Jennifer and Rocket (The Princesses of Silicon Valley Book 6) by Anita Claire Page B

need to go to art school to be one. I make my living from programming. I’m sculpting in my free time. It can be considered my hobby.”
    I’m in shock. That point of view brings it all home. All the guys I’ve ever gone out with have always looked at my crafts as some girly indulgence of mine. No one has ever taken any of my crafty pursuits seriously. Jumping out of bed, I grab one of my jewelry bins. I kneel at Rocket’s side. Carefully opening it up, I pull out some pictures I had gathered of medieval jewelry.
    “I found these pictures interesting. I’ve used them for inspiration.” I tell Rocket as I pull out some pieces I’m working on.
    Sitting up, he looks at the pictures then picks up and examines what I’ve done. Pulling out a container that has beads separated into little compartments he rolls his fingers through them.
    “You know we can look up medieval processes and cast beads and settings similar to how they casted them back then. Your jewelry will have more of an authentic look.”
    Unable to contain myself, I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him.
    “If that’s all it takes to make you happy, I’m a lucky man.”
    After showing him a few more of my favorite projects, he tells me, “If you have any interest in selling your work, I should hook you up with my buddy Kyle’s girlfriend. She’s a textile designer. I’m not saying you should give up your day job, but it might be a nice way to at least let your crafts pay for themselves.”
    I’m thrilled. My stomach gurgles as I realize it’s late and we haven’t eaten. “I should get busy making us some dinner.”
    “We can go out.”
    I shake my head as I answer, “No, I think dinner tonight is my turn.”
    As I cook, Kara comes home. She checks Rocket out with a friendly but inscrutable look. I’m sure I’ll be hearing her take on him tomorrow.
    Kara joins us for a dinner of chicken, rice, and a salad. Rocket complements me on my chicken as Kara tells him, “You should try her short ribs.”
    Rocket gives me an appraising look as I tell him, “This weekend I’ll bring down the ingredients. They need to marinate for a while before you throw them on the grill.”
    We’re almost done with dinner when Kara asks Rocket, “Are you joining Jennifer on Friday when she chaperones the Halloween party at school? I bet none of the eighth graders will misbehave if you give them the evil eye.”
    Rocket's eyes meet mine. Fellow teachers have brought boyfriends and husbands. But I haven’t invited Rocket.
    My chest constricts.
    Am I ready to be seen with him in public? What will my fellow teachers think? And the parents? Rocket doesn’t look like a guy you’d bring to meet your co-workers.
    Rocket’s mouth quirks into a smile as he gives me good eye contact and says, “I haven’t been to a dance since I was a kid. Though I think I got kicked out of most of them for breaking the rules.”
    Not breaking his stare I respond, “I’ve never asked a guy to a dance.”
    “Oh, for God’s sake. The two of you are worse than my teenagers,” Kara interjects as she picks up some of the dishes and puts them on the kitchen counter.
    “What time do I need to show up?” he asks.
    My mind reels, how do I get out of this? Being with him is amazing, but he’s not the kind of guy you take out in public. Without knowing what to do, I stammer out, “Let me check with my principal to see if it’s OK for me to bring you.” He nods, and then I blurt out, “If I knew it was this easy to ask a guy to a dance, I would have done it years ago.”
    Leaning in, he softly says, “If they knew what kind of wild sex they were going to get with you after the dance, I’m sure they’d have said yes.”
    Gasping, I feel my face and neck get blistering hot.
    Rocket starts laughing. “That’s what embarrasses you? Thinking of wild sex when you were in high school?”
    “I guarantee you I had no idea what wild sex was when I was in high school. Back then, I was