by Marie James
I narrow my eyes at him. He knows we don’t operate like that. We follow the letter of the law at all times on our job sites. It’s one of the reasons we’ve managed to stay on top in the industry.
He holds his hands up in mock surrender. “Don’t look at me like that. I’ve already called our guy in to come take care of it. I know you and Kadin would have my ass and my job if I didn’t.”
I nod at him. He may have an opinion about alternative ways to handle situations, but he’d never actually do it.
“Might as well get these other guys over to the project on Lamar Street. No sense in them sitting around all day.”
I stand quietly as Tony rounds up his guys and directs them to the other project we have going on locally. I enjoy seeing their smiles. They’d rather be working than sitting idle all day. Not that they wouldn’t enjoy a break, but time drags ass just sitting around.
Asbestos removal will set the project back a full day, so I know what I’ll be doing on Saturday and it won’t be sleeping late and watching the college football game like I’d planned.
I’m waiting around for the asbestos contractor to arrive when my cell phone rings.
Kadin.
“You must have heard about the asbestos,” I say in place of a hello.
“What?” he says, confusion marking his voice.
“Tony’s crew found asbestos in the attic of the demo house on Westover.”
“You handling it?” he asks.
“Of course.”
“Listen,” he begins.
I sigh. Every time my brother is going to say something he knows I’m not going to like he begins with that word.
“I need you to pick the girls up from school at three,” he continues. “London didn’t like the answer the pediatrician gave her, so we’re sitting in the emergency room at Sacred Hearts Children’s Hospital.”
“What the hell is going on with that kid?”
It has to be something because London isn’t one to get overly concerned when the kids get sick. She was at first with Anastyn, but she’s calmed down drastically over the years.
“We don’t know, but he’s only gotten worse. I’ll let you know as soon as we find something out. We could be here for hours.”
“Hours. You want me to take care of them for hours?” I can’t hide the fear in my voice. They could murder me and dump the body in a couple hours.
He chuckles into the phone. I’d punch his shoulder if he was standing beside me. This is no joking matter.
“Mom will be by your house around six to get them.”
Three hours. I can handle three hours, I think.
“Okay,” I agree. What else can I do? I’d never tell him no, no matter how fearful I am.
“You have to feed them,” Kadin says.
“I have salmon and asparagus planned for dinner. There’s enough for them too.”
“You know damn good and well that’s not going to work. You need to think simpler than that. I’d go with fish sticks and macaroni and cheese,” he offers in suggestion.
“I don’t have shit like that at my house.” He knows this.
“Well, take them to McDonald’s or something. You’ll have a fight on your hands if you try salmon and asparagus. Lennox wouldn’t eat anything green even if she was promised a pony.” From the sound of his voice, I’d bet my condo that he’s tried something like that before.
“That shit is going to stunt their growth,” I chastise.
“Don’t give me that shit. They don’t eat crap like that often. London has gotten very skilled with hiding vegetables and healthy shit in their food, but unless you have time to puree carrots and bake a damn meatloaf, I suggest you give it a rest this one time.”
He’s right; I’m not a parent and have no idea of the daily struggles they go through with such tiny, picky eaters. I know you can’t force a kid to eat. I also know that I still gag when I smell cooked spinach. I blame my mother for that.
I resist giving him advice on a subject I know nothing about and smile when I realize I’m heading back to Edgewood Academy this afternoon. I may be picking up two tiny tornadoes, but I’m also going to see Lexi Carter again. Getting another glimpse of her is almost worth the violent death I’m sure to suffer before my mom can get the girls.
“Same routine as this morning?’ I ask.
“No. You don’t even have to get out of the truck. You just pull up, and they send them out to the vehicle. Just follow the line of cars.”
My face falls knowing there’s a chance I won’t get a glimpse of Ms. Carter.
“Listen, I’ve got to go; they just called us back,” Kadin says in a rushed tone before hanging up.
I work as long as I can, but I have to cut my day short in order to get the girls. I’m not too concerned with leaving early since the asbestos has caused an impromptu work day for Saturday.
I creep along in the long line of cars, waiting my turn to grab the girls. Much to my despair, Ms. Carter is nowhere to be found as the girls climb inside and buckle themselves up. I don’t even try to hide the disappointment on my face.
“Where’s mom?” Lennox asks from the back seat.
I have no clue how much they know about Easton and their parents’ plans for the day, so I go with distraction.
“Who’s hungry?”
They both scream like they haven’t been fed in days.
“Can we go to McDonalds?” Anastyn asks excitedly.
“Fat chance,” I say looking at her in the rearview mirror.
Her pretty little face drops and she crosses her arms over her chest. Just by the look in her eye, I can tell there will be hell to pay later.
Chapter 4
Lexi
I’m spitting mad as I get in my car in the teacher’s parking lot. I have to try to calm myself down before I leave the school. Fifteen minutes late, that’s what the formal reprimand I was all but forced to sign this afternoon said. Amelia had even printed out the time stamp from my badge swiping to unlock my door this morning. I know damn good and well that I would have only been four minutes, five minutes tops, late this morning had she not felt the need to assert her power over me in the hallway.
I could fight it. I could demand the video be pulled from the hallway, but I’ve learned to pick my battles, especially since making such a stink over something the board would consider trivial could compromise my contract from being renewed in the spring.
So I stayed quiet. I even stuck around to listen to her driveling on about punctuality and how important it is to our students for the teachers to be held to a high standard. She told me I needed to be more professional and that included arriving on time and not leaving early. All of this from a woman with more than half of her breasts pouring from her top.
I contemplate what I want for dinner and decide that an all-out carb-fest is going to be best.
I crank the car and wait for my phone to sync up with the hands-free.
“What’s up, babe?” I smile when my best friend Jillian’s voice sounds through the speakers.
“Shit day,” I reply.
“Already? It’s only like the second day.”
“Third,” I correct. I rest my head against the steering wheel and let the cool air from the A/C blow on my face.
“What did those tiny little bastards do to you now?” she asks playfully. Jillian knows full well I don’t see my students that way.
“I was a few minutes late this morning.”
“And they destroyed your classroom. How is it that the richest kids seem to be worse than those that go to public school?”
Jillian was all for me teaching at a private school. She knows why I chose such an elite place to teach. She also took me out of town and to a club to celebrate. Her wild ass ways are also what helped lead to my very first one night stand.
I’ve known Jillian since I was a teenager. She’s a few years older, but the age difference hasn’t really been an issue since she doesn’t seem to go by society’s standar
ds of what a woman close to thirty should act like.
“Not the kids,” I say. “Amelia DuPont.”
I don’t need to explain myself any further. She knows how much trouble Amelia gave me last year.
“What did she do this time?”
“Formal reprimand for being late. I tell you, she’s a total bitch, but if it weren’t for that damn construction going on next door I would’ve been on time.”
“I know,” she says in agreement. “You’re the most punctual person I know. It’s beyond annoying most days.”
“One time,” I say with a laugh. “One time I show up early to your apartment, and here I am judged for eternity.”
“An hour, means an hour, Lexi.” Here we go with the same argument we’ve had for at least a year.
“I know that now! Believe me, seeing you tied up to the coffee table being screwed in your no-go hole once was enough for me!” I can laugh about it now. Back then, I thought I needed bleach for my damn eyes.
She sighs. “Man, those were the good days.”
I huff a laugh.
“You want to meet up for a bottle of wine?”
I know better than to say yes to her, especially on a school night. It’s never just one bottle of wine. Most evenings with her end in at least three and a massive hangover the next day.
“Not tonight. How about tomorrow night?” I ask.
“No can do, friend. I have a hot date tomorrow.”
“No, you don’t.” Jillian doesn’t date. She gets laid, but there’s only one man on her radar she’d deem acceptable to spend any length of time with, and as far as I know, her boss Hawthorn Pratt isn’t interested in her that way.
“Well, I have a work thing. I’m bringing a date,” she explains.
“To make Hawke jealous.” She doesn’t even have to answer. I know her well enough to know what she’s doing.
Her silence is telling. I want to tell her to leave it alone. I want to encourage her to just date casually or actually give all of her focus to anyone other than Hawke, but I know she won’t. She’s been pining over him for years. I know they hooked up a few years back, but then nothing came of it. She’s been lost to him ever since.
I can hear another phone ring in the background, telling me she’s still at work.
“I have to go. I’ll talk to you later. Raincheck on that bottle of wine?”
“Of course,” I answer.
We say our goodbyes, and my mood has improved enough to drive safely.
I head straight for the place I know is going to make me feel better.
I love being a teacher for many reasons, but getting off work slightly ahead of most others is one of the best perks. Thirty minutes makes all the difference when it comes to speedy service at dinner time.
I pull open the heavy glass door, already digging in my purse for my frequent diner’s card. I more than love this sandwich shop. The thick bread they slather with mayonnaise on their turkey clubs is exactly what I need after a day like today. Correction, only the morning and afternoon dealing with Amelia were bad. The middle with my students was actually pretty fantastic.
It’s only a miraculous five-minute wait at the counter before my sandwich and chips are handed to me. I head across the restaurant toward the drink dispensers to fill my cup.
A squeal and a giggle draw my attention. Turning my head, I spot the head of a little girl I recognize in an all too familiar school uniform.
Calm, quiet, always respectful Anastyn Cole is running around one of the tables like a crazed maniac. No other than Kegan ‘Sexy as Hell but Completely Off Limits’ Cole is sitting at the table she’s circling with his head in his hands. Lennox is messily trying to get the last little bit of yogurt from the long plastic tube. She seems to be wearing more than she’s managed to get into her mouth.
I fill my cup with soda and begin to make my way out of the restaurant. All hopes of sneaking out unseen dissolve when on her next rotation, Anastyn spots me. Her eyes go wide, and she stops on a dime. I raise my eyebrow at her. Without losing eye contact with me, she backs up to her seat and sits down beside her uncle.
With the absence of noise, he raises his head and looks at Anastyn. The distraught look on his face is almost comical, and I have to wonder what kind of bet he lost to be put in this position. Following her line of sight, he turns his head and looks in my direction.
His face goes immediately from beat-down servant to dangerous tomcat. If I take a step closer, I’m certain I’d be able to hear the purr in his throat. Unable to leave without saying hello, I make my way to their table.
“You seem to have your hands full,” I tell him.
“I’m being punished,” he says. “I did something in another life, or hell even this life to be relegated to this.”
I can’t help but laugh. He sounds as if he’s in a torture chamber, and by his inability to handle these two lovely girls, I’d say he doesn’t have much experience with children.
I set my sandwich bag and drink on an empty spot on the table and grab a napkin from the dispenser.
“Eat your sandwich,” I tell Anastyn as I lean over and wipe the light pink yogurt from the front of Lennox’s shirt.
“Yes, ma’am,” Anastyn responds and begins to eat her dinner.
“You’re like the little girl whisperer,” Kegan says with awe in his voice.
I shake my head in disagreement. “It’s my job,” I say dismissively. “Plus,” I lower my voice to a whisper, “you can’t show any fear. They sense it like a shark does when chum is poured in the ocean.”
“I don’t know if I can do that,” he says, also lowering his voice conspiratorially. “They terrify me.”
I laugh at his admission and reach down to grab my bag. He places a rough hand over mine. Chills shoot all the way up my arm and down my back at the contact.
“Stay,” he begs. “They won’t kill me in front of you.”
My brain is urging me to decline, but the slight, sexy, upward curve of his lip decides for me. I pull out the chair across from him beside Lennox and pull my sandwich from the bag. I can feel his blue eyes burning into me as I empty the contents of my dinner onto the table.
Maybe he’ll look at me differently after this. Maybe he won’t be so flirty, testing my willpower. I’ve known men like him all my adult life. When I was younger, I sought out guys just like him. They’re thrilling and great for an adventure, but never ready for anything more.
I know what his intentions are. I’m not conceded, but the sex appeal and attraction are rolling off of him in waves. He might as well be waving a bright flag that reads “I wanna jump your bones.”
I snort at the idea, popping off the lid to the extra mayonnaise I always ask for when I come here. It’s flavored with dill and lemon juice. I’m ready to argue that it’s practically dip as I take a ruffled chip from its bag, scoop a chunk out and pop it in my mouth. I look up to find his eyes on my lips as I chew, not the grimace I was hoping for.
He licks his lips, never taking his eyes from my mouth.
Oh hell, that plan didn’t go as I had anticipated.
“Look how calm they are,” Kegan says after several long minutes of eating in silence.
I smile over at the two girls.
“Thank you for staying to eat with us Ms. Carter,” Kegan says.
“Lexi,” I correct.
“Lexi,” he practically purrs.
I squeeze my thighs together. I know, that even though I turned down Jillian’s offer of getting together with a bottle of wine, that there will in fact now be a bottle of wine in my future tonight.
Chapter 5
Kegan
I want to smirk at Lexi as I watch her shift in her seat, but I don’t. I don’t want to come off as cocky or arrogant any more than I already do. It’s a character flaw, everyone has them, but let me explain. If every woman you’ve set your sights on since your junior year in college practically falls at your feet, it sets a precedent. Hell, it’s almost a law afte
r that much time.
My arrogance comes from knowing that I’ll make arrangements with Ms. Carter for after my mom picks the girls up from my condo. Cockiness comes from the fact that I’m irresistible, and she knows it. My assuredness results from knowing without a shadow of a doubt that Ms. Lexi Carter will be coming on my dick in a matter of hours.
I smile wide when I think about asking her if she has a school uniform, but it then falters when I realize that’s honestly creepy as fuck. The idea of that, while sitting beside my two nieces in school uniforms, makes my stomach roll. I wipe my mouth with my napkin and cover my food with it.
“Not feeling well?” she asks, her voice marked with concern.
“Tastes a little off,” I lie. A quick change of topic is what I need. “You have plans this evening?” I give her the smile that has been dropping panties for over a decade. I usually don’t pull out the big guns right off the bat, but she seems worth it.
She cocks an eyebrow at me, playing hard to get. This situation isn’t the norm, but I’ve had it happen once or twice. Some women try to pretend they aren’t interested, all the while their panties grow soggy, and their clit aches for my mouth.
“Plans, Lexi. I have a few ideas in mind for this evening. Every one of them involves you,” I say after she remains silent.
She clears her throat and shifts her eyes over to the girls, who are oblivious to our conversation. I’m not concerned about them; they’re too interested in the games on the back of the paper placemats.
“That’s not appropriate,” she finally says.
“What’s not appropriate?”
“This conversation,” she says leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest.
I smile wider. She thinks she’s acting closed off, but all she’s doing is drawing my eyes to her slender chest. My mouth waters to draw in her delicately small breasts.
“If you think this conversation is inappropriate, just wait until I have you alone.” I wink and lean further across the table, closing in the distance she created when she leaned back.
I wait impatiently for her smile. It never comes, rather she frowns, and I’m man enough to admit she’s just as beautiful with a scowl on her face.
