Chapter 16 Brooke
brOOKE
Ipace the hall, keeping my hands in my pockets so no one sees them trembling.
Dinner finished half an hour ago, but instead of releasing the students to their cabins, I’ve kept them in the hall reviewing footage from today.
I need to keep them busy, and I need to keep them together.
I can’t have anyone trying to be heroic and going looking for Justin.
It’s bad enough one of my kids is lost in the woods, alone and frightened.
I clench my fists together and take a long, slow breath before I can let the thought get away from me. Joel is out there too. Joel is competent and trained for the outdoors. He will find Justin, and he will bring him home safe.
The thought is reassuring enough that I unclench my fists and turn around. Eleven sets of eyes are watching me, and I put on a neutral expression.
“Eyes on your laptops, not on me.”
There’s a flash of light outside, and I jog to the door with my hand on my chest. Out of the dark, two figures emerge; Joel holding a flashlight and Justin with a foil blanket wrapped around him.
I jog down the steps and pull Justin into a tight hug. “Thank God you’re safe.”
I release him and hold him at arm’s length. “Are you hurt?”
He’s got dirt streaked across his face, his hair is disheveled, and he looks pale.
“I’m fine. Joel found me.”
I’m so relieved that I throw my arms around Joel too.
His body is hard muscle, and his scent overwhelms me.
Through the worry, through the tension of the past hour, a different sensation powers through me.
My body stirs to life, and I’m suddenly aware of the heat between us. I pull away quickly, awkwardly.
“I’m glad you’re both back safely,” I say quickly, stepping back.
“Sorry, Brooke.” Justin looks miserable, like a lost puppy. “I strayed off the path, then my phone cut out.”
“I’m just happy you’re okay.” I usher him inside and into the warmth of the hall. “Come and sit down where it’s warm.”
“J-dog!” one of the boys call out.
There’s the scraping of chairs, and a moment later he’s surrounded by his friends all talking at once, wanting to know what happened.
He’s smiling again, but it doesn’t quite meet his eyes. “Sit down, Justin. I’ll heat up your dinner.”
Joel follows me into the kitchen, and I slide a plate of food into the microwave.
“Is he okay?” I ask in a quiet voice.
“He’s fine. Shaken, but fine.”
“Thank goodness.” The tension that’s been keeping me going for the past hour releases, and I lean against the kitchen counter.
“How about you?” Joel takes my arm, and I look up into his concerned face. “Are you okay?”
With Joel’s hand on me and his solid presence beside me, I feel the mask I’ve been wearing for the past hour slip. I nearly lost a student. He was out alone in the woods, and anything could have happened to him. He must have been scared and lonely, and it was on my watch.
“I’m not sure,” I say truthfully. “If you hadn’t found him…”
I leave the sentence unfinished because the possibilities are too awful to say out loud.
Joel puts his other hand on my shoulder and turns me around to face him. My heart races, and I don’t know if it’s the adrenaline from the last hour or his proximity.
“But we did find him, Brooke. And he’s absolutely fine. He’s out there now making jokes about it to his buddies.” He indicates the students in the hall.
I peer past him, and there’s Justin, at the center of the group of boys gesticulating wildly with a grin on his face.
“He’s resilient. He’ll be fine.”
My gaze shifts to the other students and Dana. She’s staring right at us. I’m suddenly aware of how close I am to Joel. I pull away, and his hands drop from my shoulders.
The microwave dings, and I pull Justin’s plate of food out.
“I set some food aside for you too and the others on the search. Do they know?”
“I called them as soon as I got a signal. They’re heading back now.”
“Thank goodness you’re here.”
I mean it. I don’t know how I would have survived the last hour if it wasn’t for knowing that Joel was out there looking for Justin.
I turn to get cutlery, and Joel’s in front of me again. I can’t miss him in the small space of the kitchen. Joel fills up the space; his scent of earth and pine, his low gravelly voice, and his hard body bumping up against the cupboards are all too much. My vision shifts, and I sway on my feet.
Joel shoots out an arm to steady me, but the heat of his body makes me dizzier. I close my eyes, but it intensifies the sensation of his fingers, hot on my skin.
“Are you okay?” His voice is low in my ear, and when I open my eyes, he’s right there.
My pulse thunders in my ears, and I have to get away from him before I do something stupid in front of my students.
“I need to get this to Justin. He must be starving.”
I brush past Joel and out of the kitchen, and I feel his eyes on me as I cross the hall, heating my skin even from a distance.
An hour later, I’ve spoken to Justin’s parents. They didn’t seem surprised that he’d wandered off on his own. I guess they know their son.
I’ll have to report the incident to the school in the morning, and I’m dreading it.
I need a good reference, and I need to work this contract out.
At least the parents are understanding, and it seems they’re not going to demand disciplinary action.
I’m at the whim of the school, and I just hope my six months here have been enough to show my good character.
These thoughts are whirling through my head as I let myself into the cabin.
Joel is lying on his bed reading a paperback, looking casually sexy in his sweatpants and t-shirt. “How is the wayward student?”
“He’s fine.” I dump my folder on the table and hang my coat up. “His parents are fine. But I’ll have to tell the school tomorrow.”
He slides off the bed and flips the kettle on. “He’s okay. No harm done.”
I slide into a chair and rub the tension at the back of my neck. I’m aware of Joel moving by the sink as the kettle boils.
“He went missing in the dark, in the forest. It could have been a lot worse.”
Joel pours two mugs of chamomile tea and slides one across the table to me.
“But it wasn’t. You did the right thing, sending me out to find him while you kept the students calm.”
He seems so sure, but I can’t help the niggle in the pit of my stomach.
“I just hope the board sees it like that.”
“Why wouldn’t they?” He sits next to me, and now there’s a different type of turmoil making my stomach churn. The butterflies that show up whenever Joel gets too close. “I’ll vouch for you. So will all your students. They love you.”
His words are some comfort. “I just hope it’s enough.” I turn the mug in my hands and utter the words I’m fearful of. “They could terminate my contract.”
Joel stiffens beside me. My hair has fallen over my face, and he takes a loose strand and tucks it behind my ear.
“I sincerely hope that doesn’t happen.”
My gaze lifts to his, and my heart beats faster in my chest. Does he mean because he likes me, or because I’m teaching his daughter?
I search his face for answers, and all I find is his intense gaze on me, sincere and kind, and I hitch my breath as I see my own desire mirrored in his expression.
“Me too.” And when I say it, I realize half the reason is because I want to spend more time with Joel.
Throughout the stress of the last few hours, knowing Joel was out there looking for Justin was the only thing that allowed me to keep it together.
I knew Joel would find Justin and bring him back.
There’s something about Joel that makes me feel safe.
And the way he’s looking at me now, it makes me feel desired.
It must be the adrenaline from the past few hours making me bold, because I lean toward him. His gaze darts to my lips, and he closes the gap between us.
His warm lips press against mine, and the heat is a shock that makes me gasp in surprise. He pulls back, his eyes scanning mine, questioning. But I want this; I need this. I loop my hands around his neck and draw him to me.
Our lips crash together, and I sigh as the tension from today melts away. My lips part, and his tongue claims my mouth. Energy courses between us, and heat flows down my entire body.
His hands tangle in my hair, and I sigh as the kiss deepens.
Every tension from today, the broken down min-bus, the unexpected hike, the missing student, and the damn stress of being responsible for twelve teenagers, melts slowly out of my body.
I lean into Joel, and he’s solid and warm and sturdy.
He’s safe. He’s also electrifying, and as his hands slide down my back, my sigh turns to a moan as I shift in the chair and arch into him.
My breasts brush against his chest, and even through the fabric the contact sends spikes of heat dancing across my chest, making my nipples hard.
There’s a knock on the door, and my eyes fly open. I pull away, suddenly remembering where we are, and the twelve students in the surrounding cabins.
The door opens, and Dana pokes her head through it.
Joel stands up quickly, almost knocking his chair over, and I turn away and stand up. I fold my arms over my chest, covering my hard nipples that poke through my t-shirt. My hair falls over my face, and I’m grateful that it hides my swollen lips and guilty expression.
“Am I interrupting?”
“Not at all,” says Joel, managing to sound completely unflustered and normal, as if he’s used to getting caught making out by his daughter.
And maybe he is. I know almost nothing about him.
I pull my hair back and turn around, trying to hold myself together. Dana is glancing between us, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. I remember the look she gave us in the kitchen, and a new wave of guilt floods me. It’s lucky the lights are low in here so it hides my blush.
“Everything okay?”
Her eyes dart between us, but she doesn’t ask any more questions.
“Madison’s freaking out. She could do with a pep talk.”
I had forgotten about Madison and her anxiety and how she might be handling herself after today’s events.
“It’s been a big day.” I reach for my coat. “I’ll go and see her.”
I leave Dana with her dad and head to the girls’ cabin. The cool air does nothing to calm my racing heart. I lost a student, and now I’m making out with the parent helper. If I want to keep my job, I need to keep control of myself.