“Tyler Janus,” Mr. Cooper calls.
Tyler raises his hand. “Here.”
Our teacher looks down at the paper in his hands. “Braeden Jones.”
Braeden lifts a finger. “Right here.”
Mr. Cooper looks at Braeden and nods. “Katherine Kennedy.”
I hold my breath as he looks around the room waiting to match a face with the name. I sink a little lower into my chair as he repeats himself.
Dylan pokes me in the shoulder. “Wake up, Kat. He’s calling your name.”
“Is there a Katherine Kennedy here?” Mr. Cooper asks, projecting his deep voice a bit more.
I hesitantly raise my hand. “Kat,” I say with a trembling voice. “My name is Kat.”
Mr. Cooper’s head whips in my direction and he immediately hones in on my desk. His bright blue orbs widen in recognition. I’m sure it’s only a matter of seconds but it feels like an eternity as his jaw clenches and his face reddens in anger. I swear to God it feels like every set of eyes are on me and there’s a neon sign flashing above my head that says, “Hot for teacher”.
He clears his throat and tears his gaze away from me. “Hannah Lewis.”
“Here,” she says.
I pull my hair forward to act as a curtain and stare at my cuticles. I am so screwed. And not in a good way. I laugh to myself when I think about how this could’ve all been avoided had I told him that I was a barista and in turn, he would have shared his new job with me. I would’ve instantly cut the night short and likely never thought about it again. Instead, I now have firsthand knowledge of what this sinfully sexy man looks like naked. How he tastes. How well our bodies fit together with no barriers between us. The sound he makes when he comes. I could never forget that sound. I risk a glance toward the front of class and see that I’m not the only one affected by this disturbing bit of information. Mr. Cooper—Gavin—is burning holes through me as he reviews the syllabus with the other students. I am so, so screwed.
After what was quite possibly the longest forty-five minutes of my life, class is dismissed. I grab my bag, prepared to get the hell out of here.
“Miss Kennedy,” Gavin calls. “Please stay behind for a moment.”
“Fuck,” I mutter.
Dylan laughs as he hears the expletive fly out under my breath. “What’d you do, Kitty? It’s only the first day.”
I glare at him. “Can it, Dylan.”
He smiles and leans in to whisper in my ear. “Meet me under the bleachers at lunch?”
I look up and notice that Gavin is watching our interaction with interest. And something a bit more…hostile. “Dylan, get out of here. You’ll be late for your next class. I’ll talk to you later.”
He laughs as he pulls back. “See ya later, babe.”
Gavin waits until the last student leaves the room. “Close the door, Kat.”
“Look, Gavin, I know—”
“I said, close the fucking door,” he says through gritted teeth.
I shut the door as fast as possible and take a deep breath before turning around to face him.
“Lock it,” he growls.
I look over my shoulder in confusion. “What? Don’t you have another class coming in?”
He charges toward me so fast I flatten my body against the wood. He reaches down and turns the lock as he hovers over me. “You lied to me.”
I know it’s wrong on so many levels, but my nipples instantly harden from being this close to him. It’s like I’ve turned into a freaking Pavlovian mutt. “Gavin, I know you’re mad. But I can explain.”
His fists clench as he notices the new pair of headlights that I’m sporting through my belted shirt dress. “Mad?” he sneers. “Oh, I am so much more than mad. What the hell were you thinking? I could lose my job when I report this to my boss, Kat!”