GRIT: A Spartan Riders Novel (15 page)

“Yes, sir,” she said quietly, shamed.

“I pride myself on creating a safe environment for these children, and two grown adults duking it out in the parking lot, in front of students, staff, and parents alike doesn’t exactly inspire trust.”

“I understand that, sir, but in my defense, I didn’t start the fight.”

“I never said you did. However, most concerning for me is that it happened at all. I don’t know what goes on in your personal life, and it’s none of my business, but I can’t have it spilling onto school property. It creates a certain level of distrust between the parents and the staff, as I’m sure you can understand.”

“Yes, sir.” God, she was going to lose her job, wasn’t she? Gabby’s stomach fell just thinking about all she’d worked for, lost, and all because some woman with a chip on her shoulder couldn’t let go of the past.

“Even more concerning is the students. Most of them saw the fight, and if they didn’t, they’re certain to talk about it with their friends. I’m now faced with figuring out the best method of damage control.”

“I’ll talk to my kids,” she offered. “I’ll talk to the whole school, if you want me to. I’ll tell them that this was a dispute among adults that never should have happened, and then discuss how to better handle problems. It would be a great opportunity to address the anti-bullying campaign the district has been striving for this year,” she ventured.

They had posters up all around the school, and they were always preaching respect and tolerance. She knew she was grasping at straws, but she would be damned if she lost her job because some haggard, delusional shrew of a woman decided to target her instead of working out her problems with the person who’d truly caused them: herself.

Principal Linden sat back in his chair, regarding her. “That could work, Gabby. Lord knows I’d hate to let you go. You’re a good teacher, and the kids respond to you. It’s one of the reason I haven’t issued walking papers yet. I’ve seen the way that Mahone kid has improved since you started working with him, and I think it’d be a shame to lose you. To be frank, there’s a shortage of good teachers, and I’d like to see what you can do.” Sucking in a whistling breath through his nose, he continued. “Let’s do the rally in the auditorium this afternoon while it’s still fresh. I’ll work on putting something together for the kids to take home and have my secretary print them up.”

Standing, he rounded the desk, and taking that as her cue, Gabby rose on shaky legs. Following him to the door, she paused when he did.

“You’re an asset, Gabby. We’ll figure this thing out, but word of advice. Clean house. Make sure nothing like this happens again. My power as principal only extends so far.”

Gabby passed him a grateful smile. “Thank you, sir. I truly appreciate it.”

He nodded once and opened the door. Gabby fled. As soon as she hit the empty hall, she gasped for air. The adrenalin surging through her veins had her breathless and edgy. It was a wonder she even made it back to her classroom without completely falling apart. Inside, she could hear the kids reciting their sight words to one of the teachers who’d stepped in for her while she was away.

Shaking out her hands, Gabby reached for the doorknob.

TWENTY

“I hate public speaking, even in front of a bunch of elementary kids, but it could have been worse. I could have lost my job.”

Gabby stood at the counter in Blake’s kitchen, mindlessly stabbing a wooden spoon into the cooking hamburger for the spaghetti dinner Ash insisted on having, while Ninja wrapped himself around her ankles. Once again, Blake had talked her into staying over, and she was beginning to lose track of how many times she’d done so. He was just so easy to be around. The time they spent together, her and Blake and Ash, felt special somehow, as if she had her own little family going on. They had dinner together almost every night, watched movies, did the whole bedtime thing. If this was what it was always like, she couldn’t fathom why Jodi had walked away.

“I’m sorry you had to deal with that…” Blake glanced around. “That bitch,” he finished, though his voice was markedly quieter this time.

Gabby chuckled. Ash had created a swear jar that he kept front and center on the dining table. Every time Blake cursed out loud, he had to put a coin in it.

The jar was nearly full already.

When she’d asked Ash what he planned to do with all that money, he’d told her that he planned to take all three of them to Disneyland. She’d been so moved by his willingness to include her in their plans that she’d promised to keep an ear out.

Using the wooden spoon to point at him, Gabby informed Blake, “That’s a dime in the swear jar.”

Blake paused in draining the spaghetti to look at her. “Are you fucking kidding me? You’re in on this too?”

“That’s a quarter.”

“Jesus—” Cutting himself off, his gaze cut to hers and he growled as he dropped the colander into the sink and reached into his pants pocket. “I’m disappointed in you, teach, ratting me out like that.” The coins clanked as he dropped them in. Trudging back her way, he stopped behind her, flattening his hands against the counter on either side of her hips. Skimming his lips up the side of her neck, he drew her earlobe between his teeth, biting down lightly. “I have a mind to spank you later, see how many coins you rack up for that damned jar.”

Gabby’s eyes slid closed, picturing it. “Mmm, I’ve always wanted to go to Disneyland.”

“Then you’d better cash in some dollars, teach, ‘cause you’re going to need them.”

After placing a teasing, openmouthed kiss over her thundering pulse, they reluctantly parted to finish up dinner. At the dining table, they discussed their impending trip to Disney, with Ash excitedly declaring that he was going to ride everything, no matter how scary. Blake told her about his day, enlightening her about the construction industry and, more specifically, the job he was working to complete.

She’d heard about the condominiums going up down by the river. It was part of a revitalization effort that the township hoped would attract more tourism and investors. She had yet to see the dig site, but anything Blake’s capable hands were involved with was likely to be a success in her opinion.

“I can’t wait to see it,” she told him. “Maybe I’ll even buy one.” It would be the perfect time to move, in fact. She’d already started her savings, and by the time the building was complete, she should have enough to get her place. Why not live in something new and modern and that had Blake’s stamp of approval on it?

“You’re planning to move?”

Blake’s odd tone caught her attention, and she frowned. “Well, I certainly don’t plan to live with my parents forever.” She tilted her head, studying him. “Why?”

“No reason.” Setting his fork down on his plate, Blake asked Ash if he was finished and then stacked their dishes together, heading into the kitchen to begin cleanup.

“Ash, sweetie, why don’t you go get washed up and in your PJs. I’ll meet you in the living room when you’re done so we can watch a show.”

“Can I pick tonight?”

She smiled brightly. “Of course.”

“Yes!” Jumping up from his chair, Ash raced through the house to his bedroom. He was getting so much better at not whining at the mention of his bedtime routine.

Gabby followed Blake into the kitchen. Leaning back against the counter, she crossed her arms over her chest and watched as he rinsed the dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher. Something was definitely bothering him. “Care to tell me what that was all about?”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“That attitude you have going on,” she pointed out. “The one that started when I mentioned moving. Do you have something against me buying one of your condos?”

“They aren’t mine,” he corrected, “and no. You can live wherever you want to.”

Her brows furrowed. He hadn’t looked at her once, and his tone was chilly. “Then why am I getting frostbite over here?”

Turning off the tap, Blake dried his hands and turned to face her. His face was a mask of hard stubbornness that Gabby wasn’t certain how to take. “You’re here every night. You eat, shower, and sleep here every single night.”

“Okay…” she said, dragging the word out. “Don’t forget that you insist on it. You’ve even hidden my keys before, so if you’ve changed your mind or something, then all you have to do is say so. I can leave.”

He huffed as if annoyed. “Right. Sure. Well, if it’s that easy for you to go, then go. I’m not holding you prisoner.”

“Whoa, okay.” Gabby held up her hands. “What just happened here? Am I missing something?” Blake just stood there, staring her down, his defensive posture mirroring hers. Well, maybe he wanted her to guess. “Are you upset because I’ve overstayed my welcome, or because you don’t want me to move into my own place?”

A muscle in his jaw jumped as he continued to stand there in silence. Wasn’t she just thinking of how easy it was to be around him? Hell, the man could be so infuriating sometimes. But as she puzzled it over, she wondered if she hadn’t just hit the nail on the head. Maybe it wasn’t so much that she wanted to move out of her parent’s house, but where she wanted to move that was bothering him.

“You want me to move in here, don’t you? That’s it, isn’t it? You’re mad about me mentioning the condos because you want me to move in with you.”

“You can do whatever you want.”

Gabby threw hers hands up. “Don’t be so damned stubborn, Blake. If you have something to say, then just say it!”

“Fine! I want you here, not in some goddamned, overpriced condo! There! Ya happy now!”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I am!” She didn’t even know why she was still shouting. She should be happy that he wanted her around. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she breathed deeply. “I don’t want to argue, Blake. I just want you to talk to me. I’m not a mind reader.”

His gaze shifted up, toward the ceiling. “Yeah.”

That’s it? That’s all he was going to say? Gabby huffed a laugh. “Well, that was enlightening. I feel like I completely understand where you’re coming from now.”

Blake’s gaze lowered, pegging hers, and they stood there, staring each other down as silence ensued.

His eyes grew hooded as his gaze raked over her, and Gabby’s lady bits sat up straight. Running her tongue over her bottom lip, she gave him the same treatment, feeling a sense of power when she caught sight of the hardness swelling along his right thigh. Instantly, her nipples hardened, abrading against the lacey cups of her bra.

Unsurprisingly, Blake was the first to call the truce. Lips twitching, he said, “Goddamn, you make me hard, you sassy little witch. Get over here.”

She was still a little annoyed, but what woman could resist a man like him when he issued a command like that. Pushing away from the counter, she went into his waiting arms and tilted her head back to accept his ready kiss. His firm lips took hers in a heated kiss that curled her toes, and she moaned long and low into his mouth, eliciting a rumble of approval that had her pressing all her soft curves against his hard, muscular frame.

Before she got completely lost in his kiss, Gabby pulled back, determined to address the issue at hand. “I don’t think I’m ready to move in with you, Blake. This is all so new.”

Cupping her nape, his fingers tugged at the fine hairs while the rough pads of his thumbs smoothed across her cheeks. “Yeah, it is, teach. But you can’t tell me you don’t feel what I feel, that pull. I’ve felt it every day since the first time I set eyes on you. Thought I just needed to get my dick wet, but that’s shit’s only gotten more intense since I got you in my bed, so I’m thinkin’ it’s more than that.”

“But I thought you just wanted this to be simple, that you weren’t a man who ‘stuck,’” she questioned, a tinge of panic seeping into her voice. She wasn’t sure she was ready for “more” just yet. And with Blake? She thought of the time she’d already spent with him, how he held her, kissed her, hell, just how he looked at her. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d felt more fulfilled. So that big, fat question mark that should have been hanging over his name in her mind? She couldn’t help thinking that it was a whole hell of a lot smaller than it should have been. 

“Look, let’s not force a label on it,” Blake suggested. “I like what we have goin’ on here, so let’s just keep it goin’. See where it leads.”

She smiled widely. “I like that idea.”

“Good.” Grinning widely, Blake lowered his head, and Gabby lifted to her toes, prepared to get lost once again, when someone started banging down the front door. Lifting his head, Blake scowled over hers. “Go on back and help Ash pick out a book. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Gabby felt a chill travel down her spine. “Who do you think it is?”

“Seein’ as I don’t have x-ray vision, guess I’ll have to open it to find out.”

Gabby glared up at him, not appreciating his snarky sense of humor one bit. All she could think about was that awful ex of his and how she’d barged in unannounced that first night, and she was even more on edge since their altercation at the school. That woman was certifiable. “Just be careful.”

Touching her face, Blake winked. “You got it, babe. Now get out of sight. I’ll let you know if and when to come out.”

She didn’t like it, but Gabby went. She had just crossed the threshold into Ash’s room when she heard the front door open and a commotion of male voices trampling one another. Nerves assaulted her. Her first instinct was to creep back down the hall and see what was going on with her own eyes, but she forced herself to trust Blake and follow his orders.

Spotting Ash on the opposite side of his bed, sitting on the floor, she crossed to him. “Hey, buddy.” He was playing with a mix of cars, motorcycles, and army men. Sitting down beside him, she draped her arms over her bent knees. “Whatcha doin’?”

“I heard you and Daddy fighting, so I decided to play.”

Damn
. “I’m sorry about that. We’re weren’t really fighting, just having a disagreement. But we’re good now. You have nothing to worry about.”

“Can we still watch something then?”

She made a face. “Sorry, but your dad asked us to stay here for now. Do you want to pick a book out while we wait?”

He reached up to the nightstand and pulled down a thin paperback, handing it to her. Checking out the cover, Gabby’s eyebrows arched. “My Dead Goldfish,” she read aloud. “Won’t this give you nightmares?”

His head angled back and he gave her an arch look. “I’m not a baby. They’re not even scary anyway. They’re supposed to make you laugh.”

“Ah,” Gabby said with a nod. “Well, then, I’m intrigued. Do you think we should wait for your dad or just get started?”

The men’s voices boomed with laughter and Gabby and Ash both turned their heads toward the door. It sounded like she had her answer. Whoever had come to the door clearly wasn’t a threat. She relaxed some, turning a bright smile on Ash.

“It sounds like he’s going to be a while. Since it’s so close to bedtime already, what do you say we climb into bed and start without him.”

Standing up, Ash pulled back the covers and climbed under them. “But what if Daddy gets mad ‘cause we didn’t wait?”

“He won’t,” she assured him as she tucked the blankets in around him. “But how about this. We’ll read until he’s done and then he can help us finish. Sound good?”

“What if we’re already finished?”

“Then we can pick a new one.”

Ash’s lips pursed as he considered this. “Okay, but if he gets mad, I’m telling’ him it was your idea.”

Gabby narrowed her eyes and leaned in. “Deal.”