Page 101 of Where We Stay

“It means I want to do this again,” I tell her. “I want to get to know you. I definitely want to kiss you again.”

The corner of her mouth lifts. “I’m not opposed to that last part.”

“But I don’t do casual, Blair,” I continue. “I can’t. Not with Pen involved.”

Blair’s smile disappears, but she holds my gaze. “Because she already knows me.”

“Yeah. Usually, I keep that part of my life completely separate. I don’t bring women around her.” I lean forward, resting my arms against the table. “Then you came along and met her before I even knew who you were.”

“That wasn’t exactly planned,” she says, a hint of amusement returning to her voice.

“No,” I agree. “But she adores you. And you’re her teacher, which makes this more complicated.”

“At school, I have to be Miss Morgan,” Blair says firmly. “Whatever happens between us can’t affect Aspen in my classroom.”

“I’d never ask that of you.”

“And outside of school?” she asks, her voice quieter now.

“Outside of school, I want to keep seeing you.”

Blair looks down at her hands. For a moment, I worry I’ve said too much.

“I want that too,” she admits.

Relief loosens something in my chest.

“But I need to take this slowly,” she adds, meeting my eyes again. “There are parts of my life I’m not ready to talk about yet.”

“I figured.”

Her brows draw together. “You did?”

“You don’t move across the country for a teaching job and freeze every time someone asks about New York because there’s nothing to tell.”

Blair visibly tenses, her shoulders drawing inward.

“I’m not asking you to tell me tonight,” I assure her. “You don’t have to talk about anything until you’re ready.”

“What if I’m not ready for a while?” she asks.

“Then I wait.”

She searches my face like she’s trying to decide whether she believes me.

“I can’t promise where this is going, Dean.”

“I’m not asking for promises.” I reach across the table and hold out my hand. “I’m asking whether you want to find out.”

Blair looks down at my hand before slowly sliding hers into it.

“I do,” she says.

Her fingers curl around mine.

“Then we go slow,” I tell her.

“You make that sound easy.” She gives me a cautious smile.