way his touch ignites something in me.
“Wow.” Mark breaks away but presses his hand to the small of my back, holding me close. “That was better than I expected.”
I don’t know what to say to that, so I focus on slowing my rapid heartbeat before it breaks out of my chest. That kiss wasn’t exactly how I imagined it over the last few years, but I felt it down to my toes.
“I know this complicates things with work,” he continues, “but I like you, Briggs. I want to see where this goes.”
“Me…”Come on, Brooklyn, use your words. “Me too. I’ve wanted that for years.” Oh, caramel sauce, did I just say that out loud?
Mark chuckles and kisses me again. “We’ll have to figure out what to do about the Teacher of the Year nomination.”
“You’re right. We…wait, what?” I try to pull back. I’m too close to think rationally right now, but Mark holds fast. “What about the nomination?”
He pulls his eyebrows together and then presses his lips to my forehead. “I mean, you and me getting together puts Cheng in an impossible situation if she has to choose between us.”
I guess that makes sense?
Running his hand over my hair, he seems to be cataloging everything about my face that he likes. “You and I both know that you’ll get nominated next year, or the year after. You’re too good at your job, and you make the rest of us look bad.”
He’s saying nice things. So why does my stomach twist more the longer he talks?
“What if, this year, you take your name out of the running? I guarantee you’ll be a shoo-in next year, but I need this, Briggs.”
“You need this,” I repeat. The warmth of his kiss is gone, and suddenly all I can smell is his cologne. It’s all over me, not just on his jacket but onme. Was it always this strong? Did it always cloud my head like this? “Why?”
Mark brushes my cheek with his finger. “I can’t be a high school teacher forever. I was meant for more than this. Working with the university would help me climb the ranks so I can become a professor. Take over as dean of the math department so I’m not stuck dealing with students all day.”
