Page 20 of Promises We Meant to Keep (Love in Massachusetts #1)

twenty

“Kam,” Elia tried again. “As much as I’d love to go upstairs with you, I really do think that we need to talk before we do that again.”

“You’re right.” Kamryn kissed again quickly. “Dinner.”

Kamryn took a purposeful step away, and Elia was so grateful for that. Her entire body was heated and raring to go, and not to dinner. She wanted to drag Kamryn upstairs and stay up there for the rest of the night. It was taking all her willpower to stay right where she was.

Buttoning her jacket purposely, Elia set her shoulders and straightened her back. They really needed to talk. Especially after her conversation with Abagail earlier that week. She couldn’t avoid this one any longer. None of them could.

Kamryn held her arm out, expecting Elia to slide her arm into the nook of her elbow and walk together. Elia flicked her gaze down to Kamryn’s arm and then back up to her face. She shook her head slowly. “As much as I would like to, I think it’s probably a better decision not to at this point in time.”

“Oh.” Kamryn frowned, a dark cloud coming over her in an instant.

“It’s part of what I want to talk to you about. I hope you understand.”

“I do.”

But Elia wasn’t sure that Kamryn did. She hadn’t been through the experiences that Elia had, and she wouldn’t be as cautious. She should be, but she was far more innocent in this part of their relationship—if they even had one at the end of the night. God, Elia hoped they would.

“Come on,” Elia said, snagging her purse and slinging it over her arm. “Let’s go.”

“Okay.” Kamryn still had that cloud over her, and Elia really wished she didn’t.

Elia had her hand on the doorknob and was about ready to turn it when she stopped. Making Kamryn wait for this was just going to torture them both. There was no reason they couldn’t have the conversation now, and here, and then it’d probably be safer anyway. No one might potentially overhear them.

“If we’re going to be in a relationship together, then we need to tell the board,” Elia blurted out.

Kamryn stood frozen on the spot, her eyes wide, her face drawn. “Relationship?”

“Yes. Well, I think we should probably tell them what happened the other night too, kind of. Because it’s a conflict of interest, and I don’t want either of us to end up in trouble because of it.” Elia dropped her hand off the doorknob. “So if we just tell them, then everything is out in the open, and we don’t have to worry about it.”

“Wait.” Kamryn waved her hands in front of her. “Slow down. We’re not even dating, Elia. Why would we tell—”

“Because it’s the ethical thing to do.”

“Now you want to talk about ethics?” Kamryn’s eyebrows raised so high up that they very nearly disappeared into her hairline. “But you’re not the ethical one, right?”

“I…” Elia stopped talking. She was walking into a trap, that was for sure.

Kamryn blew out a breath and stepped away again, shucking her jacket and tossing it over the back of the couch. “Let’s talk about this, Elia, because that was my goal for tonight too. I’m glad we’re on the same page with that. I want more from this.”

“From what?” Elia’s stomach twisted hard into knots.

“From whatever is between you and me, and yes, that will involve talking to the school board about our relationship, but I want a little bit more definition before I walk into that firing squad.”

Elia cringed at that metaphor. If only Kamryn knew just how bad it could be. She wouldn’t want to come near Elia any time soon. “We could both lose our jobs if they want us to.”

“We could, but considering they’re already short-staffed, considering Miller—well Maria—finally told the board this week that he won’t be returning, and considering that you’re my former teacher, the power dynamics and authority issues aren’t as complicated as they might be.”

But they were.

And Kamryn was so wrong to think that they weren’t going to be an issue. “They’ll wonder about us, you know.”

“About us?” Kamryn furrowed her brow, leaning over the back of the couch, her fingers clenching tightly.

Elia needed to explain better, and she knew she was doing a bad job at it. She hadn’t thought they’d talk here. She hadn’t figured out a way that this conversation was going to go, and it was throwing her for a loop. She dropped her purse onto the floor next to the door and took off her own jacket. If they were really going to sit down and do this, then they needed the time to do it.

“About whether or not we were in a relationship when you were a student here.”

“Why would they wonder about that?” Kamryn pulled a face—one that was akin to disgust and also horror. “Nothing happened then.”

“No, nothing happened then. But they will question it.”

“Then I’ll tell them nothing happened then.”

“It’s not that simple, Kam.” Elia sat down on the couch and crossed one leg over the other. “It’s the board’s job to protect the interests of Windermere, and if neither one of us is seen as doing that, the repercussions are going to be strong.”

“Elia…” Kamryn slid onto the couch next to her, taking Elia’s hands in her own. “It’ll be fine. We just need to disclose to them because I’m your boss, and I can’t be doing certain things while in this position. But when I’m gone—and remember, this job is just temporary—it’ll be fine.”

Elia wanted to believe that. She really, really did. But her gut told her that it wouldn’t be, that everything she feared was going to come up would blow up, in a massive way, and the only ones that were going to be hurt were her and now Kamryn.

Could they hide everything until the end of the semester?

“But if Miller’s officially not returning, won’t the board ask you to stay on?” Elia wanted to hope that the answer was yes as much as she wanted to hope it was no. To spend more time with Kamryn, to continue to work with her in the capacity that they had been would be amazing. She enjoyed so much of their time together. But if Kamryn left, then they could be together without the hindrance of creating ethical issues at the same time.

“I don’t know,” Kamryn replied, shrugging a little. “And I’m not sure I’d tell them yes at this point either.”

“You wouldn’t?” Elia leaned into the hope that flared up. “Why not? I thought you enjoyed being here again.”

“I am,” Kamryn answered, staring down at her hands in her lap. “I really am enjoying my job and being back at Windermere. But I’m also really struggling with the board right now. I don’t know if they would ask me to stay on or if I’ve even ruined my chances at potentially having another position here.”

“Kam…” Elia touched Kamryn’s knee. “Boards can be brutal and unrelenting sometimes.”

“I have a feeling you’re someone who would deeply understand that.”

“I am,” Elia admitted. She bit her lip, her mind working quickly on what to say and do next. “Let’s tell the board. Maybe not today, but soon.”

“When?”

“When we think the time is right, and when we know exactly what we’re going to tell them.” Elia squeezed Kamryn’s knee and then went to pull away, but Kamryn snagged her hands and pulled her back quickly, lacing their fingers. “Kam…”

“And what about us in the meantime?”

“Meantime?” Elia asked.

“I like you, Elia.” Kamryn smiled then, and it lit up her entire face. Elia loved seeing it, the honesty behind it all. Kamryn lifted Elia’s fingers to her mouth, kissing the backs of her knuckles lightly. “I really like you.”

“Kam.” But Elia didn’t know what else to say. She was at a complete loss for words. She watched with rapt attention as Kamryn turned her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist. Shivers ran straight up Elia’s arm and into her chest. “I wouldn’t have suggested talking to the board if I wanted to end this.”

“Wouldn’t you have?” Kamryn kissed a little higher. “Because I do believe you said that we should tell them about the other night regardless of where we went from here.”

She had said that, hadn’t she? Elia’s mind was blurring with the touches, and it was becoming harder and harder to focus as Kamryn worked her way up Elia’s arm to her neck.

“What do you want? And be honest with me.” Kamryn stopped. She pulled away, leaving a rush of cold over Elia’s skin from her missing warmth. “Because I want to know.”

Here she was again, at yet another crossroads. She had to say something, and she wasn’t willing to mess this up. Elia raised her gaze, meeting Kamryn’s brown eyes, the steadiness of her look, the confidence in it.

Fuck.

Hiking up the edge of her dress, Elia took the biggest risk she’d taken in years. She moved swiftly, straddling Kamryn as she sat on the couch, her back now pressed into the cushion behind her. Elia stared down at her, dropping her dress and curling her hair behind her ear. Saying nothing, Elia bent down and touched her lips to Kamryn’s.

It wasn’t enough.

She lowered her hips down, feeling Kamryn’s hands against her waist, holding onto her. She pushed in, parting her lips and kissing Kamryn again. And again. And again. Elia slid her tongue out, tracing the edge of Kamryn’s mouth and delighting in the moment when Kamryn echoed her movement.

Sucking in sharply, Elia pushed her body against Kamryn’s—breast to breast, center to thighs. She had her fingers deep in Kamryn’s hair, tugging and pulling tight as she lost herself in this one moment. She shut out the world around them, the naysayers, the worries, the anxiety that all of this would be taken the wrong way, and she focused solely on how she was feeling in this moment.

Nipping at Kamryn’s lip, Elia pulled back and eyed her confidently.

“I want you.”

“Fuck,” Kamryn murmured, her heart thumping hard under Elia’s fingertips on her chest, her thighs taut with tension. “Fuck,” Kamryn repeated. “Yes.”

“I want more than one night,” Elia said, making sure that Kamryn understood exactly what she was saying.

“Me too.”

“And I want more than just sex.” Elia traced her finger along Kamryn’s damp lips. “I want a relationship—or at least to explore one with you.”

“Elia…” Kamryn eyes lit up, a smile blossoming on those kissable lips. “That’s exactly what I want.”

“Good.” Elia slid back in, kissing Kamryn again. “But I don’t think we’re going out to dinner tonight.”

“Next time,” Kamryn muttered as she took Elia by the hips and flipped her onto the couch.

Elia settled, the weight of Kamryn’s body resting between her legs as they kissed—deep and hard. She threaded her fingers into Kamryn’s hair and tugged, scraping her nails along Kamryn’s scalp. The resounding moan she received in response was music to her ears.

“Keep doing that and we’re not going to make it to the bed again.”

“Screw the bed,” Elia answered, lifting her hips up in a little buck. She wanted this now, and she wasn’t going to be apologetic about it, either. “Now. Here. I’m done waiting for good things in my life.”

“I’m a good thing?” Kamryn said, the smile obvious in her tone as she moved to trail kisses down Elia’s neck and over the top of her chest.

“Y-yes,” Elia said, stuttering as Kamryn reached the tops of her breasts. “I didn’t think so at first, but I was wrong.”

“Not often Dr. Elia Sharpe admits she was wrong,” Kamryn said into her skin, pulling the sleeve of Elia’s dress down and revealing even more skin.

“Not often,” Elia agreed. She wanted to touch and taste just as much as Kamryn was, but she couldn’t find a way to do that in this position. The most she could do was touch Kamryn’s head, tug on her hair, push Kamryn’s mouth to exactly where she wanted—oh that was a good idea. Elia reached between them, sliding her dress higher up on her legs until she could reach the edge of her underwear.

She wasn’t going to wait for this ever again. She’d waited so long for something amazing and wonderful to happen, something so unexpected like Kamryn Ogden walking in as the new Head of School. Elia slid her fingers against her body, finding her folds wet and swollen. She briefly touched her clit, biting back a groan at just how sensitive she was tonight.

“That’s so hot,” Kamryn whispered into Elia’s ear, and then moved directly back down to her breasts.

Elia closed her eyes, feeling Kamryn’s hair drag across her skin, the roughness of her clothes between Elia’s thighs, the gentleness of her kisses. “I want you inside me.”

“Fingers?”

“Yes,” Elia said on a moan. “Fingers.”

Elia parted her legs wider as Kamryn slid her hand up the inside of her thigh. She pulled Kamryn back up, kissing her again and again and again. Their lips melded in a sloppy wet kiss. Elia gasped when Kamryn finally slid two fingers inside her, when Kamryn’s thumb gently coasted over her clit.

“Ahhh, yessssss,” Elia hissed, her eyes fluttering shut and her back arching. “Just like that.”

Kamryn hummed a response, starting a slow pattern, one that was no doubt going to torture Elia with a slow buildup of pleasure. But she wanted more, and she wanted it now. There was time for slow later, just like they’d done before.

“Don’t tease,” Elia said on a breath. She couldn’t stop herself from wiggling and moving, needing more of every kind of touch that she could coax from Kamryn’s fingers, all the pleasure she could possibly find in every simple touch and slide and glide. “Just…don’t draw this out.”

“What if I want to?” Kamryn’s lips moved against Elia’s neck as she spoke.

“Next time,” Elia repeated Kamryn’s words from earlier. “I’ve been wanting this all week.”

“Have you?” Kamryn laughed lightly, sucking on Elia’s skin and scraping her teeth. The subtle roughness was exactly what Elia had needed. She whined in the back of her throat, careening higher and higher toward her orgasm. “What exactly did you think about?”

Elia struggled to organize her thoughts. They went from hard , to slower , to faster , to now , to shut up Kamryn , to keep laughing , the sounds intoxicating. Then suddenly Kamryn stopped. Her fingers halted, her thumb moved away, and Elia’s eyes widened as she glared at Kamryn.

“Why’d you stop?”

“Answer the question.”

“What question?” Elia couldn’t drag her gaze away from Kamryn, from the way the buttons shifted on her shirt to reveal creamy, smooth skin, the rise and fall of her breasts only adding to the tantalizing momentum they’d already found.

“What exactly did you think about this week?”

Elia whimpered. Did she really want to admit every fantasy she’d come up with? Absolutely not. Because she wasn’t sure she could remember them all. “Next time we’re in the hotel room, I’m going to kiss you.”

Grabbing the back of Kamryn’s head, Elia kissed her hard. Kamryn responded immediately. The heel of her palm pressed hard into Elia’s clit, the pressure intensifying her pleasure immediately. Elia gasped, pushing her head back into the couch cushion.

“And then you’re not leaving.”

Kamryn laughed again. Elia was quickly becoming addicted to it. “I’m due for more walks of shame, that’s for sure.”

“We can always meet at your place.”

Kamryn shook her head. “No, much more privacy here.”

“Yesssss…” Elia hissed out the word as soon as Kamryn hit a particularly sensitive spot. Elia bit her lip and arched up again. She wanted so much more touch. She wanted every single moment the two of them could have together tonight. “Hold there.”

Kamryn did as she was told.

Elia clenched down around her fingers, her entire body jerking sharply as she slid into the orgasm she’d been longing days for. She held Kamryn as close to her as possible, wrapping her arms around Kamryn’s back and holding on tightly. Kamryn cradled her, pressing soft kisses into Elia’s skin and hair.

“Elia…” Kamryn whispered.

“Hmm?”

“Not to be a pain, but do you think we can still make the reservation?” Kamryn kissed Elia’s cheek and then along her jawline. “I promise that we’ll come back tonight and do more of this, but I’m really hungry.”

As if on cue, Kamryn’s stomach growled. Elia’s lips twitched upward into a smile. “We can call and see, but I’m going to need a few minutes to freshen up.”

“Perfect,” Kamryn bent down and kissed her again. “And I promise we’ll pick up right where we left off when we get back.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“Never,” Kamryn winked. She backed away from Elia and then helped her to sit up a bit.

Elia took a few extra breaths with her feet solidly on the ground before she managed to remember what she was supposed to be doing. Right, calling the restaurant. She stood up and rummaged through her purse to find her phone. When she turned back around, Kamryn was staring at her with a hungry look in her eyes—and it definitely wasn’t for food this time.

“What?” Elia asked.

“You look damn good and fucked.” Kamryn’s smile turned bright and brilliant, gracing her entire face.

Elia couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled up inside of her as she headed toward the bathroom. She’d deal with Kamryn in a minute.