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“Oh for goodness sake, call me Jess. We’re neighbors, and for the time being, work colleagues, so let’s drop the formality,”
“Jess.” I test her name on my tongue and I like how it sounds in my slightly gruff voice. “Call me Tate.”
“So, can you help me?” Jess asks, looking at me with wide dark brown eyes, her desperation clear.
I chuckle and reach into my backpack. “I figured when I saw this dinosaur that you might be needing this.” I hand her a new slimline laptop and her eyes light up like it’s Christmas morning. “I’ve already uploaded everything you need, including the new registration and attendance software you asked us to source. I can spend some time showing you around it if you like.”
The wide smile that stretches across Jess’s face changes it completely. Gone is the scowl and the crease in her brow, and I can’t seem to drag my eyes away from her. There’s no question in my mind that Jess Vega is one of the most attractive women I’ve ever seen. Even the fine lines that crease around her eyes just add to her beauty.
“That would be great,” she replies in a soft voice. “Thank you…” she hesitates a moment and then adds, “Tate.”
Fuck! The sound of my name in her sweet voice makes my dick fully hard, and I suddenly can’t stop picturing her writhing beneath me, moaning my name as she falls apart.
But that absolutely can’t happen. I cannot get involved with the woman keeping our business afloat. Tanner would never forgive me if I fucked her, messed up this opportunity and lost the account.
No, I have to lock this shit down and concentrate my energy on getting to know TeacherGal better. She’s a much more sensible prospect and one that won’t ruin my business or piss off my twin brother.
Chapter 7
Jessica
It’s been the longest week of my life and I’m looking forward to nothing more than a long hot soak in the tub, a glass of red wine and an early night. Actually that’s kind of a lie. I’m eagerly anticipating that NerdGuy will message me tonight. He’s messaged every night this week at about nine pm, just as I’m settling down with my Kindle to read the latest smutty romance book I’ve downloaded. However, when the notification pings through on my phone, my book is quickly discarded in favor of my own possible romance. I had no idea a sound could make my heart flutter with excitement, and my panties dampen.
Our conversations started out light and fun; exchanging favorite movies, songs, Netflix binges, foods and a few embarrassing stories. Despite the age gap, he gets a lot of my random ‘80s movie and music references and has made my Abuelita’s arroz con pollo after requesting the recipe. When he sent me a photo of his plate, it was like I could almost smell those spicy familiar smells wafting in the air, and it made me miss my grandmother terribly.
It’s been so amazing connecting with him and I can sense by the way our conversations have grown more frequent and flirty that he’s attracted to me. And I am definitely attracted to him. I often stare at his profile picture and imagine his strong, muscular arms around me, my cheek pressed to his chest. Occasionally, when my desire gets the better of me, I slide my fingers into my panties and imagine him moving on top of me, kissing my breasts and neck as he plunges into me again and again.
If only every new man in my life were as pleasing as NerdGuy.
Despite my relief and gratitude for the laptop rescue on his first day, I’m still butting heads with Tate Harrison at every turn. The man is infuriating with his smirky grin, know-it-all attitude and woodsy scent that lingers in my office even after he’s left. I set him up in one of the small study rooms down the hall and instead of going to the faculty lounge to make coffee, he comes to my office and uses my machine at the invitation of Mrs. Cook. The first time I saw him pop one of my favorite cafe au lait pods into the Keurig, I felt my blood pressure sky rocket. I shot Mrs. Cook a look that let her know I was annoyed but she just looked at me innocently over her half-moon glasses and went back to her filing.
“You know there’s a perfectly good coffee machine in the faculty lounge,” I snapped.
He turned to me with that ever-present smirk on his handsome face and without breaking eye contact he pressed the button to start the machine, making me fume so much my cheeks burned and my fists balled at my sides.
“I like the cafe au lait,” he said with an arrogant shrug as he removed his cup and disappeared into the hall. I couldn’t help the growl of frustration that escaped me, and my annoyance only deepened when I noticed the smug look on Mrs. Cook’s wrinkled face.
It’s not only the coffee theft that’s irritating me about Tate Harrison. He’s ridiculously stubborn and seems hell-bent on doing everything his way. I understand that he’s the tech expert, but I know what my faculty needs to run the school smoothly in the best interests of the students. One afternoon we spent almost an hour arguing about two different types of software that essentially did the same thing. In the end, I had to remove myself from the room on a fictional errand to a kindergarten classroom because if I didn’t I was going to lose my cool and say something unprofessional. Why do I let him goad me like that?
And if I thought I could get some respite from Mr. Cocky Pants once I left work, then I was sorely mistaken. For the last week, everywhere I turn, there he is; drinking his coffee on his balcony while I try to do yoga on the deck, playing his loud music while I try to enjoy a glass of wine. Once he even crashed his cart into mine as I rounded a corner at the grocery store. Every time we have an encounter he smirks at me, giving me a cocky salute and saying, “Good to see you, Principal Vega.”
Jesus! He’s driving me nuts!
At least I have my conversations with NerdGuy as an antidote to Tate’s smirky cockiness.
I ponder all of this while soaking in the tub and after my relaxing bath, I keep my long hair piled high on my head and pull my robe tightly around my curvy body. Settling down on the couch with my wine, I look around for my phone so I can see if there’s a message from NerdGuy. I dig around in my purse for a few minutes before I remember that I took my phone out when I left school to send a text to Connie. Instead of putting it back in my purse, I dropped it into the central console of my car.
Damn it!
Letting out an annoyed huff, I push up off the couch, slip my feet into my sneakers, grab my keys and head outside. The smell of fresh rain hits me and the ground squelches underfoot. Wow, we must’ve had a real downpour while I was in the tub. Being careful not to step in any puddles, I skip around the corner and slam straight into Tate, bouncing off his hard body and almost falling on my ass. A pair of strong arms shoot out and large hands grip my flailing arms, saving me from further humiliation and a wet butt.
“Jesus, watch where you’re going!” I shriek, looking up at Tate, his face illuminated by the light glowing overhead. He’s still holding the tops of my arms, looking down at me, his eyes wide and hungry, his large body dangerously close to mine.
What the hell is he looking at?
I get my answer when a cool breeze skims across my skin and I feel my nipples harden into painful points. Oh my god, no! I drop my gaze to where Tate’s blue eyes bore into me and see that, yes indeed, my robe has fallen open and my breasts are almost bared. I flick my eyes back up to his and the son of a bitch licks his lips, his eyes continuing to eat me up like I’m dessert.
I’m frozen to the spot; his strong hands hold me close to his damp body, his wife-beater clings to every defined rise and valley of his torso, his hair drips rain water down his chiselled jaw. As my gaze travels lower I can see that his athletic shorts hang dangerously low on his hips and, sweet Jesus, they’re soaked through. I can see a very prominent, thick outline made even more obvious by the damp, clingy material. My breath catches in my throat, and I’m sure a tiny moan escapes.
