Page 87 of Breakaway

“Because I’m a big stupid jerk.”

She felt a fist squeezing her heart.

“No, you’re not.”

He moved toward her and put his hands on her waist and she let her briefcase drop to the floor. Then he bent his head and kissed her. Much as she wanted to kiss him back and never, ever stop, she couldn’t just pretend nothing had happened. She put her palm on his chest and pushed.

“What’s going on, Jase?”

He lifted his head and gazed down at her, his mouth a straight line of grimness, eyes dark.

“Nothing.”

She shoved harder at him and he took a step back. “Bullshit. Something’s obviously wrong.”

“I should have called you on Saturday.” He pushed his hands into his pockets and elevated his shoulders like a little boy. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s it? You’re sorry?”

“Yeah.”

She stared at him. That wasn’t good enough for her. How could he think it was?

“Wanna get some dinner?”

She felt her eyebrows descend and set her fingers to her temples. “Dinner?”

“Sure. Something quick.” He moved toward her again and traced his fingers down the side of her neck and over her collar bone in the opening of her blouse. She shivered. “And then we can go back to your place and I’ll make it up to you that I didn’t call on Saturday.”

She lowered her chin and looked up at him through her lashes. He was going to do this—act like nothing big had happened.

Jennifer appeared in the door of the classroom with some papers in her hands. She stopped short upon seeing Jase. “Oh, hi Jase. I didn’t know you were here.”

He shot her his most charming grin, made especially bad-boy sexy by the shiner, and she smiled in return. Remi wanted to roll her eyes, but didn’t. “Just came to talk to Remi.”

Jennifer eyed them. “Well, I can talk to you about this tomorrow, Remi.”

“Okay. Thanks. We’re just leaving.”

This was not the place to be discussing Jase’s problems, whatever they may be, so she grabbed her coat and purse and briefcase and they walked out of the school together.

“Let’s just go to my place,” she suggested. “If you’re hungry, I’ll make you something, but I don’t want to be having this conversation in a restaurant.”

He frowned. Good. Just so he knew they were having a conversation.

He followed her home and once the door had closed behind them, he reached for her again. His mouth was warm and delicious on hers, then he kissed his way over her cheek and jaw and the side of her neck, sending shivery delight over her body. It was so hard to resist his potent sexual charm, but she grabbed hold of his big biceps and tried to push him away.

“Stop, Jase.”

He muttered something against her neck and didn’t move. “You’re so sweet, Remi,” he murmured. “God, I missed you. I had to see you. Even…”

Even what? She ached for more of him, longed to arch against him and throw her arms around his neck. She almost did. Then she used some of the moves she hadn’t used for a while and slid out of his grip with a fast bend of her knees, then grabbed his arm and twisted it up behind his back sharply.

“Jesus Christ!”

She gave his arm a hard wrench, not to hurt him, just to remind him that just because he was big didn’t mean she couldn’t protect herself from him. Then she let him go and stepped away, putting space between them.

“Do not think you can just show up and get me all hot and bothered and I’ll just forget about whatever is going on,” she said, her jaw so tight it hurt. “Don’t think you can use sex to distract me from everything else.” Standing up for herself was hard, but sheknew it was important, important to their relationship and important for her own self-respect.

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