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Besides, I know for a fact that my personal life will already be up for debate between him and my parents. A bunch of busybodies, that’s what they are.
“I’m gonna go.” I turn sharply, retreating to the sound of his laughter behind me.
With a wave to Remy and Linc, I leave without entering the bullpen. They can wait. I have a date with the minx that drives me crazy.
The look on Avery’s face when I walk into her class twenty minutes later will stay with me until the day I die. Shock, delight, and then finally anger passes over those eyes I can’t get out of my head; I almost laugh right there.
Her brown curls are free today, hanging around her shoulders and swaying with every step she takes. I’ve never really paid attention to women’s clothes before, but I want to kiss whoever made the jeans she wears like a second skin. They hug every single curve, and I find myself wanting to peel them off her.
“What are you doing here?” Avery fidgets under the intensity of my gaze, her hands trembling slightly before she places them on the desk at her side to steady herself. All she manages to do, though, is push out her chest in an innocent way and have my mouth watering at the memory of what she had underneath her clothes.
Completely ignoring the crowd of students that all went suspiciously silent when I entered, I stride in like I belong. “I thought you might spare a minute to discuss something. In the hall.”
Her eyes scan my uniform, trying and failing miserably to keep a blank expression on her face. In the moments that pass, Avery flounders for control. I watch her grow increasingly thrown off by the fact that I am standing in her class. When she looks down and then her eyes dart to the crowd of sixth graders who are giggling and whispering about us under their breath, she sighs and shakes her head.
“Sorry, I can’t.” She nods toward them. “Class, you understand. I’m sure we can talk another time.”
I hook my thumbs in my belt, smiling for all the world like she hasn’t just tried to brush me off.
“I mean,” I lower my voice and stepped a little closer, talking to her like she was on the inside of some huge joke, “I could go ahead and pull out my cuffs if you want.” My voice is barely a whisper now, and the way her face flames with my words only makes me smile wider. “I bet you’d love that.” My right arm twitches slightly, and that has her moving.
“Class.” She clears her throat and turns away, hiding her still-flushed cheeks. “I’m going to step into the hall to talk to Officer Matthews.” Her teacher voice has my dick starting to get hard behind my wool uniform pants, and I mentally add that to the ever-growing number of her offenses.
I don’t wait for her to lead the way. Instead, I turn away from the curious children who all watch to see how we interact, and I walk right into the hall. Once I check both directions to make sure there won’t be any intruders, I quickly adjust my pants. I’ve never been more thankful for that thick fabric than when I stand in front of Avery and she uses that voice.
If I don’t get a handle on myself, I’ll ruin my plan for revenge.
“What do you want, Carter?” Her voice shifts, and all the insecurity that she spoke to me with in front of her class vanishes.
“I thought you’d like to know that Casey isn’t pressing charges for you stealing his truck.”
The plan is supposed to throw her off-balance, to make her so uncomfortable that she wants to flee, and then to coerce her into admitting that I had been right. Then I’ll ask her to have a repeat of that night. I should have known my life never goes according to plan.
“Oh.” She smiles brightly at me, all signs that she’d been embarrassed gone. Then she steps up to my chest and grabs the cord to my shoulder mic, forcing me to crouch down to her level or risk having it broken.
Once she has me where she wants, I see the flash of emotion in her eyes, and the sudden urge to kiss her replaces every plan I had about getting revenge for her leaving me.
“I thought you were here to return my underwear.” Her whisper brushes my lips. “If not, I’m sorry but you’ll have to leave. This is a school, after all. Not a bar, where you can kidnap a woman and then insult her, leaving her no option but to steal a vehicle to escape you.”
Avery’s goddamn voice sends a tingle of awareness down my spine, and her scent fills my head. She smells even better than I remember. Floral, with a hint of sweet nectar, blasts through every defense I have against her, and I know I will be the one to lose. Again.
“Go on a date with me, Avery.” The words, not what I’d intended, come out before I can stop them.
She steps back, shocked and confused. “What?”
“I want to take you out… On a date. To apologize for being an asshole the other night.”
“You don’t owe me an apology, Carter. You don’t owe me anything.” Avery releases my mic cord and it snaps back to my chest. “You made it perfectly clear that you think I’m a screw up, and I don’t need that kind of negativity in my life.”
I groan in frustration, losing even more footing. “You misunderstood me, Avery.” I try to keep my voice down, to keep control of the situation. “I told you that I saw through you. That the mask you wear, that you use to try and keep everyone out… I’m not fooled by it.”
Avery steps back again, standing against her classroom door.
“That’s where you’re mistaken, Carter.” Defiance lights up her face. “Whatever you think I am, you’re wrong. This is me. The woman who breaks all the rules.”
She opens the door and walks away before I can call her on her bullshit.
Avery’s running away from me. Again. And it sucks ass because I have no one to blame but myself.
