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“How’s Ruby doing?” I asked, desperate for a topic of conversation that wouldn’t get me glared at.
Warren’s expression softened, and I reminded myself not to get gooey over him just because he was a doting father. “She’s really good. I think whatever you’ve said to her has helped. She’s getting better at communication, which means I have to up my game too.”
“Not necessarily a bad thing,” I said, remembering the times he’d been a little more abrupt with me than needed. Sure, he’d apologized, but it would be easier to avoid any unpleasantness to begin with.
Warren gave me a teasing smile. “I don’t remember you having any issues with my communication the first time we met.”
A spark zinged through me. Was he flirting? “I didn’t.”
“How do you two know each other?” Cal asked.
The gleam in Warren’s eyes vanished. He straightened, breaking eye contact, and cleared his throat. “She’s Ruby’s new teacher.”
“Oh.” Cal sounded surprised. “The way you were talking, I thought it might be a more interesting story than that.”
I hesitated, unsure how much Warren would want his friend to know.
“It’s not,” he said firmly. “She’s Ruby’s temporary homeroom teacher. There’s nothing else between us. That’s it.”
Despite myself, I flinched. I’d understood that he didn’t want Ruby to know about our night together, and that he’d prefer for there not to be any gossip about us. To be honest, that was probably for the best in terms of my career too, even if I didn’t like staying away from him. But the way he’d shut down Cal’s question shocked me. He could have said we were casual acquaintances, or any number of other things. Not to mention that Cal was apparently his friend, and he didn’t seem the type to tell tales. Yet Warren had sounded angry at the mere suggestion there might be anything personal between he and I, which made it painfully clear he didn’t want to be associated with me. Full stop.
Perhaps I was overreacting, but thanks to my broken childhood, mum’s abandonment, and a string of shitty relationships, I didn’t take rejection well, and I wasn’t about to stay where I wasn’t wanted. I got to my feet.
“It’s been a good chat, but we’ve finished catching up about Ruby, so I should leave you guys to it. I have essays to mark.” I sent them both a false smile and spun on my heel. “Have a nice night.”
5
WARREN
Damn. I’d gone and put my foot in my mouth again. My knee-jerk reactions were getting me into trouble lately, especially with a particularly pretty schoolteacher. I hated that she felt like she had to leave—even more so because I know I drove her to it. It wasn’t even as though I needed to worry about Cal gossiping. I was just sensitive, and my initial reaction was to push her away. Thirteen years of not dating and making sure to only hook up with people I’d never see again had taken their toll. I didn’t know how to behave like a normal person around her, but I could at least have said we were friends. I had other female friends, so Cal would have taken it in stride.
“If you have any interest in her whatsoever, you’d better go after her,” Cal said. “I think you hurt her feelings.”
I debated whether to go. Staying away from her would be smart, but I hated the pain I’d seen in her eyes as she’d gone. I got the impression she really was done with me as anything other than Ruby’s father, and I should be grateful for that, but I wasn’t. I didn’t want her to give up on whatever compelling attraction existed between us. I wanted to spend more time with her. To take something for myself after years of putting Ruby’s needs first.
“Damn.” I stood. “Sorry to ditch you, mate, but I think you’re right.”
“No problem.” He waved a hand. “Go.”
I hurried out the door, relieved to see Hannah stalking down the street. If she’d driven here, she might have already been gone by now and I wouldn’t know where to find her. For some reason, that felt unacceptable.
Her hair bounced around her shoulders as she walked, shifting every now and then to reveal a glimpse of the pink streak. As I raced to catch up with her, my gaze lingered on her backside, which was clad in tight jeans with a pink skull emblazoned on the back pocket. Definitely nothing like the teachers I’d had in school.
“Wait!” I called. “Hannah, hold on.”
She glanced over her shoulder but didn’t stop. If anything, she sped up. Puffing, I broke into a run. I was strong from working with my hands all day, but my aerobic fitness wasn’t what it used to be and I was gasping by the time I caught her.
I put a hand on her shoulder. “Stop.”
Spinning around, she cocked a brow, emotion blazing in her eyes. “Why?”
“Because…” My mouth opened and shut as I struggled to come up with a decent reason for her to give me the time of day. Clearly, ‘you’re my daughter’s teacher’ wasn’t an option, and based on how badly I’d fucked things up since we’d first met, I doubted citing the screaming orgasms I’d given her would fly either. I sighed. “Just hear me out.”
“Fine.” She crossed her arms over her chest, shivering a little as the breeze touched her bare arms. I shrugged out of my leather jacket and offered it to her. She shook her head. “Come on,” I said. “Just take it so you’re not freezing while you listen to my sorry ass apologize.”
Grumbling under her breath, she put it on. The jacket swamped her, falling halfway to her knees. A surge of satisfaction rushed through me at the sight of her in my clothes. The possessive monster I liked to keep under lock reared its head. Nobody could mistake the jacket for being hers, which meant everyone would know she was taken. Mine. Even if that was utterly fucking ridiculous because she was glaring at me like she wished looks could kill. But with her little pout, it was kinda cute. Not that I’d say as much.
“I’m sorry,” I said, shuffling from one foot to the other. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I had a knee-jerk reaction that was uncalled for.”
