vittanos willow (9 page)

later?” CJ asked.

“Most definitely. I have some students coming in early to talk,

so I have to go. But I will be by to see you.” He winked roguishly at her,

and a blush moved over her face. “Have a great morning.” Osten

turned and walked out of the door.

Damn, I see him and all I want to do is strip naked and have him touch

me.
Snapping herself out of one hell of a daydream, she went around

setting up items at each lab station that were to be used today.

At the end of school, Osten was there to walk CJ out after she

locked her room up. As they were heading down the hall, Abigail was

heading towards them. He noticed CJ clench her jaw instinctively

before relaxing and pasting a smile on her face.

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61

“Osten,” Abigail spoke in her high voice. “I’ve been looking for

you.”

“I bet you have,” CJ hissed under her breath. Louder, she said,

“Hello, Abigail.”

“Oh, hi, CJ. I almost didn’t see you there,” the blonde woman

sniped.

Osten fought not to laugh at CJ’s comment. “What can I do for

you, Ms. Riley?’ he asked in a very professional tone.

“Please,” she cooed. “Call me Abigail, or Abby.” One hand

reached out to rest on his arm.

Groaning softly, CJ stepped around them. “I hope you two have

a nice evening.” Then she headed at a brisk pace toward the front door.

Osten kept his face emotionless as he turned his unwilling attention on

the woman before him.

By the time he finally made his way out of the school, he was in

a mood. He had such great plans to spend the evening with CJ and now

he didn’t even have a chance to ask her before she left.

Biting back a curse, he stopped in his tracks and his eyes wi-

dened in surprise. Her vehicle was still in the parking lot. But where

was she? Osten’s gaze looked around the lot without success.

A shout from the football field jerked his attention in that direc-

tion.
Would she watch a football practice?
His eyes drifted over to the track

and as he saw a figure moving around it, he headed in that direction.

Osten stopped at the fence. Before him was a work of art. Chan-

toya jogged around the track. Her pace was even and steady. He took in

her black running pants and white shirt.

“She can wear anything and it affects me. Damn, she’s hot.” His

gaze followed her around until he got a funny feeling. Something

wasn’t right. Osten shifted from boyfriend material to hardened SEAL

in less than a second.

A calculating set of eyes moved over his surroundings. He

didn’t see anything, but he never doubted that feeling in his gut.

Movement towards the commentator’s box in the bleachers caught his

attention.

Marvin. He was up in the box and watching CJ as she moved

around the track. Rage filled his compact body. Osten hated the fact this

other teacher was ogling a woman working out. It was only made

worse by the fact she was
his
woman.

Osten knew the moment he had been spotted, for Marvin quick-

ly left the shelter of the box, heading off towards the football field. A

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Aliyah Burke

vibration from his cell phone jarred his attention and soon he was

leaving school property.

The rest of the week flew by with amazing speed. Osten really

had no free time to spend with CJ, but he did manage to find time for a

kiss.

Abigail continued to make her presence known; and regardless

of how he felt, Osten behaved. Required to be a gentleman, especially

when in uniform, Osten tolerated it. He was worried CJ would think he

was interested in Abigail. However, she always accepted his kiss and

then went on with her day as if it were unimportant to her.

Friday morning, CJ was dressed in hiking boots, dark-blue jeans,

and a plain charcoal-gray sweatshirt. Over all that, she had a leather

jacket. She strode into the school holding a cup of coffee.

In the hallway she met a few other teachers and exchanged

greetings with them before heading toward her room. She stashed her

personal items and began preparing her lab for the first class of the day.

Climbing out of his car, Osten tugged his pea coat even tighter

around him. “I’m so glad this is my last day,” he muttered as he headed

for the front door. “I love being near CJ, but damn, I could use some

action.”

As he got closer to his desk, he saw his first appointment wait-

ing. Mikhail. The senior was back for a second meeting. At the table he

noticed his box of pamphlets.
Well, there goes my excuse to see CJ.

“Good morning, sir,” Mikhail said with a smile. “I was early and

Ms. J said to bring you the box.”

“Not a problem. And good morning to you as well,” Osten said,

shrugging out of his thick coat. “So, I brought the rest of the informa-

tion you asked about for Annapolis.” Osten pulled some brochures out

of the pocket of his coat and handed them over to the young man. Until

the first bell rang, Osten talked with the student and gave him all the

information he could.

CJ waited impatiently for the last bell of the day to ring. Looking

across the large room, she noticed her charges were all talking quietly

among themselves, waiting for the same thing. “Okay everyone. I’ll

have your exams for you on Monday. Guys, good luck at the game.”

“You aren’t’ coming, Ms. J?” one football player asked.

“I wish I could, but I’m going to be out of town.”

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63

“You’ll be here next week though, right? For Winter Formal?”

Mikhail voiced the question the other students had.

She nodded. “Absolutely. I’ll be around for the game and the

dance after. I’m chaperoning.” Chantoya sent her room of seniors a

mocking glower. “So make sure you are good.”

The room erupted into laughter and cheers. Chantoya was a fa-

vorite teacher among the kids. The bell rang and her students began to

file out of the room. As the last one left, she looked around and smiled.

Her kids were the greatest. All of them had pushed in their stools and

cleaned up after themselves. Sometimes she had problems with fresh-

men, but by the time they were seniors they were wonderful.

Grabbing her jacket and the bag holding the exams, she closed

and locked her door. Sliding her sunglasses on her face, CJ headed off

down the hall.

“You look good enough to eat,” a deep voice uttered in her left

ear.

“Ah!” she exclaimed and jumped. Spinning around, CJ saw Os-

ten beside her. “How do you do that? Sneak up on me?”

He flashed a handsome and roguish grin. “Sweetie, that’s what I

do.”

CJ stuck her tongue out at him. “Well, it scares the crap out of

me.” He sent her an apologetic smile. “I bet you are glad to be done

with your sentence here.”

Falling into step beside her, he lifted one shoulder slightly. “I’ll

miss seeing you, but I don’t belong behind a desk.”

“I know you don’t. It’s a bit blasé for you, isn’t it? Not dodging

bullets and all that?” Her eyes cut to the side and admired the way that

coat he wore draped so perfectly over those broad shoulders of his.

“A bit. Although, I’d heard that high school was rough.”

One side of her mouth lifted in a cynical motion. “Many are. We

are really lucky that we have amazing teachers and great students.”

“That you do,” he admitted easily. “Go out with me tonight.”

Osten reached out with one hand and halted her at the front doors.

“I can’t. Sorry,” she replied.

“Tomorrow?”

Placing her hand over the one he had on her arm, she explained,

“I really wish I could, but I’m leaving town for the weekend. I’m going

with Dez to a car show.

Swinging open the door, Osten chuckled. “Should’ve known it

would be too late to ask you.”

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Aliyah Burke

“Well, what are you doing next Friday?” she asked as they

walked out into the cold afternoon.

“Nothing that I am aware of. Why?”

“It’s the Winter Formal and since I have the distinct honor of be-

ing a chaperone for the dance, I would be grateful to have a handsome

man on my arm.”

His eyebrows rose with faux curiosity. “And you want that man

to be me?”

“Well,” she drawled. “I was hoping to have The Rock on my

arm, but…I’ll take you as an acceptable replacement for him.”

“I’m gonna make you pay for that,” he warned.

“
Ohhh
, I’m trembling.”

“You will be,” he vowed.

A tremor rocketed through her body as she envisioned Osten

naked in her bed. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“I’m not. I’ll be there.”

“Great!” CJ squeezed his arm and headed to her vehicle. “See

you then.”

“Bye!” he hollered at her retreating back.

Chantoya slumped heavily in her seat as the familiar and wel-

come structure came into view. Her body wasn’t used to jarring around

inside of a tractor cab, yet she rolled her shoulders and worked the

double clutch and downshifted as she pulled into Dezarae’s driveway.

It was about two in the morning on Monday and she had to be at school

bright and early. At least she had gotten some tests graded while Dez

had taken her turns at the wheel.

CJ had just the running lights on so it wouldn’t hit the house

once she parked. Her eyes landed on exhausted slumbering Dezarae.

They had been extremely busy at the shows, and now she was catching

up on her missed sleep. And though Chantoya was tired as well, she

knew that Dez was worse off.

Letting the cab idle, CJ smiled as the porch light came on and

Ross stepped out into the cold night. There was still about five inches of

snow left on the ground from that storm that had passed through. He

pulled his jacket closer around his frame and moved off the porch

towards the truck.

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65

“Hey,” CJ said to Dez. “We’re home. Your hubby is about to

reach the truck. Wake up.”

Dezarae sat up and rubbed her eyes in the cab light that CJ had

turned on. “Wow, you did drive the rest of the way. I’m sorry.”

“Hey, you kept me company with your snores,” CJ teased.

“Don’t worry about it. I could tell how exhausted you were.”

“You did as much work as I did. If not more.” Dez undid her

belt as Ross walked up to the door.

“But I don’t have kids at home. I’m younger and therefore have

more energy.” CJ jumped as Dez reached across the truck and smacked

her in the arm. “Ouch!”

“Serves you right.” The passenger door opened and Ross Con-

nelly pulled himself up and kissed his wife. The passion between them

was so intense; CJ felt like an intruder.

Chantoya looked away saddened she had no one waiting for

her. Shrugging, she turned off the rig, grabbed her bag, and jumped out

of the cab. Without waiting for either of them to climb out, she headed

for her brother’s Escalade that was parked at the Connelly’s home.

She unlocked the vehicle, tossed in her bag, and then started the

truck. Making sure the defrost was on, CJ shut the door to keep what

little heat there was inside and went to the back for the scraper. Tug-

ging on her gloves, she began to clean off the frost from the outside of

her windows.

“Hey, are you just going to leave?” Dezarae asked as she mate-

rialized beside her.

“I don’t think I was needed for what you two were doing.” Her

reply was easy and tried to hide her pain of being alone.

Ross settled his arm around her, pulled her in for a quick hug. “I

don’t know. Two women could be a lot of fun for me.” He grunted

when his wife punched him in the side. “I’m sorry, CJ. I didn’t mean to

make you feel uncomfortable. You are more than welcome to stay the

night.” He dropped his arm from her body.

Shaking her head, CJ continued to work on her windows.

“Thanks, but I have to get home.” When Dez stepped in close with a

question on her face, she continued, “Spend some time with your

hubby. I’ll call you later.” She kissed her on the cheek. “Love you. Bye,

Ross.” Not giving them a chance to argue more, CJ climbed in her

vehicle and drove away. By the time she made it home, the car was

warm. Quickly she went inside her lonely apartment and to bed.

His eyes narrowed as Chantoya climbed out of her vehicle. At

least she was alone instead of having company at her side. Glancing at

his watch, he noted the time and jotted it down in his book. Three in the

morning and it was a school night.

He wanted to yell and scream at how foolish she was being. She

needed to get her priorities in line. Her students were important to her;

and next to them, she should only care about him. He would tell her

who she could be with.

They would be the perfect couple. She would be undying in her

devotion to him. Of course she wouldn’t be able to teach for a while,

until she accepted her future with him. But eventually she would come