‘Okay,’ I murmur, biting the insides of my cheeks. ‘If you like.’
‘Oh, I do.’ His eyes burn with the weight of something absolutely beguiling. Infinitely hot. Hands loop around my waist and he pulls my hips towards him. God, hot. So hot. And also hard.
‘Not in here.’ My tone is half protest; half do that again as he arches into me.
‘I just wanted to tell you how beautiful you are.’ One hand drifts up the side of my body to cradle my face. Warm lips brush against mine, my objections elusive, slipping away at the skim of his tongue. A Kai flavoured kiss, slow and full of promise, his intent curling my toes.
‘But I can wait until later.’ His voice is fiercely low, his thumb following the contours of my jaw as my fingers retract from his shoulders.
I wonder if these words of reassurance are for me or for him.
‘Yeah.’ Knees a little unhinged, I lean against the edge of the desk and straighten my shirt again. ‘Good plan.’
‘Where?’
‘Where what? Oh, your place or mine?’ The way I feel now he could probably do me against the check-in desk of his hotel and I wouldn’t complain. But not here, in the school. Because that would be just...eww. ‘Yours, if that’s okay?’
‘Damn,’ his expression falters. ‘I forgot. I may be late back this evening.’ His hands pat his chest, searchingly. ‘Do you have a pen?’
‘I’m a teacher,’ I answer, reaching my hands to the back of my head. ‘That’s like asking a lap dancer if she has a pole.’ I pull a biro from my messy top-knot and hold it out to him.
‘Like a magpie’s nest,’ he says, one hand back to cupping my face.
‘Is there a compliment in there somewhere?’
‘I like you immensely.’ My eyebrows rise at his word usage, my heartbeat faltering as he continues. ‘I adore—’ Halting, he begins to pull away, fingers tugging a loose tendril of my hair. ‘You and your magnificent mane.’ Plucking the pen from my fingers, he begins to write on Arwa’s stationery, set on the desk. ‘Let me give you Rashid’s number. Call when you’re ready to leave here. He’ll take you home to get whatever you need.’
‘I’ve got my overnight bag in the classroom,’ I admit, a little shyly. One enquiring brow is raised as he turns his head. ‘I was going to stay with Niamh tonight, not that I’ve asked her yet.’
‘Would you care to substitute me for Niamh?’
‘I think I could manage.’ I also think he might have two or three extra things that I might like tonight.
Sliding the folded square of paper into my hand, he raises both to his lips.
‘Were you planning on running away? I have to tell you, Kate. I’d have found you anywhere.’
