“Mud sticks, Dina.” he continued as he took another step back. His posture was rigid, his shoulders hunched in defense.
“Even a sniff of anything inappropriate, no matter how innocent, will taint me. And people will not be kind to you, either, even though you've done nothing wrong. These are normal, healthy emotions that everyone has gone through, but they should not be acted on, not by me or any other person in authority.”
He shook his head at me, and the gentle disappointment and pity I spied in his gorgeous blues had my heart dropping to my gut. “Stick to teenage boys, Dina.”
And with that, he strode away. Taking my shattered heart with him.
Chapter 2
Michael
Two Years Later
My hand tightened on my beer bottle as I watched the object of my obsession tip her head back and laugh. That cascade of chocolate hair I’d come to adore fell down her spine like a midnight waterfall. One slender hand reached out and smacked my nephew on the shoulder, her mouth still curved at whatever joke he’d told. My twisted heart lurched, and I had to stop myself from storming over and punching Tyler in the face.
My brother would not be pleased if I did that.
With a tortured groan, I scrubbed a hand down my face in a hopeless attempt at wiping away my shameful thoughts. How fucking ironic that only two years ago I had chastised Dina for her childish crush on me. Not that I regretted doing that, of course. I’d only ever thought of her back then as a child. The thought never crossed my mind.
I’d told her mom, Claire, about the incident, and we privately decided to spare Dina further embarrassment by not bringing it up again. Dina kept her distance, and I was more than happy to give her space to get over her very inappropriate crush.
So what changed?
I remembered the exact moment my benevolent feelings towards her turned…impure. The week after Dina turned eighteen, she came over to get ready for a date. My daughter helped her with her hair and make-up before Dina strolled confidently out of Lucy’s bedroom looking like a goddess.
The polite smile froze on my face, shocked at how grown she looked. How beautiful. She flashed Lucy a bright grin that lit up her gorgeous features, and my heart spluttered before restarting again. And just like that, I saw Dina in a completely new light.
Her eyes met mine from the top of the stairs, and that beautiful smile dropped when she noticed me watching. I’d schooled my features before hurriedly leaving them alone with the cover of giving them some privacy. But the truth was, I could feel my body betraying me—and if I stood there a minute longer, it would be obvious which body part that was.
Why the fuck did she have to come onto me at sixteen? Because of that incident, I had to hurt her feelings and our whole dynamic—me being her best friend’s father—was completely upended. There was no way I could’ve done anything any different, though. I’d been fucking scared. Rumors like that—no matter how unfounded—were career killers. Not to mention there was no way I would ever cross that line.
Oh, I knew Dina had a crush on me. She blushed whenever I was in her vicinity and used to watch me like a hawk when she thought I wasn’t looking. And then when she turned fifteen, she would try to do this awkward flirting thing with her lashes and hair, which only made me cringe and try to avoid her whenever she came around. It was fucking awkward, but I also didn’t want to crush her heart, knowing one day she’d meet a boy she actually liked.
Of course,nowthe thought of her dating made me want to rip the wallpaper from my room.
There was nothing I could do about it now, even if I were stupid enough to make a move. Tonight was me and Lucy’s farewell party. In a few days, we’d be leaving for the city to start my new teaching job and Lucy’s new school. We were leaving Koby Plains behind and leaving my family who had been with us since I was a scared twenty-six-year-old widower with a two-year-old.
But worse of all, I was leaving Dina.
Since Koby Plains High had closed down, she would also be starting a new school soon in a neighboring town. It had a bigger student body, which meant more boys vying for her attention. I took a large swig of my beer, hoping to drown the venomous thoughts crowding my imagination.
I couldn’t tell her how I felt. It was highly inappropriate. She was my daughter’s best friend, and I had been a teacher at her former school. At this stage, our twenty-four-year age difference was the least of my issues.
But as the night progressed, and I sunk more beers, my thoughts started to turn dark. Boys gathered around her as she held court like the beautiful, funny girl she was. I could feel a seething redness crowding the edges of my sanity.
When I spied her heading upstairs, my jealousy couldn’t stop my legs as they followed after her.
“Dina,’ I murmured when she exited the bathroom.
She whirled around in surprise, her hand clutching her throat. But then her gorgeous brown eyes narrowed when she spied me. “Yes, Mr Thomas?”
I glared at her. Little brat. She’d been overly polite and distant since I’d turned her away all those years ago. I didn’t mind; I’d been relieved. Now, though...
“I need to talk to you.” I kept my voice low, despite us being alone in the dark hallway. We had a downstairs bathroomreserved for our guests, so the upstairs was for Lucy and me only. And Dina, of course.
She cocked a hip and folded her arms as she regarded me with a raised brow. “Aren’t you scared of someone seeing us and starting rumors?”
I took a step closer to her, my eyes raking her nubile body. My jeans suddenly felt very tight. “You were a fucking kid,” I countered.
