Chapter 30

CHAPTER 30

Finn

M y eyes peel open as a sliver of daylight trickles through the slightly ajar curtains. Reaching for my phone I left on the side table, I check the time. It's not even six a.m. I throw off the mildewy blanket I found in the closet and roll off the couch. My body aches; the lumpy couch was far from comfortable.

Scarlet is still sound asleep. Quietly, I watch her, her face peaceful, her breasts heaving with each soft breath. Mesmerized by her beauty, I fight the urge to run my fingers along her gently parted lips.

A little moan escapes them, and for a few seconds, I reflect on how close I got to kissing her last night. So close I could almost taste her lips on mine, feel their tenderness and warmth. She's all I thought about as I tossed and turned on the couch, unable to get comfortable.

I stare at her as she stirs. Something is so wrong with this picture. She's off limits. She's my daughter's teacher and I'm engaged to another. The woman who made me. I owe Kayla my career; I owe her everything. Yet, right now, all I want is the woman in the bed before me.

I rake my fingertips through my unruly hair like I'm scratching my head. Searching for answers. I need to take a shower. Maybe that will give me clarity and wash away these lustful thoughts.

The shower of this rundown joint is surprisingly good. Though the pink and blue ceramic tiles must date back to the sixties along with the frosted glass shower door, the water pressure is excellent. The hot, forceful jet that pours from the showerhead soothes my cramped muscles as I lather up my hair with a bit of the cheap, complimentary shampoo. Harsh, it smells nothing like the sweet vanilla scent of Scarlet's lustrous hair.

Fifteen steamy minutes later, I'm relieved physically, but mentally I'm in a brain fog. Stepping out of the stall, I wrap a skimpy sandpaper-brown towel around my hips, feeling as conflicted as I am confused.

I can't get involved with my daughter's teacher. Hands off. It would be career suicide. With my one-man show around the corner, the last thing I need is for Kayla to go ballistic. Or for me to be accused of sexual harassment.

Thinking she's still in a deep sleep, I traipse back to the bedroom. I'm in for a rude awakening. She's gone!