Arden Page 7

  Because of this, it was no surprise that she often snuck to the far corner of the school where she could watch Edmonds’s very own sexy football coach run his practices like a professional. She was more than pleased her school had a great team. In fact, throughout her career she had heard words of praise from parents because of her support for the games.

  They thought she was dragging herself to them under duress to support her students. It hadn’t taken her last school long to see it wasn’t a hardship for her to be there. Containing her enthusiasm during a particularly close game wasn’t something that was easy for her to do.

  Keera wasn’t pleased with how much Arden Forbes was on her mind. She’d done so well her first month as the new principal at being professional, yet distant. That was all out the window now. On this day of all days, Keera was even more bothered than usual due to the very erotic dream she’d woken up from in a sweat, staring at one very nude football coach.

  She watched him finish his practice. Then, as if he could feel her staring at him, he turned, and his gaze bored right through the double pane window, straight into her eyes. Keera’s breath halted as her pulse pounded out of control.

  Though they were separated by space and a building, she felt as if he were standing right next to her, the heat radiating from his solid body scorching her oversensitive skin. Finally, a painful gasp of air made its way down her throat, and Keera was able to rip herself away from the intensity of his stare.

  “Remember why you can’t do anything about this,” Keera whispered to herself as she stiffly walked down the long hallway. She passed by her office, not at all interested in shutting herself in there.

  Maybe the answer wasn’t to isolate herself to the point that the first sexy man she’d been around in a while was making her come undone. Maybe some casual fling with someone she’d never see again was the direction she should go.

  Apparently, her body thought it needed sex.

  Just as soon as she had that thought, she pushed it from her mind. She’d never been a casual kind of woman, and she didn’t think it was going to be possible to begin that sort of lifestyle at the age of twenty-eight. Maybe if her life had been different, she wouldn’t have so many hang-ups, but something she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt was that you either cried over things that were beyond your control, or you stiffened your shoulders and set a new path for yourself.

  Though life hadn’t been an easy road for Keera, she knew who she was, admired the strength in herself, and knew the only path was one of her own choosing. Long ago, she’d decided no one but her could determine her destiny, no matter how many roadblocks were tossed in her way.

  Without realizing where she’d been going, Keera found herself in the school gym. The cleaning staff was amazing, keeping the floors polished to a shine and the bleachers nearly unblemished, but if she closed her eyes, she could still smell a hint of sweat and attitude.

  Keera might love football beyond all other sports, but she enjoyed the rest of them, too. An aggressive game of basketball, a stout round of baseball, a bloody hockey match, or a thrilling volleyball tournament were all good. The only sport she couldn’t get into was golf.

  She didn’t understand how so many people enjoyed watching a game where hardly anything happened. There was no chance of a bloody nose or a rumble between the teams. There were no exciting last-minute rushes to a goal. It was just one person hitting a tiny little ball that sailed through the air.

  She’d shot a few rounds herself and had been bored to pieces by the ninth hole. Of course, she’d been determined to change her mind on the sport and had made herself do it a few times. The last time she’d played, she’d admitted defeat and walked off on the seventh hole. That had been two years ago.

  “Hi, Ms. Thompson.” The perky female voice pulled Keera from her thoughts of sports, and she looked over to find a group of sophomore girls huddled on the bleachers with their books open in their laps. That was a pleasant sight.

  One of Keera’s conditions for taking this job had been for her to run the school hours how she pleased. As long as sports practices were going on and she could ensure proper staff supervision, she allowed students to use the school after-hours to do homework or meet with their clubs. It pleased her to see how many took advantage of this safe haven to meet up. She hoped the school GPA climbed with how she ran things. It wasn’t a bad number as it was, but Keera liked to be the best, not just adequate.

  “Good evening, Tara. How are you girls?” Keera asked.

  “Great. We’re getting our bio project done, then heading over to the café for burgers,” Tara replied.

  “Perfect,” Keera said.

  “This is also a good spot to watch the football players leave after practice,” Misty said, which made the girls giggle.

  “Ah, I see,” Keera said with a smile. It wasn’t a bad spot to see the football coach, either, she thought without wanting to. Maybe it was time to scoot out of there so she didn’t appear like a blushing teenager waiting to catch a glimpse of the football jock.

  She was turning when she heard Arden’s deep voice.

  “Hurry up, Max. You’ll see the boys again in a couple of days,” he said. She could either look in his direction where he was coming out of the men’s locker room, or she could pretend she hadn’t heard him and bolt for the exit.

  “Keera,” he called before she could make up her mind. There was no way she could pretend she hadn’t heard him. His voice echoed through the gym, making the girls in the bleachers snicker. She faced them and watched as they sighed.

  She knew how they felt. She turned in his direction and gazed at Max instead of him. That was safer. The large German shepherd had spotted her, and his tail wagged as he picked up his pace and made a beeline in her direction.

  “Hi, boy,” she said as she knelt down and gave him a good neck scratching. He sat and looked at her with a sparkle in his eyes. She wouldn’t be surprised if he leaned over and plopped to the ground. He was obviously enjoying retirement because, for the most part, he simply seemed like a sweet puppy, instead of a deadly police dog.

  “Must be nice to get so much attention,” Arden said with a chuckle. Max’s nose came up in the air the slightest bit as if to acknowledge Arden’s words, but since that seemed to take too much effort, he leaned more fully into Keera, and she continued scratching him while her eyes trailed up Arden’s muscular thighs, over his tight T-shirt that molded to his washboard abs, and finally to his shining eyes.

  A little sweat beaded on his brow, and his dark hair was slicked back, telling her he’d been out there practicing with his boys. Arden wasn’t one of those coaches who was happy to yell from the sidelines. No. He showed the boys how to do maneuvers, and he worked even harder than they did, to show them everything was possible.

  Her respect for the man continued to grow the more she got to know him. Her desire for him was also growing in ways she wanted nothing to do with. Him in a pair of shorts and an indecently tight black shirt was making her sweat as she heated in all the areas she didn’t want to.

  “Max says he has no complaints,” Keera said, hating the slight rasp in her voice.

  She heard another giggle from the girls behind her, grateful to be reminded they had an audience. Not that anything would happen if they didn’t, she assured herself. There was just such a beautiful presence about this man that drew out things in her she wasn’t even aware she felt.

  “That’s because Max is lazy,” Arden told her, and it took her a moment to remember what had been said last. Yes, they were talking about the dog and him liking to get attention.

  “He’s not lazy. He just knows better than to pass up a good rubdown,” she said with a laugh.

  Arden’s smile faded as he gazed at her, making her realize the words she’d so carelessly used. Dang, she wasn’t normally around people where she felt she had to use caution with word usage.

  “Don’t we all,” he said, and he didn’t even try to act as if he were teasing.<
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  Somehow Keera managed to rip her gaze away from Arden’s intense gaze as she rose to her feet and took a few steps back.

  “I’m gonna lock up the school if practice is over. I’m the last one here tonight, and besides the girls here, we’re all clear,” she said, hating the shake in her voice.

  “I’ll help you, and then we can grab a bite to eat. I’m starving,” he said.

  It took a moment for Keera to realize he’d just sort of asked her on a date. Or was that what he was doing? She was confused and about to refuse him when she realized they probably should talk. They hadn’t spoken in a few days, and she was sure he wanted to be filled in on anything new that might be happening.

  “Um, nothing has happened the last couple of days, so there’s no need to eat,” she said, wanting to kick herself for how pathetic her words sounded.

  Arden chuckled, making her look his way again. He was currently lifting the hem of his tight shirt and stretching it up to wipe away the sweat from his brow, giving her a spectacular view of his solid, rippling, tanned abs.

  She felt her heart pound and a chill run down her body. When she felt her mouth water, she sealed her lips tightly closed and wondered if she’d just had a mild heart attack. It was possible.

  When he put the shirt back down, she was still gazing at his magnificent abs, making her have to bite her tongue to keep from letting the sigh of disappointment at him covering himself escape her parched throat.

  “Like what you see?” he asked, making her head snap up in time to notice the obvious twinkle in his eyes.

  “Eh,” she replied, proud of herself. He laughed, most likely knowing she was full of it.

  “First of all, we need food to survive,” he said with his megawatt grin fully in place. “And secondly, I want to go over some things with you, and I’ve worked up an appetite, so let’s do two things at once.”

  The gravel in his voice as his tone lowered at the end of his words made the knots in her stomach tighten painfully. The man was very aware of his charisma. She’d absolutely love to knock him down from the highest rungs on the ladder where he seemed to live, but apparently it wasn’t happening right now.

  “Goodbye, Ms. Thompson, Mr. Forbes,” the group of girls called out as they made their way off the bleachers and rushed from the gym. Keera realized she and Arden had been there long enough for the football team to clear out.

  They both threw out half-hearted goodbyes, and Keera turned to follow the girls. “I have to lock up,” she repeated.

  “I’ll help, then we can go,” Arden told her.

  Keera didn’t want to make this more of a big deal than it was, so she left him so she could go to one side of the school to ensure it was secure, while he did the other. She was more than a little pleased when Max stayed with her instead of going with Arden. It seemed the dog was just as fond of her as she was of him. It was either that, or maybe that the dog was just as suspicious of her as Arden’s brother Declan was. She preferred to think the pup liked her.

  They met up by the front office, and Keera was happy to see her door was shut. Ever since the break-in, she was nervous to enter her office at night. It frustrated her that someone had given her that fear—had taken a piece of her empowerment from her. She’d worked for too long, and far too hard, to allow anyone to do that.

  Some water in front of her door nearly made her fall on her ass. Arden was right there at her side, instantly wrapping his strong arm around her, making her knees turn to jelly.

  “Careful. Looks like the floors haven’t been finished,” he said, his voice low and husky.

  “Sorry about that,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Dang it, she was in trouble.

  She took only a moment to inhale the man who, even sweaty, was sweet and tangy, making her think of all the areas of him she wouldn’t mind tasting. If she kept having thoughts like that, she wasn’t going to be fit to be around.

  Pulling back from him, but not moving far, Keera was once again captured by his intense gaze. She had no doubt her sexual frustration could end in an instant with the smallest of gestures. He could take her right there on her desk if she asked him to. The knowledge of that was worse than thinking he didn’t want her. Knowing she could at least temporarily end this torment, and doing nothing about it, was so much worse than knowing it wasn’t an option.

  “Let me get my purse,” she said.

  He licked his lips, and her own tongue mimicked his, making his eyes flare.

  “Keera . . . ,” he began, his voice dark and sexy. He stepped closer, and she thought for about half a second of allowing it to happen.

  But her logical brain kicked in before he could wrap his arms around her, and Keera turned away, feeling his hot breath on the back of her neck, making goose bumps pop out on her skin.

  “Food,” she said, as if that was the single most important thing in the world.

  He sighed behind her, and she could definitely feel his disappointment since she was feeling the exact same emotion. If it weren’t for pesky things like emotions and morality, a person could be quite happy with doing whatever the heck they wanted.

  “Food it is,” he said with a chuckle that surprised her. She didn’t dare turn to see him. She pushed open her door, then nearly slipped again when she stepped on an envelope someone had slid beneath it.

  She picked it up without thinking twice and opened the unsealed flap, pulling out a single piece of paper. The alarm bells didn’t start ringing until she saw the bold font. Then her heated body turned instantly cold.

  Her fingers tightened around the paper, crumpling it in her hand as she gasped, her skin tingling. She had no doubt she looked as if she’d just seen a ghost. She felt as if she had—as if the ghosts of her past were coming back to haunt her.

  “What is that, Keera?” Arden asked, his amusement gone as he turned her cold body around so he could see the paper she was destroying.

  She couldn’t speak past the lump in her throat, but she somehow managed to hand over the paper, barely aware of Max, who was letting out a low growl as he cautiously stepped into her office, sniffing the floor.

  She barely registered that the next growl had come from Arden. He must have read the note—and he obviously didn’t find it to his liking.

  YOU WILL GO BACK TO WHERE YOU BELONG IF YOU KNOW WHAT’S BEST FOR YOU . . .

  Chapter Ten

  Arden lost his appetite as he read the note someone had left Keera. He didn’t understand it. His town wasn’t a scary place. His school had always been a haven. Was someone out to get Keera? What did he truly know about this woman?

  He had no idea of her past, but he was thinking it might be time to figure it out. No, he didn’t suspect her of being involved with the drugs, but even if she wasn’t dealing, or didn’t approve of the dealing, he was more than aware that she was somehow involved, even if it was unwittingly.

  He called his brother and told him the latest, and Declan said he’d send people over, hoping whoever was doing this would make a mistake. Criminals were brash and got stupider as time went on. If the person didn’t screw it up this time, then Arden didn’t doubt they eventually would. He just prayed it wouldn’t be at Keera’s expense.

  Keera was quiet as they waited for the team to come in, and then she said very few words before they got started on combing through her office again. He couldn’t tell if she was embarrassed, angry, or scared.

  “You aren’t in this alone, Keera,” he told her.

  She shook her head as sadness filled her eyes. “If someone’s after me, I can’t be at this school. I’m putting the kids in jeopardy,” she said as if a piece of her soul was being ripped out.

  There were two sorts of people who worked in the school district—those who did it because it was their passion and they wanted to help shape the younger generation into assets of society, and those who were there for a paycheck because they’d gotten themselves stuck with a degree they didn’t want. Keera was definitely one of those
who was there for the right reason.

  “You aren’t putting anyone in jeopardy. Whoever is playing this sick game is doing that,” he assured her. “And this school, as well as this community, will stand behind you the entire way.”

  “You don’t need to hang around. I know you’re hungry,” she told him, not replying to his words. He wasn’t sure if she didn’t believe them, or if it was difficult for her to accept help. She was going to learn that the people in his community, including him, didn’t walk away when there was trouble.

  “I’ll wait. We’ll get food together,” he told her.

  She shook her head, but before she could respond, one of the techs came and took her statement and sealed up the letter. They’d both touched it, and Arden hoped they hadn’t wiped away valuable evidence.

  “All done,” the other tech said with a reassuring smile at Keera. “We’ll get this figured out. Just give us time,” he added. And then Arden was alone with Keera again.

  “I should get home,” she told him. She wanted to put distance between them.

  He knew it was because she was in shock, but also because she was scared as hell at what was happening between them. Arden wasn’t even sure exactly what that was, but he knew he could barely stand to not touch her.

  There was something about this woman that was piquing his interest unlike anything he’d ever been through before. Yes, he wanted to have her crying out beneath him, but even more than that, he wanted to hold her in his arms and not let go. She was consuming him in a way that had the potential to burn them both until there was nothing left but ashes.

  “Let’s get food,” he said, placing his hand on the small of her back. She stiffened for the briefest of moments, and then she gave in, allowing him to walk her from the school. He made sure it was locked tight and then took her to his car.

  She only lived about a mile from the school, and he knew she often walked instead of driving. He didn’t see her vehicle in the parking lot, and he frowned. Normally, he’d have zero problem with the exercise, but with someone threatening her, and the fact of her staying late at the building, he didn’t like that she was then walking home in the dark.