I let him lead me inside.
“And did you catch that name? Lindstrom?”
Yeah, I’d caught it. It threatened to knock me on my ass again.
“He’s taken a shine to this place.” He linked his arm through mine. “I was hoping he’d take a shine to me, but I’m pretty sure he only had eyes for you the last time he visited.”
My head spun. When he’d said he’d build Trenton another greenhouse, I assumed that offer expired the moment I ran from his house. Instead, he was making good on it. Giving my students something I could never deliver on my own.
“You all right?” He stopped and turned to inspect my face. “You went all pale. Did you hurt yourself when we fell?”
“I’m okay. Just shocked.” I smoothed my wet skirt.
“I’m not. I saw how he looked at you.” He plucked a blade of dead grass from my hair. “Get on back to class.”
“Right.” I turned to hurry down the hall.
He laughed. “Just don’t turn around for them, okay?”
I pressed my palm to my cold backside and called over my shoulder. “Noted.”
The noise persisted through the rest of the day—men, machines, deliveries. It was the most beautiful music I’d ever heard. The footprint for the new greenhouse was more than double our current space.
During my afternoon break, I stared at my phone. I didn’t have Sebastian’s direct dial, but I found the Lindstrom, Corp. number easily enough. Could I do this? Actually speak to him on the phone?
I glanced out at the construction. He’d done this for me. I had to say thank you. It wasn’t just because I wanted to hear his voice. Not at all.
I dialed and was transferred to his secretary.
“Sebastian Lindstrom’s office.”
“Hi. Yes. This is, um, Camille Briarlane from Trenton. I was hoping to speak to Mr. Lindstrom? To, um, thank him for the greenhouse.”
“I’m sorry, but he’s out of state on business.”
“Oh.” The depth of my disappointment surprised me. I wanted to hear his voice. No, I craved it, and I hated myself for it.
“May I take a message?”
“No, that’s not necessary.” I clicked the phone off and dropped it as if it had burned me.
What was I doing? One good act by the man didn’t erase everything he’d done to me. I leaned back in my chair, the familiar monotone of Dr. Potts soothing me through the wall. Closing my eyes, I went through Sebastian’s sins—surveillance, kidnapping, the sleeping nude, the deals, the kissing, the sex. His hands on me. The look in his eye when he was between my legs, devouring me. The way his hair would muss when I ran my fingers through it. His scent, the feel of his hard body against me. When he was inside me. I shifted in my chair, my panties sticking to me and not because of the melted snow. Now that I wasn’t in his clutches, I could admit he was the sexiest man I’d ever met. A fantasy wrapped in delicious suits with a darkness inside him that burned if you touched it. And I had. I’d luxuriated in it, giving myself to him in a way I’d never done with anyone else. And the worst part—I’d enjoyed every moment of it. He’d gotten to me, reached that secret part inside that scared me. But he’d seen it, tasted it, and he hadn’t judged. Instead, he’d bathed in my own darkness the same way I had in his.
“Camille?”
I jumped as Link strode into my classroom, a bouquet of white daisies in one hand. “Um, hi.” I stood. “What are you doing here?”
He laid the flowers on my desk and pulled me into his arms. “I had an ad meeting out of town, and instead of going back to the office, I figured I’d say the meeting went over.”
“Naughty.” I smiled up at him.
“That’s what you like, isn’t it?” He ran a hand through my hair and kissed me.
I tried not to think about how no flash of desire heated me at his touch, when only moments ago, simple thoughts of Sebastian had set me alight. Guilt tried to drown me, especially when my mind flickered to what I’d given Sebastian, twice—something I’d never offered to Link.
I leaned back. “Not at school.”
His eyes narrowed, but he kept his playful tone. “No funny business at a high school? Please.”
“I wouldn’t put anything past the students, but the teachers have to stick to some level of decorum.” I pecked him on the lips to try and assuage his irritation.
“What about Mint? Have you seen him?”
“Mint? He was in my class as usual. Why?”
“That kid’s horny for you.” He slid a hand down to my ass. “Not that I blame him.”
I slapped his arm. “Hands off, and Mint is just a regular teenager. He doesn’t have any hots for me. But his classmate Jenna? Definitely.”