“Coach,” Miranda said, her voice whiney and imploring. “I would never cheat.”
“Hmmm.” He didn’t sound convinced. “Liz?”
My sister scuffed her sneakers along the ground. “I’m sure it was a mistake, Coach.”
“All three of us know that nothing about what happened was a mistake.” I looked at Coach Gordon, waiting for his input.
He turned his attention to me and took off his aviator sunglasses. The full power of his eyes zeroed in on mine. I gulped down a breath at the intensity on his face.
“What do you think we should do, Coach Samuels?”
He drummed his fingertips against his clipboard for a few seconds.
“Well,” I said, wanting to make a good impression and decide on an appropriate punishment. “If neither girl is willing to tell the truth, then both girls need to run around the track five times to learn how to stay in their lanes.”
“W-What?” Liz spluttered. “But I didn’t…”
“No way,” Miranda protested.
I lifted the whistle hanging around my neck. “The faster you run, the faster you get to leave the track.”
Coach Gordon grinned. “You heard Coach Samuels, girls. Get running.”
Both girls shot flames my way, but when I blew the whistle, they took off running with no further complaint. Liz would rip me a new one later.
He chuckled. The deep sound making me even wetter. “Welcome to the coach life, Brenda.”
I grimaced. “Not how I planned to start my internship here, Coach.”
“Call me Tanner. We’re colleagues now.”
I giggled like the high school girl I once was. “That’s going to take a lot of getting used to.”
He nodded slowly, and I would have sworn his pupils dilated. “A lot of things are.”Chapter Two - TannerWhen her application showed up in my email, I should have ignored it. I shouldn’t have for one second considered giving her the position. After I’d fired my last intern, Brenda’s name had crossed my mind, but I’d pushed it away because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to trust my actions where she was concerned.
For way too long, she’d been part of my fantasies. When she was one of my star students, I’d kept my libido at bay, but now seeing her in front of me all grown up, I could see I’d been right to be afraid.
In her sports shorts and tight tank, Brenda was a walking wet dream. I would never and have never acted inappropriately with any student. Still, I’m ashamed to admit, I had almost kissed Brenda once.
After that incident, I’d distanced myself from her. Every time she’d looked at me back then, confusion swam in her beautiful, brown eyes. I couldn’t explain that whenever I got close to her, I had to fight with my dick to stay soft. That all I wanted to do was fuck her over my desk. The longing inside me hadn’t lessened in the two years since she’d left St. Brigid’s.
“It’s good to see you again, Brenda. I hear good things about you from Coach Connors. You’re making quite the name for yourself on the college circuit.”
The smile she gave me was a nervous one and all kinds of cute. “I’ll never stop running. I would die if I couldn’t.”
And I would die if I couldn’t have her. “You’re a natural. The girls and I are lucky to have you for the rest of the school year.”
She fidgeted with her fingers and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m the lucky one. Tuition fees are going up next fall. My athletic scholarship only goes so far.”
“I wish I could offer you more. I had to fight tooth and nail to make this a paid position.”
“I’m truly grateful for the opportunity, but—” She gnawed on her lower lip, her eyes wandering to my face every few seconds. “—I’m so close to the girls’ age that I’m not sure they’ll listen to me.”
I went to place a reassuring hand on her bicep but second-guessed myself and dropped my hand by my side. The last thing either of us needed were nasty rumors flying around. Lord knows, I already had enough of those. Being one of the only male teachers in an all-girls’ school meant I had to watch every move I made and every word I said. “They all know who you are and respect everything you’ve achieved.”
“Apart from Miranda. She acted like she didn’t know who I was.”
“She can be challenging. If she gives you a hard time or doesn’t listen, I’ll deal with it. She’s already on my list.”
“Thank you.” This time she was the one to reach out. Only she didn’t second guess herself or drop her hand by her side. Her soft fingertips brushed across my forearm. “You have no idea how much I appreciate you giving me this internship.”
I held my breath, willing my dick to stay limp. The end of class bell rang, and the seniors ran off the field. “Can you put the freshmen through their paces? I have some paperwork I need to take care of.” And something else I need to take care of.