by Cari Quinn
“Hey,” he said, shoving his hands into the front pockets of his jeans as he looked around at the chaos of teachers and students all scrambling for the door.
“Hi. Come on back to the classroom. We can talk while I clean up.” As soon as her kids had gone for the day she’d opened her laptop, chewing on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich absently as she then did more searching. Before she knew it, the sounds of the day wrapping up reached her ears and she hadn’t done a thing to straighten the room or prepare for the next day, much less put together even a single lesson plan.
“I’ll help.”
Well, that was a surprise. “Okay, sure.”
Alaina gave him the task of cleaning up the bits of construction paper all over the tables and floor from the art project the class had completed that day. They’d been learning about bugs, so she’d helped the kids make their own ladybugs out of red and black paper. In her meager stash of stuff, she’d even found googly eyes, which had elicited a giggle from the children as they shook their ladybugs and watched the eyes move. Simple things that brought her students so much joy were the reason she’d gotten into teaching in the first place, and she smiled at the memory, though at the time, her eyes had misted over.
“What’s so funny?”
Her head snapped up. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
He pointed toward her face. “You were grinning. I asked what was funny.”
“Oh. Nothing.” Alaina’s face warmed as she thought about his reaction to her tearing up about something so small. He’d probably think it was stupid.
“Come on,” he cajoled. “Share with the class.”
Rolling her eyes and knowing instinctively he wouldn’t leave the matter alone, she said, “I was remembering how tickled the kids were to have googly eyes for their ladybugs today. They kept shaking the poor things so the eyes would move.”
He cocked his head, crossing him arms in front of his chest. “You really love teaching, don’t you?”
Trying not to squirm under his scrutiny, she said, “Yeah. I really do. It’s the only thing I ever wanted to be. And the teachers here are amazing. They’re an inspiration to me every day.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
Rob turned to fully face her. “Why do you teach in the inner city? Is it just what you said before, or is there more to it? Surely you could get a job with another district.”
“I could, but these kids need me.”
“Pretty selfless.”
She shrugged. “Maybe so, but if not me, who?”
He resumed sweeping. “I brought my checkbook. I thought it might be easier if you told me how much you need rather than have me guess again and be too low.”
“I-I can’t do that. Whatever you want to give is fine.” The last thing she wanted was to come off as greedy. He’d already done so much.
“I want to give you what you need,” he said so slowly she feared he’d lose patience and rescind the offer if she didn’t decide soon.
How much could I possibly ask for? Ugh, why does this have to be so hard?
“Um, can you maybe do another five thousand?” She winced as she said the number.
Rob chuckled and those laugh lines she’d noticed the day before crinkled the corners of his eyes. They lent character to his admittedly gorgeous face, making his expressions even more attractive and interesting. “Ah, that’s what I thought you’d say, though I applaud you for not making the number ridiculously small. We’ll make it ten then.”
“What? I didn’t—”
As he bent to write the check, he smiled. “I knew you’d never ask for what you actually needed, so I decided to double or triple whatever the number you gave me.”
Her hand flew to her mouth and tears welled in her eyes yet again. “Thank you.”
Rob speared her with a look. “Before I fill in the amount, are you sure this is enough?”
“Oh God, more than. I mean, a need is always lurking, but this will help so, so much.” Her stomach was tied in knots at how generous Rob was. She’d never be able to thank him enough.
“All right then.” With a flourish, he finished writing then tore off the check. “Here you go.” Looking around, he asked, “Do you need more help?”
“No, no. You surely have better things to do with your time than cleaning up after these guys.”
“Not really. Sad, but true.” He shrugged, but the movement didn’t look casual.
Stepping forward, she threw her arms around him, and he froze. Alaina immediately backed away and stammered, “I apologize. I shouldn’t have done that. I was just—I’m overwhelmed. By all of this.”
“I was surprised, but don’t mistake that for something else.” This time he advanced and pulled her into the wide circle of his powerful arms. He breathed in deeply. “Oh Alaina, you smell so good.”
She leaned back and looked at him. “I do?” God, he’s killing me. Does he even realize the effect he has? Surely he must.
Rob picked up a lock of her hair and sniffed. “What kind of shampoo is that?”
“A dollar-store brand.”
“Hmmm. What scent? I can’t place it.”
“Strawberry.” The conversation was getting weirder and weirder, and she fought not to squirm.
“Huh. Smells great, not so perfume-y like some of those more expensive shampoos. Suits you.”
His long, blunt fingers were still caressing that one piece, his gaze not leaving hers. Alaina swallowed past the lump in her throat, and he tracked the movement before slowly moving his gaze back to her face, briefly caressing her lips before meeting her gaze once more and holding it.
Her heart stuttered. Is he going to kiss me? A door slammed somewhere out in the hall, and Alaina scurried away then busied herself straightening some papers on her desk, turning her back to him. She needed to collect herself—pronto. Her face flooded with embarrassment as she considered what would’ve happened if they’d been caught cuddling in her classroom. The door was open—anyone could’ve seen and gotten the wrong idea.
What wrong idea? They’d have gotten exactly the right idea. I want him to kiss me. I shouldn’t, but I do.
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed this story. As writers, we often wonder about the impact our stories have on readers. One of the only concrete manifestations of this are reviews, and if you enjoyed my story, I’d very much appreciate you taking the time to leave a review—even a few sentences!—on Amazon, Goodreads, etc.
My stories were written for different reasons, but the over-arching motive is that I am a writer who believes in the power of everlasting love, no matter who you are. Love is love.
Authors have a driving need to tell stories of people’s lives. We have to write. Writing gives us a freedom we find nowhere else, and we’re humbled when readers take their time and spend their money to be entertained or touched by something we’ve written.
Sincerely,
Cassandra Carr
Works by Cassandra Carr
(publication order from newest to oldest):
Sizzling Shorts, volume 2
ISBN: 9781-31164-3445
Publisher: C-Squared Publishing
Publication Date: August 10, 2014
Scorin’ on the Fourth of July: A Red Hot and BOOM! story and a Storm series novella
ISBN: 9781-31174-5750
Publisher: C-Squared Publishing
Publication Date: May 24, 2014
The Payment Series – Prized, Possessed, Purgatory
ISBN: 9781-31183-8834
Publisher: C-Squared Publishing
Publication Date: May 6, 2014
Caught
ISBN: 9781-31188-8877
Publisher: C-Squared Publishing
Publication Date: February 25, 2014
Hiding In Plain Sight (Safe Harbor 2)
ISBN: 978-1-62300-691-4
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: February 11, 2014
ISBN: 9781-31098-6468
Publisher: C-Squared Publishing
Publication Date: January 18, 2014
Seducing Chase
ISBN: 9781-31041-7658
Publisher: C-Squared Publishing
Publication Date: January 13, 2014
Sizzling Shorts
ISBN: 9781-30171170-3
Publisher: C-Squared Publishing
Publication Date: October 1, 2013
Marketing Matters – Top Ten Tips to Achieve Discoverability in the New Age of Publishing
ISBN: n/a
Publisher: C-Squared Publishing
Publication Date: September 28, 2013
Going All In
ISBN: 9781-30169955-1
Publisher: T&D Publishing
Publication Date: August 28, 2013
See the Light (Safe Harbor book 1)
ISBN: 978-1-62300-201-5
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: February 26, 2013
Only You
ISBN: 978-1-57344-909-0
Publisher: Cleis Press
Publication Date: January 15, 2013
Master Class
ISBN: 978-1-62300-068-4
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: December 11, 2012
Double Vision (Buffalo Intimidators book 3)
ISBN: 1-62241-974-X
Publisher: Siren Bookstrand
Publication Date: September 12, 2012
Passionate Cooks
ISBN: n/a (freebie recipe book)
Publisher: All Romance eBooks
Publication Date: September 1, 2012
How I Met My Husband
ISBN: n/a (freebie antho)
Publisher: Michele Stegman
Publication Date: July 31, 2012
Cold As Ice (Buffalo Intimidators book 2)
ISBN: 1-61926-417-X
Publisher: Siren Bookstrand
Publication Date: March 7, 2012
Head Games (Buffalo Intimidators book 1)
ISBN: 1-61034-971-7
Publisher: Siren Bookstrand
Publication Date: November 2, 2011
Uniform Behaviour
ISBN: 978-1-849892452
Publisher: Andrews UK
Publication Date: November 23, 2010
Huddle Up
Fantasy Football – Season 3
Liz Matis
‡
Huddle Up
When Angel O’Malley is left penniless by her deceased father’s gambling debts, she is forced to sue pro football player Billy Burner for child support. Blindsided with a five-year-old daughter, he tackles fatherhood with the same commitment he gives to the game, but he has his eye on a bigger prize: Angel’s heart.
She agrees to Billy’s plan to play house to ensure the new father makes no rookie mistakes. Though their passions burn hotter than ever they must overcome old betrayals, past hurts, and new insecurities if they are to prevent history from repeating itself.
Can a long ago summer love turn into an everlasting one?
Copyright © 2014 Elizabeth Matis
Little Hondo Press
Contact: [email protected]
Huddle Up
Copyright © 2014 Elizabeth Matis
Digital ISBN: 978-0-9840098-6-2
Print ISBN: 978-0-9840098-8-6
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, scanning, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without permission in writing from the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Also by Liz Matis
Playing For Keeps – print, eBook, and audio book
Love By Design – print, eBook, and audio book
Going For It – print, eBook and audio book
Real Men Don’t Drink Appletinis – eBook
Praise for Liz Matis
Love By Design
Buy here: http://amzn.com/B005U83XYW
RT Book Review: Readers will get a kick out of these characters as they walk through a world of fashion and celebrities and soak up all the glitz and glam that a wild child and a bad boy could possibly provide.
Love on the Book Shelf: Don’t hold this book too tight-you-you’ll burn your fingers. Recommendation: It’s also the perfect just-before-bedtime reading, if you’d like some nice, sultry dreams.
ReRead: Totally worth it.
Playing For Keeps – Fantasy Football – Season 1
Buy here: http://amzn.com/B0063KJIGI
RT Book Reviews: Playing For Keeps is entertaining … an engaging storyline will keep readers turning the pages … readers will enjoy the unfolding relationship and anticipate the sequel featuring the secondary characters
Book Junkie: In Liz Matis’ latest from Little Hondo Press, Playing For Keeps you will get a wildly sexy romance with depth and laughs. A page turner, bring on the sequel.
Going For It – Fantasy Football – Season 2
Buy here: http://amzn.com/B008EP37B2
RT Book Reviews: Readers will wholeheartedly enjoy the cat-and-mouse game the main couple plays. Expect a large dose of spice, surprises, and a story that’s perfect for the front page of a tabloid. The sequel to Playing For Keeps is a touchdown!
Book Junkie: I loved GOING FOR IT because falling hard and fast for two witty, feisty and completely honest characters that do nothing if not capture your heart and take you on the wild ride that is their love story.
To Angel, Love Billy – August 2007
Angels arrive on a
ray of light
they say
My Angel arrived on a
moonbeam
one hot summer night
and remained
earthbound
once upon my mortal kiss
Chapter One
Less than twenty-four hours ago Billy Burner discovered he’d fathered a child. Maybe. Now he stood outside O’Malley’s Pub clutching the demand for a court-ordered DNA test in his hand.
His playbook didn’t have a section on fatherhood. The chapter on greedy, conniving women he knew by heart. So why hadn’t Angel sued him for child support after he signed his first pro contract two years ago? And why had she waited until now, six years after he’d last seen her, to spring a kid on him? It must be a lie. Only the date of birth nagged at his conscious. Had their teenage summer romance produced a love child? He wanted answers and wanted them in person. Face to face.
Or did you just need the excuse to see her again? No way.
His agent, Carlos, had advised him not to come to the small Ohio town where he once attended football camp, warning him it was a ploy for his money or at the very least for attention. Carlos was probably right. God, Billy hoped so. With the final preseason game only days away, he needed the matter settled so he could have a clear head. The head coach of the NY Cougars gave him forty-eight hours to be back on the field. And that was twelve hours ago.
Opening the door, he shut his watering eyes against the reek of stale tobacco, spilled beer, and another scent he couldn’t quite place. God, it smelled worse than the locker room. With his manicured fingers, he pinched the bridge of his nose to ward off the stench. He stepped into the bar area, his Italian shoes crunching peanut shells with every footfall. The custom-made suit fit him like armor, strong enough to block any female tactics Angel might employ.
The bartender, who was big and bad enough to step in and play on any defensive line, hadn’t changed a bit. Hoss even wore the same battered leather biker vest. “Well look who has the balls to show up here.”
“Huge ones.” In enemy territory Billy knew when to go on the offensive. “Where
’s Angel?”
Hoss hurdled over the bar and planted himself in front of him. The attempt at intimidation almost made him roll his eyes. As a tight end Billy faced off every Sunday against a line of men who wanted to break his legs.
“If you hurt her, you’ll be answering to me,” Hoss warned.
Hurt Angel? Billy held in a laugh at the absurdity of it. It was he who needed protection from her cutting words that had stabbed his once tender teenage heart. Now women claimed he didn’t have one.
Billy weaved his way through the Tuesday night crowd to the back room where four regulation-sized pool tables sat. Various framed billiard posters graced the walls. His favorite, a group of dogs shooting pool still hung in the same spot above the jukebox. Cigarette smoke swirled in the air, hazing the bright lights hanging above the tables. The ‘no smoking’ laws didn’t apply to an illegal pool hall like O’Malley’s.
Her laughter filled the air. Memories of those hot summer nights in her arms reeled through his mind like a highlight film. Drawn to the sound, his gaze searched for the girl he once loved. Glued to the spot in the doorway, he was fairly certain it wasn’t from the gum stuck on the sole of his shoe.
Angel O’Malley leaned across the pool table, her breasts nearly grazing the green felt. Her blouse gaped, exposing the porcelain sheen of her skin. It was perhaps the only angelic thing about her. Then again wasn’t porcelain glazed at very high temperatures? Her raven hair tumbled over one shoulder, a black as sin waterfall cascading into the river Styx.
He suspected he wasn’t the only man more interested in how she filled out those tight jeans than in the game in progress. With her bewitching green eyes fixed upon the nine ball and her slender fingers cradling the cue stick, she stretched across the table and lined up a nearly impossible shot. He held his breath in anticipation as she slowly drew back the stick. She hit the cue ball with a driving force that sent the nine ball on its planned trajectory. It spun for the side pocket like a perfect spiral hurled by a quarterback. When the ball sank, high-fives and money were exchanged.