Page 3 of The Cheerleader is Off Limits

I slam my hand down on the desk hard and grit my teeth and grab my phone to text the one person I hope can talk me off the ledge.

Yeah right, he’ll probably throw me off of it when he finds out.

At least I’ll get some legal advice.

I pull up my texts with my older brother, Rowan, who, thankfully, is a lawyer I may actually fucking need in the very near future.

Me:

I fucked up. I’ll be over later. I need to talk, and as much as I love Ellie, I’d prefer if she were not present for this conversation.

His response is instant because, despite having three kids and a very demanding job, he’s never been anywhere when I needed him.

Rowan:

What’s wrong?

I have the strong urge to tell him, but to avoid putting anything else in writing, I respond.

Me:

Tell you later.

A knock on my office door pulls my eyes from my texts reluctantly because I’m in no mood to talk to anyone who would knock on my door. It means it’s a student, and one I don’t know very well, because all my guys on the football team use a specific knock to alert their presence, and I’m pretty strict about acceptable office hours, which is not now.

And what the actual fuck could anyone want on the first day other than to try my patience.

I suppose itcouldbe a new teacher, but probably not.

Either way, I’m not in the mood for chitchat or to give advice, directions, or anything else, for that matter.

My eyes widen at whoever’s audacity to just walk into my office as I watch the doorknob turning and slowly being pushed open. When I see who’s peeking through the door, I almost lose it.

“Absolutely not, get out,” I snap aggressively, and it’s a tone I’ve never used with a student. Hell, it’s one I’ve barely used with anyone.

She shivers slightly, and I think she’s going to turn around before she slips into the room and closes the door behind her, leaving me in a way too small of a space with the girl I’ve spent the past two weeks defiling in every position known to man and all the new emotions arising in light of new information.

“River.” She tucks a hair behind her ear nervously and blinks those baby blue eyes at me.God, she is so fucking gorgeous.I’m pissed as hell, but my body still reacts to her, and I hate myself even more for it.

“I will fail you if you do not remove yourself from my sight in the next ten seconds.” I stand but stay behind my desk to keep as much space between us as possible.

“I am so sorry.”

“Nine.” I glower at her, and I can practically feel the fury coursing through me.

She puts up her hands as if she’s surrendering. “Just let me explain.”

“Seven,” I grit out.

“Please,” she whispers as tears flood her eyes, and one slowly slides down her cheek.

“Your tears don’t move meat all,” I lie because seeing a woman cry feels like someone is carving a knife through me. But I am trying to focus on my anger. “This could cost me my job. My life. Everything.”

“I know, and I am so sorry. I didn’t expect to see you here. You weren’t supposed to be here.” She presses her teeth into herbottom lip and wipes under her eyes. I’ve never seen her cry, so the brightness in her blue orbs stuns me slightly, making them even more striking than usual.

The chance that Sloane and I were on that same flight two weeks ago, hit it off, and slept together just before she transferred to my school and into my class seems so fucking unlikely, and I mentally give the universe the finger for this ridiculous, very inconvenient coincidence. “But you did know that youaren’ttwenty-one like you told me, and you know I’m a high school teacher. You had to know I wouldn’t be okay with sleeping with someone who is in high school. And if you can’t see why that is, then on top of everything else, you are also not as mature as you profess to be.”My voice is low and sounds cold even in my own ears. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been this angry, and I doubt it was toward a woman.

She gasps, and I can see my words hit her when she looks down, scrunching her nose and wiping at her eyes again.