MACKENZIE
I was reckless that night.
So reckless, but he was so sexy and older than me, so I thought I was safe. As a teacher, I need to be careful what I do and who I do it with. I hadn’t started my new job yet, and when he came and spoke to me at the bar, I thought he was the hottest man I’d ever seen in my life. Messy, thick, dark hair, shorter on the sides, ocean-blue eyes framed in thick dark lashes, full lips, and a toned body covered in ink and leather. He’s tall, towering over my five-foot-four, and perfectly muscled. I’ve never had a one-night stand before, not to mention one in a nightclub’s office, but Chance muddled my usually organized brain. When I saw him, I was hit with Cupid’s arrow—dazed, stupid, and fucking turned-on.
And although I knew he was older than me, I didn’t ever think he would be old enough to have a teenage child. How old was he when he’d had Cash? Fifteen?
I only just started working at this school after transferring from Melbourne, and I’ve already slept with one of my students’ parents.
In the back room… of a bar.
Wonderful.
And now, Cash likely knows. I have been working to get to know him and trying to help him focus on his studies. He’s a really smart kid, but he doesn’t care about his grades, just does what he needs to do to pass, and is usually in some kind of trouble.
The girls love him.
The boys either hate him, want to be him, or both.
“I heard you had a run-in with Mr. Hot Biker himself.” My new colleague, Tegan, grins. She teaches history in the classroom next to mine and has been very welcoming. She fans her face and sighs. “He’s hot, right? In a ruin-your-life type of way.”
I almost choke on my mouthful of coffee. “I wasn’t really checking him out,” I lie. “Just trying to get a word in. He just left without even speaking to Mr. Rogers.”
And then I got in trouble with him over that. Apparently, I should have gotten him instantly before Chance had the chance to run out of here.
Chance.
The name suits him.
Seeing him today has cured my little crush because he was a straight-up asshole, not to mention the hickeys on his neck. He didn’t take long to have someone else in his bed, but what did I expect?
We didn’t even know each other’s names.
I’m just another piece of ass to him, and that’s on me. I never should have slept with him that night, but I had only moved into town the day before, was looking for a distraction, and he gave me one. I was in a self-destructive mood, thinking about what happened with my ex, and the chemistry between us was too hot to turn down.
But now I’m paying for my crimes.
I know he could make my life hell if he spoke up about us sleeping together, but I don’t think he’d do that. He’s a biker, not a snitch. Still, I hate the fact that he now has that over me.
“Mr. Rogers can chase after him himself.” Tegan shrugs, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear. “He hates having to deal with Cash and his family. No one wants to get on the wrong side of the president of the Royal Bastards Motorcycle Club. Did you know that they are one-percenters?” She lowers her voice to a whisper, “That means they are criminals.”
This just keeps getting better.
“Well,” I reply, keeping my tone even. “My only concern is Cash. Did you know that his English lit paper scored third-highest in the class? He’s super smart. He could go to any university he wanted, and?—”
“Cash is going to follow in his father’s footsteps. You’re wasting your time with that one,” she says, gently touching my forearm. “It’s nice that you care so much, Mackenzie, but trust me, he’s a lost cause.”
“I don’t think that’s true,” I reply, my brow furrowing. I didn’t become a teacher to consider any child a lost cause. Cash can do anything he wants with his life, and I want to make sure he knows that.
She wraps her arm around me and leads me out the door. “Come on, there are cupcakes in the staff room.”
Food usually helps.
Never seeing Chance again might help even more.
Mr. Rogers tried to call Chance to discuss Cash’s suspension, but got no answer, so he sent a voice message and an email instead. I push the whole incident from my mind and get on with the rest of my day. When I arrive home that evening, the car trunk filled with groceries, I’m shocked to see a black motorcycle parked in my driveway, with a sexy, infuriating biker leaning against it.
How did he know where I live?