Page 38 of Montana SEAL Protector
Goosebumps covered her arms and she shivered.
He pulled her closer, rubbing her back with his free hand, warming her again.
She leaned into his warmth, closer, enjoying his nearness. Everything about this felt so right which was why it took her so long to come to her senses.
What am I doing?
They came up for air, and she took a step back.
“I can’t,” she gasped. “It’s conflict of interest.” She held a hand up between them as he watched her. “The teachers union, a teacher can lose her job if it’s conflict of interest. I can’t lose this job.”
“Right now, all we’ve done is kiss once,” he said. “This hasn’t gone anywhere. Yet. We still have to see if we want it to go somewhere. Let’s set your job aside for now and see where we are.”
Her jaw dropped. She was so flustered she couldn’t think. His kiss had made her forget everything.
It was the best kiss of her life.
If she wasn’t his son’s teacher she would so gladly see where this could go. But she couldn’t do this.
He’d stood, watching her, as all the emotions and thoughts showed on her face. She’d always been easy to read.
“I can’t,” she said. “I just can’t.”
“It’s okay,” he said. “We won’t do anything you don’t want to do. I wanted to know what it would feel like to kiss you, just once. To see what kind of a spark we have.”
That there was a spark, she couldn’t deny.
A strong one. They both knew it.
“I can’t go out with you,” she said. “Not while I’m teaching your son.”
He nodded. “Understood,” he said. “My time is up.”
The next set of parents arrived right afterward. She smiled at them. “Come on in,” she said. “We were just finishing.”
Thank God, they didn’t see us kissing.
Her lipstick was probably messed up now.
I hope they can’t tell what we were doing.
“Good night, Miss Young,” Travis said.
“Good night,” she said.
The sadness that came over her, after he’d left, was something she had to hide all evening as she finished her appointments.
The principal watched as the teachers all walked to their cars and then he got into his truck to head home too.
Ellen appreciated that he looked out for them.
Does everyone here drive a truck?
She’d seen more pickup trucks, cowboy boots and hats here tonight than she’d seen in a month.
All in all, this is a good place to live.
* * *
