Текст книги "Breakaway"

Автор книги: Kelly Jamieson

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Текущая страница: 3 (всего у книги 14 страниц)

He tossed it aside and she made a noise low in her throat. He gazed down at her. Her breasts were perfect—round and sweet and soft on her chest, lying there beneath him. He filled one hand, and yes, it filled his hand. Who needed more than that? He liked breasts, any kind of breasts, but he’d never gotten the attraction of enormous boobs. For him, it was all about the feel, the softness, the round shape, the way the nipple puckered and tightened and begged to be sucked.

His mouth watered. Pretty pink nipples all tight and hard. He bent his head and kissed the tight tip, ran his tongue over the bumpy texture and sucked it into his mouth. Sweet and hard, he suckled at it, cupping the other breast, the nipple poking his palm, then he switched and tasted the other one.

Fuck. He was so hard he was going to burst. He groaned.

Remi writhed beneath him. “Harder,” she whispered. He paused, resumed his sucking with more force and then he scraped his teeth over her nipple and she cried out. Her hands fisted in his hair and tugged—Jesus, that sent sparks shooting straight to his dick—and he did it again and again. Her body shook and shuddered, hips lifting and electricity sizzled over his skin.

“Christ, Remi.”

The way she responded to him, like he was the hottest guy on the planet, sent his arousal zooming into the stratosphere. A fiery wave of heat cascaded over him, all his blood rushing to his cock and leaving him lightheaded. His balls drew up so hard against his body he feared they might never come down. He had to be inside her, fucking her, now.

Remi trembled and shivered and shuddered with the need to come, arching against Jason, her arms wrapped around him as tight as she could hold on. Her legs lifted and he fitted himself between them, his cock hot and hard against her belly. She moaned.

She throbbed between her legs, her pussy hot and wet and aching for him. She whimpered.

Burning with pleasure, pulsing with need, she arched her back. He shifted up, his mouth leaving her breasts where he had left tingling magic and sensual shivers and she loved, loved, loved the feel of him against her, how hot and hard and big he was.

This couldn’t be happening.

But it was.

She sank into the bed, absorbing the feel of Jason’s fever-hot skin against hers, the weight of him, the taste of him when she opened her mouth over the skin of his shoulder. She licked him, sucked him, kissed him, drawing a long groan from him.

“Fuck me,” she whispered.

“Jesus.” He rose up, took his cock in his hand and pressed at her entrance. She wanted him inside her, but he felt so big, the blunt, round head of his cock pushing at her. She reached down between them, pushing her fingers inside herself. She was wet. So wet. She rubbed the moisture around her pussy to ease his way in and he paused, holding himself over her.

Her fingers brushed over her clit, swollen and sensitive, and she moaned.

“Oh, Remi.” He stroked up and down with the head of his cock and she felt him get slicker and wetter, sliding, and then he tried pushing into her again.

“I love that,” she moaned. “I want you inside me.”

“Wanna fuck you, baby.” He pushed deeper, a fraction of an inch at a time, agonizingly slow, tortuously sweet. He stretched her, filled her, hurt her with a delicious pain, and she widened her thighs and lifted her knees to take him deeper.

“You’re so small,” he muttered against her neck. “So tight. Don’t want to hurt you.”

“Hurt me. Please.”

He went very still above her, half buried inside her. Her heart thudded, her pussy clenched and Jason groaned again. “Fuck, baby. Oh fuck. I can’t hold back.”

“Wait!”

He went motionless, gasping for breath. “What!”

“Condom.”

He took a breath, then another, and then rolled off her onto his back. He covered his face with one hand. “Goddammit.”

“You have to use one.”

She rolled toward him and put a hand on his chest. Jesus, she was probably crazy to be doing this, having sex with a virtual stranger, but not using a condom was out of the question. She might be a tiny bit drunk and a whole lot in lust, but common sense tapped its way through to her consciousness.

“I don’t have one.”

Now she flopped onto her back beside him.

“You don’t have a condom?” She couldn’t believe that! A good-looking guy like him, newly single, didn’t have a condom?

“I didn’t plan on something like this,” he said defensively, his hand still on his face. “Don’t you have one?”

“No.” That was almost laughable. When would she ever have sex?

She was on the Pill, so she wasn’t worried about getting pregnant, so maybe…no. “No glove, no love,” she said. Then an idea popped into her head. “Hold on.” She rolled off the bed and scurried out of her bedroom, down the hall to Jasmine’s room. She’d packed everything she owned today, but maybe…just maybe… She hurried into Jasmine’s bathroom and flung open the medicine cabinet. Empty. Yanked open a drawer. A box of tampons, a stick of deodorant, a tube of lip balm…Remi dug through the contents of the drawer. A shower cap. She frowned at that and tossed it aside. And…yes! Condoms! She held up the packets triumphantly, slammed the drawer shut and ran back to her bedroom.

She held them up between two fingers as she approached the bed and Jason raised his head. “Thank Christ,” he muttered. “I did not want to drive to the nearest Walgreens.”

She laughed and tossed the packets on the bed and he reached for one, ripped it open and rolled the condom onto his penis with proficient expertise.

Then he grabbed her and rolled her under him and she laughed breathlessly.

“Okay, where were we?” he murmured, kissing her mouth.

“You were about to hurt me.”

He groaned. “Oh, yeah.” And he thrust hard. She cried out, digging her fingers into his shoulders, arching her back, her head going back. He pressed kisses to the side of her neck and drove into her, his cock hitting her cervix and making her senses leap. Pleasure-pain streaked through her, flames and chills, sizzling and shivering.

She met his every thrust, loving the heavy weight of him on her, the thick fullness of him inside her, the deepest penetration. “Jason, oh Jason. God.”

She lifted her head and sank her teeth into his shoulder and he jerked hard. “Christ, Remi.” His cock twitched inside her.

And he pulled out.

“What!” She curled up, gazed up at him, at his chest heaving, face gleaming with sweat, eyes dark.

“You have to come first.”

“Oh.” She let out her breath on a whoosh. “Oh.”

He covered her pussy with his hand, cupping her, and she felt herself pulse against him. Then he stroked with his fingertips, parted her folds and found her clit. She jumped as he touched the sensitive nerve endings, fell back onto the bed and closed her eyes. He stroked and rubbed, slicking up more wetness, and she quivered and strained against his touch. “Yes.” She tried to breathe. “Yes.” The faint buzzing started, the very beginning of an orgasm, spreading from his fingers down her thighs, deep inside her, building, twisting, coiling tighter, hotter, higher. More. She needed more. She needed that deeper touch, that driving pressure.

“Inside me,” she whispered, reaching for his hips. She dug her fingers into the sides of his buttocks, hard and muscular, pulling him to her. Again he thrust into her and this time the penetration combined with his fingers on her clit sent her spiraling out of control, over the edge, flying.

She grabbed his ass and cried out and he held himself still against her. She felt him inside her, felt the spasms of his cock as he poured himself into her. He came inside her in long, hard spurts, holding his weight off her body, his face buried in the side of her neck.

She pulsed around him in tiny convulsions of pleasure. “Oh dear god,” she said, holding him tight. She’d just had the best sex of her life with a man she barely knew. Boring? Practical? Predictable? Ha! She’d just entered a new world, one where she was wild! Wicked. Wanton. Free.

Jason might have dozed off. He felt like he was floating, aware of his hand on the sweet curve of Remi’s backside, warm and firm, his other hand tangled in her hair. The softness of her bed cushioned his body and the scent of Remi and her sheets mingled with the warm scent of sex. He drifted on a haze of sensual pleasure. Wow.

Who would`ve thought the little blond pixie would be such a tigress in bed? She was little but strong, her appetite for sex matching his, head-on, full-frontal, burn the sheets up.

Christ, she was hot.

He hardened against her and she shifted and murmured drowsily.

He rolled her to her back and kissed her, softly at first, then hotter, harder, as she began to respond, fingers digging into his shoulders. Their tongues licked, mouths kissed and sucked and slid.

“Baby, you are so hot,” he whispered, his mouth sliding over her cheek and jaw. “So fucking hot.”

“Mmmmm.” She tipped her head back so he could kiss her neck and he tasted her with his tongue, so sweet, sucked her flesh gently into his mouth, then licked again. She shivered in his arms. “So are you.”

“Hot for you.”

She smiled then, opening her eyes. “Oh please.”

“What?” He frowned at her.

“You can do better than that.”

She was teasing him, the little witch, eyes sparkling, mouth curved appealingly. He shook his head. “Okay.” He nuzzled between her breasts. “Your breasts are perfection. I love your nipples, how little and sharp they are, how sensitive…” He nipped at one with his lips and she gasped. “How pretty.”

“Oh.” Her eyes drifted closed and he sucked on the other nipple.

“You make my balls feel like they’re going to explode. My cock is so hard I could take a slap shot with it.”

She giggled. “I can’t quite picture that. You’re big, but not that big.”

He laughed too, then rolled to his back, taking her with him, and laid a small smack onto her pretty ass.

Her head jerked up. “Hey!”

“You deserve a spanking,” he said, giving her another tap on the butt. “For making fun of me. I was trying to be sincere.”

She moaned. Whoa. Kinda sounded as if she liked those little love taps.

Her body stretched out over his felt so good, soft and warm and silky, and she rolled her hips against him. She was turned-on. His dick surged. This was gonna be fun.

He lifted her easily by her hips, holding her above him until she was positioned over his cock, which sought out her pussy like a divining rod, quivering and throbbing. Then he lowered her onto him, slowly, again cautious of how big he was and how small she was and how this position would make her take him even deeper.

Eyes closed, she moaned and whimpered as he filled her. Hot, wet velvet closed around him, so goddamn sweet he almost couldn’t bear it, the look on her face pure ecstasy, her hands coming up to cup her own breasts and squeeze. Ah, hell.

He shoved into her, fucking her sweet pussy in a frenzy of lust, but then he stopped, gasping for breath. He needed to make sure she was coming. Had to.

He reached between them and found her clit with his thumb, fingers tangled in the tiny puff of curls there.

“Yes,” she whispered, still caressing her breasts. So hot. “Yes, right there.”

He fought back his own rising orgasm, ready to detonate if she moved even the tiniest…bit…god.

Remi was close. So close. Everything inside her pulled up and tightened and twisted in near painful ecstasy.

She heard bells ringing.

She rode Jason, sliding her hands into her hair, her breasts rising, Jason’s fingers working magic on her clit. So close.

The ringing sang in her ears again. “Jesus,” Jason said. “Is that your doorbell?”

“No. Don’t be silly.”

She shifted forward, frowning, trying to pick up that feeling again.

A loud pounding reverberated through the house.

“It is the door,” Jason gasped, hands on her waist. Remi paused, breathing hard.

“No. It’s my heart. Feel it.” She took his hand and pressed it to her left breast and he made a noise deep in his throat.

The hammering sounded again, this time accompanied by shouting voices.

Remi paused again. Dammit! Now it was gone, the elusive orgasm. Although, it was her third of the night.

What was going on?

“There’s someone at your door!”

“There can’t be.” She squinted at the clock beside the bed. “It’s three a.m. Who would…?” She clapped a hand to her mouth. “Oh dear god!”

“What?” Jason’s brows snapped together. He was still hard inside her.

Remi’s mind scrambled. She rolled off Jason and off the bed, eyes darting around the room for something to put on. She scooped up Jason’s shirt from the floor. It was so big she couldn’t find the armholes and she started toward the door as she fought her way into it.

“Remi, who is it?” She glanced over her shoulder to see Jason getting out of bed too, and the sight of his body, all bronze skin and incredible muscles, slowed her feet and distracted her for a couple of heartbeats. He grabbed for his pants and started jumping into them as he crossed the room.

Remi hurried down the hall to the front door, which vibrated under intense, rapid percussion again. She heard a feminine voice calling, “Remi! Are you in there? Remi!”

She peeked out the window and saw—oh god—Delise standing there with two uniformed police officers. Blue and red lights flashed from a car parked at the curb in front of her house. Remi thunked her forehead against the door, hand on the deadbolt, and drew in a long breath. This could not be happening. Could. Not.

She twisted the lock and opened the door just as Jason arrived behind her, chest bare, pants undone, hair standing on end.

The police and Delise burst into the small foyer.

Chapter Four

“Remi! Oh, thank god, you’re okay!” Delise turned to Jason and her mouth parted and she blinked. “Uh….”

“Delise, I’m fine.”

Remi turned to the police officer, her cheeks scorching. “I’m so sorry, Officers, everything is fine.”

“Uh huh.”

Remi stacked one bare foot on top of the other, glad Jason’s shirt covered her to her knees, and wrapped her arms around herself. “Delise! Was this really necessary?”

Delise snapped her mouth shut and swiveled her gaze to Remi. “I told you I would call you! Where’s your cell phone?”

Remi swallowed and rolled her lips in. “Um…in my purse. In the living room.”

Delise pursed her lips and planted her hands on her hips. “Remi, I can’t believe you! I said I’d call and you’d better answer and…”

“I know, I know, but I forgot all about that and we were…um…kind of busy.” She tried to ignore the smirks on the faces of the policemen. “But I’m okay, truly.”

“I guess we can go, then,” one officer said.

“I am so sorry,” Delise said to them. “But I really thought…she’d left with a stranger and we’d arranged…well…thank you.”

“Hey,” said the other officer, looking at Jason. “Aren’t you…”

“No,” Jason said firmly, turning away. Remi shot a glance at him as the officers shrugged and left. As she closed the door, she saw with relief they’d turned off the flashing lights. What would the neighbors think? Lord!

She turned back to Delise and Jason, both eyeing each other and giving each other tight smiles.

“I’ll go home now,” Delise said. “I’m sorry to interrupt you, but dammit, Remi…”

“I know. I know.” She held up a hand. “I take responsibility. You did say that and I just forgot. I never thought you’d actually call the police, though!”

“I’ve been phoning you for the last two hours! I started calling an hour after you left and…well, that was fast work is all I can say.”

Jason grinned.

Remi’s insides shook and burned. “I’m sorry, Delise.”

She hugged her friend, then watched her out the window as she got into her car and drove away. She again turned back to face Jason. “I am so sorry,” she whispered, putting her hands to her mouth.

“Yeah. Well. Maybe I’d better go.”

She wanted to protest, but clamped her mouth shut and followed him back to the bedroom where the rest of his clothes were. She pulled out her thick, white terry robe and replaced Jason’s shirt with it. Reluctantly she handed the shirt over to him. Silky soft, it smelled delicious, like him, warm male and spicy shower gel.

When he’d finished dressing, having stuffed his tie into his suit pocket, he paused. “I’ll need to call a taxi.”

“Oh. Yeah.”

He pulled out a cell phone and punched in a number—taxi on speed dial?—then she led him to the front door where his coat hung.

This wasn’t ending the way she would have liked.

Dammit.

“I’m sorry,” she began again, but he stopped her with a finger on her lips.

“Stop apologizing,” he said softly and he took her into his arms and pulled her up against him. She went up on her toes and it still wasn’t enough, so he lifted her right off the floor and kissed her. “It’s okay.” Another kiss. “Can I have your number, at least? I’ll call you.”

Sure he would.

“I don’t know,” she whispered, loving the feel of him holding her like that. “Apparently I’m not really meant to have fun.”

“Oh come on. Everyone is meant to have fun. This is funny. I’ve never had the cops break in on me while…uh…”

Her cheeks heated again and she wriggled down. She wrote her cell number on a notepad, ripped the page off and handed it to him. The lights of a taxi pulling up outside swept over them.

He grinned and stuck the paper in his pocket, cupped her chin in his fingers and brushed one more kiss over her mouth. “Night, Remi. I had fun tonight.”

“Me too.” She watched him leave through the small window of the door, her heart constricting inside her chest. “Oh, me too. So much fun.”

* * *

“What do you mean they’re not coming?” Remi stared at the principal, a chill sliding over her. “There are two hundred and fifty kids in the auditorium waiting for them.”

Jennifer grimaced. “Jemar Fast was charged with drunk driving on the weekend. Not a good role model for the kids.”

Remi’s brows pulled down and she rubbed between her eyes. “Great. Just great.” She’d worked so hard to get the kickoff rally for the Stars for Reading program to be held at their school this year, with three members of the Chicago Bulls participating.

“It’s not over,” Jennifer said. “They found someone else. Three Wolves.”

“Wolves.”

“The hockey team.”

“Oh. Of course. Okay. Better than nothing, I guess.” She took in a breath. “I better go make sure they’re not destroying the gym.”

Two hundred and fifty middle school students in the auditorium near the end of the day probably had a bit of energy to burn. Especially her grade six students Justin and Ryan. Their ADHD made them a handful at times.

“When our hockey players show up, I’ll bring them right down,” Jennifer promised her.

“Thanks.”

Remi hurried down the school hall, past empty classrooms and into the gym. The kids were actually being pretty good, sitting on the bleachers and filling the room with a dull roar punctuated with the occasional scream of high-pitched laughter.

“Change in plans,” she said to her fellow teacher Paula Vaughan. “We have hockey players coming instead of basketball players.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Okay, everyone, listening!” She paused and waited for the noise to subside, holding a hand in the air. “We’re running a bit late, so please be patient. Jemar Fast isn’t going to be with us after all.” Big groans of disappointment greeted that statement. “But someone else is coming in his place.”

“Who is it, Ms. Buchanan?”

“Yeah, who is it?”

Dammit, she didn’t even know who it was. “Three players from the Chicago Wolves are coming today.”

Cheers echoed in the gym. Huh. Guess the kids knew hockey.

“They should be here shortly to get us started. Has everyone got their book picked out that they want to read first?”

Another burst of cheering erupted and she grinned. She loved it when kids were into books and reading. Some of her students were already avid readers, but others, like Justin and Ryan, struggled with it.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jennifer entering the auditorium with a group of men. Relieved, she prepared to turn the microphone over to the principal to introduce their new “stars” and get things started. If they didn’t get going soon, the kids would be beyond control.

Remi went to stand with some other teachers at the side of the gym and watched Jennifer lead the three men to the front where the sound system was set up. Big guys, all three of them… Remi’s eyes widened and she straightened. She blinked and focused on the back of one of the men. It looked like…no. She shook her head. Then he turned.

Jason.

Her face went hot, her body got chilled and she fell back against the concrete block gym wall.

He said something to Jennifer and they both laughed. His gorgeous smile flashed. Today he was dressed casually in jeans and a Wolves T-shirt that hugged his broad chest and shoulders. The other two men with him…yes, she was sure they’d been with him that night at Rouge…also wore the same T-shirts.

Hockey players.

Well, didn’t he just look like a hockey player? Big and tough, with a crooked nose. Except he had beautiful, perfect white teeth—didn’t most hockey players lose their teeth by getting hit with a puck or something?

She licked her lips.

Jennifer spoke into the microphone to get the kids’ attention and get the rally underway, but Remi barely heard a word she said until she introduced “Jason Heller!” and the kids all screamed and clapped.

Dear god, he was famous.

And she hadn’t even known who he was.

No wonder he dated a model. She leaned her head back against the wall and covered her eyes with one hand. She’d slept with him. Her. Remi Buchanan, grade six teacher at Abraham Lincoln Middle School. A wave of heat swept over her at the memory of his touch, his mouth on hers, his body inside hers.

Her one wild attempt at being fun and spontaneous and sexy had ended with the police at her door. She chewed on her lower lip. That could have been very bad for Jason. Oh god.

Jason had taken over the microphone and was getting the kids all worked up into a frenzy over reading books. She focused on him and what he was saying, clamping down on the resurgent lust.

“So you guys can ask us all questions now if you like,” Jason said. “Who’s got a question?”

Hands shot up and little bodies bounced excitedly on the bleachers. Remi smiled.

“What’s your favorite book?” a student asked Jason.

“I have a lot of favorites,” Jason replied. “But I really love Tom Sawyer.”

A murmur of agreement rippled through.

His hockey buddies shared their favorites too.

“What’s your favorite video game?”

Jason tipped his head to think. “Tough one,” he said. “Right now I like Hosuko Heroes.”

More cheers. The kids were eating it up.

“How many of you play sports?” Jason asked. Again hands reached for the sky and kids jumped up and down. “Wow! That’s great! Any hockey players?”

More hands.

“Any girl hockey players?”

Remi laughed and shook her head, but sure enough, several girls jumped up and waved.

The rally continued and then the three athletes stationed themselves at the doors of the auditorium along with the teachers to hand out buttons and score sheets and gift bags with free books to the kids as they filed out.

Remi went over to talk to Jennifer, who was all smiles. “That went great!” she said. “Those hockey players were fantastic with the kids!”

“Yes. They were.”

“Come on. I’ll introduce you. You’ll be working with them over the next few weeks.”

Remi nodded, sucking her bottom lip as she followed Jennifer toward Jason. Her heart picked up speed and her head went just a little light as she neared him, tummy tight and fluttery. She’d given him her number, but he hadn’t called.

Yet. It was only Wednesday.

Maybe he had no intention of calling her.

Maybe he was going to be horribly embarrassed to see her.

Maybe he was going to regret that he’d volunteered to work on this program.

Remi pressed a hand to her stomach and stopped with Jennifer. Jason was bumping fists with a boy—Remi’s student Ryan—who’d stopped to talk to him. She’d never seen Ryan so focused.

Then Jason straightened to his full, imposing height and turned and his gaze landed on her.

She felt it like a touch.

His eyes widened and then a slow smile spread across his face.

She liked that smile.

She gave him a tremulous smile back.

“Remi, this is Jason Heller, Dominic Griffin and Matthieu Lalonde. Gentlemen, I’d like you to meet Remi Buchanan. She’s a grade six teacher here at Lincoln and she’s the one who was instrumental in bringing the kickoff rally to our school this year.”

Jason’s smile disappeared, replaced by a glower. Oh lord. He was embarrassed. She automatically held out her hand. Jason took it first.

“We’ve actually met,” he said, his face smoothing and that charming white smile flashing.

“Oh, really?” Jennifer looked confused, and shot Remi a curious look.

“Nice to meet you, Ms Buchanan,” Dominic said, shaking her hand with a grin. Matthieu did the same. Remi hadn’t paid that much attention to Jason’s companions that night, since all her attention had been focused on Jason, but she was pretty sure they’d both been there too. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire. Did they know she and Jason had…yeah. They must know.

Her whole body blazing, she kept a smile firmly in place. “Thank you so much for coming today. I understand it was somewhat short notice.”

“Not a problem,” Jason said. “I’ve been involved in the program for a few years at other schools. I’m glad to do it again this year.”

“The kids really seemed to enjoy it,” Jennifer said. “I think we’re off to a great start.”

“So for the next six Wednesdays we’ll be back here to work with smaller groups,” Jason said. His gaze held Remi’s and she resisted the urge to fuss with her hair. Did she have any lipstick left on? Likely not. Usually by the end of a school day she didn’t care.

“That’s wonderful,” she choked out. “We really appreciate it. It helps the kids get more involved when there are role models for them participating.”

They made small talk for a few more moments and then Jennifer offered to show the three athletes out, their jackets having been left in her office.

Remi watched them leave, feeling a weight of disappointment settling on her. She left the custodians in the now empty gymnasium dismantling the sound system and putting the bleachers away, and walked slowly down the hall to her classroom, also empty but much quieter.

She sank onto the chair behind her desk.

She’d felt his stiffness. The coolness of his greeting, although he’d smiled at first. He was so freakin’ good-looking. She couldn’t believe she’d done what she had with him. And had so much fun. Watching him with the kids here had been a whole other side to him—boyish and charming and fun. Yeah. He was all about fun.

Which was the opposite of what she was all about. She was all about serious responsibility. Boring.

She sighed and picked up a folder of math quizzes she had to mark that night. She bent to pick up her briefcase from under the desk.

“Hey.”

She straightened up so fast she cracked her head on the edge of the desk.

“Ow!” She rubbed her temple, blinded by the pain.

“Jesus, Remi, are you okay?” Jason’s voice, heavy footsteps and then his hands on her shoulders.

“Yes, yes. I’m okay.” She blinked up at him. “Dammit.”

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Th-that’s okay.” She tried to shake off the pain. “I’m fine.”

“I was surprised to see you here,” he said slowly, releasing her and stepping back.

“Have you really been involved in the Stars program before?”

“Yeah. This is my fourth year.”

“That’s…impressive.”

“It’s important.”

“I…it surprises me. To hear you say that.”

“Why? Because I’m a big, stupid jock?”

“No, of course not!”

“I like kids,” he said, shrugging those big shoulders, now wearing a black leather jacket. A buttery soft, thigh-length black leather jacket.

“I could tell that. They liked you too.”

“I didn’t know you were a teacher.” The glower returned to his face.

“Well, I didn’t know you were a hockey player.”

“Really?” His brow creased.

She tightened her lips against a smile. “Sorry. I guess you’re not that famous.”

He looked at her, smiling wryly. “I guess not.”

“What’s wrong with being a teacher?” she asked.

He pressed his lips together. “Nothing, I guess.”

A silence stretched between them.

“Well,” he finally said. “It’ll be fun over the next few weeks. So…I guess I’ll see you again next week.”

“You don’t have to.” The words spilled out her mouth. “You can work with a different group. It doesn’t have to be mine.”

He frowned. “Why?”

“I just thought…we had that one night….thing…and you might be…”

Lord help her, she was stammering like Joey Kupchuk, a boy she’d once taught who had a painful stutter.

“That’s okay,” he said. After a short pause, he said, “I was going to call you.”

She waved a hand, anxious to stop him before he said something she didn’t want to hear. “That’s okay. It was just one night of fun. Right?”

“Right.” Relief lightened his scowl and he gave her a faint smile. “That’s right. Okay, then. I’ll see you next week. Bye, Remi.”

She watched him leave, then sank back onto her chair, her legs soft as butter. Damn. She’d known it was only one night, and now knowing who he was made it that much clearer—he’d never really intended to call her.

“Wasn’t that the little blonde you picked up last weekend?”

Jason stared out the passenger window of Dominic’s car as they left the school parking lot. “Yeah.”

“You didn’t know she was going to be there?”

“Nope. We didn’t get into a lot of conversation.” Hell, that wasn’t true. They’d talked about a lot of things. Just not their professions.

Dominic laughed. “Right on, dude.”

“She did not know you were a ‘ockey player,” Matthieu said from the backseat in his rhythmic French accent.

“Nope, she didn’t know that either.”

He couldn’t believe she was a teacher. He’d picked up a teacher in a bar, taken her home and fucked her! Jesus!

“Kinda awkward, running into her again like that,” Dominic said, signaling and making a lane change.

“I was going to call her again,” Jason said, still staring out the window. He had wanted to see her again. She was adorable, but fuck! A teacher! “But not now.”

“Why not?”

“She’s a teacher.” Dominic was probably his best buddy, in Chicago at least, and even he didn’t know about the trauma inflicted on him by teachers. “I don’t date teachers. Don’t want anything to do with teachers.”