This was going to be a long night.
* * * *
Ella sighed and counted down the minutes till she kicked off her shoes.
Being sexy was a lot of work. She’d been out of practice for a while, so maybe her body needed more time to adjust. Her toes were pinched by the high heels, and the leather snugly clasping her leg was making her itch. Her hair kept sliding into her face until she wished she had a few bobby pins to jam it up and forget it. The contacts she’d put in caused her eyes to dry, and she couldn’t wait to pop them out and put on her glasses. And as usual, her lipstick had slid off within the hour, along with the rest of her makeup.
She pulled to the curb and cut the engine. Luke should be asleep by now. Dinner had been a long, relaxing affair with good conversation and expensive wine. She liked Ed. He was a professional, divorced dad who seemed to get the challenges she faced. They’d traded pictures of their kids, talked Common Core education, and discussed popular fiction. He was a big reader and knew Woolf. He was impressed with her career. He was nice.
And he invited her up for a drink afterward.
Ella had a hard time not laughing as she imagined Connor’s face. She’d declined, and instead they strolled to the used bookstore in town and spent a pleasant hour shopping and sipping a cappuccino.
Ed asked to see her again. She’d agreed. It was the most positive, life affirming date she’d ever had because it reminded her she was a woman. A sexual woman. A woman who enjoyed a man’s company and conversation. A woman who would eventually enjoy sex if she could just get there.
The only problem was Connor Dunkle.
Ella stared into the darkness, hands tapping the steering wheel. She kept seeing his face throughout the date. The way he’d stared at her in shock and gotten that hungry gleam of lust in his eyes. For her. She could practically feel the energy zinging between them, and she’d fought the impulse to cross the room and kiss him. She dreamed of feeling his lips just one more time over hers and his hands stroking her skin. She dreamed of him slamming her against the wall and taking her like a man possessed, hungry to slip between her thighs and claim her.
She squeezed her legs together as arousal hit. Why did she keep doing this to herself? She had to accept Connor was only a friend. She may have done something stupid and fallen for him, but it was her secret to keep. This date was the first step of her moving on. She may not have wanted to attack Ed across the table, but he’d made her feel good. Like there was hope.
She grabbed her purse and went inside. The house was quiet and halfway dark, so she tiptoed into the living room to see if they’d fallen asleep on the couch in front of the television.
“Did you have a good time?”
She jumped and spun around. Connor leaned against the wall in front of her, holding a beer. “You scared me! Is Luke in bed?”
“Yeah. We watched Antman, ate pizza, and he went to sleep an hour ago.” His gaze narrowed, raking over her figure. Goose bumps broke out on her arms. “Did you have a good time?” he repeated.
She swallowed and walked past him, laying down her purse. “Yes. It was good. Thanks for watching him. I owe you.”
She waited for him to say good night and head home, but he remained standing, oddly silent. Her stomach clenched and she nervously walked around the house, straightening odds and ends. Her skin burned as if he’d touched her, and tension cranked in the air around them. What was going on?
“Aren’t you going to give me the details?” he drawled.
She put two cups in the dishwasher and opened up the refrigerator to snatch a bottle of water. “We had a nice dinner. He was a nice guy. Nothing much left to tell.”
“Did he kiss you?”
She choked on the water and coughed uncontrollably. Anger replaced her nerves. “What kind of question is that? It’s none of your business. I don’t ask about your dates.”
“But we’re friends, right? Don’t friends share all the juicy details?”
She raised her chin and glared. “We’re not that type of friends, Connor. You’re also still technically my student. Look, I don’t know what’s going on here, but I think you better leave.”
He put the beer down on the counter. “You’re right. I should leave.” He squeezed his eyes shut as if an inner battle was being waged. “I don’t want to mess this up. I should go home and forget everything I want to say to you right now. I should forget everything I want to do.”
She stilled. Poised on the edge of heart-stopping danger, Ella knew the only way to escape unscathed was to tell him to leave one more time. He’d obey, and the next time they saw each other, they’d be back to friends. Instead, she sealed her fate. “What things?”