AllFreeNovel
Share Us
After I hand Luna her water, I take several steps back and lean against the counter. She stands there awkwardly, like she doesn’t know what to say or do. I’ve never had a girl her age in my kitchen, let alone my house, so I’m at a loss too.
I down half the water and set the bottle on the counter behind me, then ask her a question I’ve been wondering about since we left the school.
“Has Mathers ever done that to you before?”
Her eyes jerk away from the window above the sink to me. “No. I mean, he’s flirted and shown his interest, but he’s never cornered me like that.”
I nod, my jaw tight. “If he approaches you again, tell me.”
She licks her lips then rubs them together. “I’m pretty sure he won’t. Not after what you did to him.”
If he has any brain cells left, he’d be smart not to. Even so….
“But if he does, I want to know about it.”
She plays with the cap on her bottle, twisting it one way then the other. “Okay.” She’s quiet for a moment before she speaks again. “Thank you for helping me.”
She has no reason to thank me. I just wish she would have allowed me to report the incident. The little punk deserves to be punished more than the broken nose I gave him.
She sets her water bottle on the counter, having drunk none of it, and looks behind her toward the kitchen door. “You mind if I use your bathroom?” Her pert little nose wrinkles. “I’m sure I look horrible, so I’d like to clean up before you take me home.”
I’m pretty sure she could never look anything but beautiful, but I keep that inappropriate thought to myself.
Instead, I jerk my chin behind her. “It’s down the hallway. Second door on the right.”
She smiles, just a small tip of her lips. “Thanks. I’ll be right back.”
The second she’s out of the room, I suck in a deep breath. I rake my hands through my hair and grip the back of my neck, praying for strength.
I’m thirty-five years old, have been fucking for twenty of those years, and I’ve never felt such a strong attraction to a woman.
A woman?
Yes, she’s technically of legal age, but she’s my student. She’s still in fucking high school, for Christ’s sake. She’s nothing like the women I typically go for.
So why in the hell can’t I get her out of my head?
Chapter 5
LUNA
I stand in front of the sink and stare at my reflection in the mirror.
I was right. I look like a hot mess. The high, messy bun on top of my head has come loose with half of my bangs falling around my face. The light make-up I put on this morning has faded, with mascara smeared under my eyes. My eyes look red, no doubt from the stress of having Aaron trying to force himself on me. And my clothes are wrinkled, again from Aaron grabbing at them.
I lean over the sink to get a closer look at my face. I frown when I see a red mark on my cheek. It’s from the slats in the locker pressing against the skin. I don’t know if the mark will fade or if it’ll leave a bruise, but I need to hide it before I go home. Dad will freak out if he sees it and demand I tell him how I got the mark. And Lord knows what he’ll do if he finds out I got it from a guy.
I shudder at just the thought. Dad is very much an alpha male. When it comes to the protection of his two girls, he holds back no punches. Literally.
I remember one time when I was a kid and he, Mom, and I were at the movies. Mom took me to the bathroom before the movie started. I was still in the stall when I heard Mom talking to someone. The bathroom was huge, and she was at the opposite end washing her hands. I couldn’t hear what she was saying but I could hear the irritation in her tone.
When I opened the stall, I saw a man had backed Mom up against the wall. He looked unsteady on his feet. Like he was drunk or something. Mom’s head turned toward me, a look of anger and fear filling her eyes. She told me to stay back. I didn’t want to, but I did. I was only ten at the time, so I was scared. Dad walked in right then, and I swear I had never seen the look on his face before. I was young and didn’t know what kind of evil was out in the world, but I swear, I knew exactly what he was thinking at that moment. He wanted to kill the guy who was attacking Mom. And I firmly believe he would have, or at the very least done permanent damage, had Mom not pulled him off the guy after delivering several, well-aimed punches to his face.
Dad’s like those men I read about in romance novels. The kind who would do anything to keep his girls safe. I have no doubt he’d lose his shit if he found out Aaron laid his hands on me.
With that thought in mind, I open the small bag I carried in with me and pull out my foundation. As I bend over the sink and try my best to cover the red mark and fix my mascara, my thoughts turn to the owner of this house.
As crazy as it sounds, I would have sworn Mr. Monroe almost kissed me a few minutes ago. And it’s just as crazy that I wanted him to. He’s my teacher, a man much older than me. But he’s also extremely good looking and his body is fit in a way most men his age aren’t. In a non-gross way, he reminds me of Dad with his growly responses, his tough guy persona, and the way he protected me from Aaron. Mr. Monroe is also like the guys in romance books. As he was looming over Aaron in the school hallway, I could tell he was holding back most of his anger. Had I not called his name, I’m pretty sure Aaron would have ended up with more than just a broken nose.
