“Hey you.” Adam tucked a book under his arm. “Lots of copying?”

“Book lists, rules and requirements.” She shrugged. “First day stuff. Got a hold of your schedule?”

“I do.” He nodded and grinned again. “We ran yesterday, but it’s raining today, but we can run the halls.”

“You do realize how juvenile that sounds?”

His ears burned bright red and his eyes widened. She knew exactly what he meant. Her brother and Dennis regularly jogged the hallways after school. She didn’t want to run with them.

“I meant...”

“I know what you meant.” She elbowed him in the ribs. “I’d love to.”

“Cool.” His blush grew and he wandered away from her.

She shook her head and ducked into her classroom. Three hours of cleaning and organizing later, she looked out over the sea of desks. Another year, another set of students with the joys of English. Melissa snorted and took off her glasses to rub the bridge of her nose. Half of last year’s students believed text lingo was using proper English. Maybe she’d create a poster. She tucked her glasses on top of her head, then picked up one of the oversized markers and a piece of foam board.

No txt plz—use proper English

There. She capped the marker. Perfect. The students wouldn’t see it right away, but she’d work on them. If they wanted to get into college, they’d have to learn to use the full words.

Her thoughts drifted to Adam. He tried so hard to please people and deserved a happy ending. The image of him when he stood up before the run remained in her brain. She shouldn’t be thinking about the outline of his junk in those shorts, but damn. He sure seemed to be packing. She liked the way she felt in his arms, too. The right height, the right build…and his smile. He brought up her ex. Thinking about Kevin set her teeth on edge. Smug bastard. He always seemed to think he knew the right thing to say and do. Except he didn’t know a damn thing.

“You look lost in serious thought.” Adam stood in her doorway. “You okay?”

She jerked in her seat. “I didn’t hear you.” This time she blushed. “I’m fine.”

He nodded once, then folded his arms. For the first time, she noticed the muscle definition in his biceps. Given a tight T-shirt and jeans, he’d be darned hot. She shivered. Real hot.

“We’ve got a meeting in ten. Dennis wanted to introduce the new teachers. We just have to fill the space.”

“You don’t need the word just.” She took her glasses off the top of her head and stood, then stretched. “It’s extra.”

“Thank you Miss Murphy.” He unfolded himself. “Do I need to do time in detention?”

Man, did he know how to read her without even realizing he could. She crossed the room and stood face to face with him. “Mr. Pallas, are you coming on to me?”

The tips of his ears burned, but the grin deepened. “Yes, I believe I was. Is it working?”

“It is.” She didn’t even bother to look in the hallway before yanking him into her classroom. Seeing him flustered turned her on. Melissa pinned him to the wall between the chalkboard and the filing cabinets. “I told myself I wasn’t going to get involved with anyone. Said I wasn’t interested in dating, but you make me want to change my mind.” He wasn’t the abrasive alpha male like she was used to and she rather preferred the more beta guy.

“This could get us into trouble, but I don’t care,” he rumbled. Using a force she hadn’t believed he possessed, Adam shifted positions and caging her between his body and the wall. She noticed the amber flecks in his dark eyes and the light dusting of hairs on his chin. He tipped his head and met her for a kiss. He didn’t push, but rather tasted her.

Melissa wound her arms around his neck. The bulge she’d noticed between his legs before wasn’t a joke or a figment of her imagination. Holy hell, she wanted to feel him skin on skin. She toyed with the soft hair at the back of his head. The scent of him curled around her. She closed her eyes and basked in the connection.

Adam licked the seam of her lips and when she opened to him, he sucked on her tongue. Heat started low in her belly and spread through her body. She moaned.

He broke for air first. “Hush, babe. Don’t want everyone to hear us.” He smoothed a lock of her hair between his fingers. “But I do like hearing you. That sweet moan lets me know I’m doing something right.”

“You did a lot of things right.” She rested her palms on his shoulders. Muscled there, too? How had she missed it? “We’ll run after the meeting?”

“You bet.”

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