by Rhian Cahill
He was intrigued before. After spending eleven hours straight with her, not to mention the two hours at dinner last night, he was downright enthralled.
“Sir?”
Snapped out of his thoughts, Toby focused on the boy across from him. “Sorry, Brian. I missed that.”
“Do you think we’ll see any ghosts?” Brian’s voice raised a few octaves with his excitement.
“Um…” He couldn’t exactly say he didn’t believe in them, could he? “According to all we’ve been told today and the number of people who’ve reported seeing one here, I’d think our chances are high.”
“I’m sleeping with the light on,” Kim said with a visible shudder.
“Don’t worry.” Rick threw his arm around the girl’s shoulders. “I’ll sleep in your room to protect you.”
“Nice try, Rick.” Madison got to her feet. “All right. We’ve got ten minutes before our night experience guided session starts. Everyone collect your rubbish and dispose of it in the garbage then make a trip to the bathroom. Once we start, we’ll be walking around with no pit stops for at least an hour, so if you’ve got to go, go now.”
Toby stood and held open the bag they’d been given to use for their rubbish. Once all the students had dumped their trash and headed towards the toilets, he turned to Madison. “You want to do a bathroom run while I wait here?”
She jolted. “Ah. Sure. Okay.”
He smiled. She always seemed surprised when he spoke to her. As though she were ignoring him so well that she completely forgot he was there. He’d like to change that but couldn’t do what he really wanted to do to get her attention. Not while they were at work. Unless, unlike Rick, he did manage to sneak off somewhere secluded with the woman he wanted to get his hands on.
Then he’d be sure to get Madison’s focus solely on him.
Watching her walk away, he marveled at the fact she still looked pristine-fresh. As though she hadn’t spent the day wandering around dusty old buildings and along dirt paths. Her hair remained in her usual severe bun, not a strand out of place, and the white blouse with high collar she wore didn’t have a crease or sweat mark on it.
The only clue to her day was the dullness of her shoes, their shine reduced by the layer of grime that no one would really notice. Other than that, Madison looked exactly as she had eleven hours ago when he’d first seen her standing by the bus in the school’s parking lot.
He wanted to mess her up. Badly. It was like a bindi-eye in his foot. Sharp and stinging until he removed it, but even then the discomfort remained. Toby had a feeling he wouldn’t get rid of this particular pain until he’d gotten Madison well and truly ruffled.
***
All day Madison had made a valiant effort to ignore Tobias.
Except he was impossible to overlook.
If wasn’t only his size. That alone would need fifty gallons of invisible paint to hide, and last she checked that color wasn’t available at the hardware store.
His personality matched his physique in stature and attraction. It was big and friendly and drew everyone in.
The whole Tobias Moreland package was hard to miss.
She’d spent much of the day talking herself out of noticing him. When she had to speak to him, she’d been short with her answers and refused to make eye contact, which only served to annoy her further because he was turning her into a rude bitch. And that was something she never thought she’d be.
Her one saving grace had been the students. She’d used them as a buffer.
She was by no means proud of her behavior but it had saved her from having to deal with Tobias for the majority of the time, as well as keeping her mind off the way her body reacted whenever he was near.
The last few hours in particular had proven extremely difficult. He’d seemed to always find her in the dark as they’d been guided around the compound on the hunt for ghosts. Without fail, he’d managed to brush against her as he passed. Stand close behind her, his warm breath drifting over the back of her neck as they listened to their guide explaining the origin of each otherworldly specter believed to be haunting the location they were in.
At one point, he’d even leaned forward and whispered in her ear. Even now Madison had no idea what he’d said. Though she definitely remembered how those whispered words made her feel. She shivered recalling the warm tickle of his breath over her skin, the vibrating hum of his voice in her ear and the flickering hot-and-cold sensation that had swept through her.
Her pulse had pounded and her breathing quickened. And it wasn’t only in those moments when they touched or stood close enough for his heat to sink into her either. She’d been a little out of breath all day. It didn’t make sense. Madison didn’t even like the man. He was the opposite of everything she’d been brought up to believe.
At least she thought he was.
She had to admit there’d been times during the day when she’d glimpsed a serious side to him, and she couldn’t deny he was an attentive and patient teacher with the students. He’d appeared knowledgeable about the history and folklore of the area and not once did she hear him mention any sport. The man was a puzzle, and she feared she might have dealt him an injustice when assuming he was nothing more than a has-been professional sportsman.
She’d heard all about his football career when she’d started at Huntington College.
She sighed. Perhaps that was where her instant dislike had come from. That thought definitely didn’t sit well with her.
With a frown, she shook her head and attempted to push all her turbulent thoughts from her mind. She needed to channel some of her earlier resolve and ignore Tobias Moreland’s existence. Or she could kiss a good night’s sleep goodbye. It would do her well to remember she was at work in spite of the late hour.
Fifteen minutes ago she’d checked the students were in bed with lights out. Hopefully they’d stay there. She didn’t foresee any issues, they were a well-behaved group and, other than Rick and Kim trying to sneak off to make out at every opportunity, they’d given her no trouble at all.
She’d agreed with Tobias to take the second shift in the shared bathroom at the end of the hall, and she’d allowed him over an hour to use it and return to his room. Drawing deep breaths and letting them out slowly in an effort to relax, she gathered up her toiletries and headed for the shower.
All was quiet as she made her way along the moonlit hall. They were staying in a six-bedroom cottage. It was one of the original buildings on the grounds and the renovation work done to accommodate overnight stays of school groups had kept with the architecture of the original 1800s building. Each of the rooms had a rustic charm—including the two dorm-like rooms lined with bunks—except the kitchen and bathrooms. Those had all the bells and whistles of modern convenience.
Rounding the doorway into the bathroom, she collided with a hard bare chest. The bundle in her arms crashed to the floor on impact and strong arms wrapped around her tightly, forcing her against a wall of heat.
“Whoa.” Hot mint-scented breath bathed her face.
Tobias.
Madison closed her eyes. Her heart beat against her rib cage, the thuds reverberating through her torso to settle low in her stomach. They were pressed together from her chest to her knees, and her hands were splayed on the hot stretch of muscle covering his midsection.
“You okay?” His deep voice rumbled through her.
She swallowed. Trembled. “Y-yes.”
“Steady on your feet?”
Her legs shook and she leaned into him, her face pressing into his warm chest.
The steel band of his arms tightened. “Madison?”
Her hands flexed, her fingertips inching across his hot flesh, her thumbs moving a fraction lower and encountering the towel wrapped around his hips.
Heat rolled over her. From her curling toes upwards, as though she were slowly sinking into a hot bath; it rose up, tightening and tingling and leaving her breathless.
“Madison?”
He spoke into her hair, the rush of warm breath over her scalp sending a shiver down her spine. The scent of mint and soap and something she couldn’t name surrounded her, cocooning her in a bubble of alluring warmth. His muscles rippled beneath her fingers and her mouth watered with the desire to kiss him, lick him—taste every inch of his exposed hot skin.
More unfamiliar urges flooded her. She knew what they were. Knew from an educated position that what she was experiencing was arousal. Sharp and fierce. She’d felt it before, only never this strongly.
Madison tried to catalog each sensation—each emotion—but her reactions were so extreme to any she’d known it was hard to keep track of them. Hard to know what to do with them.
“Madison!” He gave her a little shake. “Are you okay?”
“I…” God what was she doing, plastering herself against him? Feeling him up? She lurched backwards, stepping out of his arms. “Sorry. I didn’t see you.”
“No worries.” She could hear the smile in his voice, if not see it clearly on his face. “I’m finished.”
“I’ll come back.”
“No need.” He bent towards her and she jumped back for fear of touching him again. “Let me help you grab your stuff.”
Madison stifled a gasp when he dropped at her feet. The moonlight filtering into the hall sparkled off his back, highlighting the undulating muscles in his shoulders, along his spine, as he picked up her toiletries bag and nightgown.
Oh god. He scooped up her underwear.
She held her breath as he slowly rose to his full height. Her eyes felt huge as she stared at Tobias. Before he could say anything—think anything—she snatched her things from his hands and rushed around him into the bathroom. Whirling around, she grabbed the door, all but yelling “thank you” as she slammed it shut between them.
Resting her forehead on the solid timber, Madison barely held off thumping her head against the hard surface. She was such an idiot.
She was attracted to Tobias. Intensely.
And he’d had his hands on her underwear!
Chapter Four
Madison Keibler was prejudiced.
Toby had never dealt with anyone who had such a narrow-minded view when it came to intelligence. In her eyes, he’d played sport for a living, therefore he was stupid. It was the whole jock-versus-nerd equation on steroids with guns drawn.
He’d been so astounded by her assumptions that he’d been unable to defend himself against her preconceived opinion of his intellect. She’d informed the students to ask her any questions they might have as ‘Mr. Moreland doesn’t have the level of expertise required to answer’.
Ha!
Wouldn’t she be shocked to discover he held more than one degree in education? Personal Development, Health and Physical Education was the one he used for his job as head PDHPE teacher at Huntington College, but he also had bachelors of education in both English and History. He was qualified to answer the students’ questions. More than.
He wasn’t sure why he’d continued to let her think he was a moron who’d cruised through school and university by the skin of his teeth, but he did know when it started to get on his last nerve. Right at the moment he’d realized his attraction to her wasn’t minor.
The moment she’d been glued to the front of his practically naked body.
It wasn’t that he wanted to impress her with his brain; it was that he wanted her to like him—brain and brawn—the whole package. He’d worked out Madison didn’t tolerate idiots, and she gave him the impression she thought he was one, and was enduring his presence only for the benefit of their students. He definitely wanted her to do more than simply put up with him.
Toby wanted her to like him so much she wouldn’t pull away when he kissed her. From there, he’d convince her to let him do more. For now, he’d settle for that kiss.
A long, hot, wet one.
He grinned. Their little tango in the bathroom doorway last night had been eye-opening. Until that moment, he’d thought the attraction he was feeling went one way. But he hadn’t missed the shallow breath, trembling, or the flush that filled her face. And the way she’d snatched her clothes from his hands before slamming the door in his face made him chuckle even now, almost twenty-four hours later.
In spite of her icy attitude that had turned to an artic freeze today, Toby was now one hundred percent sure he was going to pursue Madison. It would be tricky, but she wasn’t the first opponent he’d gone up against who appeared unconquerable.
He just needed a game plan. So far subtlety hadn’t gotten him anywhere. It was time to rush her defenses.
The last student had just been picked up, and if Toby had to guess, he’d say Madison’s turned back and silence meant they were done. Of course, she’d been telling him for the last thirty minutes he could leave. She didn’t need him to hang around while the students waited for their rides home.
In what his mother would call ‘typical Tobias style’, he’d ignored every one of Madison’s dismissals.
They’d packed up the equipment and returned the bus keys to the office and unless he could come up with a reason to prolong their time together, Madison would walk away.
He wasn’t prepared to let her.
“Don’t know about you but I’m starving. Let’s grab a pizza and eat while we write up the excursion report.” Toby slid his palm under her elbow and steered her towards his car. “We should get it written while the trip is still fresh in our minds.”
She yanked her arm from his grasp and spun to face him. “You don’t need to contribute to the report. I’ll complete it over the weekend and put it in your pigeon-hole first thing Monday. All you need to do is sign and return it. I’ll make sure Mr. Richardson receives it.”
“You expect me to sign a document without any input?” Toby shook his head. “Oh no. That’s not how it works. And if you insist on it, I’ll have to fill out my own report to give Ted.”
He held her gaze. It surprised him that she didn’t back down or look away. Of course, it shouldn’t. She was tough. Intelligent. Independent. Indomitable. Madison Keibler knew her mind and stood her ground with a stubbornness that tickled some previously unknown need to dominate. To get her to bend.
Toby wasn’t a bossy guy by nature. He was the middle brother of five, and if his four brothers hadn’t taught him to get what he wanted without pushing others around, their baby sister had. The best life lesson he’d learned from his siblings was patience and stealth.
You didn’t need to order people around to get what you wanted. All it took was a little manipulation. He’d convinced more than one brother an idea was theirs over the years. It made for a less confrontational life. Toby had gotten more than enough of that on the football field during his playing days.
“Look. We can do this the hard way or the easy way.”
Madison cocked one eyebrow at him.
“You can agree to dinner and doing the report together. Or. You can get in your car and go home.”
“I suspect we would disagree on which of those is the easy way.”
She was right. He had no doubt she wanted him out of her sight and this whole forced togetherness over with.
Toby grinned. “I should have added what would happen if you choose the ‘go home’ option.”
“Oh?”
“I’d follow.”
“Follow?”
He took a step closer, crowded into her personal space. “Follow.”
Her throat rolled as she swallowed. “But that’s…stalking.”
Toby laughed. “It takes a bit more than one colleague following another home to ensure she arrives safely to qualify as stalking.”
“Well, yes, but…”
He leaned in. Took a deep breath of her sweet scent. “But…what?”
She licked her lips. Pulled the bottom one between her teeth. “I…”
It was so rare that Madison couldn’t put a coherent sentence together but he’d been turning her into a stammering, half-
sentence orator for the last two day. Toby felt that right in his gut. He liked that he rattled her enough to stop her brain from ticking.
During their time together, he’d discovered Madison never stopped thinking. And while an intelligent woman was a turn on, one who overthought was not.
He watched her. Watched the dazed look fade from her gaze and resignation slide in to replace it.
Her shoulders lowered the slightest bit. “Fine. We’ll have pizza and fill out the report.”
Toby’s gut twisted.
He’d gotten what he wanted, only he wasn’t happy about it because Madison wasn’t happy. Every instinct he had screamed for him to retract. To tell her not to worry—give her an out. Except he knew if he did, he’d never get another shot at being with her outside of school hours.
He grabbed her hand. “C’mon. I know the best pizza place in town.”
***
Madison allowed Tobias to lead her across the parking lot. His hand was so large it swallowed hers whole. Instead of instilling fear as she thought a man of his size would, he inspired comfort, safety, encouraged compliance.
She didn’t understand what had just happened. Oh, she knew she’d agreed to dinner—which would make three nights in a row she’d eaten with him—it was the other thing she couldn’t comprehend.
Something had shifted. Some wire had sparked or crossed or broken loose and flapped around, because in those seconds that she’d stared into his dark-chocolate eyes, Madison had wanted to do whatever he asked.
She’d never experienced anything like it.
One instant she couldn’t wait to get away from him and the next she had the urge to step forward. Press her body against his and see if he was as hard beneath that polo shirt as he looked…if her memory of his firm muscles rippling beneath her fingers was accurate.