Everything: A Singed Wings Novel (20 page)

“Really? More talented than you or your dad?”

“Yeah, and my mom probably ranks right under her.” He wore a proud smile when he talked about his family and it melted me. “When we were younger, the four of us would have these jam sessions in our music room, and the girls, they would just go off on another level, Mom on the keyboard and Ash on the drums. It was wicked. Dad and I would stop playing our guitars and just watch and listen, and when they’d finish, one of them would always say, ‘It’s a good thing you guys are cute and can sell tickets.’”

I smirked, gradually lowering my face to his. “I think it’s better than good,” I whispered, just before our parted lips met in a soft, unhurried kiss.

His arms engulfed me as our tongues slid slowly together and I moaned into his mouth, desperate for more. More kisses. More stories. More time. More
him
.

Just as things started heating up with his hands cupping my ass and pressing me against his growing erection, my stomach growled at such an abnormally loud volume and with such ferocity, we broke away, cracking up laughing, neither of us sure the sound was humanly possible.

“Why is your stomach always growling when I’m around? Do I need to do a better of job of feeding you, beautiful?” he teased, as he pushed up to sitting, holding me close to him so I ended up straddling his lap.

“Hey! You had three pieces of pizza for lunch, and I only had one,” I reminded him, playfully slapping him on the shoulder. “Plus that was like six or seven hours ago. It’s almost nine. We need to eat.”

“I know, my dear goddess Belle,” he smarted, pressing his lips to the tip of my nose. “Do you wanna eat the pizza leftovers? Or I can go grab takeout from someplace close?”

I twisted my mouth as I contemplated the options, causing him to chuckle. “It shouldn’t be that tough of a decision. Pizza or not pizza?”

“Well, it depends,” I said, hoping to God I wasn’t about to fuck this up. “If you have to go home in a bit, I’d rather just eat the pizza, because it’s fast and it’s here. But if you’re gonna stay for a while and watch a movie or something…”

Everett pushed to his feet with me still attached to him then snagged his keys and wallet from one of the end tables, stuffing them both in his pocket. “You good with Chinese?” he asked, while gently sliding me down his body and setting me on my feet.

“Yeah,” I breathed, my stomach fluttering.

“Pick a movie and get things ready here. I’ll go get dinner and some snacks and drinks,” he bent down and stole a quick kiss from my mouth, “then later,” he stole another, “I’m eating my dessert in that bed back there.”

THAT NEXT TUESDAY
was the senior class field trip to the Alley Theatre, where we were scheduled to watch the morning matinee of the award-winning musical
Wicked
, then go on a behind-the-scenes tour of the theater, since all of the students were extremely talented in at least one of the arts, and most of them would probably pursue some sort of career in the industry. Those teachers who had senior homerooms were the assigned chaperones, which meant I was one of the lucky ones who got to escape the classroom for the day and wear jeans twice in the same week. Bonus!

“All right, guys. Time to line up for the buses,” I informed the twenty rambunctious teenagers after the morning announcements were over. “Please try not to sound like a herd of elephants as we move through the halls and down the stairs. Remember, there are some people who are actually trying to learn today.”

I slipped my cell phone in my back pocket and propped my sunglasses on my head then made sure my grading laptop and purse were both safely locked away in my desk before leading my crew out of the school and to the parking lot, where a group of kids were already waiting near three yellow buses.

“Ms. Sloan, over here! Our classes are together on this bus!” I heard Liam’s British accent shout as soon I stepped outside under the bright mid-morning sun.

Waving my acknowledgement to him, I lowered the shades over my eyes and steered my group over to where he stood holding a clipboard. After our first date that ended in my pretend sickness, thanks to Everett’s bathroom “lesson,” I’d told Liam I really enjoyed his company and thanked him for being so nice and welcoming to me, but explained I didn’t think it was a good idea to date a coworker in case things didn’t work out. Obviously not mentioning the part about currently being involved with one of my students. He seemed to have taken it well, saying he understood then continuing to be his same friendly self at school the next Monday.

“Good morning, Mr. Carroll!” I greeted him with a smile as I walked up. “Are we ready for this?”

“Not a chance in hell,” he chuckled under his breath, as he checked off students’ names while they boarded the bus, “but these field trips always make for some good laughs later. Mark my words, there will be at least one couple who tries to sneak off and make out at some point today. We always play the game that whichever teacher finds them wins free drinks at happy hour this Friday.”

I shook my head and snickered. “I’d say I’m surprised, but pretty par for the course with a bunch of seventeen and eighteen-year-olds. Not getting caught is part of the fun.”

“You say that as if you can relate, Ms. Sloan,” he chided playfully. “Don’t tell me a few years ago you were one of those sneaking off with your boyfriend at a school event?”

“Innocent little me?” I placed my hand over my chest and pretended to be insulted. “Never.”

Throwing his head back, he barked out a husky laugh. “Mhmm. I’m not so sure I believe that, but I’ll have to take your word for it.” As the last student climbed the stairs and disappeared inside, he lowered the clipboard and stuck the pencil behind his ear, grinning. “My money this year is on Jayla and Everett, but we’ll see.”

My teeth gnashed together as my face burned with anger, and I honestly thought I was going to puke. His comment made me want to scream at the top of my lungs and throw shit. I hated that I couldn’t say anything, that I couldn’t tell him how wrong he was because Everett was
mine!

Taking a deep breath, I forced a half-smile and replied, “Well, let’s hope they all behave today.”

Without waiting to see if he was going to keep talking, I hopped up in the bus and scanned the seats to get an idea of where all my kids were sitting, when my gaze met Everett’s, who was sitting a few rows back. Sharing a seat with Jayla.

The flames in my face instantly spread like a wildfire inside of me, fury blistering from head to toe. Staggering the two steps to the first seat, which had been left open for me and Mr. Carroll, I twisted and fell into it while struggling to get enough air to my lungs.
I couldn’t believe it. I could not fucking believe it. Wow, I was such an idiot.

My phone vibrated in my back pocket as Liam slid in next to me, still smiling, completely unaware of the volcano waiting to erupt next to him. Then it vibrated again. And again. And again.

I knew it was him. He knew I was pissed. And even though I had him in my contacts as “Rockstar,” I couldn’t very well read the message right then without Liam seeing it too. Reaching behind me, I flipped the switch on the side to silent mode then turned to face Liam and acted like whatever the hell he was talking about was the most interesting thing I’d ever heard for the entire trip there. All the while, simmering right under the boiling mark of me losing my shit.

Less than a half hour later, we disembarked and filed up to the entrance of the theater. I purposely never made eye contact with him, focusing solely on my homeroom students and making sure they were where they were supposed to be and not acting like ass-clowns. My phone stayed buried in my back pocket the entire time, even though I was dying to read the messages.

Once everyone was inside and in their seats — and yes,
they
were sitting next to each other — I asked Liam to watch over my class while I went to the restroom. Scampering up the aisle and out the door of the theater to the lobby, I darted across the carpeted floor to the ladies’ room and locked myself in a stall. My hands shook as I grabbed my phone and unlocked it.

(Tues 9:24AM) Everett:
I can explain.

(Tues 9:24AM) Everett:
Don’t overreact.

(Tues 9:24AM) Everett:
Stop clenching your jaw.

(Tues 9:25AM) Everett:
Freaking out about nothing.

(Tues 9:27AM) Everett:
Don’t do that. Not with him.

(Tues 9:29AM) Everett:
Acting ridiculous.

(Tues 9:31AM) Everett:
Remember what happens when you make assumptions?

(Tues 9:34AM) Everett:
You’re pushing it.

(Tues 9:40AM) Everett:
Just wait.

I just finished reading the last message when I heard someone walk in the bathroom. Guiltily, as if whoever it was could see me, I frantically turned the phone off and shoved it back in my pocket. Peeking under the door at the shoes of whoever it was, I hissed in a sharp breath when I saw Everett’s black Chucks.
What in the…

“We gotta stop meeting like this in bathrooms, Belle. Guess you like the lessons,” he rumbled, his deep, throaty voice speeding up my pulse.

I unlocked the door and pushed it open, stomping out with my brows furrowed and my hands fisted on my hips.

“Have you lost your damn mind?” I whisper-shouted. “You can’t be in here!”

A second later, my back was against the wall and he was less than an inch from my face. The heat radiating off of him surrounded, me and I couldn’t help but melt into him a little bit. “I told you before that I’m not a liar or a cheater, and I wasn’t just saying that shit to say it,” he growled, resting his forehead against mine. “Mr. Carroll assigned us a ‘buddy’, like we’re in fucking fifth grade, that we’re supposed to sit next to. I tried to switch, and he told us we couldn’t. I had no choice at all.”

I opened my mouth to apologize, but he put his finger to my lips before any sound came out.

“I know how it looked. I know I would’ve reacted the same way, and I almost did with how you were acting all fucking buddy-buddy up there sitting next to
him
.” His mouth tenderly swept over mine, drawing a soft moan from the back of my throat. “But this is the last time we make assumptions. Okay, beautiful?”

“Okay,” I breathed, whiplashed by my own Heckell-and-Jyde emotions. Having always considered myself a pretty level-headed person before, I was quickly learning that was no longer the case when it had to do with Everett Templeton.

“Good. Glad we got that cleared up. We’ll talk more tonight,” he said, as he marched out of the women’s restroom, “and stay the hell away from Mr. Carroll.”

A minute or so later, after I somewhat mentally recovered from what had just happened, I passed Jayla and another girl as I walked out. Knowing we were that close to being caught.

“
DUDE, WHAT’S YOUR
deal? You’ve been smiling way too fucking much lately.” Billy eyed me suspiciously as I sat down across from him in my normal seat at the lunch table. “And don’t give me that ‘because it’s Friday’ bullshit. I’ve noticed it for a couple of weeks now.”

“Yeah, no shit,” Scott chimed in from next to him. “You’ve been downright friendly when I see you in the halls. Did you finally get your dick wet, or what?”