Tainted Love (Sweetest Taboo #2) by Eva Márquez

and what she did after practice. I found myself moving closer to her when she spoke to her friends, to hear her voice and find out more about her. I still couldn’t shake the feeling that we knew each other in some way, or had been somehow destined to meet. When I looked at her, I was at peace, and yet I felt a tumultuousness inside of me that gave me butterflies in my stomach. There was a fire burning inside of me, and I wasn’t sure how, or even if that fire would or could be extinguished.
    Time went by, and one afternoon during practice I noticed that Isabel was taking notice of me. She was around more than before, and going out of her way to talk to me and ask my advice about things like swim techniques and elective classes. I’d had female students use their female wiles on me before, subtly flirting and pouring on the charm to get what they wanted. I thought at first that she was trying to use me for something, as girls had done in the past, if I allowed it, which I never did. I wasn’t sure what Isabel really wanted, but it was clear that she wanted something .
    For the moment, that was enough.
    Professionally, of course, it presented significant challenges, but personally it was hugely rewarding. Before long I was including her in the group of students I ferried home after practice, and getting to know her as a person and not just a swimmer on my team. We got along very well. She had a wonderful sense of humor, and a mind that was wise beyond her years. To my fault, I never saw Isabel as a teenager, though I knew she was one. She was never an age to me; what I took in was that wonderful, shining personality that brightened up my afternoons and made me feel like I had found purpose in life. She was someone who seemed to be very much at ease with older people,, not that I considered myself old, and had a sense of humor beyond her years, and never really fit in well with peers of her own age.
    She made it a point to sit next to me when I gave team members a ride home in my truck, and though I felt guilty about it, I enjoyed feeling the warmth radiate from her body next to me. We weren’t doing anything wrong – certainly there was nothing happening between us – but the thought that she was right there, so close to me, brought me a sense of elation that I’d never experienced. Then one day, she happened to be the last student I dropped off after practice. She was also sitting exceptionally close to me on the bench seat, though the truck was empty of other students. I could feel the heat from her leg as it rested close to my thigh, and it was almost more than I could bear. I don’t know why I did it, but I absolutely knew without a doubt that she wanted me to touch her. I knew that I shouldn’t, that it was wrong, that it was illegal, but something was calling out to me, leading me to do just that. Ultimately, I reached out and put my hand on her slim thigh, despite my pounding heart.
    I felt that amazing shock again, and the thought came to me that someone might see us, and that this was so wrong, I quickly pulled my hand back, ashamed of myself and what I had just done, wishing I could take it back. To be honest, I felt sick. I don’t know if it was because of what I had just done, or because it was not only wrong but illegal as well, and I knew it, or maybe it was just the adrenaline coursing through my body.
    She smiled at me, no doubt sensing my apprehension, while gently reaching for my hand, and setting it back on her thigh. “It’s okay,” she whispered, confirming my suspicions and her desires.
    At that point, I knew I’d lost the battle. I was falling for her hard, despite the dangers. A big part of me knew that it was wrong, and that I should stop myself; try to do the adult thing; the thing that any responsible teacher would have done. I should have quit coaching the swim team, and distanced myself from Isabel as quickly as possible. But I didn’t.  To this day, I still have no idea what came