Chapter Nine
The alarm went off, and Leah blinked her eyes open. Her head throbbed, and her throat burned a little. She could feel the raw puffy parts of her eyes as she swiped a hand over them.
She groaned. Last night had been an epic mistake. At the time, having sex with Nikon had seemed like such a good idea, but anything under the influence of wine seems like a good idea.
Still, Leah had been certain the hybrid had liked what they had done, even if they didn’t go all the way. He responded to her as if he did, and his body couldn’t lie. She knew she did.
All of that was why his rejection stung more than she liked to admit, even if it was probably for the best.
Leah slowly made her way over to the closet and pulled out her clothes for the day before heading into the bathroom. She avoided looking in the living room, not sure she wanted to know if Nikon was there or had gone back to the Lodge. The idea of facing him again after what had happened mortified her, but the idea he would just leave without saying anything made her heart ache all over again.
Leah flipped on the warm water in the shower and let the spray flow for a bit before stepping under the stream.
Despite how things ended, she had enjoyed what they had done and wondered what it would have been like to go further. The soft ache between her legs were a reminder that even his fingers were bigger than she was used to.
Leah thought to herself about holding his length in her hands. Nikon was much larger than she anticipated. If just his fingers made her feel so good, she wondered what the rest of him might do. Actually having him inside her would fill in her in a way she’d never experienced. Ecstasy, she was certain of it.
She let out a soft, bitter laugh. There was no point in thinking about something that was never going to happen. Nikon had made that very, very clear the night before. She was better off just focusing on the day.
Back to the school. Back with the little monsters again. Matt’s revelation that students might eventually calm down after a couple of years wasn’t all that comforting, but this job was her only real shot at getting back into teaching fulltime.
More than anything, Leah hoped she could make it through a class without worrying that total chaos would ensue. Maybe deploying some of Jamie’s revenge ideas wasn’t such a bad thought. Although she was certain the swirly idea might have her without a job.
Jamie’s words came back to her.
Everyone else she knew was leaving soon. Maybe this job would be Leah’s new normal, and she needed to start getting used to that reality.
She could feel her eyes start to sting again. As much as she didn’t want to say it out loud, she didn’t want them to go. All through life she’d always felt so alone. She’d never really been all that close to her parents, and until she met Jamie and Wendy, close friends had been just a dream.
Having them in her life had meant so much more than just people to get drunk with. They made her feel like someone cared, that she belonged somewhere. Now that dream was coming to an end.
The same went for Nikon, although she’d never tell him that. When he was near, she felt at complete peace and at home. Wherever that might be.
Leah sighed and shook her head. Thinking about it all wasn’t going to solve anything.
Quickly she shampooed and conditioned her hair before stepping out of the shower, now feeling far more refreshed. A few minutes with the blow dryer and a little make-up about completed her preparation.
Leah opened the bathroom door and peeked into the bed room. It was still as quiet as it’d been with the door closed, but the enticing scent of bacon and coffee hit her nose.
A smile spread across her face. Nikon hadn’t left.
She slipped on black slacks and an emerald short-sleeved sweater with another black sweater over the whole thing. It was warming up outside, but she wanted to make sure that she didn’t totally freeze her ass off at the game that night while still representing the school colors.
Leah stopped at the mirror by the closet and looked at herself. The green offset the color in her hair and made her moss green eyes stand out more than normal. It was a good look on her.
Satisfied, she made her way out of the room and down the hall. It was time to begin facing the day, and that included facing Nikon.
The hybrid stood in the kitchen, his strong back to her. He was wearing different clothes than the day before, so he must have come into her room again at some point, likely long before she was ever awake.
“There are painkillers by your coffee,” Nikon said, his back still turned to her.
Leah made her way over to the coffee and sat down at the table. She took the pills and wondered if he was feeling as awkward as she was or if he was just angry. After all, he was the one who’d stopped everything.
When Nikon finally turned around, she could see the bags under his eyes. He’d not slept well either.
He placed eggs onto her plate as well as some bacon.
Leah took a bite and waited for him to sit down as well. They ate quietly, neither saying anything.
“How was work?” Nikon said, breaking the silence. “I never got a chance to ask you about your first day.”
Leah blinked, stunned at his words. She’d expected him to say something about the night before, but it looked like he was totally going to bypass what had happened yesterday.
“More difficult than expected,” she said quietly. “Plus I have to chaperone a game tonight.” She shrugged.
Nikon froze in place and stared at her. “Tell them you can’t.”
“I can’t tell them that,” she said. “It’s part of the job description. If I refuse, it’ll probably cost me my job. I just started, and I’m still being evaluated.”
He frowned. “It’s not a good idea.”
This time it was Leah who frowned. “And why is that?”
Something flashed across Nikon’s face, and she could tell he was hiding something. It irritated her that he still couldn’t be honest with her after all the time they had spent together.
“Look, if this is about last night…” Leah said, and sighed.
Nikon shook his head. “I just… I need to keep you safe.”
Leah cocked her head to the side. What the hell did that mean? “Is there trouble?”
Nikon shook his head again. “Nothing you need to worry about,” he said. “Why don’t you let me take you today, and I’ll come to this game with you? It might be fun.”
The hybrid could have slapped her, and she still wouldn’t have been more surprised. Something was definitely going on that he didn’t want her to know about, but she wasn’t going to push him, not after the awkwardness of the night before.
“Okay,” Leah said.
The two finished their meal in silence, each lost in thought.
Leah stood when she was done and watched as Nikon loaded up the dishwasher. She grabbed her bag with her supplies.
Her cheeks heated when Lucan stepped into the hall as Nikon and Leah stepped out of the apartment.
“I’m taking her to school,” Nikon said as he closed the door. “Go in without me. I’ll meet you there.”
Lucan looked over at her and nodded before stepping back into his apartment.
They were quiet for the long ride to the school. She wasn’t even sure if he knew where the school was located until they started to drive in the right direction. Sometimes Nikon was full of surprises.
When they finally pulled up outside the school, Leah gathered her things but stopped when Nikon placed a hand on her arm.
“Last night,” Nikon said, and paused to run a hand through his sandy blond hair. “It wasn’t you. It was me.”
Leah snorted loudly. “Really? That’s the line you’re going with?”
Nikon frowned. “I don’t understand.”
She sighed. It was easy to forget just how much the hybrids didn’t know sometimes, but when moments like these happened, she was reminded all over again of the hybrid boys she’d been teaching and how ignorant hybrids could be.
“It’s a phrase sometimes people use when they really don’t want to hurt the other person,” Leah said. “But it tends to just annoy people.” She shook her head.
The frown lines on Nikon’s face deepened. She knew he was trying to find a way to make this okay with her.
Leah glanced out the window and saw Matt heading into the school. She smiled and waved at him.
“Who was that?” Nikon said, his voice lower than normal.
Leah turned around to find Nikon with his sights still set on the other man.
“A teacher down the hall from me.” She shrugged, then placed her hand on his. “Look, I’d been drinking and wasn’t thinking clearly. I get it. Don’t worry about it.” She opened the door to the car. “You shouldn’t have to feel guilty because you aren’t into me,” she said as she stepped out. “Let’s just forget it ever happened. I’ll just see you after school for the game.”
Nikon opened his mouth, but she cut him off by shutting the door. She couldn’t hear any more from him. Even one word and she was certain she would start crying and that was the last thing she wanted before stepping into the lion’s den masquerading as a school.
He didn’t deserve to feel guilty, and she didn’t deserve to be hurt. This was just the way things were, and she would have to live with it.
With new resolve, Leah turned and made her way into the school. Better to focus on the little monsters than on her heart.