Page 80 of Sexting the Single Pakhan

“You deserve that classroom more than Aria ever did. She didn’t care about the rules; she cared about getting to me. She’s been trying for years. I never gave her the time of day. She got bitter when she saw us together, and decided to punish you for it. And I wasn’t going to let her get away with that.”

His gaze holds mine.

“As for what I said to the principal…” He exhales through his nose. “Ellis must have twisted it into ‘no choice.’ That was never my meaning. This, us, is the most mutual thing I’ve ever had in my life.”

He pauses, voice dropping softer, rougher.

A small, almost-pained smile touches his mouth. “Laurel, baby… you hold every card in this relationship. Every single one. You have my heart, completely, irrevocably. You have my mind-every thought circles back to you, every plan, every quiet moment.

“You have my body, every inch of it answers to you, burns for you, only you. And my soul?” He steps right into my space now, close enough that I feel the heat rolling off him. “You’ve had that since the first time I set eyes on you. You could walk away tomorrow and take all of it with you. I’d still be standing here, empty, waiting for you to come back. That’s not power I hold over you. That’s power you hold over me.”

My anger cracks, then melts entirely. My arms loosen. My throat tightens in a completely different way.

“Really?” I whisper.

“Yeah.” His voice is gravel and velvet at once. “Really.”

He spreads his arms, slow, open. “Now come here.”

I don’t hesitate. I step forward and he wraps me up, big hands sliding around my waist, pulling me flush against him. I press my cheek to his chest, listening to the steady thud of his heart.

“You deserve your job back,” he murmurs into my hair. “You deserve your reputation cleared. I didn’t want that stain on your record. I know how much teaching means to you, how hard you fought for it, how good you are at it. I couldn’t let one jealous woman take that away.”

I smile against his chest, small and watery. “Thank you.”

He kisses the top of my head. “I know you didn’t like the way I did it. I get that. But I needed you whole again.”

I pull back just enough to look up at him. “I’m not sure I want the job back.”

Surprise flickers across his face. “Why?”

I shrug, the motion small against his hold. “After everything… I don’t know if I can walk back in there and pretend it didn’t happen. Even with the apology, even with Aria gone. People will still talk. They’ll still wonder if I only got reinstated because of you. I just…” I shake my head. “I don’t want to go back. Maybe it’s time for something new. A fresh start.”

He studies me for a long beat, searching, then he nods. “Okay. Name the school you want to work at and—”

“No.” I cut him off, firm. “I’ll get a job without your help. No interfering this time.”

He blinks, genuinely confused for a second. “Do you like to suffer? Why won’t you just let me help—”

I give him the look—the one that says try me.

He exhales through his nose, raises both hands in surrender. “Okay. No help. None. From me. At all.”

I soften, just a fraction, and smile. “If I need you, I’ll ask. Promise.”

He studies me another beat, then the corner of his mouth lifts. “I can live with that.”

Before I can answer, he seals my lips with his. The kiss starts slow, languid, like he’s memorizing the shape of my mouth all over again. I melt into it, anger dissolving under the warm slide of his tongue.

It deepens fast. His hands slide to my hips, lift me clean off the floor. I wrap my legs around his waist, arms locking behind his neck as he carries me across the office to the long leather couch tucked in the corner.

He lowers me onto the cushions without breaking the kiss, then sinks to his knees between my thighs. Big hands push my skirt up, bunching the fabric at my waist. His mouth leaves mine only long enough to trail hot, open kisses down the inside of my thigh.

He hooks his fingers in the lace of my panties, drags them down my legs, and without a second thought, slips them into his trouser pocket.

I gasp when his teeth sink into the soft flesh of my inner thigh, just sharp enough to make me jolt.

Then his mouth is on me. His tongue flattens, drags slow and firm over my clit, then circles, flicking the tip in quick, teasing strokes. I cry out, loud, shameless, forgetting we’re in his office.