Indecision warred with desire. She wanted to say yes, he could tell. “Obviously, I’m attracted to you, too, but… I don’t know that I’m comfortable being involved with someone I workwith again. It went so badly the first time. And what happens if we don’t work out? It will be so uncomfortable for both of us, and I don’t want to change jobs again. My friends are here.”
He took her hands in his and kissed one set of knuckles, then the other. “Please, Elyxandre. Don’t close the door on us before we’ve even cracked it open. Instead of imagining the worst, think about what we stand to gain if it goes well. I understand that you’re nervous. You were burned badly, and I’m so sorry about that, but I’m not Knox.”
He pulled her close and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. His free hand lightly gripped her chin and tilted it so she was forced to look him in the eyes.
Tentative arms wrapped around his waist. “I know you’re not,” she assured him. “I really do. You show me that in a hundred ways every day we work together. However, one dinner and a hot kiss can’t undo twenty years of trust issues, even if you had nothing to do with those things.”
“How about two dinners and a second hot kiss?” he teased.
She smiled and rolled her eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”
“If dinners and kisses are ridiculous, then I plead guilty.” He wiped the smile from his face and replaced it with earnestness. “But seriously. I realize I don’t know all the details, but from what little you’ve told me, that asshole obviously felt threatened by you. He didn’t appreciate being with a strong, independent woman. Me? That’s exactly the kind of woman I want in my life.
“I can tell you, straight up, Elyxandre. I am not threatened by you. I want to watch you thrive, and I will do anything to help you make that happen. To support your choices and your goals. I am in awe of your independence. And it’s so fucking sexy to watch you be the strong woman that you are.” He kissed her lips, then put his forehead to hers. “I don’t want you to change a thing, or tell you what to be, or how to do things, because you do everything well and with confidence.
“When we first met, I knew you were something special. And that first work day? I told you that I knew I was going to like you. These past few weeks of working together have shown me just exactly how good a team we make.” He pulled her tight into his chest and tucked her under his chin. “We’re a lot alike. We work long hours, and we make them count because it’s important to us that things get done right. Both of us are committed to the students, and they’re as important to you as they are to me. We care about the same things. Their safety. Their happiness. Their confidence.”
He pulled back, his hands gently holding her by the biceps. “Please. Give us a shot. We can keep it quiet. I’m not saying secret because if someone asked me outright, I would refuse to hide us. But we can both handle a professional relationship at work and a romantic one when not at work. Don’t deny something you want for yourself just because it didn’t work with someone else.”
She looked up at him, her teeth worrying her lip. He’d never seen her so vulnerable before.
She closed her eyes and hung her head. Fuck! She was going to hold to her refusal.
Then her head lifted up, just a hint of possible tears welling in her eyes. “I don’t want to take away time from your son.”
“El”—he watched her blush in pleasure at his shortened version of her name—“I told you, Sundays are my time to do what I want. And I want to spend time with you. In all of these years since my wife left, I’ve never wanted to sacrifice that time to anyone else. With you? It’s not a sacrifice.”
Her expression twisted. He could tell that she so wanted to believe him, but that she was afraid to.
Finally, she begged him, “Please, don’t hurt me, Lucas. Don’t be like Knox.”
He gathered her close, and if his hug was a little too tight, sue him. She was allowing herself to be vulnerable for him. No, for them. He would never take that for granted.
“I would never, Elyxandre.”
THE HACK
ELYXANDRE
“Lucas.”
It was the day after THE KISS. She couldn’t think of it in any other way than in capital letters. Holy smokes, he was exactly as she’d imagined. Controlled, yet passionate. She knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he meant every ounce of pressure in his lips, every stroke of his tongue against hers, every pull on her braid. For a few moments, she didn’t have to be Elyxandre, the in-charge officer. Instead, she was Elyxandre, the woman. Someone she hadn’t felt like in a very long time.
Unfortunately, there were more pressing issues to deal with, so she’d have to save the memory for dissection later.
She strode down the office hallway with purpose. Her breath caught when she realized she’d called him by his first name.
“Sorry. Dr. Vaughn.” She caught up to where he’d stopped to turn back to her. Lowering her voice, she said, “We have a situation. Your office. Now.”
Once they were behind his closed door, she dialed the assistant’s extension. “Juliette, it’s Officer E. Please put the school on a hold protocol. I’ll update you shortly, but it maybe a bit. Also, call the physical education teachers on their cell phones. Advise them, if they’re outside, to take students to one of the field houses and stay put until told otherwise, and tell them to keep an eye on their email alerts for any updates.”
When she disconnected, she broke the news that no SRO ever wanted to give a principal. “There’s been a threat. Online. Someone just posted on the school’s social media page that at 11:03 a.m., there’s going to be a shooting.”
His eyes widened. “How did they get on the social media page? No one is able to post on it except our media director.”
“Hacked it. Doesn’t matter at this moment. Soon, parents are going to be calling, and kids are going to see it and panic. We need to have a plan.”
Lucas looked at his watch. She’d done the exact same thing, trying to figure out how much time they had and possible solutions.
