Bianca's stomach rolled as she walked up the front walkway to the middle school she would be teaching at for the day. She hadn't ever been this nervous in her life, but she wanted so much to make a good impression and do a good job. Her hands shook as she opened the door and made her way to the front office.The office was hopping, lots of talking and students coming in and out. It surprised her to see some of them at the school this early. A young woman sat at the front desk, a telephone to her ear, already looking stressed to the max."Hi, I'm not sure where I'm supposed to go. My name is Bianca Hawks, and I'm substituting today," she explained to the woman she assumed was the secretary."Oh hi! Sorry, it's a little bit crazy in here today. We also had a few bus drivers need subs, and now they're all running behind. Some of them didn't even pick up their kids, so that's why we have these kids in here – parents had to drop them off, and now they're making complaints." She took a
Later that night, Bianca logged into her email account to see if she had been added to any more sub jobs or to see if her professors had sent out any new assignments. There was one email from Stacey in her inbox.Intrigued, she opened it.Bianca, It was nice to meet you today. I realize this was your first time in a school in this capacity, so I thought it might help you to know a few things. Please don't take this as me talking down to you, I liked you upon meeting you today, so take this in the spirit that it's meant to be – helpful. Never, ever cuss when you're at school – unless you are friends (and I mean friends) with the person that you're talking to. I know that your boyfriend was probably an asshole, and if we had been out at a bar, like say, Wet Wanda's, that would be fine, but some of these teachers will chew you up and spit you out. Same with the note from your boyfriend. Don't let him cuss in those again. Smaller things have lost teachers jobs. I like you and I thin
"You wanna go home with me?" Jagger asked as he came out of the back room, putting his cut back on.She was still glancing periodically at Money Bags, but gave Jagger her full attention when he came to stand in front of her. Casually, he took one arm and placed it on the bar, before placing his other arm on the other side, effectively boxing her in."I would love to, but I have stuff I need to do tomorrow," she sighed, putting her hands in his belt loops and pulling him towards her.He leaned down, nuzzling her neck with his mouth. "That sucks," he groaned. "I was really hoping to spend some time with you tonight"Agreement was on the tip of her tongue. "How about you come home with me?"His eyes flashed in genuine surprise. "You sure?" "If you are. I mean, if you can't because you need to be at the clubhouse, I understand.""No, that's not it at all. I'm actually off duty right now. You just want me to follow you over on my bike?""Yeah, that way if you need to leave
"I could get used to this. With you here, I'm not cold."Jagger laughed. The two of them were lying on her couch, watching reruns of The Big Bang Theory. He had laid down first and opened his arms for her. With only a little bit of hesitation, she had fallen into those arms and pulled a blanket over them. For over an hour, she had snuggled so tightly against him that he didn't know where he ended and she began. If asked, he might even say that this would be a defining moment of his life."That's all I am to you? A heater?" He put his hand over his heart. "You wound me."Moving her head to the side so that she could look at him, the grin that came over her face was contagious. "Speaking of wounding you, when did you take that picture to put on my phone?"He cracked up in earnest now, laughing so hard she could feel his abdominal muscles contract. "I was wondering when you would see that. You didn't have a picture of me on there so Layne took one of me for you.""Why were you T
Bianca awoke to sunlight streaming in from the blinds they had forgotten to close the night before and a heavy arm resting across her stomach, holding her closely. Entwining her fingers with Jagger's, she gave his hand a light squeeze. Not enough to wake him up, just enough to let him know she was there. He answered by tightening his arm around her and burying his head deeper into her hair. She could feel the scrape of an unshaven face on her neck. It was intimate and the epitome of all things that happened in relationships. A small smile worked its way across her face and she sighed happily.She had slept through the night for the first time since the gunfire outside the apartment, feeling safe with him there. It wasn't that she felt like someone was going to break in and maim her at all times, but there was an uneasiness about being a female living alone. With him, she could let her guard down. Gone was the fatigue that normally dragged her down and the low-lying hum of wariness th
"Bianca, you in here?" Meredith asked as she knocked on the door."Yeah," she grinned from her spot on the couch. "Studying as always."Meredith watched as Bianca lifted the book so that the cover showed. Having a seat next to her, Meredith got comfortable. "I hope you don't mind that Tyler brought me.""Not at all. Like we talked about earlier, I just don't have that many girlfriends so it's always kind of weird for me if you want to hang out."Glancing up, Bianca looked at the other woman closely. Meredith looked more melancholy than usual, not the perky individual that Bianca was used to. "Are you okay?" she asked gently, setting her book aside.Tears popped to Meredith's eyes and Bianca blinked in surprise. Just what the hell was going on that would make this vivacious person cry? It wasn't long before tears streamed down Meredith's cheeks in earnest. "Hey, I'm not good with other people, much less when they cry."At those words, Meredith giggled. "I know. Emotions m
"Why are you lookin' at me like that?"Bianca shook her head and looked away. She had been staring at Layne, she realized. Taking a drink of her Margarita and dipping a chip in their queso, she looked back at him. "You probably think I'm crazy, but I feel like I know you from somewhere else besides the club."From where he sat on the other side of the table Tyler smirked, as did Jagger. "Go ahead, assholes, laugh it up." Layne took a drink from his beer bottle and ran a hand through his hair. Reaching over to the side of the table, he grabbed a toothpick and put it in his mouth, chewing on the end."What's so funny?" Meredith asked. She had also gotten the feeling that she knew Layne from somewhere, but didn't know where. "Yeah, why are you guys acting like it's some secret?"Layne cleared his throat and lifted his eyebrows. "You might remember a few years ago—it was all the rage for members of the service to ask celebrities to their balls?""Oh yeah," Meredith smiled.
"It's colder than a well-digger's ass out here." Jagger shivered as he pulled his bandana up around his mouth and breathed heavily into it."No shit." Layne stomped his feet to try to get some warmth into his body. "This weather makes my damn leg hurt," he grumbled."Well you'd never know it by lookin' at you. You're a fighter."Layne had heard that his whole life, and while he agreed, it sometimes just annoyed him. "I'm not special at all. Some of my friends didn't make it back from over there.""You think that's why you joined up with us?" Jagger asked, pulling a cigarette from his pack. He held it in his hand, appearing to contemplate whether he really wanted to light it or not. That would require him to move his bandana over and might make him more cold."Don't know," Layne shrugged. "Maybe I just have a death wish and I never really knew it."That, Jagger could understand. From a young age he had been force-fed Christianity and God. He knew without a doubt that was why
The temperature in the cab of the truck was downright frigid as Remy drove to Tyler's house to drop off Addie first. Tatum refused to meet his gaze and that flat out pissed him off. If she was going to give herself to another man and then have the balls to sit in front of him like this, she should at least have the decency to meet his eyes when he looked at her."Am I going to have to explain to Tyler why I'm dropping you off at one in the fucking morning?" Remy glanced in the review mirror of the truck, looking back to where Addie sat in the extended cab."No," she shook her head, looking about as tired and unhappy as he felt. "He's at the clubhouse. He and Mom had planned to stay and they took Caelin with them."Well, thank God for small favors, because the one person besides Liam he didn't want to face off with tonight, was Tyler."You're lucky I don't call him and tell him where the hell you've been. How could you let her go up there with him?" he questioned her, the irrita
Tatum's heart beat through her chest as she followed Gavin upstairs to a much quieter part of the house. Her mouth was dry – the result of her nerves, or the alcohol she'd consumed – she wasn't sure which. Her hand gripped Gavin's tightly, but she knew it wasn't because she was excited, it was because she wanted to yank on it, and stop him from leading her into the empty bedroom. Part of her wanted to put a stop to it, the other part wanted to go through with this so she could throw it in Remy's face. Those stubborn traits she'd inherited from her dad were alive and well tonight.She glanced over her shoulder, spotting Addie pulling out her phone and making a call. The worried look on her friend's face told her all she needed to know. Addie was probably calling in reinforcements and her time had suddenly become very limited."You feelin' good?" his deep voice questioned in her ear, causing her hair to stand up and goosebumps to appear on her arms. This time it was different than wh
Remy was in a piss-poor mood, had been since the night of the Christmas party and everything that had gone down with Tatum. He bit off the head of anyone foolish enough to ask if he was okay. He'd been eating lunch by himself, and overall had been a miserable fucking loner. Even right now, while everyone else was partying their asses off, his big date was being in the gym and beating the ever-loving shit out of a heavy bag. It was the only thing that seemed to calm him the last few days.Hearing his fists connect with the bag felt good, even if it was muted by the gloves he wore. His arms burned, his shoulders and back ached, his chest heaved, and sweat poured down his forehead and into his eyes; making them sting. The sting felt good though, because it distracted him from the guilt he felt for the way he'd treated Tatum. And that guilt was pressing down on him like he was trapped under a thousand-pound boulder.He'd felt every emotion on the spectrum since she'd walked out on him
Tatum's blue eyes took in the party-goers around her. In different parts of the room, she could see members of her graduating class, some kids that were now seniors, and a few college kids. God, this had never been her thing, she'd never found high school or college parties worth anything to her. She could see everything that went on at them and more, at the club parties. Plus, this was a mob mentality – everyone here went along with everyone else, and it was so boring. Nobody had any individuality. Normally, she'd have tossed the invitation in the trash can and not even thought twice about it. She would have spent the night at the club's New Year's party and have an actual good time with her friends and family.Tonight though, she was on a mission."Do you see anybody?" Addie asked as they surveyed the room.Tatum took a drink from the bottle of Strawberry Boone's Farm she carried in her hand. It was the bottom shelf stuff, guaranteed to get you loaded in the least amount of tim
Tatum had never felt anything like the all-consuming lust that blasted through her as soon as Remy grabbed her hip and pulled her deep into his body. She'd thought she had but damn, she was wrong. Her fingers grasped at his shirt, trying to ground herself in the feelings, when she felt his bare palms slip up under the hem of her dress. The sharp intake of breath, and the way he nipped at her lip indicated he'd discovered she'd worn a thong."Fuck, Tate," he moaned as he pulled his lips from hers.She almost cried as he abandoned her lips and smeared his mouth down her neck. She felt the sharp nip of his teeth down to the core of her body. It caused her nipples to tighten further against the lace of strapless bra, and before she knew what she was doing, she was rubbing up against him."Please, Rem," she gasped out when she felt one of his hands on her ass venture back over her hip, and closer to the wetness and heat she felt between her thighs."Has anybody touched you?" he grow
He knew the second she walked in, just like he'd known when she'd entered the bakery. Even seven shots of Pappy in, he could feel her, he knew she was there by the way the hair on the back of his neck stood up, the goosebumps he got on his arms and the way his dick stirred to attention. He wasn't sure what kind of hold Tatum Walker held over him, but it was strong, maybe dangerously so, like some sort of Jedi Mind Trick he'd never be able to resist. And dammit if his hand didn't shake as he took his next shot."Too much for you?" Drew asked as he noticed the slight tremble of the other man's hand.How did he tell the man sitting beside him, he was hard up for his little sister? Easy. He didn't."Nah, I'm good, but I gotta hit the head. Be back."Plan number two when plan number one didn't work? Run and hope she wouldn't follow. As much alcohol as he had consumed, he wasn't sure he could push her away this time. After all, he was only a man and he wasn't immune to the way she lo
He should have brought a date. Those were the first words Remy thought when he walked through the door of the clubhouse. It hit him like a ton of bricks, and all he wanted to do was turn around and head back to Cash and Harper's. Normally, he lived at the clubhouse, but he'd had dinner at their place tonight. He could relieve the babysitter watching Maddy, and he wouldn't have to worry about keeping his guard up.Couples were paired off, which meant anyone without a plus one would be inevitably thrown together. Looking up, he saw mistletoe was hung randomly around the room. Shit. Since he was the youngest, he seemed to be one of the few without a woman on his arm. Sure as the world turned, he'd find himself thrown toward someone tonight.Gazing around the room, he didn't see Tatum and for that he was extremely thankful. He'd been able to avoid her since the day at Harper's bakery, but it'd hadn't been easy. Not that she'd gone out of her way to be around him but they were in the sa
Remy told himself to slow down as he grasped her neck, hauling Tatum closer to him. He cautioned his lust-drunk body not to make a fool of itself. He warned his libido not to let this go too far. They were in the middle of the bakery, in the middle of downtown. Anyone could walk through that door from some dumbass off the street, to her brother, to her dad. But he couldn't stop, couldn't force his hand not to trail down her body and grasp her tight ass in his fingers. He wanted desperately to pull her lower half into his, wanted to shove his thigh between her legs and feel the heat he knew would be there. His tongue was forceful as it made its way into her mouth, testing how far she'd let him go.Turned out she'd let him go as far as he wanted to.His brain tried to warn him that this was progressing too quickly. It was getting too out of control, too fast. If he didn't watch it, he'd be picking her up and putting her ass first against the nearest wall. He was losing his mind, losi
Son of a bitch. Something in the way Tatum's gaze met his made him think he'd said those words loud enough she could hear them. But fuck, she looked amazing. Even more than she usually did. Tatum had been gorgeous for a long time, but with her hair in this new cut, she looked sexy, and almost… sophisticated. But this was Tatum. She'd never fully be a lady, not really. She didn't do dresses unless she had to, she didn't do caked on makeup, and she could hang with the guys – no matter how raunchy it got."Do you like it?" She asked again, this time looking much more unsure than when she'd started out. Very slowly, she ran her fingers through her hair, giving it a tousle.Remy cleared his throat, not sure how honest he wanted to be, but at the same time knowing he couldn't help but be honest. If he lied to her, she would know, and it would do nothing to help the situation they seemed to always find themselves in. The two of them always seemed to be either pushing or pulling at each ot