“Hey, Steed. How’s it going?” Corina asked, standing and reaching for her bag.
I made a mental note to finish our conversation about Mitchell later.
“It’s going good. How about you?”
She shrugged. “Same crap, different day.”
He chuckled. “Tripp said you’re heading back home for Thanksgiving?”
Corina paused. “Um. No. My parents are going on a cruise, and my older brother is going skiing with his fiancé. I’m planning a nice Marie Callender’s turkey pot pie and Cinderella.”
I stood. “What? Why didn’t you tell me you were staying in town?”
Swinging the bag over her shoulder, she winked. “It’s no big deal. I’m planning on catching up on some reading and work.”
“You should come to our place for Thanksgiving, Corina. My mother cooks for a small army,” Steed offered.
Corina laughed. “Your family is a small army. Thank you, but really, it’s okay.”
I rounded my desk and took her wrist. I knew Corina; she would hate being alone. “Please come. I know Melanie and John would love to have you. And Chloe adores you. Plus my parents will be there. Please.”
Her eyes wouldn’t meet mine. “I’m late for an appointment. We’ll chat later about it, okay?”
I nodded and dropped her wrist. “Sure.”
Corina kissed me on the cheek and headed towards the door. “You guys have fun today.”
Steed watched as Corina made her way out of my classroom and down the hall. Turning back to me, he frowned. “Shit. Tripp is an asshole.”
There was no way I could hold back my chuckle. “What makes you say that?”
“Because by the look on her face, she clearly told him she wasn’t going home. He didn’t pay attention. He never pays attention unless it has something to do with him.”
My eyes focused on the doorway Corina had walked through moments ago. “I think she likes Mitchell. You know they spent a night together.”
Steed’s brows lifted. “No shit? When?”
“That night you took me home from Cord’s bar. She was with Mitchell, and she told me they pretty much got lost in each other all night, which I might add is so unlike her. But Mitchell hasn’t called or anything.”
“That’s because Tripp’s laid claim.”
“Laid claim? What is she, a cow? Does Tripp even like her?”
With a grim twist of his mouth, he replied, “Sorry. Bad choice of words. Anyway, I think he likes her. He seems to enjoy her company, and he does talk about her, but come to think of it, he seems to talk about her more when Mitchell’s around.”
“I wonder if Mitchell likes her.”
Steed made his way over to me. With each step, my body grew hotter. “If he does, maybe he’s confused? He actually felt something for a woman, and he doesn’t know how to deal with it. Then add Tripp into the equation.”
Rolling my eyes, I mumbled, “Men.”
He stopped in front of me. “Ya know, when I first knocked and you looked at me, I could swear I saw a hungry look in your eyes.”
I wiggled my eyebrows. “You saw right.”
His hand slipped behind my neck, pulling me close. “What are you hungry for?”
“You.”
“Chloe’s with Amelia this afternoon.”
My body trembled from the look of promise in his eyes. “I know. Auntie afternoon Amelia called it.”
“Do you know what that means?”
“You’re going to take me back to my place and have your wicked way with me?”
A crooked grin grew over his handsome face, and my knees wobbled. “As amazing as that sounds, no.”
I pouted. Something one of my students would do, but it seemed to make Steed’s eyes turn darker. Kind of like the other day when he stopped by my house and nearly ravaged me when I opened the door. He said it was my pigtails that got to him. I made a mental note to wear them more often.
“Amelia is keeping Chloe most of the day, so I made plans for this afternoon and evening.”
My heart fluttered. An entire afternoon and evening alone with Steed. We’d been able to sneak in alone time over the last couple of months, but it had been a few weeks since our last…sleepover.
“I like the sounds of that, Mr. Parker.”
“Grab your shit, let’s go. The faster we start this date the faster my cock is inside of you.”
I inhaled sharply. No matter how much he talked that way, it still shot a bolt of electricity right between my legs. If he slipped his hand in my panties, I had no doubt I’d be soaked for him.
“You’re lucky no one heard that dirty mouth of yours.”
He laughed. “Don’t deny it. You like my dirty mouth.”
My brows lifted, and my lower stomach pulled with an aching need. “Oh, I’m not denying it.”
His eyes darkened. “I didn’t think so.”
I walked around my desk and grabbed some papers. Even though it was Thanksgiving break, I still needed to work on lesson plans. I nestled the paperwork into the Fry bag I talked myself into buying a few months back. Reaching for my purse, I turned and headed back to Steed.