Read The Teacher for Free Online

bag. “I came with a peace offering.”
    I crinkled my nose. “Booze?”
    He opened the bag and pulled out a pint with the Coldstone logo on the front . “I got your favorite. Peanut Butter Cup P erfection with dark chocolate instead of milk, with extra peanut butter.”
    I took it gingerly, stepping aside to let him in. “This will go well with Ben and Jerry’s.”
    He clicked the door shut and regarded me slowly without saying a word.
    I tugged at my ill fitting tee. "I know I look like c rap." I just figured my outside should match my insides.
    He glanced past me and took a few cautious steps , scanning my apartment . "You couldn't look like crap if you tried." He fingered one of the few droopy leaves left on a ficus I'd neglected then maneuvered around a leaning tower of dirty clothes. "Your apartment however..."
    "It's not that bad," I said defensively.
    "Babe, you're a stack of boxes away from Hoarders ."
    My heart clenched into a fist at the sound of him calling me babe. Neither of us had been big on pet names but every now and then, in between the sheets, in those quiet moments when we were worried or concerned, 'babe' or 'baby' would make an appearance. It had been months since anyone had called me anything remotely romantic and even longer since it actually made me feel special.
    "It's just a bit of clutter," I said, swallowing the emotion throbbing all over me. "If you came over here for some sort of intervention-"
    "I didn't come over for an intervention. Or to argue," he added. "I came over here because I wanted to say how sorry I am."
    "Well it certainly wasn't very adult of you," I said pointedly, his angry spiel from the coffee shop rushing back. "Especially not when I was bending over backward to talk to you and explain."
    "I know," he said quietly. "I wasn't ready to talk. Not when I had so much going on in my head." He moved toward the couch like he was going to disassemble my fort of pillows and candy wrappers but thought better of it. He rolled back his shoulders, his golden eyes boring into me. "I was furious about the coffee shop. I thought I was just mad at you, hurt that you believed I could cheat after I told you how hard it was to be around you and not kiss you." He paused. "And not love you."
    The last time that word was said out loud, panic made me want to run as far from him as hu manely possible. But now, screeching desire coursed through me and I there was nowhere else I'd rather be.
    "If I was a better man, a stronger man, I'd keep my distance," he continued, his voice filling the room. "With time, we'd both heal. We'd move on, find a love that was easy. Do it right this time."
    "Right?" I repeated, taking a step toward him. "I did what I thought was the right thing. I hated your guts. I tried to move on. I dated. I....fucked." He raised an eyebrow at the word. "But I wouldn't let any of them in. I thought it was b ecause you ripped my heart right out of my chest." I gripped the hem of my tee, fingering a hole. "But as soon as I saw you, I knew I never got over you. Right or wrong, you still had my heart."
    "Cassa ndra..." The sound of my name on his tongue gave me chills. "I'l l do anything to make this better ." He stopped a few inches from me, heat and need radiating. "Just don't ask me to do the right thing. Don't tell me to leave."
    I drew my arm up, my hand hovering inches from his chiseled jaw. I didn’t know why I bothered fighting it. I couldn’t help myself when it came to Chance. I couldn’t stay away from him. I exhaled when my hand connected with his skin, static electricity furling and unfurling around us.
    I moved closer, feeling his solid chest tight against mine, looking up into the eyes I craved. "I don't want you to leave."
    His lips curved into a smile that was pure sex. "What do you want?"
    I hooked a finger through his belt loop, feeling bold. "Maybe we could pick up where we left off." I blinked up at him. "A little BDSM 101?"
    His smirk broadened into a grin