Rumor Has It (An Animal Magnetism Novel) (15 page)

But now, with the maturity the past decade had given him, he realized he’d missed it and was truly enjoying being back.

“Feel better?” she asked, letting her hands slide off his shoulders.

No. But she still looked hot on her knees. Really hot.

“Griffin?” She cocked her head. “Are you even listening to me?”

“My brain stopped working the second you got on your knees like that.”

She snorted, and he sat up and pulled her onto his lap, nuzzling at the sweet spot right beneath her ear.

She melted into him and made his damn day. “I have to go,” she whispered, even as she wrapped her arms around his neck, seducing him with nothing more than a smile. Which meant that the joke was on him, because all along he’d honestly believed that everything that was happening—or not happening—between them was his own doing.

But even he had to call bullshit on the notion.

He’d been a hell of a soldier. He knew how to keep his guard up and watch his own six. And yet with little to no effort Kate had taken him down, methodically, thoughtfully, purposely.

Taken down by a second-grade elementary school teacher slash science nerd who had no idea how powerful she was.

She wriggled free. “Sorry,” she said. “But I’ve got to help Ashley with her math, and then it’s Bingo Night. We’re raising money for the school library.” She leaned in and then surprised him by nipping his lower lip, wrenching a groan from him.

“Good?” she whispered.

“So good it should be illegal.”

“
Cosmo
said it was a trick to hold a guy’s interest.”

She had his interest all right. And, he was afraid, his heart as well.

He was still sitting there alone a few minutes later when his dad opened the sliding door and stared at him. “Yoga?” he asked.

“It’s a tension reliever.”

Donald gave a bark of laughter. “Whipped,” he said, and while Grif sat there stunned that he’d made his dad laugh—sure, it was totally at him and not with him, but it was something—Donald vanished back inside.

That night Griffin didn’t get a headache, and he slept like a log. He had no idea if it had been the riding, the yoga, or all the fresh air, but he suspected that the culprit was none of the above.

That the honor belonged to Kate herself.

* * *

The next day Kate woke at the crack of dawn. At first she thought maybe it was the pressure of the pretty embossed scholarship envelope sitting bedside, the one silently saying,
Psst, only nine more days to grab your lifelong dream . . .

But then she heard the knock at her door. Staggering down the hall, she peeked out. Grif.

He handed her a to-go mug of coffee. “You’ve got five minutes.”

“Huh?”

“Drink first,” he said, and then pushed his way inside. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching her obey his order.

When she had a few sips down and the caffeine had begun to clear her head, she asked, “Five minutes for what?”

He just looked at her, all big, bad, and silent.

Five minutes . . .

Her body tingled. Normally her egg timer was set to about twenty, but she knew firsthand that Grif could get her to the finish line in half that time.

“Time to get dressed,” he said. “It’s my turn to have my way with you.”

“Then why am I getting dressed?”

The corners of his mouth twitched. An almost smile. But whatever had him up and ready this early wasn’t all that amusing. Serious Grif was in the house.

And then she remembered. “You’re going to teach me how to defend myself.”

“Yes.”

“I’m not really all that fond of violence.”

“You don’t have to be.” He turned her away from him and in the direction of her bedroom. When she didn’t immediately start moving, he gave her a swat on the butt. “Hustle.”

What did it say about her that his comment made her want to hustle to strip rather than the reverse?

He took her to the gym in town and proceeded to give her boxing lessons. Thirty minutes later she was drenched in sweat, and every single muscle trembled.

“How do you feel?” he asked when he’d brought her back home and walked her inside.

“Like a puddle of goo.” She blew a strand of hair from her face. “And maybe like I could kick some ass.”

He flashed a heart-stopping smile, hooked an arm around her neck, and drew her in close, pressing his mouth to her temple. “That’s my girl.”

She slid her hands up his chest. “Griffin?”

His voice was morning gruff and caused shivers down her spine. “Yeah?”

“We still have a chemistry problem.”

“No shit.” His hands went to her hips and squeezed as he glanced at her foyer table. “Kate, would you say that table is . . . sturdy?”

She dropped her head to his chest and half moaned, half laughed. “Don’t tempt me.”

She felt him smile at her temple. “You want me bad,” he said.

“I told you. You can’t fight chemistry.”

A laugh huffed from him. “So it’s not your fault? Is that what you’re saying?”

“That’s right,” she said. “It’s your fault.”

He only smiled, shook his head, and then quickly left, as if maybe he didn’t trust himself with her.

The feeling was mutual.

* * *

The next day at dawn, Grif was woken by his phone chirping.

“You have five minutes,” Kate said. “I’m on your deck with yoga mats.”

He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Are you naked?”

“No!”

He sighed and rolled out of bed, peeking out his window to indeed see her car out front. “This is not how I dreamed of you waking me up, Kate,” he said into the phone.

Her breath caught audibly, which only made him harder—a combination of morning wood and Kate’s voice.

“Are you coming?” she asked softly.

He groaned. “I will if you will.”

“Oh my God. I didn’t mean—” She broke off at his low laugh.

“Love it when you talk dirty,” he said.

“Just get your ass out here, Griffin Reid. Now.”

“And I especially love it when you go all domineering like that.”

She hung up on him. Grif grinned and then stood there and recited the alphabet backward until he could pull on a pair of basketball shorts without tenting the front of them.

* * *

Holly and Adam came home from their honeymoon the next day, both looking quite relaxed and mellow. Holly hugged Grif tight in greeting then stepped back, grinning up at his face.

“What?” he asked.

“Oh, sorry, am I still doing it?” she asked. “Am I still smiling?”

“From ear to ear,” Grif said.

“I know! I can’t seem to stop.”

Adam laughed at her, and she smacked her new husband in the chest. “Stop it. It’s all your fault anyway.”

Pulling her into him, Adam nuzzled her ear before nipping it. “I know,” he said, sounding quite full of himself.

Grif blew out a sigh. “Didn’t you get that out of your system over the past few days?”

“Nope.” Adam took a good look at Grif and then his brows went up. “How are you doing?”

“Good,” Grif said.

“Really.” This wasn’t a question, and it sounded rather heavy on the irony. “And why are you good?”

“Why am I good?” Grif asked. “What kind of question is that?”

“I’m sensing a tremor in the force,” Adam said.

“What the hell?” Grif looked at Holly. “What did you do to him?”

“Well, I pretty much screwed him deaf and blind, and then—”

“Christ!” Grif covered his ear. “Don’t tell me!”

Holly laughed, but Adam was still giving Grif a once-over.

Adam was a little spooky sometimes, knowing things he shouldn’t. Grif held his gaze, thinking he couldn’t possibly know.

But Adam just stared back. He knew.

“What’s going on?” Holly asked.

“Ask him,” Adam said.

“All right.” She shoved her new husband aside and looked up at her brother. “What the hell is my husband talking about?”

“Nothing.”

Holly turned to Adam, who gave her a raised brow. Holly gasped and whirled back on Grif. “You didn’t!”

“Going to have to narrow that down, Hol.”

She went toe-to-toe with him. “You didn’t sleep with her. Tell me you didn’t sleep with her.”

Well, there hadn’t been all that much sleeping involved, but Grif knew his sister had one hell of a right hook, and he already had a building headache, so he kept that detail to himself.

As well as the fact that Kate had given him a third yoga tutorial that morning during which she’d put him through his paces. He’d then returned the favor, teaching her some more self-defense moves. It had been a hot and sweaty forty-five minutes that he knew damn well had left her hot and bothered, and him the same.

And then she’d gone to work, and he’d gone to the shower for a self-serve.

“Dammit, Grif!” Holly said. “I told you she’s vulnerable!”

“She’s a grown woman,” Grif said. “Capable of making her own decisions.”

“You were at a wedding, for God’s sake. A really, really, really great wedding.”

“So?”

Holly stared at him like he was the biggest moron on earth. “So weddings make people even more vulnerable. Oh my God, I can’t believe you did this to her.”

Okay, this was starting to piss him off. “Jesus, I didn’t force her!”

“Of course you didn’t! You didn’t have to. She has a huge crush on you, and you know that! All you had to do was give her that look.”

“What look?”

“You know what look! The look you give women, the one that makes them fall at your feet. She probably leaped right into your arms.”

Grif opened his mouth and then shut it.

Adam laughed then sucked it up at a dark look from Grif.

“Women don’t fall at my feet,” Grif said.

“Suzie Mayers, Tessa Winworth, Sugar Madison, Morgan Yzardo,” Holly said, ticking the names off on her fingers. “Tracy Bassinger, Carina Martinez—”

“That was high school!”

Holly let her hands fall to her side, but the temper was still firing in her eyes. “They used to crawl into your window at night.”

At the very pleasant memory, Grif smiled, and Holly hit him again. “Ow!” he said. “Watch it. I’m hurt, you know.”

“Oh, really? Are you fragile, you big, annoying oaf? Are you taking care of everyone else in your world except yourself, leaving you no time for a real life? Are you feeling lonely and overwhelmed and just a little bit afraid that this is all life is going to offer? Are you living in a small town where your only viable options are your own ex-boyfriend or dating some asshole from Boise you met online?”

Grif went still, his amusement with his sister fading. “Kate’s dating some asshole from Boise?”

“Is that all you heard?”

No. He’d heard it all, every word. And an unaccustomed emotion was sitting on his chest now.

Guilt.

Because the truth was, Kate had been vulnerable that night, and he’d known it. She’d also been a little bit toasted. And looking for oblivion. He’d given her everything she’d wanted; he knew that. She’d thoroughly enjoyed herself. Her breathy little pants of “Oh yes, Griffin, oh my God, yes” were still headlining his fantasies at night.

But had he taken advantage of her? He didn’t like the thought that maybe he had. He didn’t like that at all.

But he also didn’t like the thought of her dating some dickwad she’d met online.

“Grif,” Holly said far more gently at his silence. “She’s not your type.”

“And you know my type?”

“Yes. Slutty.” She arched a brow, waiting for him to deny it.

“People change,” he said.

“Fine,” she allowed. “I’ll grant you that. Let me come at this another way. I know what’s not your type. Sweet, hard-working, dedicated, loyal second-grade teachers from Sunshine.”

A direct hit.

K
at
e was standing in front of her class trying to express the importance of being able to spell the states in the continental US when someone peeked into her room.

Holly.

She was wearing a vistor’s pass, which was no doubt thanks to Ryan. Holly and Adam had only taken a few days off. Brady, Adam’s helicopter pilot brother, had flown them to Coeur d’Alene for a lux stay at a resort hotel, but it was high season at Belle Haven and even though they’d hired on new vet Dr. Wyatt to help, business was booming, leaving a real honeymoon slated for early fall.

Holly had enjoyed her little trip if her glowing complexion was any indicator. She gave a finger wave to the class, who knew her from visits to the animal center.

Kate moved toward her. “Everyone say hi to Ms. Reid— Actually, she’s Mrs. Connelly now.”

“Hi, Mrs. Connelly,” the kids said in varying degrees of unison.

Holly beamed. “Hi, everyone. I just need to borrow Ms. Evans for a minute.”

Every seven- and eight-year-old in the class had lost their train of thought at the sight of her, hoping she had an animal with her. Which she didn’t. Unfortunately, Kate really needed to keep them on task because they were running behind today. She took the time to lean into Holly for a quick hug and baby rub on her still flat belly. “I’m so happy to see you,” she said, “but we’re on a super-tight schedule today.”

“Okay, but this is . . .” Holly lowered her voice.
“Muy importante.
”

“That means very important,” Tommy said out loud, translating for everyone.

“How do you even know that, freak?” Dustin asked.

Tommy shrugged and went back to his coloring.

“Dustin,” Kate said, making sure her temper didn’t show. “What happens when we call someone a name?”

He put down his crayon, stood up, and walked to the back of the room to the chair facing the wall. He plopped on it and sprawled out like he didn’t care that he’d been singled out.

Which Kate knew to be true.

What she didn’t know was why. Dustin knew the rules, knew the consequences. And they both knew something else, that if he didn’t pass today’s spelling test, he wouldn’t be allowed to play in his travel team’s tournament this weekend.

Why didn’t he care?

The answer to that wasn’t at all reassuring. She glanced at Tommy, who was ignoring the entire situation, and then shook her head at Holly.

She really didn’t have time for this now.

“It’ll only take a second,” Holly promised.

Kate sighed. There was no deterring Holly when she sank her teeth into something, though Kate couldn’t imagine what she was all worked up about. She’d just spent several days alone with Adam, one of the sexiest men on the entire planet. “Can this wait until recess?”

“No, I have to get to work.” Holly helped run her father’s ranching empire with the precision of a drill sergeant and the care of a den mother. She was good at her job, and doing it in a man’s world had made her tough. Few crossed Holly.

Kate loved her like a sister, but even she didn’t cross Holly. So she glanced back at the class. “Keep practicing,” she told them. “Don’t leave your seats.” She met Holly’s gaze. “So what’s up?”

“I was thinking you might tell me.”

Kate knew that tone, and she went still. She had no idea how, but Holly knew something had happened between her and Griffin. Luckily, she had no way of knowing what exactly—

“Rumor has it,” Holly said, “that you slept with my brother.”

Okay, scratch that. Holly knew everything. Kate took another glance over her shoulder at the kids. Of course not a single one of them was paying her the slightest bit of attention. Dammit. Where was a crisis when she needed one? Mikey had been pulling Nina’s hair all damn day, but was he doing it now? No, he was sitting in his seat like a perfect little angel, tongue between his teeth, brow furrowed in concentration, actually doing as she’d asked, practicing his spelling.

Even Dustin had settled down and was taking his time-out with surprising grace.

“How did this happen?” Holly asked.

Kate could give her the whole chemistry lesson or tell her the simple truth—it should have been just a harmless kiss, but as it turned out, there was no such thing as harmless as it pertained to Griffin. But she doubted his sister wanted to know that.

“Ms. Evans?” Scott called from the front row. “Can I give Bunny some more water? He looks thirsty.”

“I’m sorry,” Kate whispered to Holly. “I didn’t do it to hurt you.”

“Honey, this isn’t about me. It’s about you, and I’m worried. Grif’s only here for the week, or however long the fancy strikes him. You know that, right? Tell me you know that.”

“I know that.”

“He’s not your picket-fence guy.”

“I know that, too,” Kate said, even though the words sent a little stab of pain into her chest.

“And it’s not like I’m not happy you’re getting laid . . .”

“Ohmigod,” Kate said, feeling her face flush. “I can’t believe this is ‘
muy importante
.’”

“I had to make sure you were okay.”

Holly could have no idea how much that meant to Kate, but the fact was that Kate had never been better. She glanced down at the tug on her sweater. Scott. “Yes, you can give Bunny some water.”

The boy beamed and ran to the bunny cage on the counter that ran along the classroom windows.

Kate let out a breath and met Holly’s gaze. “So how did you find out?”

“Adam took one look at Grif and could tell he’d gotten lucky,” Holly said.

“He could’ve been with anyone,” Kate said. “How did you know it was me?”

Holly gave her a get-real look. “You’re the only one he’s bothered with since he got here.”

This gave Kate a little frisson of pleasure.

“And you need to look in the mirror once in a while,” Holly said. “A guy would be crazy not to want you.” She paused. “But also, I know because I talked to him.”

Kate’s heart stopped as she imagined how that conversation must have gone, what with Holly’s interfering ways and Griffin’s ability to be silent until the end of time. “You did?”

“Actually, I hit him.”

“You what?”

“Hey, it was my sisterly duty,” Holly said. “Don’t worry, I didn’t hurt him too badly.”

“You talked to Griffin,” Kate repeated, mortified.

“Well, as much as you can actually talk to Grif. He’s not exactly a conversationalist.”

Kate closed her eyes. This was true. Griffin wasn’t a big talker. But there were other ways to communicate, and he had those ways down.

“Ms. Evans?” Scott was back at her side. “Bunny’s got a problem.”

“What is it?”

“You know how he was a little fat? Well, he’s not so fat now. I think he’s hungry. Can I feed him?”

“Yes, but don’t touch him until I get there, okay?”

“’Kay.”

“And don’t lick!”

“’Kay.”

Holly looked shocked. “Lick?” she whispered.

“Long story,” Kate said. “Don’t ask.”

Holly shook her head. “Thank God I’m not a teacher.” She took Kate’s hand. “I love you,” she said. “You know that. And I want you to be happy. But I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I’m not. I won’t.”

“Kate—”

“I seduced him, Hol.” Kate closed her eyes and then opened them. “It was all me. I knew what I was doing. I just wanted the one night, that was it. It’s done. And we’re good.”

“It’s . . . done?”

“Yep.” Done. Well, except for that chemistry problem.

“And you’re okay?” Holly asked softly. “Really?”

“Really.” Except . . . she didn’t have any idea how to get over the memory of being with him. She hadn’t had any idea at all that their night would literally move heaven and earth for her, that her soul would be woken up, that her body could hum like that. She hadn’t known any of it, but even if she had, she’d still have done it.

Holly sighed and hugged her hard.

“I’m so happy you’re back,” Kate said.

“Even though I yelled at you in a whisper?”

“Even though.”

Holly squeezed her hand. “You know, if you’d asked me, he’s not who I’d have picked for you.”

Kate nodded. “I know.”

Holly stared at her for a long moment. “But I’d have been wrong. He thinks he’s an island. He’s certainly always been a rock. For me. My mom. Everyone.”

Kate nodded. She knew this, too. She’d seen this.

“But he’s never had anyone be his rock.” She smiled. “Be his rock, Kate.”

“Ms. Evans!”

Scott again. He was back at her side, cradling a lump of something in the front of his sweatshirt. “Scott, I told you not to touch.”

“Not touching. Carrying.” He revealed his precious cargo.

Three bunny babies.

“Bunny multiplied!” he said joyously.

Kate met Holly’s amused glance. “Really have to go now.”

* * *

By the end of the day, Dell had come by to check on the bunnies, and Kate had arranged homes for them when they were old enough to be separated from Bunny.

And she’d nearly recovered from the fact that people knew she’d slept with Griffin.

Nearly, but not quite

All she had left now were parent conferences. There had been four of them each day after school all week long. Today the first one was with Dustin’s parents.

Emily Anders was divorced from Trevan so the meeting was tense from the start. They sat at the art table. Trevan’s arms were crossed over his chest, his jaw tight, everything about him and his expensive suit saying,
Pissed-off male
.

Kate did her best to put them at ease. “Dustin’s doing extremely well in math and science.” She handed them Dustin’s progress report.

Trevan’s jaw bunched as he looked it over. “You’re aware that in order to play in his travel league, Dustin needs to maintain a certain grade level.”

“Yes.”

“So why did you give him a D in spelling?”

“That’s what he earned.”

Trevan gave her an intimidating stare that Kate refused to let get to her.

“This will take him out of tournament play until the next grading period,” he said.

“His homework and test scores are below grade average,” Kate said. “I’ve been offering to help after school, but you’ve turned that help down.”

Emily turned to her ex. “Is that true?”

Trevan ignored her and stared at Kate. “You know he has daily baseball practice for his travel league. It’s extensive and time-consuming.”

“Oh my God,” Emily said. “Are you kidding me? He’s eight. I’ve told you a million times, you’re putting too much pressure on him.”

Kate agreed. “School is important, too, Mr. Anders.”

“So is this,” he said, voice low, vibrating with temper now. “He has to do better.”

“Yes, he does,” Kate said. “Or he’s going to miss our next few field trips, one of which is tomorrow. He’s going home with some extra credit tonight. You could help—”

“Or you could help by taking some of this ridiculous pressure off,” Trevan said. “It’s second grade for crissake.”

“Second grade is important,” Kate said. “But my offer of tutoring is still open.”

“My tax dollars pay you to teach him in the amount of time you have,” Trevan said.

“You often taken him out early,” Kate reminded him. “And he misses valuable class time.”

Emily gasped. “Trevan, we agreed that you would no longer do that!”

Trevan’s face remained cool and blank, but pure temper sparked in his eyes. He’d slipped up, and he clearly blamed Kate for making that public.

Emily drew a deep breath, and ignoring her ex now, she spoke directly to Kate. “You’ve been very generous with your time. We’re grateful.” She rose and gave Trevan an expectant look.

Grim-faced, he rose, too. “Teaching is your job, Ms. Evans. Not the school play or Bingo Night or running through the park feeding all the bums. My job is parenting. You do your job and I’ll do mine.” And then he left the classroom without another word.

Kate let out a breath.

“I’d apologize for him,” Emily said into the silence, “but I no longer have to do that.”

Kate smiled and did her best to shrug it off. “I know it’s not easy to hear your child needs extra help.”

“No. But you’re a lot kinder than I could ever be,” Emily said, and left.

Kate didn’t feel kind. She felt a little shaken, a feeling that didn’t improve when she called for the next parents to come into her classroom for their conference and saw that among the others waiting for her was Griffin, wearing a guest tag in what she recognized as Ryan’s handwriting, complete with a smiley face alongside his name.