Page 11 of Scarred

“Miss Luna!”

I laugh as sweet Claire flings herself at my legs, her dark hair pulled back neatly in two buns at the nape of her neck.

“Hi, Claire bear. Did you have a good weekend?” I ask, bending down to her level.

“Uh, huh,” she nods sweetly. “I got ice cream at the beach.”

“Well, that sounds yummy,” I smile, waving at her mom as she points to the door, letting me know she’s leaving. “Why don’t you go find your fairy with your name on it while I get all the other girls situated?”

She bobs her head before running off to search for her spot. An excited buzz fills the air as the rest of the class filters in. I briefly say hi to the moms as their daughters run to see their friends.

“Okay, my little ones. Let’s all find our fairy, please, and take a seat. We have a lot of fun things planned today.” I walk around the room and make sure everyone is where they are supposed to be before I turn around to face the class.

A tall figure stands in the doorway, broad shoulders filling up the space. He’s holding the hand of a little girl with blond curls and big blue eyes. She’s looking around shyly, but also with an air of excitement that I can clearly feel as her small feet, clad in little ballet slippers, begin to stand on her toes with anticipation.

My eyes work their way up his black tee that stretches across his chest until my eyes meet his.

Holy hell.

Intense green eyes meet mine, and something foreign sparks deep in my core. His full lips pull into a frown as his gaze sweeps over me. It’s like a hot branding iron against my skin as his eyes roam down my sports bra and black leggings, leaving a blazing trail of heat in its wake.

“We’ve got a new fwend,” Maci says suddenly, pulling me out of my daze.

“Yes…yes, we do,” I manage to whisper past the sudden dryness in my throat.

Pulling myself together so I don’t look like some crazy teacher in front of my new student’s parent, I put on a smile and walk over to them.

“You must be Scarlett,” I say, bending down to the little girl when I reach them.

She nods her head and holds up three fingers. “I almost fwee.”

She’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen, with her blonde curls already escaping her bun on the back of her head. Up close, I see that we both have the same dusting of freckles across our noses as she studies me quietly.

“Well, that’s the perfect age for this class,” I beam. “I’m Miss Luna, and I’ll be your teacher. We have a lot of friends in here who would love to meet you. There’s a place right next to Maci that we saved for you.” I point to the empty spot, and Maci excitedly beckons her over.

She looks up at the dominating presence at her side, and his face softens at the excitement brimming in her eyes.

“Go ahead, baby girl,” he smiles, showing a perfect set of white teeth and a softness to his face that wasn’t there before. “I’ll be here when you’re done.”

She excitedly hands him her stuffed animal, that was clutched to her chest, which appears to be a dolphin in a tutu, before running off to meet her new friends.

Standing up, I watch his gaze fixate on his daughter as she sits down next to the other girls. He’s even more gorgeous up close as I take in his strong profile and head of brown, loose curls peeking out of his baseball cap.

I glance briefly at his left hand and notice there’s no ring. Thoughts I have no business thinking suddenly enter my mind about a student’s dad, but I stuff them down, knowing it’s dangerous territory.

“Thank you for bringing her, Mr…”

“Cayden. Just Cayden,” he says, cutting me off as he finally averts his eyes from his daughter.

“Cayden,” I say softly, testing the name out on my lips. His eyes move to my mouth as another frown creases his face.

Is he always this serious?

“It’s nice to meet you,” I quietly add. He nods his head and remains silent as I shift uncomfortably under his gaze. “Scarlett will fit right in. The girls are amazing in this class, and always have a lot of fun. We will be done in an hour if you want to come back then. Most parents use this time to go down the street for a coffee or catch a yoga class next door. The classes have cameras,” I say, pointing to the corner of the room where the feed takes place, “so you’ll be able to check up on her if you leave. I can give you the login information if you would like, so you can watch on your phone.”

“I’d like to stay if that’s okay.”

“Of course. There’s a waiting room with chairs when you first come in that you could use.”