“I look forward to reading them. Thanks for caring enough about the boys to work with them this week.”
He shrugged. “I need them playing football.”
“And that was the only reason?”
The only one he was giving her. “They need to pass. That’s all I care about.”
“I see. Okay then, I’ll grade the papers and let you know.”
He caught that look of disappointment on her face and hated seeing it there, but this wasn’t the time or place to get into it with her.
Later, he’d talk to her about how important it was to see his kids succeed, whether on the field or in the classroom. His only goal was to graduate these kids and have them live their lives successfully, either as football players or accountants or scientists or baristas or construction workers.
He wanted successful, happy kids. He didn’t care how they got there.
After dinner, Chelsea left, and so did Jane and Will since they had to pick up their kids.
Which meant it was just Josie and him.
“Would you like to come over to my place for a drink?” she asked.
He didn’t understand her. “I thought you were mad at me.”
She frowned. “Why would I be mad at you?”
“About the kids.”
“I don’t necessarily agree with you about your stance on high school sports and your students, Zach. But that’s the teacher in me. It has nothing to do with how I feel about you outside the classroom. In case you didn’t notice, we are outside the classroom.”
“So you can separate the two.”
She gave him a direct look. “I can. Can you?”
He wanted to spend time with her, and she was a totally different person outside of school. That was the Josie he wanted to get to know better. “Yup.”
“Then is that a yes?”
“It is.”
She gave him the kind of smile that made his gut clench.
“Then follow me home.”
He was looking forward to seeing her house. And seeing where things went with Josie when he got there.
Chapter 3
* * *
JOSIE HADN’T HAD a guy over to her house since she’d moved to Hope several months ago.
Actually, she hadn’t been with a guy since her breakup with her boyfriend in Atlanta more than two years ago. She hadn’t wanted to have anything to do with a man. She’d washed her hands of them, figuring they weren’t worth her time. Until she’d met Zach. He’d been kind and funny, and they’d made an instant connection. A friends kind of connection, which had made her feel safe. Though there’d been an attraction between them right away, too. It was just that she hadn’t felt pressured to do anything about it, because she’d enjoyed being friends with him, getting to know him a bit.
But that chemistry thing had lingered all through the summer. And now? It was front and center. Like a whoa type of zingy chemistry that had made her take a step back and think about how long it had been since she’d even been kissed, let alone all the other fun things she could do with the opposite sex.
Don’t make a big deal out of this, Josie. It’s just drinks. With Zach. Who’s your friend. That’s all.
Who was she kidding? She totally had it bad for Zach and had ever since this past summer when they’d all hung out together. The weekend they’d been together with all their friends at the lake had cemented her attraction to him. Everyone else had been coupled up, and she and Zach had naturally ended up spending time together. It hadn’t been awkward at all. In fact, it had been … perfect.
Nothing had happened between them. Even the times they’d found themselves alone, Zach had been a total gentleman and had never made a move on her.
Unfortunately. Because if he’d wanted to kiss her, Josie would have been more than receptive to the idea.
She tossed her keys on the table just inside the front door, then turned and watched as Zach pulled his truck into her driveway and got out.
Seriously, he took her breath away. He was tall and lean, and he had muscles, too, but not in that “Hey, where did your neck go?” sort of muscly way. He had the kind of body a woman wanted to get her hands on.
Or at least, this woman. Plus, he had a head of dark, thick hair with just a sprinkle of gray at his temples, and that intrigued her in a way that made her want to touch.
Oh, she wanted to touch. All of him. All over.
He smiled as he made his way up the steps and onto the porch. “Great house, Josie.”
“Thanks. It’s homey. Oh, and be careful of Tumbleweed.”
He looked around. “You have tumbleweeds in your living room?”
She laughed. “No. Tumbleweed is the cat. You’re not allergic to cats, are you?”
“Not that I’m aware of. But I don’t see a cat.”
“That’s because he doesn’t want you to see him. He doesn’t particularly like people. Come on into the kitchen. Beer or wine?”
He followed her into the kitchen. She pulled a bottle of wine from the cabinet, then turned to look at Zach.
“Beer is fine with me if you have it.”
“I do.”
Zach heard a rumbling noise and looked around for the source but couldn’t find it. It seemed to be coming from under the dining room table, but since the room was dark, he couldn’t tell for sure.
Until he saw glowing eyes looking right at him.
“It’s staring at me.”
Josie handed him his beer. “What’s staring—oh, Tumbleweed. He’s not very trusting. His former owner dumped him at the shelter because he’s old and his fur was unmanageable. And he had an attitude. Poor baby. He seriously looked like a giant tumbleweed of matted fur when I got him.”
“So, what did you do?”
“I took him to the groomer, who very patiently removed about five pounds of matted fur from him. Now he’s gorgeous.”
“I thought you said he didn’t like people.”
“He liked Casey, the groomer. She took all day being so sweet with him.”
“Uh-huh.”
They walked by on their way into the living room. As he walked past the dining room table, a white paw swiped at his feet from under the table. He nearly spilled his beer.
“Shit,” he muttered.
The cat growled, low and menacing.
He was going to have to keep a wary eye on that cat.
Josie took up a spot on the sofa, so Zach sat on the other end.
“He really is very sweet and cuddly,” she said. “Once he gets to know you.”
Zach took a sip of his beer but kept his eye on the dining room table with its glowing eyes.
“You don’t like cats?”
He slowly shifted his gaze toward her. “Don’t know. Never had one.”
“I never had one of my own, but I always loved my friends’ cats. And random wild ones I’d meet when I was—”
He waited while she paused and looked at the table, then brought her gaze back to him.
“When I was wandering the neighborhoods as a kid.”
“Huh. I never had pets.”
She pulled her legs up behind her on the sofa. “Oh, that’s too bad. I want to have a lot of animals.”
“So, like a cat lady, with your rocking chair and sweater?”
“Funny. No. Just as many as I can handle. Mostly animals that no one else wants.”
He cocked his head to the side. “Why?”
She shrugged. “Because everyone wants the cute puppy or the kitten, and they bypass old or frail animals. But those animals need a home and love, too.”
There was that clench in his gut again.
“You’re something.”
She gave him a curious look. “Is that a good something or a bad something?”
He was about to answer, but a flash of something gray and white attacked his tennis shoe. And his ankle. With claws.
He leaped up off the sofa. “Sonofabitch.”
“Oh no. Did he hurt you?”
br /> “He dug his claws into my ankle.”
“Aww, I’m sorry. Are you all right? Do I need to get you a Band-Aid?”
“It’s okay. I’m fine.” He glared at the cat.
Josie cast a warm glance at the animal. “That wasn’t very nice, Tumbles.”
The cat leaped onto the back of the sofa, winding its way toward Josie’s shoulder before settling on the arm of the sofa to lick its paws.
The thing that attacked him was a dark white color, had a bushy tail and some bald spots on its skin. And a face that looked like it had been smashed in by a car bumper.
Frankly, it was the ugliest cat Zach had ever seen. If it was even a cat.
Josie swept her hand slowly up and down the thing’s back. “Cute, isn’t he?”
“That cat is ugly as fuck, Josie.”
“He is not.”
“Come on. He’s a train wreck.”
She continued to pet the thing, which made vibrating noises. “Okay, he has some issues. But he’s incredibly lovable and affectionate.”
“I’m pretty sure my ankle is bleeding.”
She looked down at his feet. “Is it really?” She got up, and the cat scampered off to its lair under the dining room table.
She bent down and lifted the leg of his jeans. “Let me see.”
“I was kind of kidding about the bleeding part.”
“But he scratched you. I’m sorry about that. Cat scratches sting.”
Having a beautiful woman on her knees between his legs made him forget all about the sting of a cat scratch and put his mind on other, more pleasurable things.
“My ankle’s fine, Josie.”
She sat on her heels and looked up at him. “Try being nice.”
“I am nice.”
The cat growled its disagreement. Zach really wanted to growl back, but instead he held out his hands for Josie.
“Come on,” he said, lifting her to stand. “Show me the rest of your house.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to put something on your ankle?”
“I think I can handle a couple of scratches, but thanks.”
“Okay. Well, you’ve seen the kitchen and the dining room. There’s a screened-in porch that leads out from the kitchen.” She opened the door and led him out to what was a small but nice porch.
“I know you can’t see it because it’s dark, but I have a huge backyard. Great for animals.”
“Will you let the Prince of Darkness out there?”
She frowned. “The—oh, Tumbleweed? No. He’ll remain an indoor cat. I don’t want him disappearing on me.”
“Too bad.”
She nudged him with her shoulder. “You’re mean.”
He gave her a gentle nudge in return. “Am not.”
“Anyway, there’s plenty of room for other animals.”
“You have other animals?”
“Not yet. But I will.”
“Hopefully they’ll be nicer than Beelzebub.”
She shook her head. “Come on, whiner.”
They went back inside, and she led him through an arched doorway and down the hall. “There’s a bathroom here, and two bedrooms, and the master is at the end of the hall.”
She paused.
“Afraid to show me the inner sanctum?” he asked.
Her brows popped up. “Is that some kind of euphemism for me showing you my goods?”
He laughed. “No. I meant your bedroom.”
“Oh. I don’t know. I might want to save that for some other time.”
“Why? Do you have some kind of sex dungeon in there?”
Her lips curved. “Do I look like a sex dungeon kind of girl?”
He leaned in closer. “I’m not sure if there’s a certain look a woman has to have in order to possess a sex dungeon. I’ll bet all kinds of people in all walks of life have one.”
“Is that right?”
“Sure. Lawyers and flight attendants and horticulturists and … I don’t know. Even teachers.”
“This teacher does not possess a sex dungeon.”
“Okay, so maybe you have some lavender candles and furry handcuffs.”
She snorted out a laugh, then turned and walked away. “If you’re lucky, you might find out someday.”
He’d like to find out now, especially as he watched her walk away. The sway of her hips was mesmerizing.
Instead, he sucked in a breath and followed her back into the living room, trying to ignore the hissing coming from under the dining room table.
He glared at the Evil One. When he took a seat on the sofa, Josie sat right next to him.
“Here,” she said, pulling a treat from a bag and handing it to him. “Hold this in your hand, and when he comes out, he’ll smell it.”
“And then attack me.”
She crooked a smile. “No, he’ll investigate.”
“And then he’ll attack my hand.”
“Oh my God, Zach.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re not afraid of a little kitty, are you?”
He refused to answer that. Instead, he took the treat from her and held it in a death grip in his hand.
“No,” she said, prying his fingers open so the treat lay in his palm. “Like this.”
Josie’s eyes were so incredibly blue. He’d never been this close to her before. It was like falling into an azure ocean.
“You have amazing eyes.”
She laid her palm across the side of his face. “Yours are pretty spectacular, too. Very stormy and fierce.”
His lips curved. “They’re gray. Not like yours. Like the most beautiful water I’ve ever seen.”
Her hand lingered, her fingers traveling along his jaw. “Oh, yours are more than gray, Zach. They’re expressive. Do you know they change colors?”
“No, they don’t.”
“Yes, they do. They lighten when you’re happy, and they darken when you’re pissed. Kind of like clouds in the sky.”
“So you’re saying I’m moody.”
She let out a soft laugh. “No, I’m saying you have a myriad of expressions, and your eye color expresses that.”
His gaze shifted to the white demon making its way across the coffee table. He tensed.
“Shhh,” she said. “Stay relaxed, and don’t make any sudden moves.”
Zach looked over at Josie. “That’s what people say when they’re about to be eaten by a lion.”
The cat leaped from the table to Josie’s lap. Josie stroked his back.
“This is Zach, Tumbles,” she said. “He’s a friend. He’s very nice, even if he does sound like a mean guy.”
“Hey.”
Josie looked up at him and gave him a thousand-watt smile that blinded him senseless.
“He doesn’t mean to sound that way,” she continued. “He just doesn’t know you yet. And you don’t know him. But he has a treat.”
The cat sniffed, and gave Zach an ugly, distrustful glare.
Back at ya, buddy.
But then he inched forward, sniffing a little more.
“Stay still, Zach.”
Like he was going to budge when Satan was on the prowl.
The cat gently pawed his hand. Without claws. What a shocker. Then he took the treat, looking up at Zach with his ugly face while he nibbled on the snack.
“You can pet him now,” Josie said.
Zach looked over at Josie. “Yeah, I’m good.”
“And here I thought you were a tough guy.” She swept her hand down the cat’s back, making it look easy. Of course it was easy. The cat liked her.
“You would belittle a man who’s just trying to make inroads with your cat on his own terms?”
Josie stared at him for a good few seconds. “I’m sorry. You’re right. Take your time.”
He laughed. “I’m kidding, Josie.”
He slid his hand forward, letting the cat sniff it. Tumbleweed leaned his head against Zach’s hand and started to purr. Zach rubbed his head and ears.
Success.
&
nbsp; And then the cat bit his hand. Not hard, but just enough to let him know not to get too comfortable. But he continued to purr, dropping his head along Zach’s hand again.
“I see how it’s gonna be, Satan.”
Josie laughed. “Oh my God, Zach, that is not his name. And that was a love bite.”
“Sure it was.”
Obviously bored with the game now, Tumbleweed jumped down and sauntered around the corner. Josie rested her head in her hand, her arm bent and her elbow resting on the top of the sofa.
“So, you never had pets?”
He shook his head. “My dad was allergic to cats, and my mom said dogs would shed and track dirt into the house.”
“That’s a shame. Did you want them?”
“What kid didn’t want pets?”
“True. You don’t have any now?”
“No. Just never got around to it. When I was playing pro football, I was too busy, and I traveled half the season. I didn’t think it was fair to have a pet in my life then.”
“You’re not playing pro football now.”
She raised a good point. He shrugged. “Still too busy, I guess.”
She shifted closer. “Yes, having all summer off was horrifyingly strenuous on your calendar, wasn’t it?”
“Okay, fine. I get it. Why are you so pushy about me having a pet?”
“I don’t know. I guess I hate seeing anyone be alone.”
He gave her a smile. “That’s nice of you to be so concerned about me, Josie, but I’m not lonely. And I don’t need a dog. Or a cat.” He looked over at Tumbleweed, who was sitting in the window, licking his paw and pretending the humans nearby didn’t exist.
Definitely not a cat. Ever.
“Wait until I get a dog. You’ll change your mind.”
“Lots of my friends have dogs. Anytime I want to pet a dog, all I have to do is hang out with them.”
“So once I get my dog, does that mean you’ll hang out with me?”
He picked up her hand. It was soft, and her short nails were polished a bright shade of yellow. “You don’t need to get a dog to make me want to be with you.”
He heard the catch in her breath, and when she lifted her gaze to his, he saw the way the blue in her eyes had darkened to something tempestuous and filled with desire.
“I sure like being with you, too.”