Inflame (Explosive) (4 page)

“Not coming in? Come on, Eric. Things don’t have to change between us,” I told him even though I knew it was selfish to string him along when he’d just confessed that he had feelings for me. Even though I didn’t want anything more, I’d gotten used to having him around and I wasn’t ready for that to change.

He inhaled deeply then slowly released his breath. “Look, Lucy. I know we said casual, but I don’t think I can do this. If I stay with you, continue this, I’m going to fall for you. As much as I don’t want to, I may as well cut my losses now.” He leaned in, giving me a kiss on the cheek, and the finality of this washed over me.

I didn’t want to lose my relationship with Eric, but I also didn’t feel sad at the prospect, which was just one more reason for me to let him go.

“I understand, and I respect that. Sure you don’t want to come in? One last goodbye?” I asked, not wanting to ends things on a bad note.

He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck as he mulled it over. Finally, he looked over at me and gave me a sexy grin and a shrug of his shoulders. “Why the hell not?”

E
RIC AND
I had that one last night together and parted ways amicably the next morning. Ever since, it’s been just me and Channing, my favorite battery-operated boyfriend.

Setting my lesson plans and the kids’ homework aside, I lean back and kick my feet up on the desk, taking advantage of my second graders being at recess. Closing my eyes, I force myself to stop thinking about Eric and my dating dilemmas. I make a vow then and there to take a break from men for the time being. Or at least from anything with any form of the word dating behind it.

I’m feeling extremely relaxed and confident in my decision when all of a sudden I hear a throat clear, and a deep, masculine voice begins to speak.

“Umm, excuse me, ma’am,” he says, and I’m quick to pull my feet off the desk. Too quick, apparently, because I’m now on the floor.

Before I can feel total embarrassment washing over me, a hand reaches down, presumably to help me up. A pair of combat boots is in my line of sight, and my eyes climb up his body, over his neatly pressed uniform, until they come to rest on his face. And oh my God, what a face it is. He’s clean-shaven, and while he’s clearly rocking a solid, muscular body under his uniform, but he’s also got kind of a pretty-boy look to him. His brown eyes are dancing with amusement, and they’re soulful as they watch me. I’ve always thought the whole puppy-dog-eyes thing was a farce, but now that I’m staring into his, I’m a believer. They’re two of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, and I could get lost in them for days.

“Ma’am? Can I help you up?” he asks, interrupting me as I check him out, and there it is. The embarrassment I was getting ready for.

Placing my hand in his, I allow him to lift me up. He pulls a little harder than I’m guessing he meant to, and my free hand and chest are pressed against his own. I can feel the hard muscle underneath, and suddenly, the whole taking-a-break-from-men vow flies out the window. Even though I know I should pull away, I glance up at him, and insta-lust consumes me. He’s grinning widely. Then he shoots me a wink which causes me blush for some reason.

“You know, I always had a thing for teachers,” he whispers before releasing my hand.

Stepping back, I smooth out my hair, hoping beyond hope that it didn’t get all messed up when I fell. I look him up and down, my eyes quickly finding his nametape. Montgomery. A hot last name for an even hotter guy. I like it. Checking out his rank, I silently thank Charlie’s dad for educating me on the rank structure then address him directly.

“Sergeant Montgomery, you and eighty-five percent of other horny, impressionable teenage boys. Now, how may I help you?” I ask, mostly disregarding his comment even though I’d be more than happy to role-play for him.

“I’m looking for Ms. Dawson’s classroom. I’m here for the Bring Your Dad to School Day and have no idea where I’m going. Lily told me she had the prettiest teacher, and now I’m hoping that she was right and you’re the Ms. Dawson I’m searching for.”

And just like that, the ‘no more men’ mantra starts replaying in my head. Sure, I may not have the highest standards when it comes to men, but if there’s one type of guy, outside of those who still live in Mom’s basement, it’s parents of my students. I should’ve figured that out before, seeing as how most young, single men don’t find themselves in an elementary school in the middle of the day, but at the same time, I do a quick mental check and realize I don’t have any Montgomery kids in my class. I guess I was just too damn distracted by his good looks to put two and two together.

Extending my hand, I introduce myself. “You’re in luck. You’re looking at the one, but probably not only, Lucy Dawson.”

His large hand takes hold of mine, shaking gently until I squeeze hard. A chuckles rolls through him, and he grips my hand harder, giving me a real man’s handshake.

“A pleasure, Ms. Dawson. Lily was right. I wish my second grade teacher had been as beautiful as you. Then maybe I’d have done a better job with my multiplication tables,” he tells me, giving me another wink as well as a panty-melting smile.

Silly butterflies roll through me as I spot the dimples in his cheeks, and I have to look away for a moment to regain my composure.
Stop being ridiculous, Lucy,
I scold myself.
He’s just a sexy soldier, not Jensen freaking Ackles. Although, he does kind of look like a younger version of him.

Before I can respond, the kids start entering the room, having been led back in by my teaching assistant, Veronica. She’s smiling at me, but then her eyes go wide when she see Lily’s dad.

“Who is that?”
she mouths, pointing at him behind his back. I slowly shake my head, not wanting to alert him to her question.

All of a sudden, Lily runs across the room, wrapping her sweet little arms around the soldier’s legs. “Kale! You made it!” she exclaims, and immediately I wonder why she’s calling him by his first name.

Montgomery crouches down so he can give Lily a big hug, and I melt. There’s something about watching fathers with their daughters. A bond between a little girl and her daddy is one of life’s sweetest treasures—one I never got the pleasure of experiencing. So when I see something like the sight in front of me, my heart warms.

Standing up, he grabs ahold of Lily’s hand and walks towards me. I crouch down right in front of Lily.

“Hey sweetie, I think you told your daddy the wrong day. Bring Your Dad to School is next week, silly,” I tell her, ruffling her hair.

Lily looks at me with a confused smile. “Really? Oh, man, that blows!” she says, causing me to laugh out loud before giving her father a stern look.

“I wonder where she learned that language,” I tease him accusingly as I stand back up.

He hold his hands up and gives me an innocent grin. “Hey, I have nothing to do with that. Blame her dad,” he says, confusing me.

“Wait. What? Her dad? Isn’t that you?” I ask, and he shakes his head.

“Ms. Dawson, now you’re the silly one. He’s Uncle Kale, not Daddy. Duh,” she schools me, reminding me of myself at that age with her sassy, I-know-more-than-you attitude.

Placing my hand on my hip, I look down at her. “Well, excuse me. Why don’t you introduce us then, Lily?” I suggest, and she grins wide.

“Ms. Dawson, this is my daddy’s friend Kale. He’s my godfather, and I’ve known him since I was a baby. Kale, this is Ms. Dawson. Isn’t she pretty? I told you she was,” she insists, causing him to give her a sly smile.

“Lily, you weren’t lying. She’s as pretty as a picture,” he agrees, and I blush, something I’m not used to men making me do, yet he’s made me do it twice already.

Apparently satisfied with her introductions, Lily leaves us and goes to her seat to rejoin her friends. I watch as he leans against my desk, appraising me, and I am suddenly wishing recess had been a whole lot longer.

“If you’re a family friend, why are you here for Bring Your Dad to School Day? Or well, what you thought would be?”

He smiles ruefully, looking back at Lily, and I’m guessing it’s to make sure she’s far enough away.

“Her dad’s away on deployment, and her mom’s not around. Her grandmother takes care of her, so I promised Xavier, her dad, I’d look out for her while he’s gone. I pop in a couple of times a week to check in, and it just made sense that I’d stand in for him at school.”

So you know how my heart melted at little girls and their dads? Apparently little girls and stand-in dads are even sweeter, because I’m about to swoon right out of my high heels. Once again, the no-more-men thing slips right out of my mind. And then I feel like an idiot when I remember that Lily’s grandmother informed the school about her father. I swear, one sexy smile and I lose my damn mind.

“That’s very noble, Kale. I’m sure Lily, her grandmother, and her father appreciate it. I hope we didn’t ruin your day and you can still come back next week for the actual Bring Your Dad to School Day, even if you are just a surrogate,” I tell him, secretly wishing he’ll agree to grace us—well, me—with his presence in seven days.

“Why, Ms. Dawson. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you want me to come back,” he says, grinning at me, and it’s irritatingly cute that he picked up on it.

Not skipping a beat, I plaster a wide smile on my face. “For Lily’s sake, of course, Sergeant Montgomery.”

He pushes off my desk, standing up straight. “Right, Ms. Dawson. See you next week,” he confirms as he turns and walks towards the door. He stops before he’s about to exit and looks back at me. “For Lily’s sake.”

Before I can respond, he’s out the door, and I can only stare after him. It’s not until Veronica clears her throat that I realize I have twenty-two sets of eyes looking at me, waiting to be addressed. Glancing back at the board, I’m thankful that I spent the first half of recess putting math problems up. I shake all thoughts of Kale Montgomery out of my head and proceed to spend the rest of my day with a bunch of rowdy seven-year-olds, trying but failing to get him off my mind.

I
T’S BEEN
seven days since I met the infamous Ms. Lucy Dawson, the teacher Lily’s been raving about for weeks. She wasn’t lying when she said she was pretty. I’d been picturing Mrs. Clifford, the old, witchy woman who loved giving me demerits when I was kid. I’d liked pulling the hair of Molly Mortimer, the cute little redhead who sat in front of me. She always wore her hair in pigtails, and I figured she was asking for it. Old Mrs. Clifford didn’t agree, and I was sent home with multiple letters asking my mom for parent-teacher conferences. Unfortunately for Mrs. C, my mom thought it was a way of expressing myself and that the only thing wrong with it was that it might be hurtful to Molly. Instead of punishing me, she made me apologize and forced me to take Molly vegan cookies every day for a week. Seven-year-olds aren’t really into the whole ‘love Mother Earth’ thing, and needless to say, Molly never did warm up to me.

When I walked into what I hoped was Lily’s classroom and saw shapely, toned legs propped up on the wooden desk, I nearly did a double take. She wasn’t muscular by any means, but I could make out the toned calf muscles. Unfortunately, her legs were clasped together, so I couldn’t get a peek under her skirt. I know—pervy. But hey, I’m a young, single dude. If I get a chance to look between your legs, I’m going to do it. That’s the God’s honest truth.

She looked entirely too relaxed to be a teacher. My little sister Kalli’s also a teacher, and I swear she’s always frazzled. The young blonde in front of me looked anything but that. She looked peaceful, content, and I couldn’t help checking her out. She was in a pencil skirt that was tight around her legs. At least that’s how it looked with them propped up on the desk. Her blonde hair fell in curls, spilling over her shirt, covering her breasts. As I drew closer, I took in her features, and I couldn’t help the small smile that spread on my face when I spotted the freckle on the tip of her nose. Freckles? Yeah, they’re my weakness. Clearing my throat, I called out a greeting.

I didn’t mean to scare her, but when she landed on the floor, I had to struggle not to laugh. I know, male chivalry is totally dead. Regardless, as I watched her eyes trail up my body, I held my hand out for her. I suppressed a grin as her eyes met mine, and I knew she was checking me out. I’m a few months out from a deployment and have no interest in starting anything, but I’d be more than happy to have a few rolls in the hay with this woman before heading overseas.