Lightning quick, he pulled out. Before I could even groan from the loss of the delicious sensation, he flipped me over, and plunged back into me, this time from behind.

  I cried out with each thrust. “Harder,” I gasped, and he didn’t disappoint.

  He reached up and grabbed a handful of hair as he drove into me, over and over, as I screamed his name.

  Finally, his hands went to my waist and he pulled me onto his cock so hard. He was as deep as he could possibly be as he held me there, his cock pulsing inside me. Feeling him come send me over the edge, too, and my screams of pleasure nearly overpowered his deep grunts of satisfaction.

  At last he collapsed over me, panting, spent. We both were, but I was so happy. We were together. I never thought a confident, older man like Nick would want me, but he did.

  He pushed himself off me and gathered me up in his arms, carrying me over to the leather couch across from his desk. He set me down and pulled me into his arms, holding me, cuddling me.

  We stayed like that for a long time.

  Chapter Nine

  AFTER THAT, WE fell into a routine. I’d come over twice a week, work on the project, and flirt with him by text. Or sometimes he’d come down to where I worked in his dining room, fix a snack, and chat with me while we ate it. But most times it would end the same way. He’d call me into his office for some infraction, real or imagined, and spank me. And that would lead to other fun activities, like me being bent over his desk or us going down on each other.

  Each time was different, too. Once, when I got to my workspace, he’d left a sexy costume for me to put on. That made our role-playing even hotter. Another time he’d given me a toy and told me to use it at night and think of him. Fortunately, it was a whisper-quiet vibrator I could use without my parents hearing.

  And last week we’d actually gone out on a date. I told my parents I’d been invited to a party, and he picked me up a couple of blocks from my house. Then we’d gone to a restaurant in a nearby town and dined, talked, danced. It had been one of the most magical nights of my life.

  Encounters like that sustained me on days when I couldn’t see him. Especially on a day like today when I was spending the entire day with my parents. It was the big craft fair and fundraiser that my mom led every year. Last year I’d grudgingly showed up to help, but it had been awful. Everything I saw reminded me of Brad and Stephanie. The corner where the three of us used to eat lunch together. The school store where Stephanie and I had worked during the morning break. A quiet hallway off the library where Brad and I used to sneak kisses.

  But this year, Nick was the only person on my mind. His picture hung on the wall opposite the main doors. He was wearing a suit and a slightly self-conscious smile. I had to grin when I saw it. He looked much better in person, but that was okay. Maybe I was a bad girlfriend for being secretly pleased that he didn’t look his best in it, but I didn’t particularly want a gaggle of high school girls to drool over his picture.

  Mom and I enlisted a bunch of student volunteers to help set up the cashier station where I’d be working. The pack of juniors assigned to my station looked so small. Had I looked that young when I’d attended school here?

  Then she and Dad set up the bake sale area which she’d run. My Dad would be an all-purpose errand boy during the sale, helping wherever needed. My parents had been doing this for many years, and it was always a huge fundraiser for the library, the band, and whatever other program needed money.

  By eleven, the craft fair was in full swing. I estimated that we’d already taken in well over a thousand dollars, forty percent of which went to the school. My little cashier brigade was doing well. Clearly, they’d been paying attention in math class. One boy, a slightly dorky kid named Kevin, seemed to have a crush on me. Laughing to myself, I wondered what he’d say if he knew I was dating his principal.

  At eleven thirty, Mrs. Franklin, my old social studies teacher, came over to relieve me. “Your mother thought you might need a break. Take half an hour.”

  That was nice. I used the time to browse at a few booths, but I was still was in full-fledged helper mode, and I didn’t want to window shop too long. I was like my mother in that regard. I headed over to the bake sale booth figuring that I could help out there for a few minutes. And a lunch of cookies and rice-crispy treats didn’t sound too bad to me at all.

  I caught my breath a few feet from the bake sale booth. Both my parents were there behind the table. And in front of them was Nick.

  I sidled up next to him but not too close. Mom instantly handed me a cookie and asked, “How’s it going?”

  “Pretty good. I think we’ll probably end up doing a little better than last year.”

  “That’s what I like to hear,” Mom said, and my dad nodded, smiling at me.

  Nick was smiling, too, but I could tell he was being very careful about his demeanor around me. “Good morning, Cassie. Thanks for helping us out today.”

  “You’re welcome, Mr. Conner,” I said, being sure not to let any of the laughter bubbling up inside me slip out. It felt pretty strange to be calling my boyfriend Mr. Conner, but if we could do that sort of thing in our role-plays, we could do it here.

  “And how’s Cassie working out as a videographer?” Mom said, beaming at Nick.

  “Couldn’t ask for a better one. But the job turned out to be a lot bigger than she was expecting, I’d say.”

  “Yes,” I said, smothering a grin. “I didn’t know it would be that huge, but I’m really enjoying it.”

  Nick flashed me a quick grin before looking away. His shoulders were shaking slightly—he was trying not to laugh. My parents smiled, clueless, and then Mom squinted off in the distance.

  “I think Sara and Tim just arrived,” she said.

  A weight dropped into my stomach. Sara and Tim were the Harpers, and if they were here, there was a chance that Brad was, too. And a second later, I saw him, making a beeline for the baked goods. He had a five-dollar bill in his hand and was eyeing the brownies.

  But he stopped short when he saw me standing next to Nick.

  “Hello, Brad.” Dad reached out to shake his hand. He’d taught Brad in a couple of history classes, and they knew each other well.

  “Hi, Mr. Davis. Mrs. Davis. Cassie.” He glanced at Nick uncertainly. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion, and I tried to think of something to say to defuse the danger of this situation, but my brain was frozen.

  “Did you two get introduced at our anniversary party?” Mom said looking back and forth from my ex-boyfriend to my current one. “Nick, this is another Sago Palm alumnae, Brad Harper. Brad, this is Nick Conner, the new principal.”

  Brad’s jaw dropped as he gaped at me. “You’re—you’re dating the principal?”

  Oh god. Please, please, please don’t let this happen this way. My head felt like lead, but I turned back toward my parents. My mom was smiling, she thought this was a comical misunderstanding.

  “No, of course not. Cassie’s been working with Nick. She’s helping him with a video like she made for our party. Did you see that? No, I guess you came too late…”

  She trailed off, the beginning of a frown forming on her face. Oh god, I needed to say something. To do something. So that my parents would think Brad was joking. Why couldn’t I speak? Why wasn’t Nick speaking?

  A quick glance up at him showed that he was just as much at a loss as I was. We needed to do something. Like go into damage control mode.

  “Cassie?” Mom said, her voice an unspoken question. And then she turned to the man standing next to me. “Nick?”

  But neither one of us were focused on my mom anymore. It was my dad that seemed to be gearing up to explode. Unlike my mom, he wasn’t asking questions. He was angry, his face getting redder by the minute.

  “Dad—” I started, not sure of what to say next, but he didn’t even look at me. The way he was glaring at Nick scared the hell out of me.

  “You bastard,” Dad said, and the quiet intensity of his voice gave his words all the more impact. “You piece of shit.”

  I’d never heard Dad use language like that. Never.

  “She’s a child,” he continued. “My child.”

  “Dad, I’m twenty—”

  Nick looked shocked. He’d always behaved professionally toward my dad. Respectfully. I could see that respect warring with defensiveness on his handsome face. “Robert, let’s step into the teacher’s lounge and talk this through” He gestured down the hallway behind the booth.

  “What’s there to talk about?” my father snarled. “We invited you into our home, and you took advantage of our daughter.”

  “Rob, let’s just take a moment—” Mom cast a worried glance at me as she took my father’s arm, but he shook her off.

  I’d never seen Dad in a rage like this before, and it broke my heart to see that anger directed at the man I cared for so much. Unconsciously, I crept toward Nick.

  “Don’t touch her!” Now my dad’s voice was booming, and it carried across the room. Nearby conversations quieted as heads turned.

  This seemed to galvanize Nick out of his shocked state. “In the teacher’s lounge. Right now, Robert.” He moved around the table and took my father’s arm. Dad jerked back as if burned, and for one horrifying second I thought they were going to fight each other. But then Dad took a deep breath and seemed to steady himself. Finally, he nodded.

  Nick walked down the hallway and Dad followed. Mom murmured something to a woman nearby, and the woman came to stand behind the booth as Mom headed in the direction the men had gone.

  I stayed where I was, too stunned to move, too stunned to make my muscles obey.

  Then Brad touched my arm. “I’m sorry,” he said, looking me in the eye. “I really am. I saw you all together, and I thought they knew.” I stared at him in disbelief. He’d been my first love and then he’d stomped on my heart. Cheated on me. And he’d never apologized for that. But this? This he apologized for.

  And the stupid thing was, I believed him. He hadn’t been trying to spill the beans on our relationship.

  “I know.” I didn’t forgive him for everything, but I did for this. He hadn’t meant to, and what’s done was done.

  Now I had to find out how bad the fallout was going to be.

  Chapter Ten

  MOM WAS PACING in front of the door to the teacher’s lounge. Angry voices echoed inside it. She grabbed my hand when I reached for the door knob.

  “Just give them a few minutes, Cassie.”

  I withdrew my hand and nodded. If I went in there now, I might have to choose between them, and I couldn’t do that. I didn’t want to—and I shouldn’t have to.

  Leaning against a row of lockers, I folded my hands over my chest to keep from biting my nails. Mom resumed her pacing, but she kept throwing me concerned glances.

  “What?” I finally said, not sure I wanted to hear her questions but knowing she wanted to ask them.

  But instead of asking anything, she said, “This is all my fault.”

  What? “Why?” Surprise forced the syllable out of my mouth.

  “I pushed you into going to work for him. None of this would’ve happened if I hadn’t done that.”

  “Mom, it’s not your fault. We met at the coffeehouse the week before the party.”

  Instant relief showed on her face. “Oh good. Then it’s really not my fault. I told you not to spend so much of your summer there.”

  Her abrupt mood swing almost made me smile, but she was operating under the assumption that my being with Nick was a bad thing. It wasn’t.

  “Why does it have to be anyone’s fault? We’re very happy together.”

  “Oh honey, of course you are. He’s—Nick seems like a great man. But he’s almost twice your age. You need to be with a man you can build a future with. Someone closer to your age.”

  “Brad was exactly my age, and look how that turned out.”

  “I know. And I know how much he hurt you. But that doesn’t mean you should give up. There are plenty of guys out there your age.”

  “Yes, I know. I go to a university full of them. Yet I had a miserable, lonely year. Until I met Nick.”

  “But he’s—” she trailed off, as we both realized that the teacher’s lounge was silent.

  I looked at her hesitantly. “Should we—?”

  At that moment, the door opened and my father stormed out. “We’re going home. Right now,” he said as he passed me.

  I hesitated by the door, looking inside, wanting to go to Nick.

  “Come on, Cassie,” Mom whispered, grabbing my arm. “Please.”

  Tears rolled down my face as I followed my parents out of the building.

  * * *

  Things were awful after that. It turned out that my misery after Brad cheated on me last year was just a warmup for this. I hadn’t seen Nick since the craft fair last week, and my dad wasn’t speaking to me. Most days he could barely look at me.

  Technically, I wasn’t speaking to him, either. I was an adult. I could date whomever I wanted to. He had no right to pass judgment on us. But I could feel waves of disdain and disappointment rolling off him whenever we were in the same room—which wasn’t often.

  I took to spending most of my days at the coffeehouse, just so I could be away from everyone. I didn’t want to add fuel to the fire by going over to Nick’s place. I still wanted to finish the video and archiving project I’d started for him, but I knew that my parents wouldn’t believe me if I told them that’s why I was going over there. But I’d scanned a lot of his family pictures and documents, so for a while, I could work on his stuff from my laptop.

  Nick was throwing himself into work. Since my dad wasn’t teaching summer school, it was a good place for him to be. We’d texted a few times. He said over and over that he never meant any disrespect to our family, and that he never wanted this to happen. He asked me if I was all right and encouraged me to give it time. He said if I needed him he’d be there, but for now, we should wait before we resumed seeing each other.

  And then a week after the craft fair, he asked to meet with me.

  It was a Friday afternoon, and I’d just gotten home from the coffeehouse. Quickly, I changed into jeans and a nicer shirt—not enough to make my parents suspicious, but nicer than what I had been wearing. As he’d suggested, I walked to an intersection three blocks away.

  He pushed his car door open when I got there. Normally, he’d get out and open it for me, but I guess we were in stealth mode now. It was depressing.

  Nick leaned over and gave me a quick kiss, and we didn’t say much as he drove. He asked how I was doing. I asked about the summer semester and updated him about his photos and other family mementos.

  It was torturous being next to him in the car yet feeling so distant. Like there was this huge gulf between us that no bridges could cross. But maybe he was right. Maybe time was the only bridge we’d be able to get. Surely someday my dad would see that this was a good thing for me? The right thing for me?

  But Nick sighed as he drove, and soon we were headed toward the causeway. The skies were dark as we crossed the narrow strip of land that bisected the bay. The dark water was choppy, and the skies had storm clouds. Exactly like my mood.

  Nick drove on in silence until we reached the other side. The he drove down increasingly smaller roads until we were parked overlooking an empty stretch of sand. Waves hit the gray rocks, and I focused on that because Nick’s silence was scaring me.

  We stayed in the car, each of us watching the water. With the engine off, it was just possible to hear the sounds of the tide and the call of the seagulls. Finally, Nick spoke.

  “Your father came to the school today.”

  Alarmed, I turned to him. “What did he say? Did he… was it awful?”

  “He turned in his letter of resignation.”

  My mouth dropped open as I stared at Nick. Dad couldn’t have done that. He loved teaching. He loved that school. “But why?”

  Nick’s face was grim, his hazel eyes that were usually so bright reflecting the darkness from the water. “He’s never wanted me to be principal. Now it’s clear he also doesn’t want me to have anything to do with his little girl. I think it’s safe to say that your father’s never going to approve of me in any capacity.”

  Several responses rose to my lips. First off, I wasn’t a little girl, but I knew what Nick meant. In my dad’s eyes, I was and probably always would be. But Dad had disliked Nick even before he started seeing me. “I swear, he’s usually a reasonable man. I don’t know why he’s acting this way with you.”

  “I’ve corrupted his daughter,” Nick said, bitterness in his voice.

  “You know that’s not true. But even before that… he wasn’t fair to you.”

  “He doesn’t respect me because I didn’t start out as a teacher like him.”

  “He respected you,” I protested, but Nick glanced over, and now his light eyes were piercing again. “Well, okay, maybe he didn’t, but he should have.”

  Nick sighed. “I’ve done everything I can to lead that school. And I think most teachers see that. But a few, like your father, are just never going to accept me. And now your dad has even more reason not to.”

  I hated this. I hated that I’d given Dad extra reason to shun Nick when his dislike was so unfair to begin with. “So—so what do we do? How do we fix this?”

  Nick’s hand closed around mine, and I grasped at his long fingers. I wish I could be in his arms, but for now, I’d take any contact with him I could get. “We stop seeing each other.”

  What? “No—you can’t mean that… you can’t be serious, Nick. I…” Could I say I loved him? Because I did. But did he feel the same way? Clearly not if he wanted us to break up. “Please, Nick, we’ll work it out.”

  “There’s nothing to work out. If we stay together, then a man who’s devoted his life to that school is going to walk out its doors forever. Lose his job, disrupt his family. I can’t let him do that. Not because of me.”