“Elma!”
I groan against the pillow that smells of him. Masculine and woodsy. Delicious. “Go away.”
The door creaks open and light blinds me.
“Up. Now. We’ll be late.”
With a huff, I sit up in bed and glare at my intruder. As soon as I catch sight of him, all anger slips away. This morning, he’s dressed in a light gray suit. His shirt is crisp and white. A black, thin tie hangs from the perfect knot at his throat.
“Elma,” he barks again, his hands going to his hips as he glares down at me.
When I lift my gaze, I admire how handsome he looks today. His chocolate brown hair has been styled in a sleek, fashionable way. The scruff from yesterday is gone, giving me a perfect view of his severe, sharp jawline. His full lips are pressed into a line as he stares at me impatiently.
“I don’t feel good,” I lie.
His eyebrow arches up and he smirks at me. Dear God, this man looks good no matter what expression he’s making. “I don’t care.”
The flames kindling inside of me are snuffed out at his attitude. “You’re an asshole.”
He clenches his jaw and his green eyes harden into a shiny jade color. “You have exactly fifteen minutes to get ready and get in my truck.”
“Or what?” I challenge.
A wolfish grin tugs at his lips. “Or I drag you out of here in your pajamas. You can start your first day in what you’re wearing.”
Ugh. Prick.
I slide past him out of the bed and revel in the choked sound he makes behind me. I’m wearing a T-shirt and a pair of pink panties. I seriously doubt he’ll let me go to school looking like this. When I peek over my shoulder, he’s staring at my ass with his mouth slightly parted. It gives me satisfaction to know I have the principal stunned speechless.
Without another word, he turns on his heel and storms from the room. The door slams shut behind him, making me jump. My smile slowly fades away as nerves set in.
A new school.
Oh, God.
Tears prickle at my eyes, but I blink them away as I hunt for clothes. I don’t want to go to school in this dumb town. Starting over in your senior year is the worst. After more like twenty minutes, I’m dressed and made up. I’ve checked my phone several times looking to see if Dad was checking on me, but I come up empty. My heart aches, but it isn’t surprising. Since Mom died, Dad has slowly been pulling away from me. I don’t think he realizes it, but he has been.
A hard knock on the door startles me.
“What?” I snap.
“Are you dressed?”
“Yep.”
The door flies open and Adam glares at me. His nostrils flare as his gaze skims over my outfit. “Nope. Try again, little girl.”
I gape at him. “Excuse me?”
“You’re not wearing that.”
I look down at my outfit and huff. I’m insulted. My outfit is cute. “Why the hell not?”
He scrubs at his face with his palm before pinning me with an incredulous stare. “Because it’s snowing, sweetheart.”
Heat burns my cheeks, but I don’t tell him I don’t have anything warmer. Instead, I lift my chin and spit out my words. “I’ll live.”
“Actually,” he says in a cool tone, “you won’t. Your ass will be freezing before we even make it to the truck. You can’t wear that in the middle of winter.”
I pull my long sweater around me and regard him with a lifted brow. “Look. I’m warm. Problem solved.”
He flicks out his wrist and checks his watch before gritting his teeth. “Let’s go.”
As we walk out of the cabin, I can’t help but wonder what happened to the man who cried out in his sleep as nightmares plagued him. The fear in his voice was bone-chilling. It had me running from his room and into the living room in an effort to calm him. We didn’t speak. Just held hands. He’d eventually calmed and I was free to go.
Until he grabbed my thigh.
My neck heats from the memory. I’d gone back to the room, crawled under the covers, and attempted to bring myself to orgasm after that. I was frustrated and unsuccessful, but not from lack of trying. I wanted to march right back in there and demand he take care of what I couldn’t complete.
Instead, I fell asleep emptier than before.
All alone in a cabin with my principal.
It’s laughable.
As soon as the front door opens, I let out a shriek. Icy air slides in and finds its way through the thin fabric of my sweater. I shiver and try not to slip on the icy porch. I’m thankful to see the truck is already running. It’s snowing slightly, flakes fluttering around us. Adam is on a mission as he stalks to the passenger side and wrenches the door open. My heart stutters in my chest for a moment at his gentlemanly action. None of the guys I dated before ever opened my doors.
My cheeks blaze crimson. I’m not dating Adam. He’s charged with taking care of me in my father’s absence. When I reach the open door, I stare up at the tall truck in confusion.
How am I supposed to get up there?
As if reading my thoughts, two strong hands grab my waist. Then, as though it’s as effortless as lifting a sack of feathers, I’m hoisted into the truck. I’m so shocked at how he gracefully put me in his truck that I can’t even form any words of gratitude. He slams the door shut and is soon safely inside with me. I steal a glance at him as he backs the truck up. He’s all man as he maneuvers the truck back between two massive trees and then forward again. His giant frame fills his side of the truck, whereas I’m dwarfed in the passenger seat.
“Meet me in my office after school and we’ll head home.” His head turns and he quickly looks me over. “Can you refrain from telling anyone about our arrangement for the time being?”
I smile. Oooh, this is good. Principal Renner wants me to be his little secret. The thought is dirty and I clutch onto it desperately. “Sure.”
He relaxes and flashes me another one of his panty melting grins. “I think everything’s going to be just fine.”
“You did what?” Adam’s voice is cold and deadly as he shoots daggers at me with his eyes.
I’ve been at this hell hole of a school for all of two hours and I’m already sitting in the principal’s office. “He was being an ass.” That’s my only defense for how I acted in Coach Long’s class. Adam was right. Coach Long is freaking gorgeous. “All I said when he yelled, and he did yell for the record, when one of the kids wasn’t paying attention was—”
“I heard,” he snapped. “‘I bet if you took off your shirt, you’d have everyone’s attention. Especially mine.’” His jaw clenches and his green eyes burn with fury.
I start giggling. A nervous habit. Plus, it’s kind of funny that I’ve managed to already piss off so many people and I’ve been here half a day. “I was just trying to help.”
He drags his attention to the window where it’s heavily snowing now. His arms are crossed over his chest. He’s long lost his jacket and his sleeves have been rolled up, revealing too much yumminess for a high school principal. Muscular, tanned forearms. Sexy veins that protrude and just beg to be licked. Colorful tattoos that I’m dying to run my fingertips over.
“You have a smart mouth,” he grumbles, his broad shoulders tense.
“My mouth is good for a lot of things,” I mutter, my tone thick with insinuation. “But mostly I use it for being smart.”
He snaps his head my way and his hot glare rakes over me. “Get back to class. I don’t want to see you back in here for the rest of the day.”
“Or what?” I challenge.
He growls. He actually growls. My core clenches in response and suddenly I’m slightly dizzy in his presence.
“Or I’ll call Daddy.”
I laugh, the sound harsh. “Okay. Get right on that.”
“Your dad should have whipped your ass a lot more when you were a kid,” he mumbles under his breath.
I gape at him in shock.
“Go, Elma,” he bites out. “Now.”
Zane.
The hilarious friend I made today is hot but totally not my type. Plus, he’s practically drooling and in love with someone else. It’s funny to watch the way he catalogs her every move.
“You should take a picture. It’ll last longer,” I taunt.
He swivels in his desk chair and flips me the bird. The secretary, Leah, lets out a bitchy huff that has Zane and me snorting with laughter.
“I have plenty of pictures,” he whispers and waves his phone. He mimics jerking himself off and I die laughing.
“Miss Bonilla!”
The sharp, prickly voice has me jolting in my seat. Miss Bowden frowns at me as she drags her disproving gaze down the front of my chest.
“What?”
“That is unacceptable clothing,” she hisses, her cheeks blossoming bright red. “Leah,” she admonishes. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Oh,” the secretary murmurs. “I was busy working on some things for Mr. Renner.” The tightness in her tone reveals she doesn’t like Miss Bowden any more than I do.
Miss Bowden points past me. “Go see Mr. Renner. Right. Now.” She punctuates each word in a furious manner. I don’t miss the way she darts her gaze over at Zane briefly as to see if he’s checking me out.
He’s too busy stifling his laughter. I flip him off this time.
“Now,” she screeches.
I slide off the desk and brush against Zane’s shoulder.
“Good luck,” he mutters as I walk by.
Ignoring the evil glare coming from Miss Bowden, I march out from behind the front desk and over to Adam’s door. It’s ajar and I can hear him typing away on the computer. With my chin lifted, I push through it and close the door behind me.
“Yes?” he says without looking up.
“Miss Bowden said you wanted to see me,” I say in the most innocent voice I can muster.
At the sound of my voice, his attention snaps my way. Our eyes meet for a heated second before his roam lazily down my front. As soon as he takes in my attire, his brows furl together angrily.
“Elma!”
“What?”
The off-the-shoulder T-shirt I’d been wearing earlier has long-since been shed, along with my sweater as well. I stuff my hands into the pockets of my cute army-green cargo skirt and shrug. It’s just a tank top. It’s not my fault my boobs are big.
“That…” He waves at my outfit as though it’s personally offended him. “You can’t wear that.”
“How come?”
His eyes dart to mine and his jade-colored orbs blaze. Heat. Lust. Desire. I don’t miss the way he stares at me as though he wants to help me with my clothing problem by getting rid of it altogether. I shiver at the thought.
Almost imperceptibly so, his gaze softens. He rises from his chair and snags his blazer from the back of it. “Wear this.”
I stare at his offering as though it’s riddled with fleas. There’s no way I’m wearing the principal’s jacket.
“No.”
“Elma.” His voice quakes with warning.
When I refuse his jacket, he storms over to me. He hangs it over my shoulders. Like I’m a child, he grips my wrists and forces them into the sleeves. He’s not satisfied until he has it buttoned and my breasts are no longer on display.
“There,” he says, his voice gruff.
But when his eyes drift down to my thighs, he lets out a frustrated breath.
“Actually. No. Take it off.”
I start laughing at him. “What? Why?”
“That skirt…” His eyes bore into mine. “It’s too short.”
“It’s fine.”
“It is not fine.” He rakes his fingers through his hair, messing up the styled perfection. “Four inches. Your skirt can’t be any shorter than four inches above the knee.” He pins me with a furious glare.
“I’m short. You’re being ridiculous.”
He drops his stare to my mouth and he shakes his head as though to clear his mind. “I’ll get Miss Bowden in here to measure—”
“Adam,” I whine. “Please don’t. She hates me.”
His hot eyes flicker and I realize I’ve said his first name. Backtracking, I bite my lip and bat my lashes at him innocently.
“Principal Renner. If you absolutely must prove this to yourself, then by all means, measure my skirt. Just don’t let that woman do it.”
He rubs at the back of his neck and darts a nervous look toward the door. “It’s against policy for a male staff member to—”
“It can be our little secret.”
“You’re so damn naughty,” he snarls under his breath.
I laugh again and enjoy the way he seems to have completely lost his mind. Driving Principal Renner crazy is fun. He asked and now I have an answer. Him. He’s my new hobby.
He rummages through his drawer and produces a ruler. For a split second, a fantasy plays out in my mind where he bends me over his desk and spanks me with the metal ruler. My cheeks flush at that thought, and his jacket that smells too manly and delicious suffocates me with its heat.
“Come here,” he instructs, his voice harsh and authoritative.
A thrill shoots down my spine and I obey him. Once I’m standing so close that our chests are nearly touching, I look up at him. His gaze has softened as he greedily drinks up my features. Like a creeper, I inhale him. His scent is even more heavenly straight from the source.
“You’re going to make my life hell, aren’t you?” He doesn’t seem angry, just resigned to the idea.
“I’ve done nothing wrong.”
He arches a brow and the corner of his lips twitch as though he’s fighting a smile. “I’ll be the judge of that.” He kneels down in front of me and my breath is sucked straight from my chest when his strong hand curls around my thigh.
Just like last night.
It feels as familiar and right as it did then.
A strangled sound escapes me as he presses the ruler against my flesh. His hot breath tickles my thighs and I find myself growing wet for him.
“Okay.” His voice is gruff.
“Okay?”
“It’s fine.” His thumb brushes along my skin before he releases me and rises to his full height. “I’d like you to wear the jacket or put your clothes back on. Please, Elma.”
I’m flushed and lightheaded after his intimate touch. His husky words seem to vibrate straight to my core. “Yes, sir.”
A muscle in his neck ticks and his brows furl together. “So polite.”
“I can behave sometimes.”
His grin, wolfish and hot as hell, knocks me off my game. I simply stare at how beautiful he is. “If you behaved all the time, I’d be out of a job.”