Page 24 of Capacity
My stomach fluttered as I stepped out of the house and locked the door. I was only going to work but after having frozen yogurt with Knight last night, I was so anxious to see him this morning. Also, I didn’t know if I could look him in the eye knowing I got off to thoughts of him last night.
I ignored my growling stomach, steadied my breathing, and focused on the dead flower bush to the left of my porch. I traced its crunchy brown leaves down to the soil where I saw the tiniest purple petals peeking through. I blinked a few times then looked a little closer, bending at the waist.
A small flower had blossomed on the seemingly dead bush. I didn’t have time to call my mother to ask her what kind of flower it was so I took a picture of it, sent it to her and got in my car.
Lakeview High School was moderately sized for the small town I lived in. There were about nine hundred students in attendance and even that small number felt like too much.
When I pulled up next to the parking space reserved for Lakeview’s Best Principal, I smiled a little. It seemed every time I was around Knight I smiled a little more. Now, even seeing his car brought on a soft grin.
I went to my office while saying hello to everyone and grabbing a cup of coffee on the way. When I was finally behind the closed glass door, I sank into my seat with a sigh. School would start in a little under an hour and I had to make sure everything was fully stocked and my computer was booted up.
“Good morning, Ms. Foster.” Knight appeared in the doorway wearing a navy blue button-down shirt and a pair of gray slacks. That man knew how to wear anything. His shirt was pulled taut over his wide chest stretching over muscles chiseled on Mount Olympus. His pants fit him snugly enough for me to admire his nice ass and muscled thighs but not so tight that I could see his bulge.
I found myself wishing Icouldsee it.
“Good morning,” I smiled at him. I couldn’t help it. When I was around Knight I felt like air.
“I picked up breakfast for you. You have to come to my office to get it though,” he said with a handsome smirk.
“So you walked all the way to my office just to tell me to come to your office? You could have called.”
“I could have, but then I’d miss this.”
I looked around the small office and frowned. “Miss…what?”
“Seeing your face. You know I kick off every morning by seeing your face. I figured since we’re officially friends now, I can also annoy you.”
“You would be correct,” I laughed with a nod.
Did he look like that on purpose? Flawlessly coiffed hair and a dazzling smile. It was almost too much.
“Meet me in my office once you’re done setting up and we can have breakfast.” He paused before leaving and pointed at the coffee cup on my desk. “Oh, and leave that shit right there. Teacher’s lounge coffee is mud.”
“It’s not that bad, Mr. Cunningham.” The faux disgust on his face sent me into a fit of laughter. My shoulders jumped up and down as I dabbed at the corners of my eyes.
“It’s bullshit. I got you something better.”
“By better you mean?”
“It’s better than that shit.” We both shared a lighthearted laugh at his adamancy.
“I’m done setting up for the day. I can come now.” Like a lightning flash, I saw myself in the shower coming so hard I heard colors.
“That works.” Just like last night, he put his hand on the small of my back and led me into the hallway. Fire singed my skin then blanketed my shoulders, inching up my neck.
“How was your night?” I asked.
“I had dinner with my friend, Terrence.” He cautiously swept the area before opening the door to his office. His shoulders relaxed when he was inside his office. “He was having a moment of weakness so…”
“You talked him through it.”
“Yeah.”
“So on your one-month sober anniversary, you talked someone else off the ledge. Look at you, paying it forward.” I bumped him with my hips and he tossed his arm around my shoulders.
Damn.
I wondered how often he worked out because he felt like granite. I inched a little closer to his warmth and clean scent.
