Free Playing Hooky (Teach Me Tonight) by Lily Rede, Jane Gaudet Page B

big cat, and that
tight, perfect ass she’d wanted to squeeze for months –
    “Jack,”
she breathed.
    Shit.
     
    JACK
ROMAN COULDN’T SHAKE the bad mood that had gripped him for weeks now. He knew
that Bree was furious with him for missing the Callahan family reunion, and
he’d only made it worse by pointing out they were her family by
marriage, not his. Still, he hated letting her down. While she’d married into a
huge, boisterous, loving group of people who were in each other’s lives on a
daily basis, Jack only had her. For all of the fans of his books, his
colleagues, and the dozen people that kept his public life running smoothly,
there weren’t many he counted as true friends. Bree obviously wanted the
Callahans to fill that void, but Jack had trouble letting people in, and it
showed. He’d jumped at the chance to skip the reunion with a trip to the other
side of the world.
    By
himself.
    And
so, because Bree was pissed at him, the three-week research trip that was
supposed to be his next grand adventure felt more like a tedious chore.
    The
material was fascinating – an ancient island tribe the world had never heard
of, the Luveku Ika, who worshipped a half-human, half-fish deity. Bree had been
delighted when he told her about the “mermaid people,” and wanted every detail.
Though he wasn’t thrilled that the other half of the island was being taken up
by the new, swanky resort, it was convenient for his purposes. Showing up for a
few weeks of preliminary observations before they opened would give him a
chance to evaluate and plan a more thorough investigation.
    The
research would keep him busy.
    And
keep him from thinking about a certain sexy schoolteacher.
    Staring
out at the water as the yacht began to move, Jack felt a familiar heat as Molly
Callahan invaded his thoughts, again. Since the moment Bree and Molly
had become BFFs, his conniving sister had been working to match them up. At
first, Jack had been amused – she wasn’t anything like the tall, cool models he
generally attracted. As time passed, however, his amusement faded to irritation
as he realized that Molly didn’t have to be a supermodel to be a danger to him.
    She
distracted.
    Jack
hated distractions. His focus was legendary, his work meticulous, and he felt
the pressure of the public eye with every word he published. He didn’t have
time for a lush little middle school teacher with wide blue eyes and tempting curves
hidden under sensible sweaters and skirts that made him wonder how soft the
flesh beneath might be.
    Did
she wear garters? His cock tightened as the image stuck.
    Snap
the fuck out of it, Jack, he ordered himself, knowing he’d never find out firsthand.
    Molly
Callahan was off limits.
    Jack
made her nervous and he knew it. Molly could barely string two words together
around him, though he’d eavesdropped on enough of her conversations at family
functions to realize that she had a sharp mind and a sweet, generous heart. When
their paths crossed and he had to make small talk, the sexual tension in her
was palpable, and that stirred something primal in him, as though his body
recognized a receptive female eager for his touch. He kept their conversations
bland, to prevent himself from grabbing her and pinning her against the nearest
convenient surface to devour her in succulent bites.
    She’d
lick that full lower lip and he’d have to stifle a groan, and when she thought
he wasn’t looking, her eyes would wander over him with barely-disguised
interest. Jack had developed a sixth sense about knowing when she was staring
at his ass.
    The
first problem was that she was Bree’s best friend and a Callahan. The
second problem was that he seriously doubted she was the kind of girl who would
be happy with a quick fling, the only offer ever on the table. She probably
wanted hearts and flowers and quiet nights by the fire. Jack was gone half the
time, up to his ears in bugs and dirt, and when he was home, he spent most of
his