FIVE

“Are you alright?”

Jon stopped as a deep, male voice broke the moment. You have got to be kidding. Her eyes closed and he was pretty sure he heard a muttered, “Damn.” Jon peeked around all the hair that was Bella and grunted as she was lifted off of him.

She let out a strangled gasp and gripped the stranger’s hands as she was lifted away from Jon’s warmth as if she weighed little more than a child. When she was on her feet again, she turned and met a wide expanse of beige parka clad chest. She looked up and found her second teddy bear for the day. What the hell kind of males did they grow in this town? This time, the man’s beard was a little better kept, but still covered his face from cheek to chin with matching shaggy brown hair that fell into his eyes under the watch cap he wore. Sweet puppy dog brown eyes smiled down at her. “Thank you,” she said breathlessly.

The large man leaned down and hauled Jon up by his forearm. “You all right, Jonny?”

Bella slid a glance to Jon. “What, do you know everyone?”

Jon shrugged and folded the large man’s hand within both of his and squeezed. “Izzy, this is Joe Turner, we went to high school together, and now he runs this place.”

“It’s Bella, he just doesn’t have manners.” She looked from one man to the other and chalked this up to another strange thing to round out her day. The men couldn’t have been more different if you’d specifically picked two opposites in the universe to compare and contrast. Where Jon was angles and elegance, Joe was obviously a former linebacker with menace to spare. Well, if he turned off the sweet factor anyway. “So, you’re the principal?”

Joe laughed. “Yes, I am.”

“Intimidation tactics, check!” she said smartly.

Clearly still amused, his brown eyes twinkled. “Most of the kids know I’m a teddy bear, except for the football players.”

“Smart man,” she peered up at him. “Can you still take out a quarterback?”

Joe smiled, his teeth gleaming white within the forest of hair. “Why do you think they're afraid of me?” He held out an arm for her. “Why don’t I walk you in? Obviously this yahoo doesn’t know how to treat a lady.”

Delighted, Bella slid her arm through his and laughed her way into the school with a giant on one arm and a rockstar keeping pace on her left. She was pretty certain she couldn’t have written an odder pairing if she’d had fourteen hours of uninterrupted brainstorming time with a couple dozen pots of coffee.

Jon tried unsuccessfully to bore holes into the back of Joe’s head. He wasn’t sure why it bothered him that Joe flirted with Izzy. Territorial had never been a word in his vocabulary before. Of course, curves and crazy blonde hair didn’t generally enter into his thoughts either, but she was blindsiding him much like her car less than an hour ago. Hell, an hour ago he didn’t even know she existed, now he wanted to rip Joe’s arm off and beat him with it for talking to her? What the hell?

They made it to the door and Joe patted her hand. “If you ever want to give up the pretty boy for a real man, I’m always here.”

Jon snorted, sliding his hand along her back and gathered her in. “Hands off, man. You’ve got plenty of cute teachers in this school to attend to, this one’s all mine.”

Knowing he was teasing didn’t keep the little gymnast in her tummy from thinking it was the final tryouts for the Olympics. Stuffing down the stupid girl, she lifted her chin. “I’m not a piece of meat here guys.”

Jon looked down at her, letting his eyes linger on her mouth as her lips flattened in warning. He was nothing if not a prudent man when it came to a shot to the balls. If he pushed this one a little bit farther, he had no doubts that she’d stomp him into the pavement. So why was he still holding her within pounding range? Joe saved him from answering.

“We never would think such a thing, Bella.” Joe smiled affably.

Not knowing what to do with her hand, she pressed it against the flap of Jon’s coat. Even through the layers of coat and turtleneck sweater she could feel the firm planes of his chest. Her heart stopped as he looked down at her, that heavy lidded look back in his eyes. Be strong, Stupid.

“Ah well, Jonny always got the good ones anyway.” Joe waved and headed down the hallway. “Just remember my offer. I’m not a proud man, I’d steal you without a moment’s hesitation.”

Bella finally blinked away from Jon’s overwhelming gaze. This so wasn’t happening. She didn’t make men fawn at her feet. Hell, she didn’t make men chase her, period. She worked fourteen hour days and forgot to brush her hair when she was in the middle of a book. That so wasn’t Rockstar fantasy material here.

Jon shook his head and led her along a corridor and around the bend to the auditorium. “Sorry about that.”

“Sorry about losing your mind?”

Jon’s eyebrow winged up, “I’m of perfectly sound mind, thank you.”

“You have to be losing your mind if you think there’s a competition here. Obviously I’m more suited to him than you, Slick.”

“Joe?” Was she interested in the principal for fuck’s sake?

“He was positively charming.”

Jon stopped and turned to her then to where Joe had disappeared. “Charming?”

“What’s not to like in a big brawny guy that obviously found me attractive?” She shrugged. Jon was only interested in her because she was new and different. She was better off chasing after the sweet, burly Joe. At least he was in her realm of possibility.

“Big, brawny guy,” he said and moved in on her.

Confused as his face went stony. “Yeah, a girl would feel nothing but safe with that sort of man.” So what if he wasn’t remotely interesting as far as she was concerned. So what if that damn gymnast was doing backflips in her belly like she was the new Mary Lou Retton.

He wasn’t sure why he cared one way or the other if this woman dated one of his oldest friends. “Safe,” he said and took another step closer until she backed into the wall.

She cleared her throat. “Yeah, unlike you, the cell phone challenged driver,” she threw out for humor. When in doubt make fun, was her motto.

“I told you-“

Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as the scent of him left her nerve-endings on high alert. “Yeah, yeah, you weren’t on the phone.”

“I wasn’t on the phone,” he agreed and crowded in on her.

Flustered and suddenly very pissed off about being cornered she snarled. “What, are you going to just repeat the high points?” She stopped breathing as his lips hovered over hers. She could feel the heat of his breath, the slight moisture of the air between them as their lips nearly touched.

“You don’t want safe, Izzy,” he drawled, his gaze dropping to her lips. “You want me.”