Chapter 10

TEN

AUSTIN

Nausea curdled in my stomach. There was no mistaking the cocky stance, the skin-hugging jeans that were so tight they were almost obscene. Rupert faced me, that smirk on his face that made me wish I was less civilized.

Flicking my gaze to my front door, I saw Billy in the doorway, his arms folded and appearing like he was standing sentry. His eyes connected with mine, and he dipped his head. That one movement told me enough—that Rupert was here to cause trouble and that he'd tried to gain access to my house.

I allowed myself a moment of relief that Billy had been here.

Rather than walking up to a waiting Rupert, I bypassed him completely and went to Billy. I knew it would piss my ex off, used to having the attention and having a liking for the dramatics.

I attempted a smile at Billy and asked, "What do I need to know?"

Billy flicked a look in Rupert's direction, one that would make most people falter. I doubted it would work on Rupert, though; he was too full of his own self-importance for that.

"Tried a key in the lock, which worked. Clearly he didn't expect to see me here. I stopped him from entering, at which point he threw a hissy fit demanding access to Penny."

I closed my eyes and prayed for strength.

"Can you organize a locks—"

"He's on his way. You'll have to pay extra for the callout since it's the weekend, but I didn't think you'd mind."

"Thank you."

"Want my two cents?" he asked.

"You're the child from school." Rupert's vicious tongue broke through my reply, and I spun around immediately.

Shit, I'd totally abandoned Jasper. Reacting immediately, I headed toward Jasper, not wanting him anywhere near Rupert's brand of poison.

Jasper looked in my direction, sending me a smile and settling my nerves a little. He glanced back at Rupert, simply shooting him a hard stare and not biting at his antagonistic statement.

I reached Jasper before he made it to where Rupert was, saying quietly, "I'm so sorry about this." I grimaced. "Maybe you should head home so you don't get caught up in whatever he's playing at."

Hurt flashed in his eyes, and my stomach twisted. He swallowed hard; his eyes remained steady on mine. "If you want me to."

I shook my head, keeping my voice low. "I don't. Rupert can be venomous. I don't want you a target of that."

"I can handle myself," he said, his voice quiet but confident. "If me being here makes it more difficult for you, I'll go. If you don't want him to know we're…." He trailed off. I got it. I didn't know exactly what we were doing either. All I knew was he made my heart stumble over itself whenever we were together or I received a text from him. And since the first moment I met him, there'd been a spark, one I wasn't willing to ignore.

Tentatively, I reached and took his hand, making my intentions clear and giving him the opportunity to stop the touch. When he grinned, there went my heart, and I was happy I'd made the right move. "Let's shut this down."

Jasper nodded and then mumbled, "Is that the famous Billy?" A not so subtle look in his direction made me smirk.

"Yeah."

"Can I just say wow?" Laughter followed, and I snorted.

"You may, just this once," I jested. His reaction was understandable. My reaction was identical when I'd interviewed him as a dog-sitter. His position had quickly evolved. I turned back toward the house.

Red-faced, Rupert appeared ready to explode.

I deliberately led Jasper past him and to the wooden steps of my porch.

"This is really what it's come to? Seriously, Austin, I know I'm irreplaceable, but you've really lowered your standards and scraped the dregs of the barrel this time."

I grinned wide at that, first looking at Jasper, who seemed surprised by my reaction, and then at Rupert, who appeared equally nonplussed.

There was no need to explain my attraction or relationship with Jasper. Not only was he gorgeous, which was blatantly obvious to anyone who was fortunate enough to cast their gaze on him, but he was smart, a professional, kind and generous, and something I particularly liked about him, drama free.

"Something I can do for you, Rupert?" Ignoring his question would rile him even more, but he deserved the bare minimum of my focus or attention.

His gaping mouth sent a slither of triumph through me. It was rare I was petty, but sometimes, a small win was welcome. "Penny—"

"What about Penny?"

"Well, she—"

"No." I shut him down completely. "You shouldn't be here. You should have left town. You know perfectly well you have no claim over my dog, and you need to stop trying to use her as a bargaining chip. So again, why are you here?"

Contempt shuttered his features. "Maybe if you dismiss the boy toy, the adults can sp—"

"Stop." Anger threatened to rise from where it was steadily bubbling in my gut. "Jasper is here with me." I wouldn't even touch his ridiculous notion of adulthood. "There's nothing here for you anymore, so I'm asking politely for you to let go of whatever this is and leave."

Heat raced up his neck and across his cheeks. "Is that even allowed?" he spat, indicating between the two of us. Jasper stiffened at my side, and I squeezed his hand lightly, hoping to put him at ease. "He works for you, right? I can't imagine the gover—"

My brows shot high. "Please tell me it wasn't you. You wouldn't stoop so low to achieve—" I shook my head, not quite sure what he could hope to gain. "Was it you who took a photo of a private moment between me and Jasper and then posted them at school?" While the thought had crossed my mind on Friday, I'd swept it aside, believing that there was no purpose for Rupert being involved.

"I don't know what you mean." His reaction was a little too steady, his voice a little too controlled.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Holy shit, it was you." Disgust slammed into me, and mortified didn't even come close to the level of betrayal. It was worse than me discovering he cheated on me.

My words scattered; I wasn't sure how to respond.

"I think you should leave." Jasper's voice came out strong.

"This is my house—"

"No, it's not," Jasper answered before I had time to interject. "The sheriff's department has already been informed about the images too, as has the school board."

Disbelief looked almost comedic on Rupert, and I would have laughed if I wasn't so damn angry.

"Rupert." Billy's rough voice took us all by surprise, and we all looked his way. "This may come as a surprise to you, but you're a selfish, worthless prick. You get that, right?"

I tugged my cheeks between my molars and bit down hard. Billy had been the first to show his relief when I'd told him Rupert and I had separated.

I chanced a glance at Rupert, wondering how he would react. Fire-engine red was an interesting look on him. His fists were clenched, but I also knew there wasn't a chance he would shout at Billy. He was too chickenshit for that.

"I have to agree with Austin's man, Jasper, here"—Jasper gripped my hand so tight I was sure there'd be bruises, but I dared not look at him for fear of laughing at the soap opera that had become my life—"that you still being in town, trouble happening at his place of work, you entering his property illegally, it's all enough for me to be pulling my phone out and hitting speed dial to Sheriff Barrett."

My attention was solely on Rupert as he straightened his shoulders—I assumed grasping for dignity—before saying, "I was just heading back out anyway. This town is infested with inbreeds. It's hardly like I want to stay." His gaze traveled to Jasper, and his lip curled into a sneer. "There are better ways of getting a head start in a career. Getting on your knees is hardly dignified. The two of you together are ridiculous," he spat. He abruptly turned as I took a step forward, only stopping because Jasper refused to let go.

"You know he's not worth it." Quiet words reached me. The lack of emotion in them sent me turning in Jasper's direction. Concern crashed into me. Sadness tainted his gaze, his voice sounding dejected.

"He's not," I said carefully, aware I could hear Rupert's car engine but not caring enough to make sure he left, not when Jasper's reaction had trepidation flaring to life in my chest. "You're right. He's also full of shit."

Searching my eyes, he remained quiet. A small nod followed, but this whole nightmare that had played out had obliterated the happiness of our weekend. I didn't like it one bit.

"Listen, I'd better go."

"You don't have to. I'd like you to stay, for coffee at least," I said quickly.

Jasper shook his head. "I really need to prepare for classes." He stepped away. "I'll just grab your bag."

A few moments later, my bag was in my hand and Jasper was in the wind. Meanwhile, I stood in the driveway wishing the past thirty minutes could be erased.

"Glad to be home?" Billy said from beside me, making me startle.

I scoffed. "Something like that." I shook my head and angled toward him. "Thanks for what you said."

"My absolute pleasure. It's not the first time I've called him a prick, but it was just as satisfying."

My laugh took me by surprise. "I bet it was."

"So, Jasper seems like a good guy."

"He really is." He'd stood his ground, remained by my side, yet I'd let him drive away. "I should have tried harder to get him to stay."

"You think?" Billy huffed out a breath. "For a smart guy, you're a bit slow on the uptake at times, Austin."

I couldn't agree more. I now had to make sure Jasper didn't take on board any of the nonsense Rupert spewed.

"Come on." Billy tapped my arm, indicating I should follow. "The locksmith should be here soon. Let's go grab that coffee."

I trudged after him, bag in hand, and my memories of this weekend already seeming like a distant dream.

Monday was a disaster. An emergency plumbing issue emerged at the end of the day that I could not abandon Larry to manage alone. By the time I got home by ten that night to a needy Penny, who demanded some quality time with a stick in the dark, which of course was impossible, all I was able to do was throw off a quick text to Jasper letting him know what had happened, asking if he was okay, and telling him once again what an incredible weekend I'd had .

While his short response didn't concern me, it didn't exactly fill me with ease either.

Come Tuesday, I already had back-to-back meetings organizing the new developments, planning for the next school year, and followed up with a late meeting with the Parents and Friends Association.

After a similar exchange that night, I knew, without a doubt, I had to make time to find Jasper in the flesh and make sure we had a conversation.

That didn't happen, not until Friday morning when I deliberately got into school early just so I could get on top of my emails, leaving me enough time to head to his classroom before school started.

Not caring at this stage how I looked, I was waiting in his classroom when he entered the room to see me sitting on his chair.

"Morning." I stood immediately, making my way over to him. It took a moment, but his look of shock finally made way to a small smile.

"Morning."

We met just before he reached the desk, and I tentatively took his laptop bag off him. He handed it over without hesitation and watched as I placed it on his desk. My attention returned to him. Already having decided to jump right in, not willing to risk misunderstandings or play games, I took his hand in mine and stepped into his space. The whole time, I looked for any sign of discomfort, that he didn't want me here. When all I saw was silent relief and a change in his breathing, my nervous heart fluttered.

My lips brushed against his, just long enough for him to know that I missed him. With the barest of touches of my tongue to his, I tried to let him know that I couldn't wait to kiss him properly.

After I pulled away, I took a small step back, giving him space and protecting him should someone turn up in his doorway.

"Can we do dinner tonight?"

As he searched my gaze, I was uncertain what he saw. It took him a moment to say, "I'd really like that."

I exhaled as quietly as possible, hoping he wouldn't see how concerned I'd been that he'd say no. "Can you come straight after work?" Spending as much time as possible with Jasper was my agenda for the weekend. This week had been a logistical nightmare, and I'd need this weekend to make it up to him, let him know it wasn't the norm, and finally have the conversation about Rupert.

While I'd thankfully seen no sign of my ex, as much as I'd like to, I couldn't erase him from my life. What I could do, though, was reassure Jasper that the man wasn't worth the energy or overthinking .

"I'll text Mom and let her know not to expect me."

Relief barreled through me. "Thank you."

"Is today as chaotic as the rest of the week has been for you?" he asked, stepping around me and starting to set up for the day.

"God, I really hope not."

He laughed. "Well, ‘the price of greatness is responsibility.'"

My lips quirked high, loving when he did this. "I'm not sure I'm anywhere in the same league as Churchill, but I can attest to responsibility being exhausting."

One of his brows lifted high. "Not sure there's anything like that in his words."

"But if he'd attempted to wrangle hundreds of teenagers who lived by their hormones and taking selfies, I'm sure he would have built that right in there. It would have been a precursor to his speech."

Amusement filled Jasper's words when he said, "I'll perhaps hold back from sharing that theory with the class when working on speech writing, if that's okay with you?"

"Duly noted." A quick glance at the wall clock told me I need to get back to my office and stop distracting Jasper. "Are you okay to meet me at my office when you're ready?" I asked.

"Definitely." Any uncertainty I had before our conversation and when he'd first stepped into his room disappeared with the affection in that one word.

"I hope you have a great day." Physical distance the only way to avoid the temptation of kissing him goodbye, I backed away as I spoke.

"Thanks. You too."

His eyes remained glued to mine as I reached the door. Before I retreated, I cast him a wink, and he responded with a grin and a roll of his eyes.

There was a definite skip to my step as I strolled to my office, stopping by to see Laney in the science department to check a few things over with her. By then students filled the corridors, and I stopped to have a conversation with a few squirming groups, so it was the start of lessons when I entered my office. A moment later, Barb tapped on the door as she smiled in the open doorway.

"Morning, Barb."

Her quirked brow told me I was being extraordinarily bright this morning, but I didn't have it in me to hold back and play it down. The memory of my chaste kiss with Jasper remained fresh, and the promise of dinner was the first thing I'd looked forward to all week.

"Have you seen Jasper this morning?"

"Whatever do you mean, Barb?"

She shook her head at me before saying, "Your ten o'clock appointment is going to be a little late. I've also contacted the building contractor about the upcoming project. I'll get back to him when I've organized a time next week for a sit-down."

I nodded as she spoke, relieved the grant for the extra classroom had come through at last.

"I've added to your schedule time next week with a new student and his uncle. I've sent for his past school transcripts too."

While it wasn't unheard of for students to join during the year, it certainly wasn't commonplace. But another student to the fold was positive. "Sounds good." I shook my mouse to wake up my computer. "I want us both out on time today. Can you make that happen?" I flicked a glance her way, my gaze landing on her smirk.

"I definitely can."

My smile was wide when I said, "Thanks."

"Anytime." She then added, "Within reason," and proceeded to chuckle to herself as she headed back to her desk.

Relieved to have a productive day, I was still smiling by the time the final bell rang. Despite my busyness, it had been positive, and it also meant the day had sped by. I was in the middle of confirming an appointment when I heard soft footsteps.

Immediately I glanced up, a smile curving up when Jasper appeared in my doorway. He looked good, especially with his loose tie and messy hair. "You ready?" I confirmed the appointment, hitting Send.

"I am if you are. If you have things to do first—"

"Nope," I said quickly as I logged off and shut my PC down. "I'm all yours."

At my words, his eyes darted around my face. I hoped he heard the sincerity beneath the flirtation.

"I like the sound of that."

His words surprised me while sending my heart into overdrive. They also got my ass moving faster. I stood, quickly grabbed the essentials I needed to take home, and approached Jasper. Feet planted firmly, he didn't step aside as I paused before him, the barest of spaces between us.

"Let's get to my place so I can tell you how much I like the sound of that too."

The uptick of his breathing was almost enough for me to lean into him. Only my determination to stop putting him in vulnerable positions prevented me.

Rather than answering me, he nodded.

"I'll meet you there."

Heat lit his gaze. Then my view of his eyes was gone as he spun around and headed for the parking lot. I followed, saying a quick goodbye to Barb, whose smirk was wide.