Remi’s insides shook and burned. “I’m sorry, Delise.”
She hugged her friend, then watched her out the window as she got into her car and drove away. She again turned back to face Jason. “I am so sorry,” she whispered, putting her hands to her mouth.
“Yeah. Well. Maybe I’d better go.”
She wanted to protest, but clamped her mouth shut and followed him back to the bedroom where the rest of his clothes were. She pulled out her thick, white terry robe and replaced Jason’s shirt with it. Reluctantly she handed the shirt over to him. Silky soft, it smelled delicious, like him, warm male and spicy shower gel.
When he’d finished dressing, having stuffed his tie into his suit pocket, he paused. “I’ll need to call a taxi.”
“Oh. Yeah.”
He pulled out a cell phone and punched in a number—taxi on speed dial?—then she led him to the front door where his coat hung.
This wasn’t ending the way she would have liked.
Dammit.
“I’m sorry,” she began again, but he stopped her with a finger on her lips.
“Stop apologizing,” he said softly and he took her into his arms and pulled her up against him. She went up on her toes and it still wasn’t enough, so he lifted her right off the floor and kissed her. “It’s okay.” Another kiss. “Can I have your number, at least? I’ll call you.”
Sure he would.
“I don’t know,” she whispered, loving the feel of him holding her like that. “Apparently I’m not really meant to have fun.”
“Oh come on. Everyone is meant to have fun. This is funny. I’ve never had the cops break in on me while…uh…”
Her cheeks heated again and she wriggled down. She wrote her cell number on a notepad, ripped the page off and handed it to him. The lights of a taxi pulling up outside swept over them.
He grinned and stuck the paper in his pocket, cupped her chin in his fingers and brushed one more kiss over her mouth. “Night, Remi. I had fun tonight.”
“Me too.” She watched him leave through the small window of the door, her heart constricting inside her chest. “Oh, me too. So much fun.”
“What do you mean they’re not coming?” Remi stared at the principal, a chill sliding over her. “There are two hundred and fifty kids in the auditorium waiting for them.”
Jennifer grimaced. “Jemar Fast was charged with drunk driving on the weekend. Not a good role model for the kids.”
Remi’s brows pulled down and she rubbed between her eyes. “Great. Just great.” She’d worked so hard to get the kickoff rally for the Stars for Reading program to be held at their school this year, with three members of the Chicago Bulls participating.
“It’s not over,” Jennifer said. “They found someone else. Three Wolves.”
“Wolves.”
“The hockey team.”
“Oh. Of course. Okay. Better than nothing, I guess.” She took in a breath. “I better go make sure they’re not destroying the gym.”
Two hundred and fifty middle school students in the auditorium near the end of the day probably had a bit of energy to burn. Especially her grade six students Justin and Ryan. Their ADHD made them a handful at times.
“When our hockey players show up, I’ll bring them right down,” Jennifer promised her.
“Thanks.”
Remi hurried down the school hall, past empty classrooms and into the gym. The kids were actually being pretty good, sitting on the bleachers and filling the room with a dull roar punctuated with the occasional scream of high-pitched laughter.
“Change in plans,” she said to her fellow teacher Paula Vaughan. “We have hockey players coming instead of basketball players.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“Okay, everyone, listening!” She paused and waited for the noise to subside, holding a hand in the air. “We’re running a bit late, so please be patient. Jemar Fast isn’t going to be with us after all.” Big groans of disappointment greeted that statement. “But someone else is coming in his place.”
“Who is it, Ms. Buchanan?”
“Yeah, who is it?”
Dammit, she didn’t even know who it was. “Three players from the Chicago Wolves are coming today.”
Cheers echoed in the gym. Huh. Guess the kids knew hockey.
“They should be here shortly to get us started. Has everyone got their book picked out that they want to read first?”
Another burst of cheering erupted and she grinned. She loved it when kids were into books and reading. Some of her students were already avid readers, but others, like Justin and Ryan, struggled with it.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jennifer entering the auditorium with a group of men. Relieved, she prepared to turn the microphone over to the principal to introduce their new “stars” and get things started. If they didn’t get going soon, the kids would be beyond control.
Remi went to stand with some other teachers at the side of the gym and watched Jennifer lead the three men to the front where the sound system was set up. Big guys, all three of them… Remi’s eyes widened and she straightened. She blinked and focused on the back of one of the men. It looked like…no. She shook her head. Then he turned.
Jason.
Her face went hot, her body got chilled and she fell back against the concrete block gym wall.
He said something to Jennifer and they both laughed. His gorgeous smile flashed. Today he was dressed casually in jeans and a Wolves T-shirt that hugged his broad chest and shoulders. The other two men with him…yes, she was sure they’d been with him that night at Rouge…also wore the same T-shirts.
Hockey players.
Well, didn’t he just look like a hockey player? Big and tough, with a crooked nose. Except he had beautiful, perfect white teeth—didn’t most hockey players lose their teeth by getting hit with a puck or something?
She licked her lips.
Jennifer spoke into the microphone to get the kids’ attention and get the rally underway, but Remi barely heard a word she said until she introduced “Jason Heller!” and the kids all screamed and clapped.
Dear god, he was famous.
And she hadn’t even known who he was.
No wonder he dated a model. She leaned her head back against the wall and covered her eyes with one hand. She’d slept with him. Her. Remi Buchanan, grade six teacher at Abraham Lincoln Middle School. A wave of heat swept over her at the memory of his touch, his mouth on hers, his body inside hers.
Her one wild attempt at being fun and spontaneous and sexy had ended with the police at her door. She chewed on her lower lip. That could have been very bad for Jason. Oh god.
Jason had taken over the microphone and was getting the kids all worked up into a frenzy over reading books. She focused on him and what he was saying, clamping down on the resurgent lust.
“So you guys can ask us all questions now if you like,” Jason said. “Who’s got a question?”
Hands shot up and little bodies bounced excitedly on the bleachers. Remi smiled.
“What’s your favorite book?” a student asked Jason.
“I have a lot of favorites,” Jason replied. “But I really love Tom Sawyer.”
A murmur of agreement rippled through.
His hockey buddies shared their favorites too.
“What’s your favorite video game?”
Jason tipped his head to think. “Tough one,” he said. “Right now I like Hosuko Heroes.”
More cheers. The kids were eating it up.
“How many of you play sports?” Jason asked. Again hands reached for the sky and kids jumped up and down. “Wow! That’s great! Any hockey players?”
More hands.
“Any girl hockey players?”
Remi laughed and shook her head, but sure enough, several girls jumped up and waved.
The rally continued and then the three athletes stationed themselves at the doors of the auditorium along with the teachers to hand out buttons and score sheets and gift bags with free books to the kids as they filed out.