“I keep your life interesting.”
He groans and stands up, giving me another show I never wanted as he pulls up his pants. “Is there a reason you’re here, or was your intention just to get me damn near castrated with a side order of blue balls?”
I shrug. “Well, there was a reason, but that was a huge bonus.”
“Prick.”
He goes to the fridge and grabs two beers, being as the one he was drinking got thrown across the room the second teeth sunk into his manhood. I pop it open and take a sip, surprised he didn’t shake it up first. The cold liquid flows down my throat and manages to slightly calm the need to bury my face between Tessa’s legs.
“I kissed her,” I blurt out.
Colby looks over at me and smirks. “Well, it’s about damn time.”
I shake my head. “Of course, you would think that way.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” he counters. “You’re acting like you did something wrong. Tessa’s eighteen, and unless something drastically changed in the last thirty-six hours, I’m sure she was a more than willing participant in your little game of tonsil hockey.”
Thinking back, I know she wanted it just as much as I did. Hell, she would have gone further if I had let it happen. But nothing about that kiss changes the fact it’s wrong, no matter how good it was. No matter how bad I want it to happen again.
“I can’t,” I tell him. “She may be legal, but she’s still a student. There are probably at least fifteen rules against that kind of thing. Maybe laws, too.”
“Ugh.” He throws his head back and rolls his eyes. “You’re like a walking, talking poster child for how to live the world’s most boring life.”
“Well, excuse me for having a moral compass.”
“Yeah? And where has that gotten you? You wasted eight years on a chick you should have thrown to the curb the day you graduated high school.”
Colby doesn’t hold back when talking about Nikki, though I don’t expect him to. Those two never got along, even when her and I were still together. He thought she was an uptight bitch and told me to fuck her in the ass to relieve some pressure, and she thought he was a pig who was going to corrupt me and make me like him. It’s hilarious to think of how she’s actually worse. At least Colby doesn’t give anyone false expectations. He doesn’t go agreeing to marry someone, only to cheat on them as soon as he gets the chance.
“Look, all I’m saying is that Tessa isn’t some random high school student,” he continues. “She’s different. More mature. If you’re worried about her going and blabbing to her friends about it, you don’t know her as well as you should by now.”
I sigh, leaning back in the chair. “If she were going to tell people, she would have already told them about the night we met. It’s not that.”
“Then what is it?”
“She’s eighteen. She’s just setting out on her life, and I’ve already lost a career,” I explain. “Soon, she’ll want a serious relationship. To settle down with someone and start a family. You and I both know I can’t give her that. Not after the shit Nikki put me through.”
While that breakup didn’t destroy me anywhere near the way my injury did, it still hurt. I promised I’d never put myself in that position again, and it’s one I’ve kept. I didn’t become anything close to Colby. I swear, he’ll fuck anything with a pulse. However, I did shut down the idea of spending my life with someone.
He tilts his head to the side. “I’m not entirely sure Tessa is the commitment type though.”
“Maybe not yet, but she will be.”
“And what exactly are you afraid of?” He leans forward and rests his arms on his knees, giving me a look that says he sees right through my bullshit. “That she’ll become too attached, or that you will?”
“Colby,” I warn, but he doesn’t back down.
“What? Don’t sit here and act like you’re afraid she’s going to want a future with someone. You’re afraid she’s going to want a future with someone who isn’t you.”
“Fuck you.”
Laughing, he raises his beer at me and takes a sip. “Stop torturing yourself. She wants you, you want her. Just make sure she doesn’t bite your dick. That shit hurts.”
I GET TO WORK in the morning, feeling just as conflicted as I did when I left here yesterday. Going to Colby’s did jack shit. It just added to my inner turmoil. The only good thing to come out of that was the memory of the look on his face when she bit down. That’s one I’ll remember for the rest of my damn life.
After getting my coffee, I head for my classroom and start getting ready for the day. Don’t get me wrong, this job still sucks, but it’s becoming a little easier now that I’ve got the hang of it.
As students begin to fill the room, I feel her presence before I see her. Sure enough, I glance up from my computer to find Tessa walking in. She’s talking to Kellan about something with Lennon at her side. However, whatever attention she had on him is gone the second her eyes meet mine. It’s like the first day of school all over again, only so much more intense.