“Want me to take that?” she asked.
When her free hand reached towards me, I stepped back. The last thing I needed right now was her touching my dick. One touch was all it would take and I’d lose what little control I was clinging to.
“Luca!” She snapped her fingers in front of my face. “Give me the pizza.”
“Oh.” That’s what she was reaching for. After handing her the box, I bent down, retrieved my towel and covered my hardening cock. Elise slipped past me, headed for the kitchen, the sway in her hips exaggerated. “I’ll just go put some clothes on,” I mumbled, slamming the door and racing towards my bedroom.
“Don’t get dressed on my account,” Elise smarted back as I crossed through the kitchen, groaning as the scent of gooey cheesy pizza hit my nostrils.
This woman was going to be the death of me. Hurrying into my bedroom, I pulled on a pair of grey sweatpants and a t-shirt. By the time I made it back out, Elise had grabbed a couple of bottles of water from the fridge and was perched on the corner of a bar stool taking the biggest bite I’d ever seen. I couldn’t help but snicker. She wasn’t like anyone I’d ever met before, and I liked it. I really, really liked it.
“Wanna sit on the couch?” I offered, grabbing a couple of napkins from the pantry. She mumbled an incoherent answer before picking up the pizza, tucking her drink under her arm and heading towards the lounge room. “Good?”
“Mmm, so good.”
With a chuckle, I helped myself to a slice and took a bite. As soon as the flavour hit my tongue, all judgement I was throwing in her direction vanished. It was bloody good pizza. No wonder she was chomping down as fast as she could.
After popping the last bite in her mouth, Elise stole a napkin and wiped her hands before turning towards me. “So, how was your trip?”
“Long,” I groaned.
“Surely you’re used to it though?”
“You’d think, but based on how tired I am, it proves I made the right call.”
“So, you’re still convinced it’s the right thing to do? Retire I mean.”
Her question surprised me. Since the press conference, and maybe even before, the only other person who’d asked that was my mum. I liked that she cared.
“Yeah, I really am. It’s time.”
“Have you even had a chance to think about what’s next?”
“Yep!”
“Care to share?” Elise probed.
“My first weekend of freedom, I’m having a party.”
“A party?”
“Yep. A purple unicorn-themed blow out.” I watched the confusion cross her face and took the chance to snag another slice.
“You’re having a unicorn party to celebrate your retirement?” Elise clarified.
“Not to celebrate my retirement. To celebrate Princess Phoebe’s third birthday.”
Elise sighed and tossed her napkin at my head. “You’re a shit head.”
“So, any chance you’ve got any ideas on what needs to be included at an epic unicorn party?”
“You’re asking me?”
“You spend all day with kids. What the hell would I know?” I admitted.
“If you don’t know, why are you planning it?”
“Because Sienna and Hunter asked me to. Well actually, Phoebe asked me if she could have her party at my house so she could show off her unicorn room. I haven’t learnt how to say no to her yet.”
Elise giggled. “I doubt you’ll ever be able to say no to her. Princess Phoebe has Uncle Luca wrapped around her chubby little fingers.”
“You might be right there. So, you’ll save me?”
“If you want help, I’ll help you make it the best unicorn party Princess Phoebe could imagine.” I could hear the wheels in her head already spinning. I had no doubt in my mind putting Elise in charge was the best idea I’d ever had. She was going to nail this. And I was going to end up looking like the world’s best uncle.
Finishing off my pizza, I wiped my hands and leaned back against the cushions before yawning loudly.
“I should get going,” Elise said quietly, scrambling to her feet and starting to clean up.
That was the absolute last thing I wanted. Scurrying behind her, I picked up the rest of the mess and took it into the kitchen and tossed the rubbish in the bin before turning to face Elise.
“Well, I’ll let you get some rest. I just wanted to make sure you got something to eat. You sounded pretty beat on the phone earlier.”
Crowding her against the bench, I set my hands on her hips. “Or you could stay.”
“You want me to stay?” The shock on her face caught me off guard.
“Of course.”
“But aren’t you tired?”
“Yep. But I really wanna snuggle with you for a while,” I admitted, not giving a shit how much of a pussy I sounded.
“You wanna snuggle?”
“Only with you, Elise. Only with you.”
Chapter Twenty – Elise
Waking up next to Luca was not a hardship. Something was hard, but it definitely wasn’t something I’d be objecting to any time soon. The only downside to showing up at Luca’s place unprepared for a sleepover was the early morning trek home to change and get ready for work. It was a pain in the arse, but when my alarm beeped at six, I stretched my legs out and lifted the heavy arm that was pinning me to the hard, warm chest behind me. We’d crashed out on the lounge, and I was surprised to see we hadn’t even moved. Not only that, I’d slept like a baby. It was one of the best night’s sleep I’d had in long time.
Pulling into the carpark, I killed the ignition and grabbed my bag from the back of the car. As I headed for the staff room where I was praying Kathryn had the coffee machine already going, I reached up and touched my still swollen lips. I’d left a sleepy Luca lazing on the couch, but he’d kissed the crap out of me, sending me floating out the door in a bubble.
“Someone got out on the right side of the bed this morning,” Corey announced, stepping up beside me as I walked along the path, scaring the absolute crap out of me.
“Morning, Corey,” I replied, taking a deep breath and trying to calm my racing heart.
“You’re looking beautiful this morning, Miss McCoy.”
I wasn’t. I was a complete mess. My hair was tied back in a ponytail. I wore a pair of black pants and a white top with a bright green scarf wrapped around my neck with a long grey cardigan over the top. My oversized sunglasses covered half my face, but more importantly, hid the dark bags under my eyes that my makeup couldn’t cover. It was definitely nothing special and nothing to be impressed about.
“Thanks,” I replied, feeling awkward.
There was something weird going on with him. He’d been acting strange for a couple of weeks, but it seemed to be increasing daily. Randomly, he’d show up in the playground when I was on duty or stop by the bus lines while I was waiting for the kids to be collected.
“So, you’re chaperoning the sports carnival next week, aren’t you?”
Ah shit. I wish I knew where he was headed with this. “Yeah. Trish and I are going. Should be a good day.” It wouldn’t be. It’d be long and tedious, and I’d probably end up covered in sports drinks and mud, handing out more band aids than an emergency department nurse, but I wasn’t about to tell Corey that. With my luck, he’d probably be putting his hand up to come with us.
“Oh. I didn’t know she was going too.”
“Yeah. Thankfully she’s not leaving me on my own.” I regretted my choice of words as soon as I said them.
Spying the front office building looming just ahead, I ducked, just as a tennis ball flying through the air barely missed my head before ricocheting off the brick wall.
“Whoa! Watch out,” Corey warned, grabbing my arm and hurrying me across the quadrangle.
Shaking his grip off, I turned and offered him a small smile. I didn’t want to be a bitch, but I didn’t want him touching me either. “Thanks for your help. I need to run though. Marnie
wanted to talk to me about something before my class started so I better get in there. I don’t want to keep her waiting,” I lied. Marnie didn’t even know I was coming, but I had to put some space between Corey and me. If I was being honest, he was starting to give me the creeps with all his random appearances.
“Ah. No worries. I’ll catch up with you later.” He waved, and I scurried across the asphalt and climbed the steps to the office without pausing to take a breath. I had no idea what I was going to do about Corey, but if he kept this up, I’d have to do something.
Shaking off the yucky feeling, I stepped into the office and made a beeline for the coffee pot which was already bubbling away. After filling my mug and adding three heaping teaspoons of sugar, something I was going to need today, I wandered down the hall to where I found the terrible trio gossiping.
“Busted!” I announced, rounding the corner, only for Margaret to throw the pen cap in her hand at me.
“Damn it, Elise! You scared me half to death,” she chided, pretending to look cranky. Even I had to admit, she pulled it off. She’d mastered the cranky pants look.
“Well it’s a good thing I wasn’t Vickie… She wouldn’t be as forgiving if she heard what I just did.”
“Oh pfft. We didn’t say anything she doesn’t already know.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.”
“What are you doing in here anyway?” Marnie questioned, looking at me like I was the one who was up to no good.
“What? Don’t you like my visits?” I challenged.
“You’re either lurking or hiding. Which is it?”
I thought about answering that I was hiding from Corey, but I didn’t want to look like a drama llama. There’s a very good chance it could be, so I didn’t want to make a big deal about it. I’d just keep living in my delusional little bubble.
Instead, I lifted my coffee mug up, and they nodded knowingly. “Well, I better go see which little terror I’m sending in your direction today,” I teased with a laugh.
“Not Karenya! Please not Karenya,” Marnie begged with a wicked smile.
I understood completely. Marnie and Karenya were the same person with a forty-year age difference. Both were sassy and stubborn and refused to concede defeat or admit they were wrong, even when the evidence was clearly against them.
“We’ll see,” I said with a wave, heading towards my classroom.
I made it all the way to the final bell before I caved and checked my phone. Not because I was avoiding it, but because today had just been so damn busy. With Trish out sick, the casual covering her class kept coming in every five minutes to ask me yet another inane question. She might’ve been young, but I wasn’t buying that as an excuse. If she was working as a relief teacher, then she’d had the same training as I had.
Seeing Luca’s name on my phone made my day a whole lot brighter.
Luca: How was your day?
Rushing around, I gathered my things and dashed towards the car before anyone had the chance to stop me. As soon as I dumped my bag on the seat beside me, I pulled out my phone and tapped out a reply.
Elise: Long. Headed home for a bath and a glass of wine
Luca: Sounds interesting
Luca: Want company?
I coughed. That wasn’t expected. But then again, I should’ve expected it in a way. Expecting the unexpected with Luca was something I needed to get used to, and in a hurry by the looks of it. But two could play at this game.
Elise: In the bath or sharing the wine
Luca: Either
Luca: Both
Luca: When and where
Elise: Calm down, big boy. Don’t you have training tonight?
Luca:
Luca: Spoil sport
Elise: How bout I just lie back amongst the bubbles, sip my wine and think of you?
I could picture his square jaw locked as he read my reply and thought many, many mean thoughts about me.
Luca: You can be really mean when you want to
Luca: You know that?
Elise: Yeah, but you love me anyway
I hit send before rereading what I’d just sent. Then my freak-out started. And it wasn’t just a little, miniscule freak-out either. This was epic. I’d just told Luca he loved me. Loved me. What the fuck was I thinking? He didn’t even know me, and I told him he loved me. Fuck! Shit! Agh!
Banging my head on the steering wheel, I grabbed my phone and tried to delete the message. It was futile. Rationally, I knew that, but right now was not the time to be pretending to have rational thoughts. This was a fucking disaster.
A knock at the window startled me.
Glancing up, I saw Corey standing there, towering over my window, looking awfully concerned. I wondered how long he’d been watching me.
Cracking the window barely an inch, Corey’s worried voice asked, “Is everything okay, Elise?”
Feeling like a complete fool, I answered quickly. “Yeah. I just forgot something. Look, I’ve got to go. I’m late,” I lied.
Not looking convinced, Corey just took a step back as I started the ignition. “Okay. Well take care. And if you need anything, just call.”
“Thanks,” I threw out there just to be polite before slipping the car into reverse and backing out of the carpark.
As soon as I pulled to a stop at the first set of traffic lights, I punched buttons on the dashboard until I heard the phone start ringing.
“Princess!”
“Jax!” I almost squealed.
“What’s going on? Are you okay?” He knew me well. Perhaps too well.
“I fucked up.”
“I’m sure you didn’t.”
“No. I did. I really did,” I rushed out breathlessly.
“Tell Uncle Jaxson what you did, and I’ll tell you how to fix it.”
I hated that he sounded so calm. Why couldn’t he be flustered and panicked and freaking the fuck out like I was? “Luca. I told him he loved me.”
“Where are you?” I heard a door slam and something getting dropped before a string of cuss words that’d make even a sailor blush.
“On my way home.”
“Meet you there in ten,” Jax declared, and I heard the familiar beep of his car unlocking.
“Ten?”
“Gotta stop and get supplies. We’re gonna need wine and chocolate.”
“Jax?”
“Yeah, sweetheart?”
“I don’t know if wine’s gonna cut it. We may need tequila.”
“That bad, hey? No worries. See you in a minute.”
Somehow, I made it home and parked without hitting a pole. Honestly, it wouldn’t have shocked me if I side-swiped a car. My mind was so pre-occupied, and as I grabbed my bag from the back seat, I realised I didn’t remember a damn thing from the drive. Forcing myself to not look at my phone, I dropped it into the bottom of my bag, pretending it didn’t exist. Trudging towards my door, I felt like I had a grenade in my bag, ready to explode at any second.
As soon as I was through the door, I headed straight to my bedroom, stripping as I went. Down to only my underwear, mismatched bra and favourite striped socks, I threw myself dramatically onto my bed and yanked a pillow over my head before screaming into it.
Once I finished moaning and groaning, I tucked the pillow under my head and just lay there, staring at the ceiling. I was trying to figure out a way to get myself out of the shit storm I’d created for myself. Maybe Luca could be persuaded to pretend it never happened. I mean, if he was a gentleman, surely he could just ignore my oversight. Surely that wasn’t asking him too much. After all, ignorance was bliss. Or so I’d heard.
“Honey, I’m home,” Jaxson sing-songed before I heard the definite bang of the door closing behind him. One thing I’d learnt about Jax a long time ago and given up trying to change was the boy was loud. In every single thing he did, he was loud.
Sitting up, I ran a hand through my hair and let out a heavy sigh.
“Oh gee
z, Elise! Cover that shit up! You could traumatise someone!” Jax exclaimed, putting his hands over his eyes and flopping down on my bed beside me.
“It’s nothing you haven’t seen before,” I reminded him, taking great pleasure in watching him squirm.
Nudging me with his shoulder, Jax had a wide, mischievous smile stretched across his face. “So, what’s happening?”
“Remind me again why I called you.”
“Cos you love me.”
“Debatable.”
“Or is it, I love you? Isn’t that what you messaged me. Hang on a second. Let me check.” My cheeks burned as Jax pulled his phone out of his pocket and stared at the screen. “Oh wait. That’s right. That was Luca you messaged, not me.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“Oh, sweetheart, I can pretty much guarantee that it’s something I’m never going to let you forget.”
Prick. I knew he was telling the truth too. Part of me wished I’d never told him. But I knew me. There was no way I couldn’t tell him. Jax was my person. The one I told everything. The one I trusted with all my secrets and all my fears.
“Have you heard from him?”
“I turned my phone off,” I admitted.
“What? Why?”
“Because I didn’t want to know.”
“Where’s your phone,” Jax huffed, slapping his hand down on my thigh and standing up, towering over me.
“Why?”
“Cos I wanna see his reply,” Jax declared. He was assuming Luca had replied. If I was him, I wouldn’t have.
“He hasn’t replied,” I told him.
“You don’t know that. Now, where is it?”
Knowing I was fighting a losing battle, I sent him off to find where I’d buried it. While he fussed, I stuck my head in the wardrobe and found a pair of black yoga pants and one of Luca’s shirts I’d borrowed; borrowed and had no intention of returning.
“You really need to update your passcode,” Jax told me, returning to my bedroom.
“Anything else I’ve done wrong lately?” I sassed, feeling attacked.
“Well let’s see, shall we?”
For the next ten minutes I had to listen to Jax read back the texts Luca and I had been exchanging, complete with commentary and impersonations. It was torturous, to say the least. I couldn’t help but cringe having my own words read back to me.
Overtime (Playing The Field Book 1) Page 12
