Page 2 of My Reluctant Valentine

"You've got this," Jana says, gathering her things to leave. "And hey, if none of my setups work out, there's always Principal Matthews' son!"

I throw a craft pom-pom at her retreating form. "Goodbye, Jana!"

Alone in my classroom, I take a deep breath and review my notes. Twenty parents. Twenty conferences. Just get through tonight, and then maybe I'll consider downloading that dating app. Maybe. Baby steps toward normal, right?

The first knock of the evening makes me jump, even though I'm expecting it. Old habits die hard, I guess. But this is Serenity County. I'm safe here.

I open the door with my best teacher smile, ready to start the conferences. Ready to prove I can handle anything this small town throws at me.

I really should have known better than to tempt fate like that.

Because when I open the door for my eight o'clock appointment, I'm not greeted by Mrs. Wilson to discuss Penny's finger-painting progress. Instead, I find myself staring up at six feet plus of leather-clad, tattooed masculinity that definitely didn't come from the accountant pool Jana's fishing in.

"Miss Leslie?" His voice is deep, rough, and does something completely inappropriate to my insides. "I'm Ace Hunter. Emma's father."

Well, shit.

So much for normal.

2

ACE

The teacher standing in front of me is nothing like I expected.Sure, Emma's been talking about Miss Leslie non-stop for months, but my mind painted some older lady with sensible shoes and a grandmotherly smile.Not this gorgeous woman with curves that make my mouth water and eyes that hit me like a sucker punch.

Those green eyes widen as she takes in my cuts, my tats, everything that marks me as exactly the kind of man good teachers should run from.But she doesn't run.No.Miss Leslie meets my gaze head-on, her chin lifting just enough to tell me she's got steel in her spine.

Fuck me. I'm in trouble.

"Miss Leslie?" I keep my voice deliberately gentle, not wanting to spook her despite every instinct screaming to crowd her space."I'm Ace Hunter. Emma's father."

She looks me over for a moment.Interesting. "Mr. Hunter. Please, come in."

"Ace," I correct her, following her into the classroom.Nobody calls me Mr. Hunter except cops, and something tells me this woman aint got nothing on the Five-O.

The room is exactly like Emma described with bright colors, kid's artwork everywhere, and there, right by her desk, my daughter's drawing of our motorcycles.She wasn't kidding about that.

"Please, have a seat." She gestures to a chair clearly meant for someone much smaller than me, but I make it work.Her eyes catch on my shoulders as I settle in, and that little glance sets something primal loose in my chest.

My phone buzzes. Tank, my club VP, probably with updates about the River Kings situation.I silence it without looking.Club business can wait. Right now, I'm fascinated by the way Miss Leslie tries to maintain her professional demeanor while her body language screams awareness of me.

"Emma is one of our brightest students," she starts, in a proper 'teacher voice' that does little to mask her obvious warmth.Real affection. "Her reading level is well above average, and her artistic abilities are exceptional for her age."

She slides a folder with artwork, test scores, and behavior reports across the desk.I look them over carefully, pride swelling in my chest.My girl's smart as hell.

"She talks about you constantly." Now there's a smile in her voice that makes me want to hear what else I can make her say."She brought in your picture for show and tell last week.Called you her hero."

Something in my chest tightens."Emma's my world."

"It shows." Her smile is genuine now, and Christ, it's like staring into the sun."She's lucky to have such an involved father."

My phone buzzes again. This time it's the burner.I fight the urge to grit my teeth as I know it's Lucy, no doubtcalling to remind me about her fucking Valentine's Day wedding ultimatum.I click it to silent too. If the club can wait, the ex sure as hell fucking can.Miss Leslie has my full attention, especially when her tongue darts out her mouth to lick her lips like that before continuing.

"However, there was one incident last week..." She shuffles through her papers."Emma told the class that her daddy makes bad men disappear."

I can't help the laugh that escapes."Did she now?"

"She's very... creative with her stories." Miss Leslie's trying to be diplomatic, but there's curiosity in her eyes.Good thing she doesn't know how accurate my daughter's stories can be.

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