“Please, she’s all about the young ones. Aren’t you, Ms. B?” Shane says with a smirk and an eyebrow wiggle.
It’s just enough of a reaction for me to be rolling my eyes and not blushing beet red. I wouldneveradmit that he’s right. The last thing Shane needs is more ammo to supply that ego of his. But they all keep staring, and I refuse to answer the question, which is probably why I take the call from my cell when I feel it vibrate on my desk without checking who it’s from. During the school term, I’m as strict on the “no cell phone” policy as every other teacher at the school, but it’s summer. The kids and I all agreed that if you need to take a call, you take the call. As long as it’s for something important, I won’t go ratting them out. I treat these kids like adults, ’cause some of them are. They’re just stuck here till they get their little piece of paper that says they graduated. Not going to argue with a kid over a phone if it keeps them in school for a few weeks more and prevents them from being high school dropouts.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Troublemaker. You staying out of trouble?” Reese’s voice sends my entire body into shivers. I forget everything else but him at that moment.
“How did you get my number?” I groan when I figure it out. “Goddammit, Jules. I swear that girl has no boundaries.”
“Wasn’t her, babe.”
“What? Then how’d you get it?”
His chuckle sends heat through me down to my bones. “You worried about that or more concerned that I found a way to unlock your phone and get my number programmed into yours?”
“What?” I pull my phone away and look at the screen. Sure as hell, it says who’s calling, and it ain’t “Gator.” Nope. He went and got himself a big head. I put my phone back to my ear and pray to God that he can hear the eye roll in my voice. “‘My man,’ huh? That’s awfully presumptuous of you, don’t you think?”
“Nope.” The way he pops thephas me smiling wide, as I can imagine the grin he’s sporting. “How was breakfast?”
I find myself softening as I run my fingers along my desk edge. “Perfect. Thank you for making that for me. You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know, but I wanted to.”
There goes my damn heart fluttering away again.
“Oh, Ms. B, that doesn’t sound like a ‘must take’ call. I sure as hell don’t remember you letting me talk tomyman when he called two weeks ago,” Erica says with a pointed look when I glance up at her and notice her staring. Notice themallstaring.
Oh shit. Forgot I was in class.
How does he do this? I swear I have my shit together, but five seconds with Reese and I lose my head.
And it’sReesewho does it, not Gator. Gator is the guy in the club who I can deal with and go head-to-head with. Reese is the one who makes my brain turn to goo because he doesn’t ask, he just takes. That’s the difference. And I absolutely adore it. Having someone just take all the pressure off and do it for me is the biggest turn-on. I don’t have to think with him—I can just be. If I need something, often enough, he’s already thought of it and gotten it for me.
Will this wear off in a few days? Maybe. But if the past twenty-four hours taught me anything, it’s that I know little when it comes to this man. He’s not like the others, and he’s not what I expected. And I like that. I like it a lot.
“Um, I’m in class right now. Let me call you back.”
“When’s your lunch break?”
“Ah, in an hour.” I look around the room as I talk, then my eyes widen. “But I brought my lunch and only get like ten minutes before I have to get to a planning meeting.”
That damn chuckle of his has me sinking in my chair as if a warm blanket is being wrapped around my shoulders. “Got it, darlin’. Don’t bring you lunch. I’ll call you later, then. Be good, Troublemaker.”
I smile as he hangs up, and it takes less than five seconds before a chorus of “Ooh” breaks out, followed by the chanting of me having a boyfriend and kissy noises.
I roll my eyes as I stand to get back to doing my actual job. But no matter how I fight it, I still find myself looking at the clock, hoping time will suddenly speed up.
“Well, ain’t this a surprise?”
I smile at his words and hope he’s doing the same. “Got done a bit early.” I skip the part about how I sent my class to lunch early because I couldn’t concentrate for the last fifteen minutes.
“Like that, baby.”
“Like what?”
“Like that you got done and called me.”
My heart flutters at his words. I didn’t even think that calling him would be weird. I usually freak out about these things. The whole “who should call who” first. Either I was so overwhelmed with thoughts of him that freaking out over a phone call was too small to worry about or I feel so comfortable with him already that calling him seems natural.
