Free Rumor Has It (An Animal Magnetism Novel) by Jill Shalvis Page A

deal.
    * * *
    Griffin walked down the hallway of the elementary school experiencing an odd sense of déjà vu. It had been a whole hell of a lot of years since he’d walked these halls, and mostly back then he’d either been running like hell during an escape or sitting on a bench outside the principal’s office.
    He had no idea why he was here now.
    Except he did. He’d promised Tommy he’d come by for a brownie. And maybe a small part of him wanted to see Kate in her element. He stopped in the doorway to her classroom and took in the scene. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor with the kids, reading to them.
    She’d taken off her sweater. Her demure, librarian-approved blouse, skirt, tights, and boots shouldn’t have made him hot. The blouse had a little stand-up collar and a row of teeny-tiny buttons down the front. A nightmare to get into in a hurry. Nope, that shirt was made for the slow reveal, and it was really amazing how sexy it was when paired with the reading glasses perched on her nose and the way her hair was twisted in a knot at the base of her neck.
    She was every guy’s secret teacher-jack-off fantasy. She’d been his just last night.
    She was laughing and so were the kids as she picked up a book, opened it to a page, and said a word. She pointed at someone to spell the word, which correlated to the picture on the page of the big book she was holding.
    Spelling had been torture for Grif. Sheer torture. He’d have done anything to get out of it—and often had. Frogs in his pockets let loose at the right moment. Spilling whatever he could get his hands on to garner him an excuse to go to the restroom. Whatever he could think of, he attempted to pull off.
    But here no one was attempting escape.
    He suspected the reason for the kids’ rapt attention was the exact same reason he moved to get closer.
    Kate.
    She had a way of glowing, of looking so happy to be talking to you, of spreading smiles . . . It was like she was a drug. She met his gaze then, and something came into her smile.
    A wariness.
    Smart girl.
    Tommy turned to see who Kate was looking at. He beamed and scooted over to make some room in the circle for Griffin. A few other parents came in as well, and the kids’ circle widened again. It was an ongoing thing, he realized, Kate expanding her circle to accept everyone.
    When spelling was over and Kate had excused the kids back to their desks, each of which had a brownie on it, Grif started to head toward the front of the classroom, but Tommy ran over to him. “Griffin!”
    “Hey, kid.”
    “Hey!” Tommy handed over the flannel shirt. “I wore it all day,” he said proudly, smiling his gap-toothed smile. “Well, except when I painted. I didn’t wanna spill.”
    Which, given the splotches of green and blue paint smeared on Tommy’s cheek, had been a good call.
    Tommy held out his right hand for the same fist bump they’d exchanged earlier. Then he held out his left and handed Grif a brownie that was only slightly squished. “I saved this one for you.” With one last grin, he turned and ran directly into Dustin.
    “Hey, ’tard,” Dustin said. “Watch where you’re going.”
    Tommy looked down at the chocolate smeared on his hand and licked his palm.
    Grif opened his mouth to say something to the rude punk-ass, but Kate beat him to it.
    “That’s an unacceptable word, Dustin,” she said. “What happens when we use an unacceptable word?”
    Dustin huffed out a sigh. “Time-out.”
    “Then go take one.”
    As he had earlier, Dustin kicked the ground. No dust rose this time as he walked back to his seat.
    Tommy slid Kate a long look but said nothing as he moved back to his seat as well.
    Grif leaned in. “Why don’t you let that little shit have it?”
    She spoke just as quietly. “Because it wouldn’t do Tommy any favors to have his teacher—and his sister—defend his manhood.”
    “Maybe not, but it’d do the bully good to be put in his place.”
    She