by Jaci Burton
He leaned in and kissed her, and as always, she fired him up, body, heart and soul, like no other woman ever could. When he pulled back, he took her hands in his. "Amber. Look at me."
She did.
"I'll move mountains to make it work with you."
Tears streamed down her face. "Now I understand. This is love. This is how it works."
"Yeah. This is how it works."
She kissed him back. "Love hurts sometimes, Will."
"Yeah, it does."
"Also, I don't want to dance on that show."
"You don't?"
"No. When my mother told me about it, I kept waiting to get excited, but I wasn't. And I'm not. And that's because it's not what I want to do."
"What do you want to do?"
"Remember when I told you I wanted to teach skating to kids who have the talent but can't afford it?"
"Yeah."
"I want to open a school, to teach skating to young kids, so they can find their passion early in life."
He nodded. "That's a great idea."
"But I still have this tour."
"And hockey is over by May if we make the playoffs."
"Which you will."
He loved that she always believed in him. "Thanks. So when that's done, where you go, I go. And after that, we'll figure it out."
She threw her arms around him, then climbed onto his lap. "I love you, Will."
"I love you, too, Amber." He put his arms around her. "We'll make this work."
"Of course we will."
He laughed. "Don't ever doubt it. Because as long as we love each other, nothing will stop us."
He kissed her, and lost himself in the feel of her body against his.
He pulled back. "Did you ever get your skating tattoo?"
She shook her head. "Not yet."
"We're taking care of that right away."
"Okay. I didn't want to do it without you, anyway. You being the expert on tattoos."
He laughed. "I'll hold your hand through the whole thing."
"Thank you. Oh, and one more question."
"Yeah?"
"Can you get me a ticket to your game tomorrow night?"
He grinned. "Well, I know a guy who plays for New York. So I think I can score a ticket or even a few in case you want to bring some of the skaters."
"Awesome. Now you'll have a New York cheering section."
"Right now I'd like to have some sex in your dressing room."
She slid her hand under his shirt. "I already locked the door."
His mouth met hers and he murmured against her lips. "See? We're meant for each other."
"Oh, and another thing. I have lucky panties."
He arched a brow. "Lucky panties?"
"Yes."
He cupped her butt. "Would you happen to be wearing them?"
"Of course. I wear them for every performance now. They bring me luck. I own several pairs."
He lifted her robe to reveal hot pink satin and lace underwear. "I like these."
"The other pair is black."
"So you can wear those tomorrow night to bring me luck when I play."
She skimmed her fingertips over his shoulders. "Of course."
"We're a hell of a team, Amber."
She leaned in to kiss him, her lips soft and warm. "Yes, Mad Dog. We certainly are."
TURN THE PAGE TO READ A SPECIAL EXCERPT FROM THE LATEST HOPE NOVEL BY JACI BURTON
ONE PERFECT KISS
AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 2018 FROM JOVE
ZACH POWERS READ OVER THE LIST OF GRADES, THEN scrolled down to his two football players who been placed on academic probation. His gaze narrowed when he saw which teacher had been the one to put them there.
Josie Barnes.
"Dammit, Josie." He clenched the paper in his fist and left his classroom in search of the woman who was trying to ruin Hope High School's football season.
He found her in her classroom, looking content and calm and gorgeous in her long skirt and white short-sleeve button-down shirt, so unlike the outfits she wore outside the classroom. Here she was buttoned up and professional, always nodding and smiling at him in the halls, but never giving away anything other than polite teacher-to-teacher glances.
When they were out with their friends, though, she flirted with him. Nothing had happened between them yet, but Zach knew she liked him.
He liked her, too. Or he had, until now.
He knocked on her door. She looked over, then waved him in. She always wore her hair cut short, which did nothing to detract from her stunning face. In fact, it brought out the amazing sea blue of her eyes and her generous mouth, which today was painted a pale, shimmering pink.
If she'd been his teacher, he would have never been able to concentrate. Like right now, when he was supposed to be pissed off about those grades.
He opened the door, then closed it, coming over to hover over her desk.
"What's this all about?" he asked, shaking the paper at her.
She looked at his hand. "What's what all about?"
"You put Paul Fine and Chase Satterfield on probation."
She leaned back in her chair and gave him a confused look. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
He dropped the paper on her desk. She opened it up, read it, then lifted her gaze to his. "Oh. Football."
She said the word "football" like she had no idea what it meant.
"Yeah, football. You know, that thing that's my life here."
"Huh. I thought teaching history was your life here." She finished her statement with an arched brow.
He narrowed his gaze at her. "Don't play games with me, Josie. Paul's my best wide receiver and Chase is my center."
"Uh-huh. Whatever. We're four weeks into the semester and Paul's missing four assignments. Chase is missing five. Which means neither of them is passing my class. I'm just doing what the school board requires by submitting progress reports."
Zach clenched his jaw. Bureaucracy always got in the way of his players doing what they did best--play football. Some of the other teachers understood this and were more . . . lenient with grades for his players, giving them a sliding scale to work with. But those were typically players that were on the cusp.
Five assignments? Jeez.
He took another glance at Paul's and Chase's grades in the class. They were both F's.
It wasn't like you could "sliding scale" your way up to a passing grade when you were already on your ass.
"How bad is it?" he asked.
"Take a look."
She took out her grade book and showed him. "Chase has only turned in one assignment. Paul two. And the two Paul turned in--" She looked up at him. "I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, Zach, but honestly? They were bad. I couldn't even say he was phoning it in. He hadn't even picked up the phone."
This was where he needed to remind himself these were high school students. High school students who had potential college careers ahead of them, which meant they also had to do the academic work.
He unclenched his jaw. "Fine. Tell me what they need to get done and I'll make sure it's turned in before the end of the week report comes in."
"Sure." She got out a piece of paper, opened her laptop and jotted down the list of assignments. When she handed it to Zach, she looked up at him. "And Zach, make sure they're the ones doing the assignments, okay?"
"What the hell does that mean?"
"It means not bullying any of my stellar students to do the work for them. Or, even worse, buying the work online. Because I'll know it if they do."
"Christ, Josie. What kind of guy do you think I am? What kinds of guys do you think my athletes are?"
She sighed. "Let's just say I've seen students like this before. They get in a jam, and they're desperate and more than willing to do anything--and I mean anything--to turn in passing work."
He laid his hands on her desk and leaned in. "My guys aren't like that. And if they are like that, they wo
n't play for me for long."
She didn't flinch away. She held his gaze. "I guess you should make sure you know your players well, then."
"I intend to, because these two will be sitting with me every day after school this week doing these assignments while their teammates are on the practice field. So I can guarantee you, Ms. Barnes, that when this work is turned in, it'll be work that both Paul and Chase have done themselves."
Her lips lifted. "I'm glad to hear that. And I'm sorry about all that classwork you'll have to do this week. If you need any research assistance, feel free to give me a call."
"I think I can handle it. After all, I've been to school myself, ya know."
She laughed. "Yes, I'm sure. But that was a long time ago. And I require a lot of my students."
"How hard can it be?" He looked at the assignments and bit back a curse.
"Poetry? A journal of thoughts and feelings? Aww, hell, Josie."
She smiled. "You did say you were going to help them, right?"
He pushed off the desk and pivoted, already halfway to the door. "Yeah, yeah."
Once out the door, he stopped and read the assignments again.
Poetry. Journals. Ugh.
A small part of him understood Paul and Chase blowing off the homework. He'd hated poetry in English class. All that evaluation of shit that had never made sense to him. But he'd sucked it up and done it. And had maybe learned a few things in the process. He might have not enjoyed it, but he'd done the work.
Not doing the work was lazy, and he wouldn't accept that from any of his players.
He headed toward the field.
Time to kick a couple of asses from here to next week.
*
JOSIE PONDERED HER CONVERSATION WITH ZACH ALL the way home, then ended up deviating toward the library, where hopefully Jillian Reynolds would be working this afternoon.
She'd made friends with so many wonderful women in the time she'd been here in Hope. But she and Jillian had grown closer in the past few months, likely because, out of their group of women friends, they were the two single ones. Everyone else was either coupled up or married, and several of their friends even had kids or were expecting them. So Josie and Jillian had started hanging out more and more lately.
Plus, it didn't hurt that they shared a lot of things in common. Jillian was the head librarian, and she loved all forms of literature. As a language arts teacher, Josie had loved books and reading from the time she was a kid. She had started hanging out in her local library as a means of escape from family drama, but it had turned into a love of reading that had developed into a voracious appetite.
She could still remember Elda, the librarian at her small town library, who'd introduced her to countless books when she was a kid. She'd fallen in love with classic literature and poetry and mysteries and romances and science fiction and fantasy. She'd returned day after day to turn one book in and check out another. She'd also spent hours at the back of the library reading and soaking in the quiet.
After all, no one was drunk or on drugs or screaming at her there. It was peaceful and she could lose herself in a story of magic or fantastical worlds, or escape into romantic escapades.
Reading had been her life, and the library had been her salvation.
And meeting Jillian had evoked warm memories of those early years, because Jillian ran her library the same way Elda had all those years ago. She was fierce and protective and fostered a love of books in every child she met.
Josie spotted Jillian in her office at the back of the library, so she went over there. She was working on her computer and she didn't want to bother her if she was busy, but Jillian happened to look up and smiled, then motioned for her to come in.
Josie opened the door, then closed it behind her. "You looked busy. I didn't want to bother you. I just stopped in to say hello."
"It's okay. I was ordering some books."
Josie sighed. "How fun."
"Yes, it is. How was your day?"
"Good, mostly. Until after school when Zach came into my room and told me I was ruining his football team."
Jillian leaned back in her chair. "Really. And how did you manage to ruin his team?"
"A couple of his players aren't passing my class so now they're on probation."
"Oh, Josie. How could you? Don't you know football is king here?"
"Uh-huh. Well, in my classroom, literature is king and I'd like my students to do their assignments. And actually pass the class."
"So did you two have words? Was it a hot and passionate argument?"
Jillian always turned any heated discussion into a hot and passionate argument. In her imagination, anyway.
"No. I gave him their assignments and he's going to work with them this week so probation doesn't turn into a suspension."
"How disappointing. I mean, not for the kids, of course. But I was hoping you two would end up making out on your desk."
Josie laughed. "I don't think the principal would appreciate that."
"Who cares what the principal appreciates? I would have appreciated it immensely."
"I think you need a hot guy to come make out with you on your desk."
"Don't I ever."
"He's out there for you somewhere."
Jillian waved her hand. "Not looking for him. I'm busy."
Josie sighed. "Aren't we both. Which doesn't mean I'd turn down some hot guy throwing me across anything and making out with me."
Jillian pointed a finger at her. "See? You wouldn't have turned down Zach throwing you across your desk."
Josie laughed. "That wasn't the topic of conversation at the time."
"But you like him."
"Yes, I like him. Most days, anyway. Just not this afternoon."
They fortunately got off the topic of Zach and onto other things, mainly Loretta and Deacon's deck party this weekend and what they were going to bring, food-wise. Then Josie left so Jillian could get back to work.
But she still stewed about Zach on the way home. He could be so sweet to her when they were all out with their friends. Then again, at school, they had to be all business. Teenagers had the uncanny ability to zero in on any type of flirting or attraction.
Working with someone you were attracted to had its disadvantages. And she didn't know how she was going to handle it. Because she and Zach had been dancing around each other for months now.
So far, nothing had happened between them other than friendly hanging out in groups with their mutual friends.
Maybe that's all it would ever be. But as she thought back, there'd been glances. And touches that felt like a lot more than just causal friendliness.
So maybe it wouldn't be just friendship between them.
It wasn't like she needed another relationship. The last one had ended badly--really badly--and she wasn't looking forward to wading in those waters again.
But still . . . Zach was hot. Very hot. Impossibly tall and muscular and incredibly good-looking with dark hair and those steely gray eyes that would catch and hold your attention like nothing Josie had ever experienced before. That man could make her melt like a stick of frozen butter in the hot summer sun.
So maybe she'd just dip a toe in and test the waters.
She just wouldn't go for a swim.
Jaci Burton is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of the Play-by-Play series, including The Final Score, Rules of Contact, Unexpected Rush, All Wound Up, Quarterback Draw, Straddling the Line, Melting the Ice and One Sweet Ride, and the Hope series, including Love Me Again, Don't Let Go, Make Me Stay, Love After All, Hope Burns, Hope Ignites and Hope Flames. Visit Jaci online at jaciburton.com, facebook.com/authorjaciburton and twitter.com/jaciburton.
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