Mouth Watering

by L. P. Maxa

  His lips were soft but demanding and when he fisted his hands in her hair, tugging lightly, she gave in. She opened for him and let his tongue invade her mouth. God this was amazing. A perfect kiss mixed with his yummy scent, she could hardly stand it. Yeah, life at St. Leasing was well on its way to wonderful.

  Chapter Six

  Dominic

  When their lips met, all thoughts left his brain. The mouth on this woman was his own personal miracle. It was like she was made for him. Wait, what? Whatever. Corey felt so perfect pressed up against him he didn’t even bother to try to correct his sappy-ass brain. He could feel the heat radiating off her body, telling how turned on he was making her. He knew he could easily take this little party inside, in closer proximity to a bed or a couch or even a nicely elevated desk. And he was two seconds from doing that when a howl filled the night air. Instantly, Dominic pulled away from her, stilled his mind, and tried to block out everything except the wolf. The howl had come from the woods behind her house. Wolves didn’t usually come this close to Faculty Row. What had brought them out tonight? Were they curious about their new neighbor? He needed to get her inside for an entirely different reason now.

  Corey rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “That’s so weird. I could have sworn I heard a wolf howl earlier this evening when I was leaving to come meet you. I even thought I saw one in my rearview mirror. I chalked it up to the woods playing tricks on me. But that’s a wolf, right?”

  “That’s a wolf,” Dominic answered. “Usually they don’t venture that close though. Must be tracking a rabbit or something. All kinds of small prey live in the strip of woods behind us. Nothing to worry about.”

  Corey looked up at him with laughter in her eyes. “I’m not worried. I’m from the south, I own a shotgun if a rabid wolf comes to my front door.”

  But he was worried. He was worried enough for the both of them.

  Dominic wanted to lock her inside and spend the night on her front porch watching over her. Why? He had no fucking idea. The wolf howled again, longer and even nearer this time. Dominic’s hands clenched at his sides then moved his body in front of hers, backing her into the front door. She looked up at him with fire in her eyes and a question on her lips. No doubt she noticed his switch to dominant behavior, especially after he had been so relaxed and easygoing only minutes before. He captured her mouth with his once again. Better she think he wanted to fuck her than that he needed to protect her. He didn’t even understand the change in his intentions. How could he explain them to Corey?

  Dominant.

  Mouthwatering.

  Made for me.

  All these things kept running through his mind. But again he couldn’t grasp on long enough to make sense of the words. She brought her hands up and ran her fingers through his hair, tugging slightly. She groaned into his mouth, completely unaware of the chaos that was taking place inside his head. Oh god, his jeans were already feeling too tight, one more groan out of her and he was going to bust his zipper.

  He leaned down and took her thighs in his hands, lifting her body. When she wrapped her legs around his waist, he put his hand on the doorknob. He needed to get inside of Corey. It was all he could think about. He wanted to bury himself so far inside this stranger that she’d never be rid of him. His brain had been going haywire since the moment he met her. Nothing made sense. Not his need, not his sudden sense of urgency and protectiveness.

  What was Corey doing to him? He couldn’t seem to—

  All of a sudden a high-pitched scream pierced through the night, stopping their kiss and making Dominic’s blood run cold in his veins.

  “I guess the wolf found his rabbit,” Corey whispered.

  Dominic stared down at her, realization washing over him.

  The wolf had definitely found his rabbit.

  ***

  Dominic had put Corey back on her feet, made sure she’d locked her front door, then he’d left, taking a long patrol around the short row of houses. Looking for any signs of wolf or prey. When he was thoroughly satisfied that Corey was in no immediate danger, he went home and took a cold, uncomfortable shower. The arctic water didn’t really help the wood he was sporting though. He wasn’t a horny teenager, and he refused to jack off after only making out with a girl on her front porch. It was the principle of it. She had him aching after one kiss, but damn what a mind-blowing kiss it was. She probably thought it was the rabbit’s scream that had sent him home, and he’d let her. The real reason was so much more complicated, and he wasn’t even remotely ready to deal with it.

  Corey needed to go. Leave. There was no other option, not after tonight.

  He had to convince the dean this wasn’t the place for her, and he needed to do it soon.

  Before it was too late.

  Chapter Seven

  Dominic

  “Sir, I don’t think you understand what I’m saying here. St. Leasing is not the place for someone like Corey Cooper. She’s too young, too beautiful. These kids, they’d never let her—”

  “Dominic, I’ve already made my decision. We need her, and we need her to get to work immediately. I hear what you’re saying, but in all honesty, son, it makes me feel like I made the right choice.” The dean rocked back on his heels, his hands folded over his large stomach.

  Dominic had been arguing with him for over fifteen minutes, relaying the events of last night. Trying to prove his point, that Corey needed to leave St. Leasing. But the dean wasn’t having any of it. “Dean, I know that—” Dominic was cut off by a sharp, angry rap at the door.

  “Come in,” the dean all but sang as Dominic rolled his eyes.

  “Dean McCormick, sorry to interrupt, am I too early? I thought you wanted to meet with me this morning.” Corey’s smile turned to a glare as she moved her attention from the dean to Dominic. The rage in her eyes was unmistakable. She had heard them talking about her. There was no doubt about it.

  The dean waved her in. “Yes, Ms. Cooper, I do want to see you.” He looked pointedly at Dominic. “We need to finalize your paperwork, I already have someone from maintenance getting your office ready. You’ll be right down the hall from Coach Hardy. He tells me you two have already met.”

  When Corey did nothing but scowl at him, Dominic mumbled an excuse and left the office. Oh yeah, she’d heard them, maybe not every word. But enough to let her know they were talking about her, and enough to piss her off.

  He had felt the anger behind that dirty look all the way to his bones. He couldn’t blame her. To Corey it looked like he was trying to undermine her with the dean when all he was trying to do was protect her. Protect them all really. His boys needed him, trusted him, and relied on him.

  Boys, such a loose interpretation for what they actually were. He had hated it when his dad and uncles had called him a boy at that age. He’d felt like a man trapped in a teenager’s body. The outside world had seen a seventeen-year-old kid, stubborn and wild. When inside he had felt like he’d already lived a hundred lives. That was why he was such a good coach: he understood them on a level that few other teachers here could.

  And he knew in his heart what and who Corey was. Even if he was slow to admit it, he had known it from the first moment he’d laid eyes on her. She wouldn’t understand though and she’d end up hating him, resenting him to her core. His relationship with the team would be strained. They’d come on to her; they wouldn’t be able to help themselves. They would automatically want her because she was beautiful and because she was made for their kind. Even though she was made specifically for him, the boys were still too young; they wouldn’t understand the difference. He’d end up fighting the kids, and that’s not what he wanted. He wanted only to help them.

  Dominic wasn’t looking for forever; he had never wanted that life. He had seen firsthand how forever destroyed people. But if she stayed he knew he wouldn’t be able to resist. He’d end up giving in to his instinct, claiming what was rightfully his. And after last night there was no denying that she wa
s his. He appealed to her on every level and she brought out the beast in him. Mouthwatering.

  As he lay in bed watching the dark turn into light, he remembered why that word sounded so familiar. His mom used to use it to describe his dad. It always made his dad smile when she said it, and his dad was always smiling at his mom. Dominic was the only one who noticed that she rarely smiled back. Dominic was the only one who wasn’t surprised when she left. And he was the only one who wasn’t surprised when his dad had died two months later. He had seen it all coming like a car accident that Dominic couldn’t stop. His mom had been in lust with his father, but never in love. She never wanted the life they led together. He wouldn’t do that to himself, and he sure as hell wouldn’t do that to Corey. He looked up from his spot leaning against the wall as he heard the door open.

  “Thank you, Dean McCormick, you won’t be disappointed.” Corey walked out of the dean’s office, walked right past Dominic, and headed down the stairs.

  “Corey, wait.” He quickly followed her.

  “What do you want, Coach Hardy? I need to go set up my office before I start meeting with the kids. I’m so sorry to disappoint you, but I still have a job.”

  “Corey, please let me explain, it’s not what you think.” He was all but pleading with her. He knew he sounded like a tool, a guilty tool.

  “Oh really? You weren’t in there telling the dean you didn’t think I could handle the guys or my job?”

  “No, well, not really. Please give me five minutes to try to explain myself.”

  When they reached the first-floor landing, she finally turned to him, arms crossed and chin up. “You have two minutes.” She spared a bored glance at her watch, timing him. “Starting now.”

  “Look, I care about you. I don’t want to see this go badly.”

  “Is that it? That’s your big explanation? Riveting.” She made to leave.

  He tried again. “These boys—”

  She cut him off before he could even finish his sentence. “You know what? Shut the hell up. I’m so tired of everyone and all this ‘these boys’ bullshit. What? Is this an expensive boarding school for rapists and sociopaths? All the top-notch teachers and fancy blazers a front for a ritzy juvenile detention center? Huh?”

  “No, that’s not what I’m saying. If you’d—”

  She cut him off yet again. “Well, then back the fuck off. If and when I need your assistance, I’ll ask for it. Until then stay out of my way. I’m perfectly capable of putting horny misinformed males in their place, as you can well see.” And with that she pushed through the large double doors then slammed them in his face, which was pretty impressive, considering they had a slow-close hinge.

  Chapter Eight

  Dominic

  Damn Dean McCormick. Dominic had tried to explain about his and Corey’s connection. Instead of that giving the dean a reason to make her leave, it seemed to harden his resolve that she could actually make a difference here. Now the dean thought of Dominic as Corey’s own personal bodyguard. Shit.

  Dominic couldn’t remember the last time someone had handed him his ass on a platter like she had just now. Corey was good, she was tough, and she couldn’t be intimidated. He still wished she’d leave. He knew this was bound to become a huge cluster-fuck, but it would be a hell of a ride. The whole time she was telling him off, only half his brain had been listening. The other half was thinking about how fucking sexy she looked doing it. He still had a semi.

  He walked into the athletic building, his domain, and stopped dead in his tracks. Was that vanilla he smelled? He followed the scent down the hall past his office to an open door on the right. There, sitting behind a feminine white antique desk, was Corey Cooper. Pounding away at a pink laptop. Two questions came to mind: where had maintenance found that girly fucking desk, and why was vanilla wafting out of her office? Both were really frillying up the vibe in this building.

  “I see you found your office.” Dominic leaned casually against her doorframe.

  Corey didn’t bothering looking up when she answered. “Yup. Made it all the way over here by myself without someone humping my leg. You should be so proud of me.”

  He ignored her sarcastic remark. “Why does this whole building smell like vanilla? And where did you find that desk?”

  “Maintenance found this desk in storage. They thought I would like it. And it was sweet that they were so thoughtful. As for the vanilla, it’s a candle. This office smelled like dirty sweaty boy.”

  Dominic rolled his eyes. “The whole place smells like dirty sweaty boy. It’s the athletic building. And I’m sure I can speak for the rest of the coaching staff as well as the students when I say, we like it that way. Blow out your girly candle.” He didn’t know why he felt the need to stand his ground about something as silly as a candle. But Corey made him feel antsy and unsettled.

  Dominic’s assistant coach and right-hand man, Keller Byrne, picked that moment to knock on the door right next to Dominic’s face. Fucker almost punched him, accidentally he hoped.

  “Hi there, sweetheart, I’m Coach Byrne. When I heard we had a girl in our midsts, I wanted to come by and introduce myself.” He took a step into the room, passing Dominic and moving closer to Corey. “Good god, what is that amazing smell?”

  Corey stood up and crossed her office, offering Keller her hand. “It’s so nice to meet you, Coach Byrne. I’m Corey Cooper, the new guidance counselor. You like the smell? Coach Hardy here was telling me how y’all preferred the sweaty boy stench over the sweet vanilla one.” She gave a long, appreciative look up and down Keller’s body, and Dominic fought the urge to slam his best friend’s head into the wall.

  “Oh, well.” Keller glanced over at Dominic with a face that said he was wondering what he had walked into. “I really like the vanilla, and it’s a nice change from what it usually smells like in here.” Dominic cleared his throat and shot daggers at his friend. “But, well, you know, should probably blow it out, fire hazard and all that.”

  She leaned her hip against the edge of the desk, arms crossed, pulling her black long-sleeve t-shirt even tighter against her chest. “Coach Hardy really is the boss around here, isn’t he?”

  Keller chuckled. “We like to let him think that. He gets real cranky otherwise.” He winked at her and Dominic narrowed his eyes in irritation. “It was nice meeting you, Ms. Cooper. I presume I’ll be seeing you around.”

  “It was a pleasure meeting you as well, Keller.” She gave a quick glance at Dominic, meeting his eyes with a smirk on her face. “Please call me Corey, and you can be sure you’ll be seeing me.” Was she flirting with Keller to piss Dominic off? Because if she was, it was working.

  Dominic waited until Keller left the office and then all but growled at her. “What the fuck was that?”

  “I have no idea what you are talking about, Coach Hardy.”

  “Oh, so now I’m Coach Hardy and he’s Keller?”

  “Well, he was being nice, personable, and welcoming. You have spent the better part of the morning being an ass. Nice people get called by their first names, tool-bags get called Coach Hardy.” She smiled sweetly.

  “This tool-bag,” he pointed to himself, “had his tongue down your throat and your ass pressed against a door less than twenty-four hours ago. Or have you forgotten?”

  Corey laughed. “Oh I haven’t forgotten. I also haven’t forgotten you talking about me to the dean behind my back, or you busting in here insulting my candle. As much fun as it would be to stand here and listen to you call yourself more names, I have actual work to do. This morning the dean informed me that I start meeting with your players tomorrow.”

  The dean had mentioned that he needed Corey to start working right away, but he’d never said anything about her meeting with his players. “He wants you to start with my team?”

  “Yeah, something about them having to be cleared to start the season? I found that somewhat odd. I’ve never had to sign off on any players before they were allowed to participat
e. Would you like to explain that to me?”

  Dominic sighed. Now he understood why the dean was in such a hurry to hire someone. The previous counselor must have never finished the reports on Dominic’s players before he up and disappeared. Fred Henderson had been the counselor here for about eight months before he left without notice. He was a whiny pain in the ass, and apparently lazy as well.

  “A few years back, before I started coaching here, the team got into some trouble. Had some aggression issues on the field. It was a wild season, and ever since then, the board has insisted upon a counselor checking the boys out before the first game.”

  “Baseball players had aggression issues on the field? Correct me if I’m wrong, Coach Hardy, but baseball isn’t a full-contact sport.”

  “Thus the reason they got in so much trouble. Look, the dean is right. They have to be cleared before next week or we would have to forfeit the first game of the season.” Man, he hated what he was about to say, and he was pretty sure it was going to cause her to jump his ass again. “I know all these boys. If you need any help or you have any questions, my door is always open. They can be a handful at best and are going to be irritated that they have to go through this process again. But I would really love to speed this along and get on with coaching my team.”

  Corey cocked her pretty little head to the side, sarcastic disbelief on her face. “Wait a minute. Let me see if I’m understanding you correctly. I was hired, for the most part, in order to give written consent for a baseball team to start their season on time?”

  “Well, I’m not sure that the dean would agree with that assessment—”

  “This whole time, all this talk about me not being able to handle or control the boys, was not about me being in over my head dealing with one hundred fifty adolescent males. It was about me being in over my head dealing with eighteen baseball players?”