24. Asher
24
ASHER
I can’t get Viv out of my head. I want to. I can’t stand thinking about her all the time, but I can’t stop. She really thinks she’s changed, that her brain and heart won’t get totally fucked-up adding in sex. But I know better.
Still . . . I can’t stop thinking about taking her in the gym almost a week ago. Her body was so fucking ready for me.
“Ow!” I look over at the sound of my nephew’s voice and start running across the playground before any of the other teachers make it there. It’s recess, and when I make it to Baz, I see blood pouring out of his nose and a big kid standing nearby looking guilty.
I can’t hit a kindergartner.
“Baz, what happened? I lean down, taking a Kleenex from Ms. Bowen as she reaches us. I hold it to his nose, and he points at the big kid.
“He hit me!”
“Nuh-uh. He shoved me first!”
I look at Baz, narrowing my gaze. “Did you push him?”
I know when he’s guilty. He looks down at the ground as I hold the tissue to his still bleeding nose. “Maybe.”
“Here.” I gently tilt his head back, trying to get the blood to stop. “You can’t put your hands on anyone else, buddy.” I look over at the other kid. “And you can’t either.”
I’m a teacher. I’m not allowed to be biased, but I have to take several deep breaths to calm down even if Baz made first contact. I feel a hand on my shoulder and look up at Ms. Bowen. “I’ll take them to the principal’s office. I stand up, still holding the tissue over Baz’s nose.
“Is that really necessary?”
“Of course it is.” She folds her arms, looking down at both boys briefly and back at me. “We have a strict policy here, Mr. Sterling. No violence. No exceptions.” She takes the other kid’s hand and moves toward Baz, but leans in, whispering so only I can hear her. “No matter how cute their uncles are.”
I fight rolling my eyes because I'm not even remotely interested. She’s pretty, but she doesn’t make my dick hard, not even when she calls me Mr. Sterling.
No. I seem to need torture and intense emotional pain to get hard.
“I’ll take Baz to the nurse first. Then I’ll take him to the office.”
She studies me suspiciously, but then nods in approval before heading off with the other student. I sigh and lean down to look at Baz again as the crowd that had formed starts to dissipate. “You okay, buddy?”
He lowers his head so he can’t see me. “I’m mad.”
“What happened?”
He just shakes his head, a furious pout on his face, and I know he isn’t going to talk about it right now. “Okay. You gotta go face the music, kid. But it will be fine.”
I take his hand. “What does that mean?”
I laugh as we walk. “It means you’re in trouble. We have to go talk to the principal and then probably your mom.”
He groans. “Oh, man. Mommy is going to be mad.”
“Yeah . . . Probably. But take it from someone who has made your mom pretty mad before, she’ll forgive you.”
It’s one of her best and worst qualities.
And I really fucking wish she would just hate me already so we can stay away from each other. But, of course, even if we both hate each other, it isn’t that simple.
After I take Baz to the nurse, I talk to the principal, who sentenced both kids to going home for the day. I asked her if Baz could wait with me and to let me call his mom, and thankfully, Mrs. Bailey is pretty cool and agreed to it.
Baz wasn’t feeling so hot after being punched in the nose, so I let him lay down on the cot in the nurse’s office to go call Viv.
She didn’t answer, so I left her a voicemail. She’s probably at work.
After recess and a story, the kids have gone to music in a different room when Viv bursts through the door of my classroom, looking around frantically for Baz. “Asher?”
I stand from my desk. I should have known she was going to panic. “He’s fine.”
“You said he got into a fight? Is he okay?”
I nod my head, standing in front of her in her frantic state. “Viv. Breathe.”
She looks furiously at me, but she does take a deep breath. “Is he okay?”
“He’s fine. He’s in the nurse’s office, laying down.”
She takes another deep breath. “What happened?”
“I’m not sure. He got into a fight with another kid on the playground. Baz shoved him, and the kid socked him in the nose.”
Her jaw drops, and she’s clearly shocked. I was a little surprised myself. Baz is usually the lover not the fighter type. “He pushed another kid?”
I shrug. “He’s a boy. And a Sterling. It won’t be the last time.”
She looks even more annoyed now. “How can you be so calm?”
I smile. “He’s fine. Little bloody nose.”
She pales when her eyes meet my collar. “Is that his blood?”
I look down, seeing a little spec of blood on my shirt. It must have happened when I hugged him to me. I lift my eyes. “He’s fine.”
“You were there?” She barely manages the question. It’s merely a breath from between her lips.
Lips I crave.
Fuck!
I nod my head, still watching her mouth. “Yes.”
We’re standing too close, but neither of us move. “And he’s okay?”
She’s not speaking above a whisper, and I know my closeness is affecting her now that she knows Sebastian is safe. I nod my head again, my hand raising to her hips, resting there. “He’s fine.”
“Thank you for being there.” Her eyes lift and settle on mine. “I’m afraid of something bad happening to him.”
Her hair is down today, wavy and unruly as I push the hair behind her ear and let my hand rest on the side of her head, the other on her hip. “I think all parents worry about that.”
“Not all kids have lost a parent.”
I swallow hard, thinking about Colt and how he never even got the chance to meet his son. “Baz isn’t Colt.”
She nods her head slowly, but she didn’t know Colt well. All she hears all the time is how much Sebastian looks like his father. But truth be told, he’s wilder. “I know.” Her voice is still low even though we’re the only people around. Her full lips still hold me in an intoxicated trance as she pulls the bottom one with her teeth. “I was afraid when I got your voicemail. Even though I was sure he was fine, the fear was real.”
“It’s normal.”
She nods as she lowers her eyes to the ground. “I’m glad he has you, Asher. I know you don’t believe me, but I’ll never take you away from him again.”
The pain from thinking about that time in my life is too great, and I step away, moving back toward my desk. “I won’t let that happen again.”
She moves forward, walking near me. “It won’t. You don’t need to worry.”
“You’re damn right.” She stands inches from me, and I hate how I notice her breasts rising and falling in the camisole top she’s wearing. I lean back on my desk, and she moves forward, her thighs touching my knees as she laces her fingers through my hair.
I think it’s to comfort me, but her touch only ignites me, sending me back to my earlier thoughts before Baz got hurt.
“I know it hurt you.”
I lock eyes with her, feeling too vulnerable, but she’s blocking me at the moment. Not that I can’t move her, but I don’t want to. “I’m actually happy, Viv. I didn’t think that was possible. I don’t want to lose him again. And hell . . . I even like being near my family.”
She drags her hand from my hair down over my cheek. “I won’t let that happen.”
Won’t she though? If we start fucking and she falls for me again? I haven’t changed my mind. I can’t be in a relationship. “What makes you so damn sure?”
Her thumb sweeps over my bottom lip, and I groan, wanting to touch her, but I leave my hands at my side, resting on the desk.
She watches me and takes another deep breath, not moving her thumb from my lips. “Because it’s my biggest regret.”
I want to believe her.
“You aren’t doing either of us any favors by lying.”
“I’m not lying.” Her chest presses against me, and our mouths are insanely close to mine as her hands rest on top of mine. “I know you aren’t in love with me, but I know you feel this crazy magnetic attraction.”
“I fucking hate it.”
“Do you?”
I push her body back as I stand up. She looks hurt until I grab her ass, lifting her and placing her on my desk instead, my body creeping over hers as I lean down to look into her eyes. “Yes.”
Her hand wraps around the back of my neck, and her legs part allowing me to settle between them. “But you still want this.”
It’s not a question. My lips slide over hers as my tongue darts out, dragging over them. “You’re gonna kill me.”
She looks concerned now, laying under me. She glances toward the door. “Oh my God, Asher.” One of her hands rests on my chest as she looks back to me. “My body is on fire. Craving your touch.” I swallow as I look into her eyes. “Anyone could walk in.”
I want to touch her so fucking bad as my head rests against hers. “They’re in music for at least another ten minutes.”
She captures my bottom lip with her teeth and nips softly but doesn’t kiss me. “I’m here, begging you to touch me when my kid is?—”
I cut her off quickly, seeing the guilt in her eyes. “Your kid is fine.”
She looks down between our bodies to where we’re still clothed but pressed against each other. “This could get you fired.”
She’s right, and still, I don’t want to move. My lips press against hers as I pull her into a desperate, unapologetic kiss. Her hand moves from my chest to grip my hair tightly between her fingers. She moans softly as I press my hard cock between her legs, knowing she’s already wet for me.
She always is.
“Asher . . .” she gasps, her hand creeping between our bodies as she guides me back.
I’m panting as I look down at her, having lost all control. “What?”
“We can’t do this here.”
She pushes me back further, and I move away from her, pissed-off and frustrated. “But we can do it in the gym at Lola’s?”
“That’s our home right now. This is your place of work.”
She drops her feet to the floor and stands up from my desk, smoothing down her skirt, but I stand close to her. “I was just trying to help your teacher fetish.”
A small smile plays on her pretty lips. “I think you only fanned the flames,” she leans into my ear, “Mr. Sterling.”
Mother. Fucker.
All I want is to throw her little ass back on the desk and punish the fuck out of her for making my dick so fucking hard, but I see Mrs. Bailey walk through the door, and suddenly I'm grateful for Viv stopping what we started.
I wonder if grabbing a book and putting it in front of my crotch is too obvious when I carefully sit down behind my desk instead to hide the predicament Viv left me in. I wave to the principal. “Mrs. Bailey, what brings you by?”
I give her my best grin, and she just shakes her head at me, the older woman not immune to my charm but not easily forgiving of my shit either. “Is this Sebastian’s mother?” She nods toward Viv.
Viv smoothes her hair with her hand, clearly freaked out by almost being caught, but she quickly recovers and reaches her hand out for her. “Yes, hi. I’m Sebastian’s mother. I am so sorry about what happened.”
Mrs. Bailey shakes her head affectionately. “These things happen, but we have to abide by the rules.”
“Absolutely. It won’t happen again.”
“Thank you for understanding and coming to pick him up.”
Mrs. Bailey’s eyes slide over to me as she scopes me out, suspicious, but she doesn’t call me on it. “Alright. We’ll see him tomorrow.”
Viv nods and supplies her brightest smile. “Great. Thank you.”
Mrs. Bailey leaves, and I stand up, still semi-hard, the adrenaline not worn off, but it’s clear Viv’s fire has been doused. “I’m going to get Baz and take him home.”
I nod. “See you guys later.”
And I let her leave because there’s nothing left to say.
Clearly, I'm not doing the best at steering clear of her.