Free Vicious Love (Barrington Heights #1) by M. W. McFarland

get to.”
    “Oh, yes, yes. Of course.” He turned to leave, but I stopped him. “Do you need a pass, Christopher?” Anything to keep him here for a second longer.
    “No, thank you. I’ll be fine.”
    My attempt had failed, and I felt awful immediately after that. I wanted to talk to him more, to examine him more, to learn more about him.
    “Oh, and Miss Beaumont.” His voice shot hope through my body. “Have a nice day.”
    That’s it? “Have a nice day?” No, I need more than that. He hadn’t shown any interest in me this time. He had been all business. Last time, Chris had been flirting nonstop with me. Was it my ring? Had Chris stopped flirting because he’d seen my ring? Maybe next time, I wouldn’t wear it.
    What is wrong with you, Jennet? I thought to myself. Why are you reacting like this to a near stranger? Plus, you’re engaged. You chose to play the safe card, so you chose Barry. You made the commitment, so stop this. Stop it now.
    My conscience was right. I couldn’t think like this, especially about a student. It’s illegal, and I was engaged. I shouldn’t have been worried about Chris any more than I would worry about any other student. I was twenty-six for heaven’s sake. He was probably seventeen or eighteen. Way too young for me, and completely inappropriate. I had never done something inappropriate before, and I wasn’t willing to start now. I must stay professional and loyal. Both to my profession as a teacher and to my future husband as a wife.
    I walked to my classroom feeling content with myself. My logic was whole, and I knew that I could control myself. I might have just asked Chris a simple question, but I’d almost gone too far; I’d almost dug too deep. Questions like that and the thoughts I’d had would only lead to worse and deeper things. Like how marijuana is a gateway drug, those thoughts were a gateway to something else. To other, deeper things. Dark questions and emotional attachment that I could not have. 
    I’d left my emotional attachments behind in service to Barry. I’d uprooted my life there and come here for Barry. Barry was my fiancé and he meant everything to me. Why else would I have left everything I’d come to love behind? It couldn’t have been the pressure from my parents. I had already gone against them before when I’d moved away to New York against their wishes. It couldn’t have been the ultimatum Barry had given me, the one I knew I had pushed him to—marry him or leave him. I was the creator of my own destiny, and I’d made the decision I’d wanted. I loved Barry, and he loved me. That was enough to keep me happy.
    I reached the door to my class and went inside. It was the fourth block and I only had one class left to go before I could go home and unwind. Before I could take a bubble bath with candles and indulge in the chocolates Barry had given me last night as a gift. Richart Chocolates, the Envol ballotin assortment—some of the most delicious things I had ever tasted in my life and a tradition Barry had kept since our first date. They just melted in my mouth as the rich, sweet, yet salty taste indulged my every sense. At $120 per pound, they were worth it. The assortment contains every type of delightful and elegant piece anyone would expect and some they wouldn’t. The aroma alone could launch one’s body into a mind-altering, body-shaking foodgasm. Wave after wave of delight would just wash over me. That could keep any girl happy. Ecstatic even. That was how Barry made up for what he lacked in the bedroom. Damn, did he give me the best foodgasms.
    My daydream of finally being able to relax was, unfortunately, interrupted by the bell signaling for class to start. I looked around the room at the different faces and tried to pick out the people I’d seen before. Not met, but seen before. There was one student in the middle of the class who seemed familiar. A girl, about five foot five, with brown hair, paler skin, and large, round,