[Legal 01.0] Legal Read online

  I darted my eyes upward to catch a tiny smile forming on his lips. Oh, no. He did not just bust me looking. Please, God. What was the matter with my cognitive processes? And how could I be so incredibly aroused and thoroughly disgusted with myself all in the same breath?

  “Bye, Coach. See you next time,” Emily said. “And thank you.”

  Chase gave her brim a tug and grinned. “You’re welcome, Emily. Great job today keeping your eye on the ball. And way to get your mitt dirty.”

  He winked, and Emily beamed. His praise obviously meant a lot to her, and it was touching to see her face light up. If nothing else, at least I knew my first, and only, one-night stand wasn’t with a coldhearted bastard.

  “Yes, thank you,” I said quickly, clenching her hand and snatching my purse.

  “Jillian?”

  I took a long breath and straightened, only to get an eyeful of lovergirl rushing straight toward us. “Oh, Chase. Since Willow’s dad didn’t show today, I thought you could use some help bringing the equipment back to school.”

  “That’d be great. Thanks.”

  “Anytime, Chase.”

  His gaze was substantial, weighing down on me. Fortunately, his devotee balanced it out with her nails-on-a-chalkboard scowl, allowing me to keep my senses. I was interfering, and that was not my intention. If she could get a little something going with him, then who was I to stand in the way? They were much better suited for each other.

  She touched Chase’s arm. “Rosa’s mom’s waiting for you. She really needs to talk to you before she leaves. Which she needed to do five minutes ago.”

  “I’ll be there in a minute, Cassie.”

  Cassie and Chase. Even their names together sounded like something you’d put on top of a cupcake and eat up. And then puke up later. I had to get out of there.

  “No, please. I don’t want to keep you. We have to go anyway.”

  To my relief, he didn’t protest. These unexpected meetings had to end. It freaked me out to no end, getting all hot and bothered by someone who could pass as my son. An icy shiver snaked up my spine. Now I’m really going to retch.

  I may have been out of the dating scene for far too long. I may not know the correct etiquette for introducing my vagina back into society. But I wasn’t so daft to believe that hot, meaningless sex with the hardest man I’ve ever felt meant anything but.

  I may not know everything, but I knew I wasn’t a damned cougar.

  “Coach must like you.” I raised my eyes to view Emily’s reflection in the rearview mirror. “He never stops practice to talk to anyone.”

  I smiled, not quite knowing what to say but not wanting to blow her off. “How do you like softball so far?”

  “I love it. I have lots of friends, and Coach is really nice. And fun. He makes us laugh a lot.”

  I nodded. “That’s good, sweetie.” I pulled my purse onto my lap. “Can you do me a favor? Give your mom a call and let her know we’ll be there in about five minutes.”

  “Okay, Auntie Jillian.”

  I dug around for my phone with one hand, not finding any flat objects. My fingers went nuts, feeling up everything as my heart started hammering. Oh, that’s right. I reached into my pocket, remembering I’d stuck it in there while I was swinging. I patted the other pocket. Shit. The walloping began again, stronger than ever.

  I pulled off to the side. “Just looking for my phone,” I told her as I proceeded to check around the seats, ducking my head underneath. My throat was closing in.

  No, no, no.

  Think, Jillian. When did you last use it? Not since the swings. I’d pumped myself pretty high, loving the rush of going back down, marveling how good it felt again.

  Damn, it must have slipped out.

  I wasted a full minute deciding what to do. Go back to the park, or take Emily home first? We were much closer, so I took her home, crossing my fingers that her mom was finished with her appointment.

  Luck was in my court. I didn’t want to be rude, so I chatted a bit, but for the most part, I was out of there quickly after hugging Emily good-bye.

  Thirteen minutes later, I was adding my car to the collection of others in the parking lot. In the time since I had left and driven Emily home, every kid in the area had swarmed in. I surveyed the blur of activity in the playground area, and my head dropped. If my phone was still there, it was probably trampled.

  I jogged over, expecting to see the worst. Scanning the ground beneath the swings and the surrounding grass netted no results. I retraced my steps, going to the bleachers and back again. I feared some kid had walked off with it and was using it for a toy. Had I remembered to lock it? I groaned. My goal of bringing more fun into my life was only inviting more complications.

  I noticed a couple women on a nearby bench. “Sorry to interrupt, but have you by chance seen a cell phone lying around?”

  “No, sorry.”

  Damn. “Okay, thanks.”

  A girl in a baseball hat darted past, ponytail swinging wildly. I watched her make a beeline for the slide and to where, I assumed, her mother and younger sister were playing. I went over; it was worth a shot.

  “Excuse me.” The woman lifted her head while the child continued drawing a picture in the dirt with a stick. “Have you been at the park the whole time since practice ended?”

  “Yes.”

  “I was here earlier, and I think I dropped my phone. Have you noticed one… anywhere?” I lifted my eyebrows, awaiting her response. Please, please, please—

  “I wish I could tell you I had, but no.” My shoulders dropped. “But you can check in the office.” She pointed toward the school. “They’re open till one. If anything is unclaimed after practice, they’ll bring it there. I didn’t see anything, but maybe someone else did.”

  “Thanks so much. I’ll do that.”

  I raced to my car. It was close enough to walk if I wanted to tread through clumps of trees and waste more time, but I had to hurry and get to the office.

  It hadn’t even dawned on me until I was rushing up the steps—who exactly takes the lost items to the office? Cassie mentioned something about bringing equipment to a school. I pulled open the doors and stepped into the building. It was nothing I could worry about now.

  The office was directly across from the front doors. Unfortunately, no one occupied it. I glanced around. The place was so tiny I could see to the end of both hallways simultaneously. There were sounds of life coming from various classrooms, but for the most part, it was deserted. What did I expect? It was a Saturday in late June.

  “Can I help you?”

  I swiveled around to see an extremely petite woman holding a stack of papers that appeared almost as tall as her. She dropped them to the floor and began shoving pieces into individual slots lining the wall. I wondered if she had been in the office the whole time, and I just hadn’t seen her.

  “Yes. I’m hoping someone dropped off a phone. I left it at the park during softball practice.”

  “Not that I’m aware, but I’ve been in and out. Why don’t you check with Mr. Nolan?”

  “Ah, I’m not familiar with this school. Where is—”

  The front door opened, and an attractive older lady walked in. She waved and headed down the hall.

  “Mrs. Freemont, can you please show…” The small woman looked at me.

  “Jillian,” I said.

  “Can you show Jillian the way to Mr. Nolan, please?”

  The lady smiled warmly. “Of course.”

  I approached her, and she held out her hand. Her hair was fully gray, but it worked for her. “Hello, Jillian. I’m Linda. Are you new to the school?”

  “Oh, no. I forgot my phone at the park, and I was hoping someone dropped it off here.” How many times had I said that today? I was a warped record.

  Linda nodded, and we took a few more steps. “Well, here we are.” She gestured to the closed door. “My granddaughter’s finishing up her lesson. We’ll go in when they’re finished.”

/>   I couldn’t hear anything and was about to ask what time the lesson ended when the pluck of guitar strings snapped me to attention. Seconds later, the door opened.

  His eyes widened, and I wished that’s all mine did. I think they actually popped from my head at one point and rolled down the hall.

  “Do you want to hear what I learned today, Grandma?”

  “You bet I do.” She went inside and sat beside her granddaughter while the little girl strummed away on her pink guitar. Was that Green Day? I was losing it.

  Chase leaned against the doorframe and took me in, my temperature skyrocketing. The tune switched to “Hot Cross Buns,” and the irony didn’t escape me. I never thought an innocent childhood song could make me blush.

  Was I that delusional to think it was the silly song heating my cheeks?

  Why wasn’t he speaking? Fine, I’d be the one to go first. I wasn’t going to stand there and let him make me sweat.

  “I’m looking for Mr. Nolan.”

  “You’ve found him.”

  What the—

  My eyes caught sight of a willowy frame blowing down the hall. Her granite face took me in. “Oh, hello. Jillian, is it?” She looked around. “Is Emily with you?”

  “No, just me.”

  “Oh.” Cassie forced a smile, but I just happened to speak Bitch. I translated that word as, ‘Then what the fuck are you doing here, you fucking skank?’ “So, what brings you here?” ‘Step away from my man right now or I’ll make you sorry, bitch.’

  It was almost comical, the vibe that oozed from her. She had no reason to feel threatened, yet her demeanor indicated she clearly was. I was more flattered than annoyed.

  “I’m here to talk to Mr. Nolan.” I really was not in the mood to run down the whole situation for her.

  Silence.

  “Do you need something, Cassie?”

  She turned toward Chase, her stony face softening. “Yes, I’d love some help in the gym when you’re free. Mrs. Hanson dropped off a huge pile of items for the play, and it’d go so much quicker having an extra pair of hands to go through them all.”

  He nodded. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  “Great!” She moved her eyes back to me. “Nice to see you again, Jillian.” ‘If I see your face again, I’ll claw it off.’

  Linda came over, and Cassie slinked off. I stepped aside, grateful for the reprieve. This day was a whirlwind of peculiar.

  She opened her bag and pulled out her wallet. Chase held up his hand. “Don’t worry about that now.” He moved in closer. “She had a really good day,” he said quietly.

  Her face looked relieved. “Thank you, Chase.” She touched his arm and leaned in. “Can we speak a moment?”

  He turned toward me, his deep forest eyes swirling with rays of light. Get a grip, Jillian. They’re fucking green.

  “I won’t be long. Stay, please.”

  I nodded. As if I had a choice, but at least he asked nicely. They stepped outside the door, closing it, and I went over to the girl. “Hi, I’m Jillian. I like your guitar.”

  “Me too.” Her face lit up. “My name is Hazel.”

  “Nice to meet you, Hazel.” I pulled up a chair. “You sound very pretty when you play. Have you been taking lessons for a long time?”

  “Hmm.” She shrugged. “Sometimes. I’m getting better at reading tab. Is Mr. N your boyfriend?”

  “Mr. Nolan?” Hazel bobbed her head up and down as she plucked on the nylon strings. “No, he’s not. Why?”

  She shrugged again. “I like your hair.”

  “Well, thank you, Hazel. I like yours too.” It matched her name perfectly.

  She grinned widely, then hopped off her chair when the door opened. Her grandmother held out her arms, and Hazel ran into them.

  The little girl bounced over to Chase and hugged him tightly. “Bye, Mr. N. See you Monday.”

  He tousled her hair. “Great job today, Hazelnut. Don’t forget to practice.”

  “I won’t. Promise.”

  She left with Linda, and I was left standing there with a guy I barely had a clue about, despite already letting him into my body. I was never having a one-nighter again.

  “So, you teach guitar lessons. Here.”

  Chase nodded, ushering me farther inside, then shutting the door. “I also teach music. Here.” He waved his hand around the room.

  “And you coach softball.”

  “I do.”

  He leaned back on his desk, looking completely confident in his element. I couldn’t decide if that made me aroused or pissed off. Wait… it probably wasn’t that long ago when he was sitting in one of these desks himself. Yes, definitely pissed off.

  But it did clear up a few things. I thought back to Perry’s ramblings, and it explained the school thing. Relief flowed through me. Okay, maybe pissed off was too strong a word. And I couldn’t deny that music teachers floated my boat—older ones, that is.

  “And you’re obviously good enough to be on stage.”

  “It was temporary, but I appreciate the compliment.” He smiled, and it made his face look so damn… beautiful. Chase straightened and took a step closer. His hair was a bit on the longer side, and dark. I liked dark hair. “Why don’t we continue this conversation over dinner tomorrow night? You know things about me, and I don’t know a thing about you.”

  “Tomorrow’s the third. That’s the fireworks downtown.”

  “Are you going?”

  “Well, no, but….”

  “Neither am I, so what about dinner?” I frowned. We were careening way off track. “Don’t you want your phone back?” he asked.

  My phone! “Yes! Thank you.” That should have been my very first question to him. I breathed out deeply; the search was over. Then I squinted at him. “Wait, are you holding my phone hostage?”

  He laughed. “Your imagination is right up there with my students.” He opened his desk drawer and pulled out my cell.

  “How did you know it was mine?” Great, I probably did leave it unlocked. I scanned my memory—were there any inappropriate texts from Perry? Of course there were, but anything to do with Chase? I felt faint. Any ‘best sex of my life’ comments? Anything to do with rock-hard abs and wall-busting erections?

  “It wasn’t that hard considering you were the only one on the playground during practice. I’m not usually so distracted.” He held it out in his open hand. “Here you go. No strings attached.”

  I was so happy to have it back that I went right over and snatched it, stopping myself before the hugging stage. I almost ignored the effect his proximity had over me too. God, I’m a grown woman. It’s time to start acting like one again.

  “However, I believe you do owe me one. I’ll accept dinner as repayment.”

  “Owe you?”

  “For keeping it safe.”

  “That doesn’t sound like ‘no strings attached.’ Look, I’m very grateful, but I….”

  May as well nip this in the bud right now. I moved in closer, almost ignoring the sparks again. Almost disregarding the way my skin tingled, practically feeling his mouth all over it. Dammit. Why’d I have to be completely sober that night? Why’d I have to remember every last freaking orgasm?

  “How old are you, Chase?”

  “Twenty-three.”

  I inhaled sharply. That was bad. No, that was good. Good because he’s older than Daniel. Bad because he’s still younger than I’d originally thought when I slept with him. I could take disturbing lyrics and cover them up with a beautiful melody all day long, and it wouldn’t change the meaning. Whatever way you deciphered it, he was too young. Too fucking young.

  His lips curved as he regarded me. I had no doubt that I looked neurotic as I tossed around my conclusions inside my head. “And I’m thirty-eight.”

  In less than two short years, we wouldn’t even be in consecutive decades. I watched his face closely, and to his credit, he didn’t even flinch, much less recoil with disgust.

  “So?”
>
  “So?” What was the matter with him? “That’s—”

  “Fifteen years.”

  “I can do math,” I snapped, then felt guilty. But, God… fifteen years? Really? It sounded a lot worse hearing it out loud. “I was going to say that’s wrong. As I’ve already stated, I don’t date younger men.”

  He wrapped his hand around my arm and pulled me in. “Jillian.” I could see the softness of his lips, taste his scent, feel the vibration when he spoke my name. I was messed up. “Not a date. Dinner.”

  Was he going to kiss me? I wanted that. No, I didn’t. My reality was dangerously twisted. This boy was all man. His mouth was inches from mine, and my pussy throbbed. Literally throbbed. My brain kept sending down the hint to pull away, but it was drowning out in all the wetness.

  I was sure that kiss was coming any second, but he lifted my hair and went to my ear instead. “And as I’ve already said, Jillian, I find you interesting,” he whispered, the heat from his breath making me tremble. “And sexy as fuck. You may have a wild imagination, but I don’t think you’re a very good pretender. You enjoy my company as much as I enjoy yours.”

  Well, wasn’t that presumptuous? I should just… He stroked my neck, and I told myself to shut up. I closed my eyes, wondering how he’d explain the melted woman all over the floor to the janitor when he removed his hand. I lifted my lids, feeling utterly defeated. Good, bad. Right, wrong. I didn’t even know which end was up at that point.

  “One dinner,” he said. “Two people enjoying each other’s company and sharing a meal. That’s all I’m asking right now.”

  All I could see was his masculine face, the hard angles and soft eyes. My senses waved good-bye, and I nodded. Before I knew it, I’d given him that phone number I’d tried to protect.

  I walked out of that room feeling like I’d been through an electrical storm, having no idea what had hit me so hard.

  Not a date. Dinner. I could do that. I happened to eat dinner all the time.

  Don’t look back. Just keep walking, Jillian. Do not look back.

  I looked back. Chase stood outside the door, watching me leave. It was arousing as hell. I faced forward and pushed open the front doors. I’d just consented to something I felt very strongly against.