Chapter 10
10
T he past couple of weeks had flown by, and Tucker had saved every spare moment for Hanna.
He couldn’t get enough of her. She was addicting, like a good fettuccine Alfredo or homemade ice cream. And he’d never grow tired of eating her pussy—of that, he was absolutely certain.
A smug grin tugged at his lips as he entered Seaside Elementary and checked in as a guest.
He wasn’t quite sure how he’d talked Hanna into it, but he was thrilled to see her in action today.
Plus, she’d get to see him in action—he had several bags of ingredients and was planning to teach her students how to make a basic snack mix. Career day was right around the corner, and since none of the parents were chefs, Tucker was filling a gap. And hopefully, he’d inspire a few kids to pursue dreams of becoming a chef one day.
The world would always need good food.
As he turned toward the hallway splattered with turkeys made of cut-outs shaped like children’s hands and various drawings of pilgrims, Hanna came into view at the end of the hallway. When she saw him, she beamed, and his heart skipped in tandem.
As she grew nearer, he leaned in for a kiss, but she backed away.
“This is my workplace!” She whisper-screamed.
He chuckled. “We kissed at my workplace.”
“That’s different and you know it. Now come on.” She huffed, leaving him behind as she headed toward her classroom.
He didn’t mind. It gave him a great view of her pert little ass.
She turned around to make sure he was following her, then snapped in his direction.
“Eyes up here, mister,” she said pointing to her face, though her small smile gave her away.
He cleared his throat and started walking. “Sorry about that.”
“Liar,” she said under her breath.
He bit back a grin.
Her classroom was exactly what he expected. Letters and numbers lined the walls, including a corkboard with quotes from children’s books they’d been reading throughout the year. On the board, she’d written out a schedule for the day, and “Ms. Taylor’s Friend” was listed as an agenda item. Tucker narrowed his eyes at that, realizing the time to put labels on their relationship was later.
There were rainbows painted on the walls and a well-stocked shelf of children’s books near a colorful foam carpet covered in zoo animals. A sign labeled “Reading Corner” was displayed over it, and there were beanbags and comfy chairs small enough for five-year-olds.
It was a kindergarten classroom so well-decorated that he imagined Hanna must have quite the Pinterest obsession. Tiny desks were pushed into groups of four throughout the classroom, and she had already put several paper bowls on each table.
“The kids just went to recess and some other teachers are watching them, so we have about 15 to 20 minutes left to set up,” she said, her eyes flitting around the room as if trying to decide where to begin. “That okay?”
“Perfect.”
They made quick, quiet work, only talking briefly to determine who would do what or where something should go. Tucker had thought it through and sent Hanna an email overview of exactly what he needed. Right as they were putting the finishing touches on the room, the classroom door opened and a line of kindergarteners filed in.
“Ooooooh, Ms. Taylor, is that your boyfriend?” A little girl with blonde pigtails asked in a singsong voice.
The line-leader—a curly-haired, fair-skinned girl in overalls—turned around and shushed her, then shrugged toward Hanna as if saying, What are we going to do about her? Meanwhile, a few of the other kids in line began sniggering and poking each other.
“Alright, that’s enough,” Hanna said, clearly exasperated but with a slight tug to her lips. “Everyone go to your desk, and please don’t touch anything we’ve put there. I have a special treat for you today.”
The kids excitedly rushed to their seats, carefully sitting so as not to touch any of the materials on their desks. Hanna nodded toward Tucker.
“This is my friend, Mr. Tucker,” she said, her eyes shining as she introduced him. “Anyone want to guess what his job is?”
Several hands shot in the air.
“Yes, Ethan,” she said, pointing to a Black boy with a red racecar shirt on.
“Your boyfriend!” He shrieked excitedly.
“That’s not a job, dummy!” The girl who originally asked if Tucker was her boyfriend said, sticking her tongue out.
“Morgan, we don’t call people names.”
“But it’s not even a job! It was dumb!”
“Morgan, would you like to skip the fun activity Mr. Tucker has planned?”
Morgan leaned back into her chair with a huff. “No,” she said, crossing her arms.
“Anybody else know what Mr. Tucker’s job is?” Hanna asked again as the line leader raised her hand. “Sophia?”
“A chef?” She asked, her eyes quickly darting to Tucker.
“Exactly. Great job, Sophia.” Hanna gave her a warm smile. “Mr. Tucker is a chef. He started the restaurant down the street, Fish Food. Have any of you been there?”
About half the students in the class raised their hands, and Hanna chuckled.
“It’s really good, isn’t it?” The students nodded back at her, eyes bright with attention. “Well, today Mr. Tucker has come here to teach you how to make one of his favorite recipes. What do y’all think of that?”
Delighted squeals and a small round of applause echoed throughout the room.
“Mr. Tucker, you think you can handle this class of rowdy five-year-olds?”
“Do I ever,” he responded with a grin. “Who wants to make some kiddie crunch?”
Hanna implored her pounding heart to slow.
Tucker felt like a dream—one she didn’t want to get too attached to, for fear she’d wake up any moment now.
He’d come up with the idea to come into class and teach the kids how to make a little snack mix for themselves. With the holidays around the corner, it was growing harder and harder to get them to focus, especially toward the end of the day. So he threw this out as a solution for her—a fun Friday activity for the kids to do right before heading out for Thanksgiving break.
Since the dinner at her house a couple of weeks back, he’d been cooking at her place on the nights he could get away from the restaurant, taking the time to teach her how to make the things she showed interest in. So far, he’d taught her to make butter noodles, grilled cheese, and pancakes.
She had to start somewhere.
On the nights he couldn’t get away from the restaurant, Tucker dropped off dinner for Hanna at her place before he went into work. These were more glamorous meals, some that he was testing out for the restaurant: fried oyster po’boys, shrimp and grits, and fried chicken were a few of her favorites.
Not to mention, he ate her pussy like he was a starving man. He couldn’t get enough—and neither could she. She loved the way he completely lost control when she took his thrumming cock into her mouth, the way he tried to last for as long as possible before collapsing into a sated heap on her couch, the way he looked at her like she held the sun and moon in her hands as she licked him.
Could she really be dating a chef who was sexy as hell, cooked her delicious food daily, and loved her kindergartners?
Hanna had been burned before. Not just by men she thought would stick around, but by people in general. Women she thought had become friends, colleagues she hoped to hangout with outside of work, people she encountered at her local spots—all were letdowns, most of the time.
And she kept waiting for Tucker to let her down.
Kept waiting for him to realize her awkwardness wasn’t cute at all.
Kept waiting for him to grow tired of her mediocre skills in the kitchen.
It’s too good to be true.
The thought clanged through her like it’d send her into a panic attack.
Tucker took care of her more than anyone ever had. Loved her quirks, obsessed over her body, and listened to her with captivation and amusement.
Not only did he clearly care about her, but he made her feel like a goddess in bed. Made her feel a boldness she’d never felt with anyone else. Made her feel like any kinks she wanted to try would be fair game—and he’d welcome anything she threw his way with open arms. It was a vulnerability—a side of herself—she’d never shared with anyone else before.
The truth was, Hanna was afraid. She knew it, too. She could sniff out fear like a bloodhound, and she wasn’t in the habit of lying to herself. What if she let herself fall for Tucker—a thought that made her remember she’d barely known him for a month—only to be let down again?
She shook herself, and went back to watching him interact with the kids. He’d slowly been walking through instructions with them, letting each group of four work together to make the snack mix. It was an incredibly easy recipe—it required M it’s Ethan.”
Morgan sighed. “Yes ma’am.”
Hanna bit back a smile. Those Alabama manners always came out with such sass from most of her class, but especially Morgan.
“Can you at least tell me if he’s your boyfriend? I bet Ali all my kiddie crunch that he was.”
Hanna dropped her head in her hands, torn between a groan of frustration and a laugh. Hell if she knew if Tucker was her boyfriend, and now she had to deal with the kids betting their food over her dating life.
“Morgan, I’m gonna tell you a secret,” Tucker’s whisper brought Hanna out of her stupor, and she looked up at him with shock. “I am Hanna’s boyfriend. She just doesn’t know it yet.”
Hanna pressed her lips together as her heart pitter-pattered in her chest, thrumming against her skin. Morgan squealed in delight as she ran back to her desk.
“Told you!” She shrieked at Ali, followed by a maniacal laugh.
Hanna shook her head, pursing her lips as she brought her gaze back to Tucker.
“Boyfriend, huh?”
“I only bring girlfriends home for Thanksgiving,” he said with a wink before getting back to the kids.
Hanna jolted with panic, remembering she’d agreed to spend Thanksgiving with his family. To say she was nervous was an understatement. She wanted to throw up every time she thought about it.
She wasn’t the kind of girl who usually got taken home to meet the family. Usually, she wasn’t even the type of girl to make it past a first or second date.
Hanna was torn. On one hand, she desperately wanted Tucker’s family to like her—to embrace her quirks the way he had. On the other hand, part of her felt like there was no way they’d like her, so she might as well prepare for disappointment now.
She glanced at Tucker, and he beamed at her.
Her stomach dipped and she bit her lip. Damn, she was in trouble.