Page 16 of Defending her Heart

Begging won’t work, even if I were to get down on my hands and knees and grovel. The image of me on my knees with her skirt flipped up and my head between her legs has my cock stirring under the covers.

“Fuck.” I pound my pillow and toss around until I’m settled on my side. I stare at the dark wall in front of me and run through all my possibilities.

I could risk Paisley catching bronchitis, but that wouldn’t be fair of me to ask Mom to pick her up and tend to her on top of mydad. Paisley is an easy kid, but she’s full of energy and doesn’t like to sit still for too long.

There are plenty of guys on the team who have families. I could ask one of them for babysitter references. But there’s no time for me to meet anyone, vet them, show them what Paisley likes and doesn’t like.

Maybe one of the wives wouldn’t mind coming over and watching her, but that’s a lot to ask of a stranger as well. And I’d have to go through the paperwork process at Revere to approve another individual to pick up Paisley.

Since I gave my parents full access to Paisley’s records and permission to make decisions on my behalf, it wasn’t a big deal to send my kid off with her teacher.

Lucky me.

Shit. Itislucky me. Kendall did my parents a solid yesterday, and I somehow need to convince her to do it again tomorrow. If I hadn’t royally fucked things up, she probably would have willingly said yes. Now? I’m not so sure.

I toss and turn all night and am no closer to a solution when my alarm goes off in the morning. I have to be at the field today from eleven to at least six, which gives me a few hours to strategize after I drop off Paisley.

Doing the only thing I can think of, I pick up my cell and make a call to Kendall’s administrator.

CHAPTER SEVEN

KENDALL

“Miss Wentworth?” Charlene, one of the administrative assistants, taps on my open door. “Your ten o’clock meeting is here.”

“My what?” I look up from the stack of alphabet letters I’m cutting out. “I don’t have a meeting on the calendar.”

“Mr. Chambers just finished meeting with him and said you were meeting with the father next. He’s in the conference room.”

I’m usually really good at keeping up with my calendar. I check my schedule again and don’t see anything slotted for my forty minute break. It’s the only time I have to breathe during the day, when the kids are at their specials.

Today is music so they’ll be antsy and tapping on their desks when they return. I take a few sips from my water bottle and straighten my skirt on my way to the conference room, forcing my welcoming teacher smile.

“Good morning. I’m—” I pause in the doorway and my lips drag so far south they’re touching my boobs. “What are you doing here?”

I hate how good Nash looks as he stands. The scruff on his face is unnecessary. He’s already ridiculously handsome in a Henry Cavill way. Not exactly the nice guy Clark Kent vibes. More like when he stumbled around half naked and ripped a pair of pants and shirt off a clothesline to cover his naked body vibes.

Hot, bothered, a little dirty.

Except Nash is fully clothed. Not that I don’t have the image of him in only his boxer briefs burned in my skull. His big frame takes up too much space in our small conference room meant for no more than four adults. We usually use this room for our speech and occupational therapists.

There are no windows, and if I close the door behind me, no one will see or hear us. Unless he pisses me off even more and I’m forced to go ape shit on him. Again.

His navy-blue Revolutions shirt stretches across his stupid muscles that make my vagina hum. Traitorous body.

“Have a seat.”

I glance over my shoulder and watch Mr. Chambers return to his office. Shit. Did Nash follow through with his threat to slander my reputation? I’ll strangle him. Doubtful my hands will fit around his thick neck, but I can crush him with my thighs. Pilates and yoga have made my lower body damn strong.

I close the door behind me and lean across the small table, jabbing at him with my finger in the air.

“Fuck you and your misogynistic asshole views of women. Because I like to go out to bars and dance with my girlfriends means I’m a slut and not a good teacher? You push, you tackle, you take down others for a living. You’re rough, physical, and arrogant on the field. That must mean you’re a rough, physical, and angry father as well. Should I contact child protective services and have Paisley removed from your guardianship?”

Nash’s eyes grow wide and he clenches his jaw. I watch as his shoulders lift then ease as he lets out a slow breath. The wave of emotions flows through him from rage to anger to understanding to, I don’t know about this last one. Compassion? Understanding?

“Kendall...” His voice is low and deep as he nods to the chair across from him.

“It’s Miss Wentworth.” Whatever he has to say isn’t going to be good, but I take a seat anyway. “My friends call me Kendall. My students and their parents call me Miss Wentworth.”

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