Maggie was mad. She didn’t know whom she was mad at. She just knew what emotion was coursing through her veins and making her head throb as though it were about to pop off her neck. She took a seat in her comfy leather chair and began swinging back and forth at her desk. She hooked her foot into the side of the desk frame and used it to propel herself from side to side. For some reason, that was soothing.

Darren stepped into her office and closed the door quietly behind him. She appreciated the fact that he was not making a bunch of excuses or talking a mile a minute. He seemed to be letting her take the lead. That meant a lot. In fact, it sort of managed to cool her down from boiling to quietly stewing. If that was really an improvement, which it was. She needed to be positive here.

“It seems like you were getting pretty friendly in there with Ms. Witherspoon,” Maggie finally managed to say once she could get words past her lips.

His left eyebrow rose, but he showed no other outward reaction. Maggie was at a loss. What had she expected? A big speech? A big rambling monologue of denials and excuses? Honestly, what had she expected from Darren Hernandez? Had he actually done anything wrong?

“I’m sorry,” Maggie said softly. “That came out a bit on the aggressive side.”

One corner of Darren’s mouth quirked up into the mockery of a smile. He was such a handsome man. Maggie was struck again by how absolutely masculine he really was. His olive-toned skin contrasted vividly with his blue eyes in the dim afternoon light spilling through her office windows. His hair was tousled, and he looked as though he had been romping around with a bunch of kids all afternoon, which he had been. For some reason, that knowledge made him just that much more attractive to Maggie.

“I’m not a counselor,” Darren said suddenly. “I don’t have any experience in diagnosing people with personality disorders or dealing with their emotional baggage. But I can tell you that your principal is desperately single. She is pushy. She is extremely aware of the power she wields in her job, and she will not hesitate to use that to her advantage whenever she can.”

“That’s a pretty accurate summation,” Maggie told him with a chuckle. Then she exhaled and felt a whole bucket load of tension just drain out of her body. “Especially for a guy without a counseling degree and no experience diagnosing personality disorders.”

“I think, after a certain amount of time, a man gets used to certain types of women and how to handle them.” Darren began to fidget, which seemed out of character for him. He was looking down at his knee where a stray string from his athletic pants was keeping his fingers busy. Then he suddenly looked up and met her gaze with such an expression of confusion that Maggie felt her own heart double thump in response. “What I’m not used to is trying to deal with bullshit behavior like that when the woman is essentially my boss.”

Maggie bit her lip. She had done Darren a pretty big disservice when she had assumed that he welcomed the attention from Olivia. She was judging him the same way his own brother judged him, and she had no right to do that. With a deep sigh, she decided that there was only one way to proceed.

“I’m sorry,” Maggie told him quietly. “I’m sorry that I automatically assumed that you enjoyed Olivia’s attentions. I’m sorry I didn’t do more to warn you. And I’m sorry that I brought you in here and probably increased your stress instead of giving you a chance to relax and be safe.”

Darren’s smile made her pulse speed up until she thought she might leap out of her chair. “There’s no need to be sorry as long as we’re both clear that I’m not attracted to Olivia Witherspoon.”

“I’m honestly kind of glad to hear that.” Maggie felt sheepish. “A lot of guys seem to prefer her brand of—well, I guess you’d call it style.”

“I’ll admit that there was a time in my life that I would have been flattered by her attention.” Darren sat back in his chair and seemed to zone out a bit. The faraway look in his eyes was introspective more than anything else. Maggie let him think for a moment in peace. “I thought about that this afternoon too. I thought about how even a few weeks ago I might have wanted to take her out because I knew that at the end of the night there would be a physical payoff.”

“And now?” Maggie forced the words out. She didn’t want to think about Darren with all of those women who had come before. It was bad enough recalling what Olivia looked like hugging him.

“And now everything is changing.” His eyes refocused—on her. “I met you, and you intrigue me the way that no Olivia has ever done. I don’t really know why either.” He gave a self-deprecating chuckle. “That sounds really unflattering, but I don’t mean it to be that way. I’m just trying to figure out for myself why everything feels so different now.”

Maggie pursed her lips. She thought about everything Laredo had said regarding Darren and his history. She thought about the things Darren had let unintentionally slip. And most of all, Maggie thought about how comfortable Darren seemed with the kids and in the role of a teacher. “It seems like you’re doing a lot of changing in a very short period of time,” Maggie suggested quietly. “It happens sometimes when there are exterior factors, like the football career changing. Then we realize that the things that made us happy or fulfilled before—our goals even—aren’t the same anymore. We realize that we’re growing and evolving and that there are other things that mean more to us than we ever could have imagined that they would.”

“You sound like this has happened to you,” he commented wryly.

Maggie considered that. She’d never really experienced what he was going through. “My life isn’t that exciting. It’s all been a pretty slow evolution for me. I was an only child. My parents were older. I was alone a lot. I spent a lot of time being ignored. And when I chose a career, I chose it with the idea of making sure I could keep other kids from being ignored too. I think everyone who goes into counseling realizes that they did it because they had their own baggage to deal with. Some of us hide behind other people’s stuff to avoid facing our own. I was no different. I am no different.”

“I think you’re very different.” Darren’s low voice made her belly tighten. Her whole body began to wake up, and her breathing became ragged as she remembered the kiss they had shared earlier.

She stood up suddenly. This really wasn’t the place to continue what had happened earlier. It wasn’t the place for any of it. Olivia was probably still right down the hall. Hell, she could even be listening at the door!

Maggie had a sudden mental image of Olivia peering through the keyhole of Maggie’s office to try and see if Maggie was trying to put the moves on a man that Olivia had obviously claimed for her own. It was so Animal Kingdom laughable that Maggie could not help but giggle.

“What’s happening, sweetheart?” Darren asked gently. “You seem like you’re all over the place. I want you to know that I’m not interested in Olivia. It’s really important to me that you know that. I’m interested in you.”

She licked her lips. They’d gone suddenly dry. “Me? You’re really interested in me? But why?”

“Because you’re a really special woman.” Why did he look as though this was a total duh moment? “Do you not have any idea how special you are? Don’t you look in the mirror every single morning and see that you’re a beautiful, talented, and intelligent woman?” He winked at her, and Maggie thought her heart might actually be in her shoes. “Because if you don’t, you need to get a new mirror. Your old one must be horribly broken.”

“Broken, hmm?” She could not help but flirt back. The man was so engaging, so very charming, that you just wanted to do anything to make him smile at you and make you feel that thing too.

“Have dinner with me,” he said suddenly. “Go out and dance with me tonight.”

“Dance?” She gaped a little. She didn’t dance. She was athletic, but that did not imply coordination. Dancing would likely put her in a position to make a total fool of herself. Not a good idea. Ever.

“Sure,” he encouraged. Why did he have to look so sure of himself all the time? “Dancing. I love to dance. Especially in one of these Western bars where half the place is full of line dancers and nobody is paying any attention to what everyone else is doing.”

“Sounds like a party,” she said drily. “I especially like the ‘nobody is paying attention to everyone else.’ You know that’s a load of bull. Right?”

“Nah!” He took her hand and drew her out from behind the desk. When had they both stood up? Did she even remember that? It was like her body kept unconsciously trying to get closer to his every single second. He lifted her arm and did a little twirl that made her need to spin unless she wanted to lose her hand.

She could not deny the fact that there was a sensation of exhilaration in that one move. Why was it so exciting to twirl around with him there in her office like some idiotic teenager with a crush?

“Beautiful,” he murmured. Then he drew her closer and tugged her arms up around his neck. He put his hands on her sides and began to sway side to side. “Yes. I want to take you dancing. Tonight. Go with me.”

“All right.” Could she have done anything but agree?

She was staring up into his face. The chiseled planes of his features were becoming more and more familiar as she realized that her mind was absolutely focused on him almost every single second. He was smiling. She could not resist the urge to touch his lips.

Reaching up, she placed her fingers on his full lower lip and traced it from side to side before moving to the top one. They were soft. She had not really expected them to be so soft. She touched his cheeks and felt the roughness of his beard stubble. The contrast was delightful. She was still marveling over that when she realized he was lowering his mouth to hers.

Sucking in a quick breath of surprise, she managed to hold herself together as he took her lips in a long kiss that once again made her toes curl inside her shoes. She lifted her hands to his hair and felt that silky stuff sifting through her fingers. It was getting familiar and yet no less exciting. In fact, she could feel her body getting more and more excited with each passing second. She wanted him. She wanted to be with him. She wanted this moment and this experience.

The low noise slipped out of her throat without her volition, and she knew she was pressing herself intimately against his body. Somehow, it didn’t matter. It didn’t embarrass her like it might have in any other situation. This was Darren. And with Darren, Maggie knew that she was safe. This was where she belonged.