When He Stays: A Student Teacher Romance Read online

  Erasing thoughts of Mr. Cooper from my head, I turn back to the girls and continue having a conversation with them as we make the last turn up to Sawyer's house and see the cars lined up along the tree line, leading up to a massive house with people flooding in and out.

  Well, time to party.

  SEVEN

  As we climb out of the car, I can instantly smell the scent of marijuana lingering in the air. Oh, sweet baby Jesus, thank you. I haven't smoked since California, and I miss it so damn bad. I look out to my right and into the woods, noticing how dark and eerie it looks in there.

  "Guys, is there like, bears in there or anything?" I ask nervously.

  Giggling, Mya says, "Well, probably. But in all honesty, it's probably too loud around here for us to see any wildlife. They tend to stay away from all the noise."

  Relieved, I huff out a breath and continue my walk up to the house. There are a few fire pits with some people I recognize, and some people I don't that are sitting around on chairs or stumps of wood. Music is playing from a surround sound that must be hooked up both in and out of the house. There are some people that are loud and being extra, but there are also quite a few people that are just being chill and hanging out, which looks to me is where I will be spending my time most of the evening.

  When we walk into the massive home, I notice that a lot of the furniture is pushed off to the sides in the living area for people to dance, while other people are in the massive, chef like kitchen pouring drinks and playing a few drinking games. We make a bee line into the kitchen, waltzing up to the kitchen island in hopes of scoring a drink.

  "Ladies!" Says a deep, booming voice. I look over at Leah and notice she instantly has a shy, girly look on her face.

  "Hi, Sawyer." She says in her most girly voice. Huh, so this is Sawyer? I turn around and check him out, eyes widening. He has on some Nike joggers and Nike shoes, but nothing on top. Completely shirtless, and a six – wait no – eight pack on full display. Wowzers, yeah. This guy is good looking. And he has on some thick, black framed glasses which look perfect on him combined with his messy brown hair.

  He comes up to me and Leah and puts his arm around us. "Hey. What can I get you beautiful ladies to drink this evening?"

  "Jack and coke?" Leah bashfully asks, batting her eyelashes.

  Sawyer looks towards me, "Same." I look for Mya and notice that she is talking to a few other guys in the corner of the kitchen, already with a drink in hand.

  "Don't be so shy." I whisper out of the corner of my mouth as he is walking back towards us.

  "I can't help it!" She looks so out of her element, I can't help but chuckle.

  Sawyer comes back with our drinks and hands them to each of us. I watch as he talks with Leah, giving her a sweet smile and roll my eyes when I see she can barely look at him. She looks at his feet, down at her drink, just about anywhere. After she sees me from behind him giving her a what the hell are you doing look, she looks up at him and finally starts to loosen up a bit.

  Well, my work here is done.

  I look towards Mya and see she has her eyes set on someone who looks vaguely familiar. I think that is one of the guys in my history class, one of Brock's friends. What was his name? Lane?

  Eh, oh well. I decide to go and search for the source of that marijuana smell. Walking outside, I instantly feel a cold breeze and am glad I brought my leather jacket along with me. That is one thing that I will never get used to in Colorado. It doesn't matter how warm it gets during the day, in the mountains it always gets so cold at night.

  I walk towards the fire as the smell of pot gets stronger and stronger and notice a familiar head of blonde hair in a group with a few other people. "Callie?" Brock says as he notices me walking up to him.

  "Hi, Brock." I give a small wave as I make it up to the small group.

  "Come over here." He pats the log next to him and as I'm going to take a seat, he lifts his joint, "Want some?"

  "Yes, please." I greedily take it and take a big hit, loving the instant hit to my lungs it gives. As I cough, I look around and notice a few of the other girls giving me rude looks.

  Okay, then.

  I shrug, not really caring either way. I'm not going to be upset just because they think I am stealing Brock. We're just friends. Maybe someone should paint that on my forehead. I start chuckling.

  "What's so funny?" He nudges his shoulder up against mine.

  "Nothing." I nudge him back.

  We sit around and talk for a little bit, smoke a little bit, and then decide to get up and go inside. We first go to the kitchen to grab ourselves another drink before heading down to the basement. Downstairs there is a pool table, huge big screen TV, and a foosball table. I see Leah and Sawyer down here give them a smile as I walk up to them.

  "What are you guys doing?" I ask with a big smile on my face.

  Leah looks to Sawyer, "Nothing." She turns to Sawyer. "I will be right back." He gives her a wink and gets up, grabbing my hand and dragging me into the closest bathroom.

  "Oh my God, Callie. He is so hot. I seriously never thought I would get him to even talk to me, but here he is, and he is flirting with me! What am I supposed to do? I'm so happy, but also nervous. I'm a virgin, did you know that? Mya isn't, of course. But I have always been the quiet sister, and I don't really know if I am ready to go all the way tonight, you know?" She rambles, not taking a breath the entire time.

  I put my arms up on her shoulders, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down there. He doesn't seem like a bad guy. If you don't want to have sex, just let him know. I doubt he is going to pressure you to do something you don't want to do. Seriously. Just one step at a time, okay? You guys look like you're having a good time. You are having a good time, right?"

  "Yes, of course! I'm having the best night, ever!" She has so many hearts floating around in her eyes, I'm worried they are going to flying out at me.

  "Great, okay. Let's go have a good time then, alright? If you need me to come rescue you for any reason, just…whistle or something."

  "Okay." We each use the toilet before heading back out into the living room. Leah goes back to a waiting Sawyer, who has a sweet smile on his face. I smirk, knowing that she won't be needing me, he looks way too sweet to be an asshole.

  "There you are, Sunshine. Want to shoot some pool with me?" He puts his arm around my waist, and at that moment I notice that he seems more intoxicated than I initially thought. I straighten up, disconnecting his arms from me and moving a step away.

  "Sure. You know I will kick your ass though." I give him a smile, trying to remain friendly.

  "Ha! Sure, we'll see about that. He gives me a wink as he takes the first shot, sending the balls flying in multiple directions and sinking in a couple solids and a stripe.

  "Wow, you are pretty good." I'm impressed that he is able to do much, as drunk as he is.

  We play a couple rounds, and as time goes on his words get more and more slurred, and his walk is turning more into a stumble. After we both win one game, he says, "Do you want one more drink? I think I want one more drink." He gives me a cheesy smile.

  "No, I'm good. And honestly, you look like you could be done, too." I say with a frown.

  "I'm just going to have one more, and then I promise I will be done." He walks past me and gives me a lingering look, one with want. I cringe as he walks away. I'm so not in the mood to deal with a drunk guy.

  I sigh and walk over to the huge sectional couch that takes up a huge portion of the downstairs, plopping down and waiting for Brock to come back. I literally hate overly intoxicated people. Pulling out my phone, I scroll through my social media apps. After about ten minutes, I get bored and am ready to make conversation with Leah and Sawyer, but when I look over at them, they are in the tightest lip-lock known to man.

  Alrighty, then.

  I get up and go upstairs to look for Brock. Once I get upstairs though, I look over to the kitchen table and see Brock sitting in a chair at the island, face planted on the
counter, clearly passed out. Irritated, I go up to him and nudge him, but all he does is grunt.

  And… is that drool? That is definitely drool. Gross. Now what the hell am I supposed to do?

  I go and look for Mya since I haven't seen much of her since we got here. I look around the house, and not noticing her I decide to go look outside by the fire pits. I see her glowing blue hair lit up by the fire, and make my way over to her. She is still with that guy from the kitchen, Lane, is it? And it looks like she is sitting on his lap.

  Interesting.

  "Hey, Mya." I say as I walk up behind her.

  "Callie! What's up? Come sit down and take a hit of this." She passes me another joint. I don't really need to smoke anymore. I've definitely hit my limit for the night and I'm starting to feel it. But, I guess a couple hits won't hurt.

  "Hey, Callie." Lane says, eyes red from the fire or from the joint, I can't be so sure.

  "Lane, right?" He nods his head. "Hey." I give him a head nod.

  "Where is Leah?" Mya asks as I hand her back the joint.

  "Downstairs. Getting heated with Sawyer."

  "What! You're shitting me!" Her hand flies to her mouth.

  I laugh. "Believe it. They looked about three seconds from ripping each other's clothes off."

  "Damn. I never thought I would see the day." She gets a wistful look in her eyes.

  We sit and chat for a little while longer, until I start to shiver from the cold. I look over at Mya, about to ask her if she is ready to leave, but she looks way too happy sitting with Lane. "Hey, Mya. I'm about ready to get going. Do you want a ride, or…?"

  "No! No, I'm good. I will stay the night here or find a ride from someone. You okay to drive by yourself?"

  "Yeah, I will be fine. I am just going to check with Leah before I go. Have a good night." I give her and the rest of the group around the fire a wave goodbye and head back inside.

  "Night." She waves back and snuggles into Lane.

  As I walk downstairs, I prepare myself to see Leah and Sawyer having sex, but let out a huge sigh of relief when I see no naked limbs. Although, they are way into their make out session, about to hit second base, I'm sure.

  I clear my throat, feeling like I'm ruining the moment, but I can't leave her here without asking if she needs a ride. "Leah? I'm going home… do you want a ride?" I ask hesitantly.

  She waves me off and away in a get the hell out of here gesture. I take that as my okay to leave and grab my stuff, walking back to my car.

  I will admit that as the trees became denser and I got further away from the house, I started speeding up a bit and eventually jogging, afraid of running into wildlife.

  Once I get into my car, I immediately click the lock on my doors and take a huge breath. I’m glad I didn't run into any animals. Turning on my GPS and my car, I blast the heat and make a U-turn, going back towards town. As I make my way through the winding, gravel roads, I go over a particularly large bump that makes me grip the wheel in fear. A few moments later, I can tell something is wrong with the car, it almost feels like –

  "SHIT!" I slam my hands on the wheel as I pull over on the side of the road. I get out of the car and go look around the side of the car. "You have got to be fucking kidding me." I groan.

  Seriously, though. Why? Of course, my tire would be flat when I'm in the middle of fucking nowhere!

  I rush back into my car and lock the doors, keeping the heat on so I don't die of hypothermia.

  Okay, now I'm getting a little dramatic.

  Grabbing my phone, I pull up Aunt Jenna's contact information but hesitate to press call. I really don't want to call her, but what other choice to I have?

  I dial her number and it goes straight to voicemail. Cursing, I try one more time with it going straight to voicemail, again. Running a hand down my face, I throw my phone into the passenger seat. What are my other options? I could walk home… no. I shiver, even the thought of walking home in the cold is enough to send me into a panic attack. The cold, the animals, the serial killers?

  Ugh, no way. I grab my phone again scroll through my contacts. I have Shaya's phone number from the coffee shop, and I'm sure she wouldn't hesitate to come and pick me up, but I'm also high and drunk… and underage. That's a sure way for me to get fired.

  Moving on, I stop at a name. Alec Cooper. Alec Cooper? Who is – wait. Mr. Cooper? Oh my God, I forgot he put his number in my phone in case I needed him for an emergency. No way, I am not calling him. I would walk before calling that asshole. He has been a dick all week. But, looking out the window, I know that I literally have no other option. Unless I want to call the police, but yeah. Exactly what Aunt Jenna said. No calls from police tonight.

  Shit.

  After sitting for about five minutes, I decide that I can't wait around any longer and I need to call him.

  Fuck it.

  Pressing dial, I let the phone ring as I chew my finger nails down to nubs. I feel nervous, like an angry swarm of butterflies are taking over not only my stomach, but my whole body. Everything is tingling with nerves. At the point I know it is about to go to voicemail, I am reaching to go hang up when I hear it click to connect.

  "Hello?" Comes an oh-so raspy voice.

  "Uhm, hi. Mr. Cooper? It's Callie." Damn, why did I call him?

  "Callie?" He clears his throat. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" He sounds much more alert now.

  "Oh. I'm fine. You know, just went to that party and now I'm trying to go home… but my tire went flat. I've tried to call my Aunt Jenna, but her phone must be dead. I would call someone else, but… I have no one else. So, here I am." I chuckle, but it sounds flat and awkward.

  "Where are you exactly?" He grits out.

  "About five miles south of that little gas station right outside of town."

  "Stay. Put." The click of the phone sounds and I look down at it.

  "That bastard hung up on me!" I shout, throwing my phone into my purse and crossing my arms tightly across my chest. Huffing and pouting, I sit in my car, cursing out Mr. Cooper until I see the distant lights of a vehicle crawling my way. Not sure if it is Mr. Cooper or not, I slouch down into my seat and double check that my car is locked, hitting the lock button about five more times than necessary.

  The vehicle stops and Mr. Cooper rolls down his window, signaling for me to roll mine down. I do so hesitantly, noticing the fury that lines his face. I give him a smile that looks more like a grimace, waiting for him to say something.

  "Get in. We'll deal with this in the morning." He says, gesturing to my flat. His tone is sharp and lethal. I grab my belongings and hurry to lock my car and hop into his Jeep, knowing only one thing.

  This will be very interesting.

  EIGHT

  The moment I sit down and have the door closed, Mr. Cooper reaches over me and grabs my seat belt, clicking it into place. I'm holding my breath, afraid to breathe in even a smidgen of his scent. His car already is overflowing with the smell of him. It's full of a woodsy, manly scent.

  "Thank you for picking me up." I say quietly.

  All he does is grunt in return. Irritated by his lack of forgiveness, I turn towards the window and silently watch as the trees whisk by. As minutes pass, my irritation grows, eventually seeping out of every pore in my body. I feel like if I don't say what I'm thinking, the anger is going to overflow out of me, and I will be unrecognizable. I decide to speak my feelings before I flip my shit.

  "So, what, this is how it is now? You don't speak to me? Grunting and telling me what to do are our only forms of communication? Well, you know what? Screw you, buddy. I don't need you. You don't want to talk to me? Fine. Fuck. Yo-" My words are cut off as he whips his car to the side of the road and turns off the ignition so fast, I barely have time to process it.

  I screech and my hands fly to the dashboard. "Mr. Cooper, what the fu-" He cuts me off again midsentence, only this time it is by him grabbing my jaw with his thumb and forefinger. I look over at him, seeing the fury boiling over
in his eyes. The anger in them does make me a little nervous. I attempt to pull away, but this only makes his grip stronger.

  "Callie… Shut. The. Fuck. Up." He says the words slowly, each word dripping with malice, but there is also an undertone of something else. Something that I am too scared to name. I close my mouth, swallowing back the retort I was about to shoot at him. Looking into his eyes, there is a heat in them, swirling into the greens of his eyes, like the ocean during high tide. "Did you let anyone kiss these lips?"

  "Wh-what?" I whisper, confused.

  "Did you. Let anyone. Kiss. These Lips?" He says this more slowly, running the pad of his thumb across my lower lip.

  "No, no. I didn't kiss anyone."

  "Thank fuck." He says, just a moment before he smashes his mouth to mine, breathing in my surprise. I let out a little squeak, my eyes going wide.

  Holy shit.

  I am about to protest for a moment until he brings one of his hands to the back of my neck, giving it a possessive squeeze. He lets go of my jaw with his other hand, and I hear the click of my seat belt being released. Moaning, I turn towards him and put my hands on his shoulders, trying to hold on to him and not float away like I know is moments from happening.

  Hesitantly, I open my mouth, testing his restraint and seeing how far he will go. He makes a low growl deep in his chest, and I immediately feel my panties get wet. Without releasing my mouth, he lets go of my neck and grabs onto both sides of my waist, lifting me like I am as light as a feather, depositing me in his lap. Grinding down into him, I can feel his erection and suck in a lung full of breath in surprise.

  He is huge.

  Suddenly, he rips his mouth from mine, but leaves his hands circling around my waist in a possessive hold. "This is wrong." He grumbles, almost like he is trying to convince himself.

  I nod my head yes.

  "We shouldn't be doing this."

  I shake my head no.

  "You are so tempting." He leans over and whispers in my ear as he begins removing my leather jacket.

  I suck in a shaky breath but don't say a word, afraid scare away the heat in his eyes.