Hard To Handle (Teach Me Book 2)

by RC Boldt

  She took the paperwork from him, flipping through the paper-clipped stack before looking up at him. “Thanks. It looks great,” she said softly.

  “No problem.” He turned to pack up his bag, tossing a question over his shoulder. “Ready to head out?”

  “Sure, let me just grab my things real quick.” She headed to the door.

  As she left his classroom, Zach blew out a slow breath. Just like that, his day was made. Simple things in his life were made even better.

  His door opened abruptly, Lawson entering.

  “Well, well. Look at you with your cute, little dreamy smile.” His friend grinned. “Methinks it’s due to a tall, curvy brunette with a smart mouth.”

  “Well, done, Columbo. Great detective work,” Zach said drily.

  “So what did she do to make you go all googly-eyed?”

  Well, shit. If he admitted the reason was merely because Laney agreed to walk out with him, he’d sound like the biggest pussy in the world.

  Fuck it.

  “Laney’s walking out with me,” he said casually, neatly stacking his file folders on his desk. Before his friend could offer a response, Laney opened his classroom door, entering with her bag on her shoulder.

  “Ready? Oh, hey, Laws. You walking out with us, too?”

  “Nah, I’ve still got some work to do. You two go on ahead.” He walked to the door. “Hey, there’s this song that’s been stuck in my head lately. Goes like this,” he broke off, singing 98 Degrees’ “Because of You” while exiting the classroom.

  Laney stared after their friend, before turning back to Zach. “Was he actually singing a 98 Degrees song?”

  He asked with faux innocence, “Oh? That was 98 Degrees?”

  She leveled him a look. “I’ve been in your car, have seen your old CD collection.”

  Walking over to her, bag on his shoulder, he flipped off the classroom lights. Nudging her shoulder with his, his eyes danced with mischief. “I’ve also seen yours, Kavanaugh.”

  Warmth ran through him at her broad smile. She tsked. “Oh, Mayson. Turning this conversation dirty, are you?”

  Placing his hand at the small of her back, he ushered her out of the classroom.

  “Oh, Kavanaugh. I was merely speaking of your own CD collection.” He smiled down at her after locking his classroom door. He held out his arm to her.

  She linked her arm through his and they walked down the hallway. “I’m calling b.s. You were getting dirty.”

  They arrived at the door to the empty stairwell, leading them to the first floor of the school. Pushing open the door, they walked down the first set of stairs. Just as they approached the second set, Zach steered her back against the wall, hearing her surprised gasp.

  Pressing his body flush against her, his lips brushed hers as he spoke. “But, Kavanaugh. You like it when I get dirty.” His voice was guttural and he watched her eyes darken with arousal.

  Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. “You—” Her reply was cut off as they heard the door above to the stairwell open above them, causing them to jump apart. The voices of some other coworkers echoed and he and Laney traded a look of understanding, resuming their walk down the remainder of steps.

  But, damn, if he didn’t wonder what she had been about to say before they’d been interrupted.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  LANEY COULDN’T BELIEVE SHE WAS about to do this. She was going to have her first surf lesson. From Zachariah Mayson, no less. If anyone would’ve told a year ago that this would be happening, she would have doubled over in laughter and had them committed to the nearest mental institute.

  But here she was, walking down the beach to where he’d said to meet him, in her bathing suit and cover-up, carrying a towel under her arm. As she came within a few yards of where he was on his surfboard, demonstrating how to quickly go from his stomach to his feet on the board, she noticed the small boy he was talking to. Stopping so as not to be noticed or distract the two, Laney watched him with the young boy who had to be about five or six years old.

  “Can I try it, again, Mr. Zach? I think I can do it better this time.”

  She watched as Zach smiled down at the boy and ruffled his hair affectionately. “Of course, Dawson. It takes a lot of practice to get this part down. Learning how to pop up off the board was probably one of the hardest things for me to learn when I started surfing.”

  Dawson looked up at Zach with a mixture of surprise and awe. “Really? You had a tough time, too?”

  Zach squatted down, eye-to-eye with the boy. “I sure did. It felt like it took forever but finally, after practicing as much as I could, one day I got it. Everything else just fell into place after that.”

  The boy nodded. “I’ll practice a lot, then.”

  “Sounds good, buddy. Let’s work on it together before it’s time for my next lesson, okay?”

  “Yes, sir,” came the enthusiastic answer.

  Laney watched as the two practiced for the next five minutes before Zach glanced down at his watch. “That’s all the time we’ve got today. Don’t forget to practice at home on your board, okay?” The two exchanged high fives as Laney noticed a young woman approaching with a little girl who appeared to be near Dawson’s age.

  “Mr. Zach!” the young girl called out as she ran up, hugging his leg with an adoring expression upon her face. “I missed you.”

  He scooped her up in his arms. “I missed my favorite girl, too. Do I get a hug?” The little girl threw her arms around his neck and Laney’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of Zach closing his eyes with a smile, embracing the little girl in his arms.

  He would make a great father someday, an inner voice whispered. In an attempt to squash that thought, Laney walked toward the group, as Zach was speaking to the mother.

  “He’s doing great. I think, with a bit more practice, he’ll get it down in no time.” Zach turned his attention back to the little girl still in his arms. “Now, if we could only get you to join us for surf lessons …” He tickled her under the chin, eliciting adorable giggles.

  “Mr. Zach, I don’t want to surf. I like running,” she told him matter of fact.

  “Well, when your legs get a little longer, we can go running together. How about that?”

  “Yes, sir!” She smiled; pretty, little teeth on display as Zach set her down upon the sand.

  “Well, we need to get going. Say good-bye to Mr. Zach,” the mother told them.

  “Bye, Mr. Zach!” the two children called out.

  “Bye, guys! See you next time.” He waved to them as they made their way along the beach. She watched him turn to her, his gaze running over her before his lips formed a slow smile.

  “Morning, Laney.”

  “Morning, Mr. Zach,” she teased.

  He shook his head, flashing a dangerous grin. “Now, you should know not to give your teacher grief before the lesson has even begun.”

  Tossing her towel down, she toed off her flip flops and casually asked, “So, who are the cuties?”

  “Dawson and his sister, Maya. They’re the best.” Appearing confused, head tipped to the side, he asked, “I would’ve thought you’d know them … or at least know of them.”

  Dumfounded, she furrowed her brow. “Why would you think that?”

  “Because your brother was the one who put them in touch with me.”

  At Laney’s questioning look, he continued, “Foster said Marissa lost her husband a little over a year ago and Dawson had been really struggling. His dad had told him he’d teach him to surf when he came home from the last deployment …”

  “And he never came home,” Laney finished, quietly.

  Zach studied the ocean for a moment. “No, he didn’t.” He turned back to Laney. “So, he thought I’d be able to give Dawson some lessons and male bonding at the same time.” He shrugged. “The least I could do is spend some time with the little guy and teach him the basics of surfing. Especially after all he and his family have been through.”


  Laney swore her heart beat a little faster, knowing that Zach hadn’t thought twice about helping this sweet boy and his mother out during an unimaginably difficult time. How had she completely missed this side of Zach over the years? And why had he hidden behind obnoxiousness all this time?

  * * *

  “Ready for me to make a surfer out of you, Kavanaugh?” Zach wiggled his eyebrows at her playfully.

  Removing her beach cover-up and tossing it on top of her towel, she held out her hands. “Okay, I’m ready. Let’s do it.”

  How he managed to not swallow his tongue was something short of a miracle. Seeing Laney take off that cover-up and show those curves of hers was almost more than he could handle.

  It wasn’t like she wore a skimpy suit, by any means. He had warned her that they would be going through the basics, requiring her to move quite a bit from lying on her stomach, to jumping up to her feet numerous times. She was wearing a black swimsuit top with thick, secure straps encasing her ample breasts and a pair of women’s short-cut board shorts in the same color. Her toned stomach was on display with that tiny, silver piercing in her belly button winking at him as it sparkled in the sunlight.

  Zach scrubbed a hand over his face, rubbing the bit of scruff along his jawline. She studied him curiously. “You okay?”

  Swallowing hard, he cleared his throat and forced an enthusiastic smile. “Yeah. You ready?”

  She returned his smile. “I’m ready. Let’s do this.” She moved closer, nudging his shoulder with hers, looking up at him coyly. “Do I get a reward if I’m a good student?”

  “Possibly.” He tapped a finger to his lips as if in thought. “What kind of reward are you interested in?”

  Laney moved even closer, trailing a finger down his chest, over his firm abdominal muscles in the lightest of touches before stopping at the waist of his board shorts. “The kind that involves you and me wearing a little less clothing …”

  Acting nonchalant, he pressed his lips together firmly to suppress a smile and shrugged. “I’ll have to think about it.”

  Laney’s lips parted on a gasp of disbelief. “Why, you!” Her fingertips tickled his sides and he squirmed away from her with a laugh. As soon as he was a foot away, his eyes crinkled with laughter.

  “Now, Laney. You should know that I’m familiar with your ticklish spots, as well. So, if you want to continue this,” he gestured between them, “know that you’ll lose this battle.”

  With her hand on her hip, a wide smile, hazel eyes sparkling with mischief, she waved him toward her. “Bring it on, buddy.”

  It was a while before they called a ‘cease fire’ and actually got around to her surf lesson. That ended up being the best surf lesson … no, the best day Zach could remember having in a long time.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  SHE MUST HAVE BEEN PUT on a sex embargo. That was the only thing Laney could think of when it came to her and Zach. It was like a switch had been flipped since that particular karaoke Saturday. Things had cooled down, aside from that intense moment in the stairwell at school and their occasional dirty phone calls … until the morning of her first surf lesson. They had tackled one another, each falling victim to the other’s tickling, rolling around on the beach and getting unbelievably sandy without a care. And when they had kissed, it had been like every other kiss between them.

  Hot. So fiercely hot and decadent. Every time Zach kissed her, she never wanted it to stop. His lips were like an addiction.

  They’d spent nearly every day of Spring Break together—aside from the two days she and Tate had designated as girls-only beach days—starting off their mornings with surf lessons. Afterward, they would hang out together on the beach, enjoying the sunny weather. He’d even gone to yoga class with her this past week, only having one absence because he’d had to teach a surf lesson. The entire time they had simply enjoyed each other’s company. It was a complete change—a nice change—from how things had been between them in the past.

  But kissing had also been all they’d done. Zach hadn’t, at any time, pressed for more and that part of him had definitely been interested in more because she’d felt it pressed against her. But, still, nothing.

  Tonight, though, she planned to change that. She was pulling out all the stops. It was the final Saturday of their Spring Break and everyone was back in town. Zach had told her he’d pick her up in the Chevelle—sigh—and she wanted to ensure she looked good enough he wouldn’t be able to hold out on her any longer.

  She’d decided on a form fitted, one-shoulder strap red dress, leaving the rest of her neckline bare, showing off the golden bronze tan she’d acquired from spending so much time at the beach. She flat-ironed her hair and went light on her makeup, only adding a little brown shadow to her eyes along with a light dusting of bronze powder. She applied tint to her lips and went to grab her low, black heels just as there was a knock at her door.

  Laney opened it to find Zach standing there, looking—how was it even possible?—even more handsome in a pair of khaki pants and a light gray, short-sleeved Henley which emphasized those amazing eyes of his. Her eyes traveled down the length of him to find those leather flip flops on his feet, before meeting his gaze.

  “Looking pretty nice, Mayson.” She winked.

  He stepped inside, reaching out a hand to cup her face, thumb lightly caressing her cheek. “You’re beautiful, as always, Kavanaugh.” At the quiet, almost reverent tone in his words, Laney swore she felt a part of herself swoon. Which was ridiculous. It was just a compliment, after all.

  But, the way he had said it, like it was absolute truth, a fact, something undeniable? It was in that moment, because of that assertion, she felt as though the tiniest sliver of her heart was lost to him.

  It’s only a tiny sliver, Laney reassured herself, trying not to freak out. Even so, tiny sliver and all, she prayed that Zach would take good care of it.

  * * *

  They were sitting around their table in Shenanigans, awaiting the karaoke DJ, Dean, to get started calling up the first singers of the evening. The girls were up talking to Dean, already handing in their requests.

  “Sooooo,” Lawson drew the word out. “You and Laney showed up together, huh?”

  Zach merely stared at his friend. Because when it came to Lawson, there was always more.

  “You finally dust off those cobwebs for that poor girl? Because, seriously, I was thinking there was going to be a chocolate shortage in this country.” He shook his head. “And, she totally cleaned me out of my emergency stash, too.” Lawson was solemn, letting out a long, sad sigh. “That is just unacceptable, my friend.”

  Zach laughed in disbelief. “She actually went through your emergency stash?” Everyone knew Lawson’s weakness was chocolate. The guy kept himself in great shape doing cross training and eating healthy, but he also had a serious sweet tooth.

  “Yeah, man. For all our sakes, I really hope you take care of that. So that my stash of chocolate can stay under wraps and you can stop having intimate shower time with yourself constantly.” Lawson leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms.

  Zach’s eyebrows nearly hit his hairline. “Intimate shower time? Really, Laws?” His friend smirked and raised a shoulder in a half shrug.

  “Who’s having intimate shower time? You two ladies?” Mac slid into a chair beside the two men.

  “Ha, ha. Look who’s suddenly a comedian now that he’s knee deep in wedded bliss,” Lawson scoffed.

  “Nah, there’s no knee deep shit. I’m fully submerged, man. Fully submerged.” Mac’s smile couldn’t get any wider, the happiness evident as his eyes moved to where Raine was standing with her friends, speaking with the karaoke DJ.

  Lawson make a sick face. “Excuse me while I’m violently ill.”

  Mac laughed. “You just wait, man. You just wait.” He slapped his friend on the back. Zach didn’t miss the slight wince that crossed Lawson’s face and grinned. Mac might be a teacher now, but his former SEAL strength wa
s still alive and well.

  “We’re going to start the night off with Laney singing for us,” Dean announced.

  Zach watched as she accepted the microphone and took her place on the stage at the beginning notes of Adele’s “Someone Like You”. He noticed the entire place quieted down to hear Laney begin to sing. God, she had such an amazing voice. He didn’t think he’d ever tire of hearing her sing.

  Just like that, he had a flash of a possibility, imagining her singing as she washed dishes or rocking their baby to sleep.

  Whoa. He was completely caught off guard by his thoughts and the yearning they brought on. Shaking them off, he focused on the beautiful woman on stage, wearing a dress that hugged those amazing curves, singing and engaging the entire room of bar patrons.

  Making him wish she were singing that song for him.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  HALFWAY THROUGH THE NIGHT, DEAN cued up a few slow songs as he went to take a break. Laney didn’t want to admit to how much she’d been looking forward to this moment, to being in Zach’s arms for a slow dance.

  At hearing the first few bars of Adele’s “Hello”, Zach caught her eye from across the table and tipped his head in the direction of the dance floor with a small smile. She nodded and stood from her chair as he approached, holding a hand out for her. As she placed her hand in his, she felt that same feeling, that feeling of rightness. She let him guide her onto the dance floor, pulling her close, his heated gaze locked on hers.

  “Now, kids, remember to leave room for Jesus when you slow dance,” Lawson called out to them as he twirled Tate on the dance floor. Laney glanced back at their table to where Miller was staring a hole in her friend. When she heard Tate laugh at something Lawson had said or done, something that looked much like pain flashed across Miller’s face before he wiped it clean, replacing it with a stony expression. There was a big story there, some serious history, but knowing her friend, Tate would tell them when she was ready.

  “Hey,” Zach had dipped his head to speak in her ear, “you okay?”