Invisible Strings

Chapter Eleven

Brantley's POV:

As Delaney and I walked the halls of the building, me showing her all the changes that I'd made and telling her what each room would be, I had to fight the urge to pin her to the nearest wall and slam my mouth down over hers. There was no denying that the attraction from all those years ago was still there. Hell, if anything, it had only intensified; whether that was because it had been a long time since I had kissed another woman or even thought about being with someone again, I didn't know. All I knew was that when I'd watched her eyes water at the same time as mine had as I talked about making the school everything that I hoped it could be, and then seeing her sink her teeth into her bottom lip –a lip that I wanted to take a damn bite out of and see if it was a soft and plump as it looked– my cock had twitched with interest, telling me that I was still alive and that I had needs.

But she was just coming off a divorce and I was still dealing with the pain caused from losing Amber.

The conversation I had with myself –the one that had me talking to Amber as if she had been sitting with me just like old times– came back to me as Delaney and I walked into what would be the school's library. It was the only room in the entire building that was ready to be filled with books, tables, and computers; all of which were sitting in a storage unit just waiting for the day that they could be placed.

Delaney stepped away from me, my palm instantly missing the touch of her warm skin. As I watched her take in the room, my words of how I wouldn't argue with fate when I felt something with someone filled my mind, making me wonder if I had in fact found the person that Amber hand picked for me.

Delaney had a smile on her face and her eyes danced with glee as she slowly spun in the center of the room, taking it all in.

"Amber always believed that reading was an escape from reality, a way to take a trip –to experience things that you might never get the chance to. She believed that every child, no matter what reading level, deserved access to books in all genres.I wanted this place to represent that." I say, walking more into the room. I didn't realize I was drawn to Delaney until I was standing next to her again, my hand landing on the small of her back once more.

"I agree with her." she said, smiling up at me. "I have always encouraged a healthy reading habit to all my students, even if it meant that they were reading books that were below their reading level. The way I look at it, even if they are reading books that don't challenge them, they are still reading and broadening their horizons."

Delaney's words hit me like a semi-truck. Not because they were bad in any way but because they were pretty much word for word something that Amber had said once when talking about the importance of reading, when she was pleading her case to the community about installing Little Free Libraries that are now scattered all over town.

Whether it was the memory of how passionate Amber had been when she said those words, the woman standing in front of me, the fact that I simply wanted to fill something beside loss, or if I was tired of fighting the urge to kiss her, I don't know. All I know is that one minute I'm looking down into her green eyes and the next, my lips were pressed against her as my hands gripped her cheeks.

The jolt of electricity I'd felt from the simple touch of our fingers was stronger as my lips pressed against hers. A growl escaped me when she leaned more into the kiss, letting me take it at my own pace. Her hands fisted in my t-shirt as she pressed herself against the front of me. My cock turned to stone then, demanding to be freed from the confines of my jeans.

I felt drunk –but in the best fucking way possible– when I finally broke the kiss. But instead of stepping away from Delaney, I held her close to me and looked down into her eyes, trying to gauge her reaction. It didn't matter that my cock throbbed between us and that she could feel it. It didnt matter that her hard nippled poked though her shirt and into my chest. All that mattered was that for the first time, I felt my age again. I felt alive and I felt as if everything in my life was about to change.