by Emma Nichols
Schooled in Love
a Love Kissed Anthology
Contents
Schooled in Love
Linwood High Welcomes the Class of 2008
Taige Crenshaw and McKenna Jeffries
Reunion Favor
Rebecca Norinne
Return to Me
Jennifer Millikin
Overdue
Aliyah Burke
For A Little While
Maggie Dallen
Love Is in the Air
Emma Nichols
Reunion Rumors
Regina Morris
More Than Puppy Love
Bethany Lopez
Reunion Fling
St. Martin’s Academy is Pleased to Welcome Back the Class of 2008
Tracy Ellen
Clozure
Monica Donnelly
Scooping Sage
Kacey Hamford
Love Reunited
Michelle Irwin
A Weekend to Remember
Emma Tharp
Always Just Us
Tarina Deaton
The Love You Have
Melissa Stevens
Double Booked
Schooled in Love
Linwood High. St. Martin’s Academy. Rival schools who unintentionally end up sharing a venue for their ten year reunion.
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Fists and sparks will fly.
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Meet the jocks, the gamers, the mean girls, the student council members, the geeks, the nerds, and all the others who wanted to fit in, blend in, and otherwise survive high school.
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This limited edition boxed set contains 15 original reunion stories. Read the makeups, breakups, and hookups from bestselling, award-winning, and up-coming authors.
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*Schooled in Love contains 15 New and Exclusive Stories!*
Linwood High Welcomes the Class of 2008
Reunion Favor
Rowan
Taige Crenshaw and McKenna Jeffries
Reunion Favor © 2018 Taige Crenshaw and McKenna Jeffries
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All Rights Reserved. This book is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is coincidental. All trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form not known or hereafter invented or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system-except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the Web-without permission in writing from the publisher or author. The unauthorized replication or allocation of any copyrighted work is illegal. File sharing is an international crime, prosecuted by the United States Department of Justice and the United States Border Patrol, Division of Cyber Crimes, in partnership with Interpol. Copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is punishable by the fullest extent of the law.
Reunion Favor
When a man wants more from his good friend, he’ll find a way to make a reunion favor into so much more.
Chase Ellison is usually blunt but finds himself changing tactics with his good friend. He’s wanted more from her for a while and now with his ten-year high school reunion, he’ going to use the opportunity to let her know his intentions.
Paige Temple can’t believe she was roped into going to Chase’s high school reunion. He’s acting weird, and she has no clue what’s wrong with him. When he tells he what he wants, she’s surprised and intrigued. She’s put him in friend category but does she dare let herself give into her desires.
Can what started as a reunion favor become more?
To my mom and sister, whose love of reading made me pick up my first book, which ultimately led me on this path to become an author. Thanks for passing on your love of reading and your support. To my mom, who has always been my number one reader, although you are no longer with me I know you are smiling down each time I publish a book. To St. Thomas, USVI whose beauty inspired me when I was growing up and sparked my imagination which shaped me into who I am today. To the people of the USVI with each Hurricane the landscape of our home becomes changed but the spirit of what makes us who we are will never be changed.
To the readers who enjoy my fierce, unbreakable, sizzling, sensual, edgy and unexpected books. I appreciate and thank you all for your support and emails.
1
Paige Temple juggled her briefcase then pressed the button for the freight elevator just as her cell dinged. She slid her hand into her pocket of her jacket to retrieve the device. With a quick swipe she saw the screen then read the notification. She frowned at the words.
We leave for the reunion tomorrow.
She recognized the number as her friend she had just left from visiting. They had just spoken but nothing about any reunion so she had no context of what this was about. She pivoted and headed back down the hall. The pounding music got louder the closer she got to where he was. Paige stepped inside the open arched doorway and paused looking around. Although she was just there moments before, she was again caught by the organized chaos of his studio. She entered admiring again the colors and various pieces in progress. She made a mental note of ones she wanted to buy when they became available. Finally, she went around the large semi-finished canvas and stopped.
He was standing partially facing her and she could see he was deep in working on the sculpture. The item was massive and looming over him as he moved his hands down the chest of the Arabian stallion. The metal gleamed under the lights. She knew the item was already bought but was envious of who had purchased it. Not that she had any space for something so massive at her home. Paige waited a moment to see when she could capture his attention.
“No, you’re not backing out as my date for the reunion.” Chase Ellison stated in that deep rich voice of his.
With that she realized he wasn’t as focused on what he was working on as she thought. If he had been, she could have been standing there a while or interrupt and risk his wrath. Chase was grumpy when he was interrupted while he worked.
“I don’t know what reunion you’re talking about.” Paige went closer and hoped that her light brown suit didn’t get dirty.
“Stop.” Chase commanded.
She did then, lifted an eyebrow. Chase looked at her and his lips twitched.
“Yeah, yeah, I know you don’t like being told what to do, Lil Warrior.”
“I told you about calling me that.” She said the familiar words.
Paige knew it would do no good. Chase was Chase, and he did as he pleased. It was a good thing she liked him as much as she did.
“Uh huh…” He moved to the other side of the sculpture.
From the distracted reply Paige knew she was losing his attention. “Chase. What reunion?”
“My high school reunion.” He answered absently.
Paige waited for him to continue and when he didn’t, she sighed then spoke. “Chase. I need more to go on than that.”
Chase focused on her. His pale grey eyes clearing. The look in them gave her pause for a moment. It was
one she hadn’t seen from him before. It cleared, and he was the same affable yet grumpy man she knew.
“We’re leaving for my high school reunion tomorrow.” Chase studied her. “You have no clue, do you?”
Paige bit back her sarcastic reply. Chase laughed and she figured he knew her well enough to know she had. She rolled her eyes.
“You agreed to go as my date with me.”
“I don’t recall such a thing.” Paige frowned knowing if she had she would have remembered.
“Chase, I’ll owe you a favor if you come with me to the Justice and Protect Event.” Chase said matter-a-factly.
Paige recalled those words and dread filled her.
“And since I had to put up with her there, then you said. I really owe you. Thanks for not telling off one of my biggest clients who, when she found out who you were, talked your ear off. I never knew she could talk so much. Thanks for that and I owe you big time.” Chase looked at her his eyes twinkling. “And I’m collecting. I emailed you the details over a month ago on your birthday. Why are you just now asking about it?”
Paige scowled. “I didn…” She paused and pulled up her personal email on her cell. “Really, Chase what kind of email title is “Open this for Some Fun”. I thought it was one of your jokes you send. I didn’t open it yet.”
“Not my problem you’re behind on emails.” Chase shrugged.
“I can’t get away.” She read the email. “A whole week. Why the hell is your reunion a whole week? Wait it only has activities over a weekend. Why then are you going for a whole week?”
“We are going for a whole week.” He looked at her. “I want to show you around where I lived for my high school years.”
She knew Chase had moved around a few times due to his dad’s career. His dad was in the military and Chase’s family had lived both in United States and abroad. For his high school years, his dad had retired, so they had settled in Pennsylvania. She bit her lip and shook her head.
“I can’t possibly get away for a week.” Paige knew with her schedule she would need more notice than a day.
Well he’d emailed a month ago but she hadn’t seen it. She felt bad she wouldn’t be able to even do the weekend.
* * *
“It’s a good thing I emailed your assistant and had her block off some time for this.” Chase looked way too smug.
Paige pulled up her work email and then calendar and noted that she had nothing scheduled for the next twelve’s days. She frowned sure that she hadn’t seen that her calendar was clear before. A message popped up. “Have fun.”
“I’m gonna have a talk with Celeste.” She chuckled. “She has me unavailable for the next twelve’s days. Why twelve? A week is seven days.”
“Just in case we wanted to go somewhere after.” Chase said.
She glanced at him and noted his expression. “What are you up to Chase?”
“Nothing. Just going to a high school reunion with you.” He smiled. “I’m looking forward to showing you around.”
“Ok.” Since she had the time free, anyway. “I’ll hold up my end of the favor to repay what you did for me. Think of it as a Reunion Favor.” She smiled.
* * *
Chase scowled. “It’s not a favor.” He turned away. “If you don’t want to come willingly, then don’t.”
She was confused. He was acting more prickly that usual. Paige went closer, and she put her hand on his back. Chase stiffened then moaned.
“What’s wrong with you?” Paige thought of something. “Are your brothers going too?”
Chase turned to her and her hand trailed on his side then rested on his belly. He placed his hand over hers.
“Yes.”
“No wonder you are out of sorts.” She winked.
She was teasing. The quadruplets got along very well. They co-owned along with two friends the gallery that she was currently in. The downstairs and some of level above was the part open to the public. The six floors above it was for offices, storage, each of their studios on site and for events. Chase shared the third floor with Hunter. The brothers and their two partners were each successful artists and worked in various mediums. They were also savvy businessmen. So, they showcased their works and those of other artists. And shared the responsibility of the business end of things. Although for some they tended to not let them talk too much to the public since they were a little tooo blunt.
“So, who are they taking as dates?” She was now curious and wondered why they needed dates, anyway.
“Hunter is taking someone but the others aren’t.”
She titled her head to the side studying him. Chase pushed back his mid-back length black hair impatiently. She took his hand then pulled her hair pin out of her hair then made a turnaround gesture with her finger. He did. She pulled his hair back and then twirled it up and used her pin to set it up and away from his face.
“You always forget or lose your rubber band for your hair.” She turned him and patted him on the chest. “You should put it around your wrist if you take it off so you can keep track of it.”
Chase put his hand on hers. “You keep telling me that.” He rolled his eyes. “I forget when I get you know.”
“Lost in that frenzy of art.” She moved closer. “I know. So, you’re leaving the other two in charge.” She laughed. “That’ll be interesting.”
“They’ll be fine.” Chase leaned closer and said. “We’re leaving the assistant managers in charge but letting the partners think they are. Hell, they’ll let the assistant managers do any face-to-face stuff, anyway. Thank god.”
Paige laughed. The two men who were being left were… well they did better without having to deal with people. “I’m gonna go get packed.”
She stepped back and for a moment Chase held her hand. She looked at him questioningly. He shrugged and let her go. Paige turned.
“What should I take with me?”
“The events planned are listed. Other than that, you look good in whatever you wear.”
Paige paused and looked at him. “Ahh…you say the sweetest things.”
Chase grinned. His craggy gorgeous sun-kissed face made her breath catch for a moment. From his pale grey eyes offset by his black hair to his muscular yet lean frame everything about Chase made women pause and take notice. He never noticed. Neither did his brother and or his business partners. All of them were sexy, intelligent, quick witted, funny and listened to you. There are times she wondered what would happen to her and Chase’s relationship when he found the one. An ache at that thought filled her. She knew what they shared—such a close friendship—would change. Paige dismissed it. It hadn’t happened yet and she wouldn’t ever stop being friends with him. It might adjust but never stop.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Paige frowned. “How are we getting to Pennsylvania?”
“Taking the jet.” Chase shrugged. “We’ll be heading out early so we can get stuff boarded. We have some art we are taking as a donation to Linwood High—our alma mater.”
* * *
Paige smiled. That was just like them.
“Ok.” She nodded. “See you tomorrow, my friend. The Reunion Favor commences then.” She laughed as she walked away.
Chase Ellison drew in a breath at the sound that made him want to go after her then kiss her senseless. He frowned. Her words on the other hand stopped him. He went to where he could see her.
Paige strode away. Her powerful stride and sway of her body as she moved made his mouth dry. Everything about her made him want so much more. She was his friend but for so long he’d wanted more but Paige was oblivious. She stopped in the doorway and turned waving at him. He returned it. Although he couldn’t see her face clearly from the distance between them he didn’t need too. He knew it was well as his own.
Her usually contained in a bun or intricate knot hair was loose and the end of the strands were just above her ass. He couldn’t see it in what she wore but knew from past times was walking behind her when he could it
was full, round and so cuppable. He touched the pin she had used to put up his hair. The familiarity of how she touched him and cared for him was something that filled him with warmth and need. He remembered the way she scrunched up her nose making her so damn cute and kissable. Her kinky curls had framed her face and her rich sienna skin has a glow to it. He wanted to kiss along those cheeks and to the lips that made him want to nibble then suck into his mouth.
* * *
The sharp look in her hazel eyes was all intelligence. Paige was a formidable defense lawyer with her own firm with a few partners. When at work she wore tailored pantsuits—open jacket with inner shirt and pants—that fit her frame showing off all those full curves. The colors she chose went by her mood. When she was confident and ready to go in for the kill, she tended to wear bold colors. By what she had on today, he knew she wasn’t in court but just at the office. The light brown pantsuit was one when she was working with no plans for court. When Paige wasn’t on the clock for work, she was more casual with jeans and t-shirts as her chosen attire.
