Heart of the Guardians: Meeting Destiny Read online

  She checked the time; saw she had a few minutes and opened the website. An incredible, beautiful red dress that would hug her body just right caught her eye. It was the type of dress that demanded confidence and would attract a lot of attention. The style that a femme fatale would have. She nearly blushed just thinking about it. It was impractical. Where would she ever wear something like that? It was a good price but she could get t-shirts and jeans instead, something useful she would wear every day. She clicked away to things more her style then back to the dress. People were getting up, shutting down their computers and headed to class. She’d shop later, maybe get a pencil skirt and a few cute blouses. That would be the smart thing. Her mouse hovered over the buy it now button.

  You shouldn’t She told herself.

  But it’s gorgeous.

  It’s ridiculous.

  It was made for my body.

  Don’t do it!

  She did, slammed down the lid and took off for class.

  Too late she told her practical self. It’s done.

  James got down to business on his second day. The classes, more introductions to faculty, meeting his students, learning the layout of the campus and exploring his inherited office filled his hours but his mind kept drifting back to Claire. He didn’t bump into her on campus and after their awkward encounter at the apartment, he doubted she would finish organizing Professor Vogt’s files. He didn’t blame her but he went to his office instead of the lounge or coffee shop when he didn’t have classes. He wasn’t hoping she would show up, that wasn’t the reason he told himself. He needed to do a rough inventory and decide what he wanted to keep or if he even wanted to remain in it instead of taking a newer office the dean had offered.

  Keep telling yourself that he thought. You might even start to believe it.

  It was dark and cluttered, filled with artifacts and books and heavy wood paneling. It reminded him of an old English gentlemen’s club. It was cozy and inviting.

  And private.

  The space offered in the new wing was a lot closer to his classes and had modern heat and air conditioning but was stark and bare. This office was old, comfortable and relaxing. It had an overstuffed leather couch where he could take a nap if needed and was quiet if he wanted to grade papers or counsel students.

  There’s one student I’d like to counsel.

  He shook the thought out of his head, leaned back in the comfortable leather office chair and stared out the window to the lawns and people below. The desk was large, heavy and old with plenty of room for his computer and papers.

  And big enough for her to sit on and entertain me.

  He’d keep it, of course he would. It reminded him of home. And maybe Claire would come back and finish what she’d started. Maybe he could try to talk to her again and not come off sounding dumb.

  He only brought a few sets of clothes and hadn’t bothered going shopping yet so that evening he bundled them up then went down to the basement looking for the laundry room.

  With the washing machine started he pulled out a book and settled in. The monotonous buzz of the machine made for great, undistracting background noise and he tried to get lost in the pages.

  His mind kept wandering back to her, it started when he walked past her door and overheard her giggle. He could almost smell the perfume of her hair, see her shy smile and the closeness made him start thinking of ways to talk to her. Borrow a cup of sugar? Ask about local restaurants and maybe ask if she was hungry?

  He wondered how this could happen to him, a worldly and practical man. He considered himself sensible in most things but he was behaving like a sixteen-year-old with his first crush. She was half his age, he’d just been burnt from his last relationship and he didn’t need a rebound girl. It was a mistake. He couldn’t give in to the urge and tried to concentrate on the book.

  His mind kept wandering, he had no idea what he was reading and reread the same paragraph for the third time. He needed to taste her soft lips and round mouth. He yearned to be at her mercy, to offer himself to her to do as she pleased. To use him. His vision blurred and he didn’t see the words on the page. He saw her wearing intricate black lace lingerie that hugged her body and contrasted with porcelain skin. Her soft breasts were pushed up by a corset that shaped her body like an hourglass. She was so beautiful he wanted to fall on his knees in front of her and offer his adoration. He would start with the black stiletto pumps and kiss his way slowly up to her legs.

  He heard footsteps coming down the stairs and nearly jumped. A glance at his lap and he almost panicked. His daydreaming had caused a little problem and the sweatpants didn’t hide anything. He leaned back, threw an ankle over a knee, placed the book in his lap and started thinking about next week’s lesson plan. Yawn inducing, boring and trite. Anything to get his mind off of her and onto something that wouldn’t keep his third leg at attention.

  He heard someone come in and looked up to smile a quick greeting, he hoped it was the old man from the 1st floor.

  It wasn’t.

  Claire stood in the doorway, laundry basket in her hands and looked surprised and indecisive. He said hello and went back to staring at his book. He didn’t want to weird her out anymore and couldn’t think of anything to say so he said nothing. He pretended to ignore her, to be engrossed in the book but the two second glance had shown him everything. She was wearing a tight white T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Her long wild hair was free, the curls bounced as she walked. She was gorgeous and the fact that she had no idea how beautiful she was made her even more irresistible. Her mouth formed a perfect O when she saw James and she clung to her laundry basket even harder.

  “Um, hi Professor.” She said and moved over to an empty machine.

  “We can drop the titles when we’re off campus if you’d like.” he said “We’re adults, just call me James.”

  “Sure, that would be nice.” Claire smiled, a little embarrassed of him seeing her dirty laundry.

  She did her best to block his view as she stuffed everything in the washing machine. She would be mortified if he saw her Batman underwear.

  His washing machine beeped and it was his turn for a slight panic. He had to stand up and cross the room. The problem in his pants he was wishing away wasn’t listening to him. He felt like an idiot as he used the book to cover himself as he hurried across the room. Any normal person would have left it on the chair. Putting the wet clothes in the dryer was easy, they gave him plenty of cover but once he tossed them in, he was trapped. He couldn’t go back and get his book, it was too far. She wasn’t watching, her head was bent over her phone but if she looked up…

  He couldn’t chance it so he spun into the closest chair, crossed his legs again and picked up a five-year-old celebrity gossip magazine. Maybe she wouldn’t notice.

  Out of the corner of his eye he saw her massaging her shoulder and he imagined himself working out the kinks in her back, massaging warm oil into her pale skin. He could almost feel the heat generated with the gentle yet firm strokes and circles as he gave her a deep tissue massage. He could almost see his hands slide over her flawless, naked skin. She would be soft as velvet…

  Stop it he screamed in his head. Oh my God, just stop it. He adjusted his leg and started reciting the kings of his country, those that had been recorded since the original scrolls had been lost in the fire of 1362.

  King Gyfford the bold, first of his name.

  Frederic the Fierce, keeper of the realm.

  King Eudon the beloved. He only lasted a week before he was killed by one of the crazed wolf clan shifters. And on he continued, running through their names and deeds as he idly turned the pages and looked at celebrities he’d never heard of.

  Claire rubbed her shoulder, sore from the exercise and stared blankly at her phone. She couldn’t help but notice that he’d left his book and was pretending to be absorbed in a boring magazine. Her heart dropped for a moment, he was doing anything not to speak to her or even get within ten feet of her but an
other quick glance from under her hair told a different story. She saw what he was trying to hide and instead of being mortified, she felt mischievous. She wondered who he was thinking about. She wondered what he would do if she walked over bold as brass and sat on his lap. What if she accidentally dropped a pair of lacy panties? Ooops. Excuse me James. Could you hand me those? Except she didn’t have sexy underthings. Polka dots on sensible cotton didn’t count. What if she tripped while moving her laundry and her hand accidentally landed in his lap?

  She choked down a giggle, hid a smile and before she lost her nerve asked him if he’d ever been to the ancient sites in Greece that he was teaching about.

  He didn’t hear or was ignoring her but after a moment he gave his head a shake. She wondered what he was thinking about, surely not the celebrity gossip.

  “Sorry Claire, could you repeat please?

  “I was asking if you’ve visited Greece, any of the places we’re learning about”

  “Yes, I did. Quite a few times for fun but also on archaeological sites. It’s such a beautiful, fascinating place. The moment you step on Greek territory even the air tastes different, like delicious spices.”

  Claire was enthralled by his voice. He’d said he was from England but he sounded different. More exotic.

  Oh, you Greek God, set me on the washer and make love to me.

  The heat was building between them even when silence fell again. The tension was getting crazy over the steady hum of the washer and dryer. James tried to hide his hardness by using the magazine. Claire felt her breasts tensing and had to lean forward so her nipples didn’t show as they pushed against the fabric. Being near him was erotic and exciting and waking up parts of her that had been dormant for a long time.

  If she would have been brave like Dana, she would have sat on the chair next to him, touched his thigh and thought of flirty things to say instead of talk about classes and school. She was at a loss, though. She had no idea how to try to be seductive.

  He went back to his magazine so she took out her phone and scrolled through Facebook.

  When her machine finished its cycle and whirred to a halt, Claire stood to move her laundry to the dryer. She was still reading the end of an article and forgot the floor drain was an inch lower than the rest of the floor. The downward step was unexpected and she stumbled, tripped over the lip and started to fall. James reacted instantly, the magazine went flying and he was on his feet in a flash. He wrapped her in his arms and instead of an awkward fall to the concrete, she fell smoothly against him.

  Her mouth made that perfect Oh of surprise not only at her stumble but at how quick he was. Her breasts were against his chest and she wondered if he could feel the hardness of her nipples. He held her and she didn’t want to break contact, he smelled delicious and his arms were strong, the muscles hard. She tried to collect her wits, to move away and politely thank him but her senses wanted to lean closer. Every cell wanted to connect with him, wrap her legs around him and pull him tight.

  His save became awkward after a long moment and the ding of his dryer finishing brought them both out of the spell. He guided her to a chair and knelt in front of her and took her ankle in his hands, concern in his eyes. She let him probe and massage it although it was fine. His fingers ran over her skin, left her tingling and she thought maybe she’d tell him her knee hurt, too. And her thigh. And oh, my. Between my legs, too.

  It was her turn not to hear what he said, her mind roiling with what if’s and maybe’s. She dismissed the age difference, the fact that he was her teacher and everything else. She’d never had her heart hammer so hard at a touch, not even when she let Sammy Thompson slip his hand down her pants two years ago. She’d been aroused after the fine dinner, the extra glasses of wine and his sensual beauty but nothing like this. It had been easy to tell him to stop, that she wasn’t ready. She was powerless in James’ hands it had never, ever felt so good to be touched, just touched, by a man.

  He cocked his head and stared into her eyes as she replayed the last moment, tried to remember what he’d asked.

  “Yes.” she said quickly as she regained her sense of decorum. “Yes. I’m fine, thank you.”

  He placed her foot back on the floor and when his hands left her skin, the spell was broken. They both remembered who and where they were. Student and teacher, almost strangers, in the basement doing laundry. He turned to get his clothes out of the dryer as she hurried to the washer to pull out her own, putting her back to him. She hid the rock hardness of her nipples and the heat wave rolling from between her legs. They were both careful not to touch each other again as the small talk turned to safer avenues and they willed their passions back down, caged them back up.

  He talked about the Minotaur’s and other legends of Greece and she told him more about subjects Professor Vogt had covered. Claire was happy to listen and sneak glances at his perfect ass that looked so tight and round in the sweats as he slowly folded laundry. She could barely fight the urge to walk over and just grab it. She blushed and tamped the idea down. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to say something stupid. She scolded herself, she’d never had such dirty thoughts about a boy before but if she were honest, none of them had ever done much for her. She rarely went on more than three or four dates with the same guy. Either she lost interest or they did when they realized they weren’t going to be getting any action from her.

  James waited for her clothes to finish drying as they kept a safe distance from each other but the conversation was easy and they both laughed a lot. The hour passed by way too quickly and when it became obvious they were just lingering to be lingering he offered to carry her basket upstairs. As he handed her the laundry at her door, she blurted out her number before she could stop herself.

  “Um, in case you have any questions about the old lesson plans or any of the papers in your office,” She added quickly “I know how all of Professor Vogt’s file are organized.”

  She closed the door and leaned against it and wondered if she had sounded desperate. Had it seemed like she was throwing herself at him? Maybe he wasn’t interested. Dana was out on a date with some new boy. Claire couldn’t keep up, so she put away her clothes, ate a light dinner and sat down in front of the TV with a glass of wine. She put on Sense and Sensibility, her go-to movie and replayed the events in the laundry room. She remembered how his strong body felt against hers and felt herself getting warm. Her hand slipped inside her waistband, under her panties and her fingers started slowly working. She thought about James, his muscled arms, his sexy smile and how much she wanted to feel his lips against hers. She leaned back and closed her eyes. The lust locked up in her was overwhelming. She bit her lip, envisioned it was his hands stroking her and didn’t question why he made her so hot and ready.

  She jumped when her phone buzzed and saw it was a text from an unknown number. It was from him. He was thinking about her.

  It’s James. The text read. Just checking on your ankle, everything okay?

  She typed one handed, the other was working herself towards a climax that she could feel coming from all the way down to the tips of her toes. Would he come downstairs if she told him what she was doing?

  I’m being a very naughty girl and I need your help.

  Her breathing became faster but she deleted the text and wrote something sensible.

  Thank you, feeling much better

  It was true and he had no idea. She imagined asking him to come down and meeting him at the door wearing black high heels, black fishnet stockings, a pair of lace panties and a silky black robe. How would he react? Would he barge in with uncontrolled passion as they tore each other’s clothes off and had crazy sex like wild animals? Would he gently carry her into the bedroom and make soft, tender love with slow kisses and lingering caresses? Would his beard tickle?

  Claire arched her back and moaned, gasped for air and had the most mind-blowing orgasm she’d ever had. It didn’t stop at one, her body continued to shiver with aftershocks as sh
e thought about the man a few feet above her.

  Her breathing slowed, the tremors subsided and she wondered how loud she’d been. Could he have heard? Part of her didn’t care, if she felt that good just thinking about him, what would it be like if his hands really were on her? What would it be like to lose her virginity with him? She tried to imagine sleeping with a man, with him, and wondered how it would be.

  I’d like to find out, she thought.

  Chapter Seven

  The Office

  That night her dreams were strange, she ran through dark, mist enshrouded woods but she wasn’t being chased and she never tired. She was hunting for something and she woke filled with need and passion. She pushed herself hard on their morning run. She tried to clear her head with sweat and exhaustion and even Dana was winded when they got back to the apartment. As they sat on the porch trying to regain their breath after the three-block sprint at the end of the run, a UPS truck pulled up to the curb. He was cute in his Buster Brown uniform and Dana being Dana was radiant even in baggy sweats and her hair pulled back in a ponytail. He had a ring on his finger but her little bit of flirting had him running the rest of his route with a smile on his face.

  “What’s in the box?” Dana asked as they climbed the stairs.

  “Used your gift certificate.” Claire said and showed her the clothes as Dana got the coffee started.

  She wolf whistled at the red dress and raised her eyebrows.

  “Very nice.” She said “Got somebody in mind for that? Maybe Professor sugar hunk?”

  Claire blushed and pulled out the other more practical clothes. The skirt and blouses were a huge step up from her usual baggy sweatshirts and Dana insisted she wear the pencil skirt.