Chapter 15

15

ALAINA

I couldn't believe I'd said yes to Roan asking me out. Well, to dinner as friends. Not a date. He didn't exactly ask me out. I kept reminding myself of that as I stood in front of my closet, fretting over what to wear. Why did I care so much? It was just dinner with a parent. Sure, he was a very attractive parent who I kept thinking about more often than I probably should, but still.

This was not romantic. This was a father interested in how his son was doing by getting to know his teacher. We weren't dating. There wasn't going to be a goodnight kiss or a second date.

I had actually looked up the rules in the teacher's handbook to see if there was some rule about teachers dating parents. Surprisingly, there was no actual rule. If by some wild chance I did start dating Roan, there was nothing that said I couldn't. And with the way Trudy was acting, she seemed to want me to date Roan.

I still had not asked him to donate for the competition in Florida. It all felt so dirty. Going to dinner with him made me feel like I was buttering him up. I was not going to ask him tonight. No way. Then he would think I was only going out with him because I wanted his money. Unfortunately, I couldn't admit what I really wanted from him—for him to push me up against the wall, kiss me, and make me feel like a woman.

After trying on half a dozen outfits, I finally gave in and went to find my sister. "Help," I said.

She looked up from her laptop. "What's wrong?"

"I need a dress."

"You're wearing a dress," she pointed out.

"Not this dress. I want to look—pretty. Nice. Sexy."

She grinned. "You have a date!"

"No. I'm just going out for dinner."

"Sweetie, we call that a date."

"This is not a date," I said.

"Then why do you care what you wear?" she countered. "You walk out of the house wearing rainbows and unicorns. Clearly, you're going on a date."

"I'm going to dinner with Roan," I said softly.

I thought her eyes might pop out of her head. "What?"

"I'm going to dinner with Roan, and I don't have anything to wear," I said. "I don't want to wear what's in my closet."

"I don't care about that." She waved her hand. "You're going to dinner with the enemy?"

"He's not the enemy," I said. "He's Rafe's father. We're friends."

"This is a bad idea," she said. "Bad. That man is bad news. He's just going to hurt you."

"I'm not going out with him," I said with a sigh.

"Sure," she said. "That's why you're stressing about what you're going to wear. Roan is not the kind of man you want to date."

"Probably, but it's just two people eating dinner. It's not a date. We are just friends. He probably wants to talk to me about Rafe. He's probably going to do what he can to make sure Rafe gets the most attention. This is nothing more than a semi-professional date."

She gave me a funny look. "Why do you say it like that?"

"Say it like what?"

"Like you don't believe it," she said with a knowing look.

"I believe it. I know it's just a friendly thing. He's really interested in knowing what's going on with his son."

"Fine, but if he hurts your feelings, this might not end well for him," she warned. "I don't want to have to blow up my career kicking this guy's ass if he messes with you."

I laughed. "It's fine. There are no feelings involved. Now, please, get me a dress. Help me look like I'm not about to teach children."

She shook her head and walked to her bedroom with me right behind her. "We're not exactly the same size, you know. I don't know if I have anything."

"I know, but if I don't breathe, I think I can squeeze into something of yours," I joked. "But nothing black or gray. Or white. I need some color."

Together, we looked through my sister's closet. I started feeling hopeless. This was stupid. There was nothing in her closet that appealed to me. And then she handed me a deep emerald green dress. "Here, try this. It should fit you enough to make it work."

I held the dress up in front of me, admiring the color. "This is beautiful. Thank you."

After wiggling into the dress and managing to zip it up with some effort, I stepped out of the bathroom for her approval.

"Wow, Alaina, you look amazing!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise.

I smiled nervously, smoothing down the fabric of the dress. "You think so?"

"Absolutely! Roan won't know what hit him," she said with a mischievous grin. "See? Doesn't it feel good to look sexy? You're dressing like a woman, not a sideshow character."

I rolled my eyes at her teasing but felt a surge of confidence. Maybe this dinner wouldn't be so bad after all. I turned to look in the mirror.

The dress hugged all my curves, making me feel a little self-conscious, but it had been a long time since I went out with anyone other than Cate. I felt a flutter of excitement mixed with anxiety. Maybe I was overthinking this.

"Stop," Cate said. "You look hot. I almost forgot you had boobs."

I laughed. "Very funny."

"Let me get you a necklace that matches that dress perfectly."

She quickly put a simple, yet elegant diamond necklace on me. "Thank you, Cate. It's so pretty."

"Just don't lose it."

"I won't."

I put on the strappy heels and left the apartment, feeling like a million bucks.

Roan had offered to pick me up, but I insisted on driving myself to the restaurant halfway across the downtown sector. It felt more like keeping my independence intact, or so I told myself. If he picked me up, it would make it more like a date. This was strictly professional.

I got into my mini cooper and said a silent prayer. "Please start," I murmured.

I tried to ignore the sputtering sound it made when I turned the key. But it started. That was better than nothing. I checked the GPS and started on my way.

I didn't get far before the car started to sputter. "Don't you dare," I warned.

It dared.

The car died a few blocks away, leaving me stranded. Perfect.

I pulled the mini cooper into an alley and tried to call Roan, but my phone battery chose that moment to die on me. Of course. I grabbed the phone charger and plugged in my phone, but duh, no power.

"Dammit."

To top it off, it was getting dark, and the sky looked like it might rain.

Fantastic .

I sat in my car debating what I should do next. My options were pretty limited. Determined not to let this ruin the evening, I decided to walk to the restaurant. I wasn't sure why it felt so important to get there, but it did. Maybe it was because Roan had been on my mind constantly. The idea of him thinking I'd bailed made me even more desperate to get there. He would think I didn't want his friendship. That was the last thing I wanted.

I wasn't too far from the restaurant. "Stupid heels," I muttered.

I started to walk and that was when the clouds opened up and it started to rain. Great. Just great.

The day couldn't have gotten any worse. Maybe this was a sign. Fate was trying to tell me this was a bad idea. I wasn't supposed to have dinner with Roan.

I was about to turn back on the verge of tears, when I heard someone call my name. "Alaina!" Roan's voice cut through the rain.

I turned to see him running toward me. "What the hell are you doing out here?" he asked, pulling me under a canopy of a corner bodega. He quickly shrugged out of his jacket to put it around my shoulders. His hands lingered on my arms, warming me through the damp fabric.

"My stupid car broke down again," I said, my voice filled with disgust. "I thought I could make it the five blocks to the restaurant. Then I tried to call, but my phone died."

"I got your call, but it cut off abruptly. I was worried, so I went looking for you," he explained, his concern evident.

I couldn't help but laugh, relief and absurdity bubbling up inside me. "Why would you look for me? I'm just your son's teacher."

His eyes seemed to glaze over as he looked down at me. Then he snapped back to reality. "You're shivering. Come on, my offices are right across the street. We can get you warm and call a tow truck."

We walked to his office building in silence, the rain dumping down and dropping the temperature a good twenty degrees. It was a quiet ride up to his floor on the elevator. The tension between us was palpable. He led me to his office, telling me he was going to call a tow truck to get my car to his usual mechanic shop.

"I can't afford a tow truck right now," I protested, following him into his office. "And trust me, if a mechanic looks at that car, he's going to laugh and send it right to the junkyard."

"It's fine, don't worry about it," he said, sitting down behind his desk to make the call.

I looked around his office while he spoke to the mechanic. It was modern and minimalist, all black and gray with no pictures or art. It seemed so impersonal, so unlike the Roan I was getting to know. I wondered if his house looked the same way. Rafe was such a curious child. I hated to think Rafe lived in an environment this cold.

When I turned around, Roan was closer than I expected, his eyes intense.

"What's your favorite color?" I blurted out, trying to distract myself from his proximity. He was making me feel flustered.

He looked at me, surprised by the question. The way he was looking at me was making me feel hot and shaky at the same time. He was looking at me like he wanted me, but that was impossible. Why would he want me? He could have any woman in the world. Literally, any woman. He could marry a princess. A model. An actress. The options were endless for him. And yet here he was looking at me like I was the one he wanted.

"This," he said, his thumb smoothing over my lower lip, smudging the berry shade of lipstick I'd worn tonight. Before I could respond, he leaned down and kissed me.

The kiss was gentle at first, tentative, as if he was testing the waters. My heart raced. I found myself responding, my hands reaching up to grip his shoulders. He pulled me closer, deepening the kiss. A thrill ran through me. This was so unexpected, yet it felt so right. I parted my lips just enough to send a clear message.

His hands moved to cup my face, his touch both tender and urgent. I lost myself in the kiss, the world falling away until there was only him and me, the taste of rain lingering on our lips. I couldn't believe he was kissing me. That I was kissing him. His tongue pushed inside my mouth, his hands sliding down my arms and down to my hips. He tasted so good. I wanted more of him.

Hell, I wanted all of him.