Hell.

“Are you sure you want to work on this committee?”

A week later, Remi was in the principal’s office, talking to her boss about a joint parent-teacher fundraising project to support the school’s music program. “Of course,” she said to Jennifer.

“You’ve taken on a lot of extra projects lately. Stars for Reading, the anti-bullying task force and now this…”

Remi gave her boss a bright smile. “I like to be busy.” She’d been spending even more time after school with some of the kids who liked to hang around too, trying to keep herself from missing her sister and brother and harassing her friends.

Jennifer nodded slowly. “Okay.” Then Jennifer’s gaze went past Remi’s shoulder and a smile broke across her face. “Ling! Hi!”

Remi turned to see Ling, the school’s administrative assistant, standing there holding her new baby. She’d been off on maternity leave since having her son two months earlier.

“Did you bring that sweet baby in to visit us?” Jennifer said, moving from behind her desk and hurrying over to Ling.

Ling smiled. Her cheeks glowed from the cold outside and her silky, dark hair swung forward as she set the baby carrier on the floor. “We sure did come for a visit. Josh fell asleep in the car on the way here, though.” She quickly unbuckled him and dug him out of layers of padding and blankets.

Remi smiled at the baby, snuggled into the seat, with his little thatch of dark hair like his mom’s and chubby rosy cheeks. Then his eyes flickered and he blinked at them, and gave a mighty yawn.

“Oh, you’re awake,” Ling said. “Let’s get you out of there so you can say hello to everyone.” She lifted him out and stood up.

“He’s beautiful,” Remi said softly, unable to take her eyes off the sweet, little face. She touched his hair, then his cheek, so smooth and soft.

“Here, you want to hold him?”

“Oh yes!” Remi eagerly accepted the little bundle and held him to her, letting his small weight sink into her arms. “Hello, Josh, you handsome man, you.” He smelled like baby powder and she closed her eyes and breathed him in. She felt an ache of longing that went all the way from her heart to her womb, and she opened her eyes to smile down at him, then looked at Ling, who regarded her with a knowing smile.

“You need one of your own,” she said.

Remi laughed, although she felt a little stab at how unlikely that was. Someday. Maybe. “Is he a good baby?” she asked instead.

“He’s so good! He hardly ever cries. And he’s slept through the night the last four nights in a row.”

“That’s awesome.”

“He wants to eat all the time, though.” Ling grimaced. “He’s growing so fast!”

“He’ll be big like his dad.”

Ling smiled. “I hope so.”

“I have to go,” Remi said, regretfully. “I have the Stars for Reading program starting in a few minutes.” She handed Josh back to his mother reluctantly and her arms felt empty. She sighed, but smiled as she left Jennifer and Ling chatting.

Babies were so sweet and precious and she’d never admitted it to anyone, but she wanted one of her own. A crazy thing to want when she wasn’t married and didn’t even have a boyfriend. Probably she just wanted to replace her brother and sister with someone else to look after. She rolled her eyes at herself as she hurried down the hall toward her classroom. Except…she’d always loved babies and kids. Hell, that was why she’d become a teacher. She sighed.

Jason was in her classroom when she arrived and she went from soft longing to tingling awareness in the blink of an eye. As he worked with the kids, he seemed more focused this week, though very tense. Which was exactly how Remi felt. Damn. She plastered on a smile for the kids and made it through the reading session. Once again, Jason hung back until they were alone.

Her heart tapped in her chest as she gathered up some papers she was going to take home and looked up at him inquiringly.

He stood there, putting his jacket on, blinking, his mouth tight. She’d kissed that mouth. And he was such a good kisser…

With a mental shake, she tried to refocus.

“Was it better today?” Jason asked, almost sounding…nervous.

“Was what better?”

“Ah…me. I know I’ve been kind of distracted. But the truth is…Remi, you distract me.”

Her heart missed a beat and her mouth fell open. “Me.”

“Yeah.” He rubbed his face, then blurted out, “I can’t stop thinking about you!”

She stared at him, her lungs refusing to expand and take in oxygen. Funny he should say that, since she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

“Would you like to go get some dinner?”

She still stared at him. From the pained expression on his face, she wasn’t entirely sure he’d actually meant to issue that invitation. “Dinner?”

“Yeah.” He lifted a shoulder. “You know. In a restaurant.”

Now she almost smiled. “Why?”

“Uh…why not?” He smiled too, that sexy, boyish smile that was enough to melt her panties. And she did begin to feel a little warm and her tummy did a little flip.

“I don’t think so,” she said, breaking eye contact and picking up the folder she planned to take home.

“Why not? C’mon, Remi. We had fun that night.”

Was that was this was about? He wanted more sex? She frowned. “I think if you’re looking for ‘fun’,” and she emphasized the word for effect, “you’d be better off with one of your supermodel girlfriends.”

He drew back and his smile disappeared. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I mean, I’m not really made for fun. Apparently. After what happened the last time.” Add to that the fact that he’d said he was going to call her when he clearly had no intention of ever doing that, having dinner with him would be a big mistake.

He laughed. “I told you. That was funny. Maybe not at that moment. I think it’s nice that your friend cares that much about you.”

And it also showed how out of character it was for her to do something like that, but she didn’t want to point that out to Mr. Fun.

“Come on, Remi.” His voice was deep and velvety soft. “It’s just dinner.”

The suggestive and silky tone of his voice made her shiver, made her nipples tingle, made her insides clench.

He reached out and stroked a hand down her bare forearm, lingering at her wrist, his thumb stroking over her pulse there.

“How about the fact that you said you were going to call me and you never did?”

He pursed his lips. “I meant to call you. Really.”

She lifted one skeptical eyebrow.

“Really. But then I came here and found out who you are and…” His words trailed off and she regarded him with confusion.

“You found out who I am? How about, I found out who you are!”

He waved a hand. “That doesn’t matter.”

He apparently really believed that. She gave her head a shake. “You’re a famous pro athlete. I’m a teacher. That doesn’t exactly seem like…” She waved a hand back and forth between them.

“You’re telling me,” he said with heartfelt agreement that only puzzled her more. Lord, the man was twisting her brains up. “C’mon. Let’s go out.”

“When?”

“Right now. Tonight.”

“I can’t go out on a school night!”

He laughed. “Why not? It’s just dinner.”

Why not, indeed? He’d dismissed every objection she had, although hadn’t really dealt with them to her satisfaction. Remi nibbled her bottom lip. No Jasmine or Kyle waiting at home for her to cook dinner. She had papers to mark but that could wait ‘til later. What was wrong with a dinner out? Other than this guy was the hottest guy on the planet and was dangerous like dynamite. And about as resistible as chocolate.

“Just fun?” she asked.

He nodded. “Just fun.”

“Why not?” she murmured.

“We could go to Inferno,” he said. “The food’s incredible there.”

It was the hottest, most expensive restaurant in Chicago. She looked down at her black pants and teal blue turtleneck sweater.