me.”
They filed past her, one by one. When the bus was nearly empty, Blake and Ash left their seats, and all the oxygen in her lungs seemed to go with them. She stood at the front of the bus, her heart lodged in her throat for some unknown reason, and she trained her focus everywhere but on them.
Her efforts were futile.
There was no ignoring the six-foot-something man in black leather and faded jeans heading her way. His mere presence demanded to be noticed. It was almost an unspoken agreement between her eyes and his body that she had to watch every long-legged stride, every prowling gait aimed in her direction.
When they reached the front where she stood waiting, she found herself face to face with a wall of man. Unbidden, her gaze lifted, her breaths growing shallow as she met his deep, penetrating eyes.
“After you,” he said in that deep, dark voice that stirred something concerning inside of her.
“Oh, um…thank you,” she muttered, surprised by his chivalry and thrown just a little off-kilter by his proximity. Each step down was an effort, her legs trembled so badly, and feeling Blake’s looming presence behind her only made it worse.
Why was she such a mess around this man? It wasn’t as if she’d never been around handsome men before. But there was just something about him. Something that set her off, made her feel weak, unbalanced, vulnerable.
She hated the power he had over her. Sucking in a breath, she reminded herself that she was in control of her body, her mind, and her reactions. She was allowing Blake to get into her head, to affect her, and she wasn’t going to let it happen anymore. She needed to keep her wits, stop acting like a school girl and behave like an adult in control of her faculties.
Even if that was the furthest thing from the truth.
Fake it ‘til you make it, right?
Once off the bus, Gabby was glad to see Blake and Ash heading off in the direction of his motorcycle. No awkward goodbyes or conversations. Just a clean break. For the first time, she wasn’t appalled to see the boy on the back of the bike. Relieved was more like it.
Pasting on a smile, she guided what was left of her class to their respective busses, thanked the parents who’d volunteered to chaperone, and wished them all a good day. Then she headed for her car, glad that she had thought ahead and hadn’t left anything important inside the school. She was eager to escape, get home, soak in the tub, and put the day behind her.
Going to the zoo with twenty-two kids was…well, a zoo. God love them, but she needed a few hours to unwind after that circus, especially since sleep had been in short supply as of late.
She was reaching for the door handle when she heard the low, unmistakable rumble of Blake’s bike coast up behind her. Turning, she tried not to look or sound annoyed on the account of Ash being present.
The visor on Blake’s helmet was up, so there was no mistaking the concentrated look in his eyes as he let his gaze travel blatantly over her curves. “Ash wanted to invite you over tonight for another movie and dinner. We’re making Top Ramen.”
“Daddy said it’s a delicacy.”
A smile flickered to life as Gabby looked toward Ash, who was just too cute for words. “A delicacy, eh?” He nodded brightly. “Well, as awesome as that sounds, I was planning to go home and relax tonight. Rain check?” Ash’s expression fell and, instantly, she felt like a jerk.
“You can relax at our house,” Blake suggested, a knowing smirk curling one side of his mouth up.
Gabby checked her glare, annoyed because she knew full-well what he was trying to do. She just wanted to go home, but he was reeling her in, and he clearly wasn’t above using his kid to do it. “I was going to take a bath…” she trailed off, her excuse weak even to her own ears. Except she really had been looking forward to that bath.
“We have a bathtub!” Ash said excitedly. “And Daddy bought me Superman bubble bath.
They filed past her, one by one. When the bus was nearly empty, Blake and Ash left their seats, and all the oxygen in her lungs seemed to go with them. She stood at the front of the bus, her heart lodged in her throat for some unknown reason, and she trained her focus everywhere but on them.
Her efforts were futile.
There was no ignoring the six-foot-something man in black leather and faded jeans heading her way. His mere presence demanded to be noticed. It was almost an unspoken agreement between her eyes and his body that she had to watch every long-legged stride, every prowling gait aimed in her direction.
When they reached the front where she stood waiting, she found herself face to face with a wall of man. Unbidden, her gaze lifted, her breaths growing shallow as she met his deep, penetrating eyes.
“After you,” he said in that deep, dark voice that stirred something concerning inside of her.
“Oh, um…thank you,” she muttered, surprised by his chivalry and thrown just a little off-kilter by his proximity. Each step down was an effort, her legs trembled so badly, and feeling Blake’s looming presence behind her only made it worse.
Why was she such a mess around this man? It wasn’t as if she’d never been around handsome men before. But there was just something about him. Something that set her off, made her feel weak, unbalanced, vulnerable.
She hated the power he had over her. Sucking in a breath, she reminded herself that she was in control of her body, her mind, and her reactions. She was allowing Blake to get into her head, to affect her, and she wasn’t going to let it happen anymore. She needed to keep her wits, stop acting like a school girl and behave like an adult in control of her faculties.
Even if that was the furthest thing from the truth.
Fake it ‘til you make it, right?
Once off the bus, Gabby was glad to see Blake and Ash heading off in the direction of his motorcycle. No awkward goodbyes or conversations. Just a clean break. For the first time, she wasn’t appalled to see the boy on the back of the bike. Relieved was more like it.
Pasting on a smile, she guided what was left of her class to their respective busses, thanked the parents who’d volunteered to chaperone, and wished them all a good day. Then she headed for her car, glad that she had thought ahead and hadn’t left anything important inside the school. She was eager to escape, get home, soak in the tub, and put the day behind her.
Going to the zoo with twenty-two kids was…well, a zoo. God love them, but she needed a few hours to unwind after that circus, especially since sleep had been in short supply as of late.
She was reaching for the door handle when she heard the low, unmistakable rumble of Blake’s bike coast up behind her. Turning, she tried not to look or sound annoyed on the account of Ash being present.
The visor on Blake’s helmet was up, so there was no mistaking the concentrated look in his eyes as he let his gaze travel blatantly over her curves. “Ash wanted to invite you over tonight for another movie and dinner. We’re making Top Ramen.”
“Daddy said it’s a delicacy.”
A smile flickered to life as Gabby looked toward Ash, who was just too cute for words. “A delicacy, eh?” He nodded brightly. “Well, as awesome as that sounds, I was planning to go home and relax tonight. Rain check?” Ash’s expression fell and, instantly, she felt like a jerk.
“You can relax at our house,” Blake suggested, a knowing smirk curling one side of his mouth up.
Gabby checked her glare, annoyed because she knew full-well what he was trying to do. She just wanted to go home, but he was reeling her in, and he clearly wasn’t above using his kid to do it. “I was going to take a bath…” she trailed off, her excuse weak even to her own ears. Except she really had been looking forward to that bath.
“We have a bathtub!” Ash said excitedly. “And Daddy bought me Superman bubble bath.
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