Page 22 of Breakaway

“I don’t know,” she whispered, loving the feel of him holding her like that. “Apparently I’m not really meant to have fun.”

“Oh come on. Everyone is meant to have fun. This is funny. I’ve never had the cops break in on me while…uh…”

Her cheeks heated again and she wriggled down. He entered her phone number into his cell phone as the lights of a taxi pulling up outside swept over them.

He grinned and shoved his phone into his pocket, cupped her chin in his fingers and brushed one more kiss over her mouth. “Night, Remi. I had fun tonight.”

“Me too.” She watched him leave through the small window of the door, her heart constricting inside her chest. “Oh, me too. So much fun.”

“What do you mean they’re not coming?” Remi stared at the principal, a chill sliding over her. “There are two hundred and fifty kids in the auditorium waiting for them.”

Jennifer grimaced. “Jemar Fast was charged with drunk driving on the weekend. Not a good role model for the kids.”

Remi’s brows pulled down and she rubbed between her eyes. “Great. Just great.” She’d worked so hard to get the kick off rally for the Stars for Reading program to be held at their school this year, with three members of the Chicago Bulls participating.

“It’s not over,” Jennifer said. “They found someone else. Three Wolves.”

“Wolves.”

“The hockey team.”

“Oh. Of course. Okay. Better than nothing, I guess.” She took in a breath. “I better go make sure they’re not destroying the gym.”

Two hundred and fifty middle school students in the auditorium near the end of the day probably had a bit of energy to burn. Especially her grade six students Justin and Ryan. Their ADHD made them a handful at times.

“When our hockey players show up, I’ll bring them right down,” Jennifer promised her.

“Thanks.”

Remi hurried down the school hall, past empty classrooms and into the gym. The kids were actually being pretty good, sitting on the bleachers and filling the room with a dull roar punctuated with the occasional scream of high-pitched laughter.

“Change in plans,” she said to her fellow teacher Paula Vaughan. “We have hockey players coming instead of basketball players.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Okay, everyone, listening!” She paused and waited for the noise to subside, holding a hand in the air. “We’re running a bit late, so please be patient. Jemar Fast isn’t going to be with us after all.” Big groans of disappointment greeted that statement. “But someone else is coming in his place.”

“Who is it, Ms. Buchanan?”

“Yeah, who is it?”

Dammit, she didn’t even know who it was. “Three players from the Chicago Wolves are coming today.”

Cheers echoed in the gym. Huh. Guess the kids knew hockey.

“They should be here shortly to get us started. Has everyone got their book picked out that they want to read first?”

Another burst of cheering erupted and she grinned. She loved it when kids were into books and reading. Some of her studentswere already avid readers, but others, like Justin and Ryan, struggled with it.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jennifer entering the auditorium with a group of men. Relieved, she prepared to turn the microphone over to the principal to introduce their new “stars” and get things started. If they didn’t get going soon, the kids would be beyond control.

Remi went to stand with some other teachers at the side of the gym and watched Jennifer lead the three men to the front where the sound system was set up. Big guys, all three of them…Remi’s eyes widened and she straightened. She blinked and focused on the back of one of the men. It looked like…no. She shook her head. Then he turned.

Jase.

Her face went hot, her body got chilled and she fell back against the concrete block gym wall.

He said something to Jennifer and they both laughed. His gorgeous smile flashed. Today he was dressed casually in jeans and a Wolves T-shirt that hugged his broad chest and shoulders. The other two men with him…yes, she was sure they’d been with him that night at Rouge…also wore the same T-shirts.

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