Page 101 of The Jack*ss in Class

“Good research?” I murmured into her hair.

She laughed against my skin. “Excellent. Very... thorough. So incredibly informational.”

“Happy to be your test subject anytime.” I pressed a kiss to the top of her head, marveling at how right she felt in my arms, how complete.

A buzzing sound interrupted our little blissful afterglow bubble. We’d lost signal sometime during the storm. Both our phones went off at the same time.

“I guess the real world is back and has found us,” I sighed, reluctantly reaching for my phone.

“Cell service must have just gotten restored,” Tempest said, pulling the sheet around herself as she leaned over the edge of the bed to retrieve her own phone from her discarded clothes.

I had twelve missed calls from Dad, five from Gryff, and a string of texts ranging from concerned to panicked. I shot off a quick group message.

Me: We’re both fine. Heading back to hotel soon-ish.

Tempest was frowning at her own screen. “Eight missed calls from my agent. That’s... unprecedented.” She looked uncertain as she pressed call.

I busied myself checking my other messages while she spoke to her agent. The Bandits PR team wanted to reschedule our meeting with the owner.

“Gloria, I’m fine,” Tempest was saying. “We found shelter... Yes, ‘we’. I was with... a friend.” Her eyes flicked to mine, a smile playing at her lips. “Of course I understand they aren’t happy about that,” she continued, her tone shifting to something more professional, more assured. “I will be a producer and maintain final say on that. I won’t have them Hollywood white-washing or skinny-washing my heroines. It’s nonnegotiable if they want the books.”

I watched, fascinated, as she negotiated terms with the confidence of a seasoned professional. This was yet another side of Tempest I hadn’t seen. Badass businesswoman, the successful author protecting her work. It was sexy as hell.

“Yes, email them over and I’ll have my lawyer reviewbefore signing.” She hung up, meeting my appreciative gaze. “What?”

“Nothing.” I grinned. “Just enjoying watching author Tempest in action. It’s hot.”

She rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hide her pleased smile. “FlixNChill is sending over the contracts today. But they want the next book in the series ASAP. I’m on, like, chapter three and it’s already overdue.”

“What’s it about?”

Tempest glanced up at me and turned fifty shades of pink. She huffed out a laugh and tried to look away, but I held her chin so she couldn’t.

“Ooh. Something really dirty, then.” Why were the sweet, innocent ones always the ones with the best imaginations? And by best I meant utterly kinky and wicked. “I love it. Tell me, Ms. Milan.”

“I’m gonna make you sign an NDA first.”

“All your secrets are safe with me, sweetheart.” That may have sounded flirty, but I meant it sincerely.

She took a big breath and narrowed her eyes on me. “Do not read anything into this, Kingman.”

“Who, me? I’m just a big dumb jock who doesn’t read. So tell me.” We both knew that wasn’t even close to the truth. Although, I hadn’t read a romance novel before, I was about to start.

Tempest looked up at the ceiling, finding it utterly fascinating. “It’s a retelling ofTwelfth Night.”

She still wasn’t looking at me. “And?”

One long exhale and a thousand darts of her gaze anywhere but at me, and she finally said, “With football players.”

Oh ho-ho. “The play where not a single one of them actually takes the time to get to know each other so there’s no way it was actually love, they’re all just horny and should have just had one big orgy? ThatTwelfth Night, but with football players, oh, and there’s twins too?”

She swatted my arm, but her laugh was warm. “Yes, thatTwelfth Night. Why in the world is the only man I’ve ever had feelings for the one football player on the planet who actually knows anything about Shakespeare?”

My heart literally skipped a beat. Hell to the fuck yeah. She’d just said she had feelings for me. Out loud. I wasn’t going to push on it though. I knew to take the win for what it was. For now.

“We should celebrate.” I sat up, pulling her into my lap. “Let’s do something fun tonight.”

“Absolutely,” she said. “But FlixNChill and my agent have been taking me to all these fancy restaurants, and you know what I really want?”

---