Page 88 of Educating Arrogant Mr. Hunter

“I know you do.” He kissed each of my fingers, sucking each one into his mouth.

“You play dirty, you know.” Each nerve ending hummed to life, making it hard to concentrate and remember why I was saying no to him in the first place.

He grinned. “What if we ask Ruby and Grayson to go with us?”

“That’s a good idea.” They would be the perfect cover for us. Until I remembered… “They’ve got that interview with Joanna Morgan tomorrow morning, and Grayson’s surprising her with that trip to Paris.”

“Right. I’ll text him and see what he says.” He tapped on his phone and sent a message to Grayson.

I tossed a handful of popcorn in my mouth.

He picked up the remote and surfed the movie channels while we waited. His hand rested on my leg.

These were the moments I loved with him. The quiet, ordinary days. “You know I want to go, right?”

“I do. I just need a minute to feel how much it sucks not to be able to take my girlfriend out in public whenever I want.” I wanted to kiss away his frown and reassure him things would get better, but he was right. We were living half a life together, and worry niggled at the back of my mind. Had we made a mistake? Should we have waited?

Beckett’s gaze narrowed. “Us being together isn’t the mistake. That ridiculous bylaw at your school is.” I loved and hated how well this beautiful man could see my soul.

“You’re right.” An idea popped into my head. “What if we try to get the rule stricken from the bylaws? The school’s board could approve that, right?” He had far more experience working with board members than I did.

He shrugged. “I’d imagine so. They make most of the major decisions for the school.”

I let out a cry of excitement and threw myself at him. Popcorn went everywhere, and I’d probably regret the decision while we cleaned it up, but this might work. Hope sparked to life inside my chest.

His arms banded around me, making me feel safe and cherished. “Who should we reach out to?”

“One of the parents in my class is on the board. He and his wife are really nice. I bet I could speak to them and ask how to change a rule. I won’t need to go into detail until it's necessary.” I snagged my phone from the front pocket of my hoodie. It was worth a shot to at least ask about the process. If it seemed unlikely we’d overturn a bylaw, we would continue to keep quiet about our status. “I’ll email him now.”

Beckett’s phone rang a few minutes later, and he put it on speakerphone. “Hey, Gray.”

“Am I on speakerphone?”

“You do know who you’re talking to, right?” I teased.

“She’s got your number,” Grayson chuckled. “I’ve got to make this quick. Ruby keeps using my phone because her battery died. I didn’t want to chance her seeing something in a text.”

“If you can’t go today, we get it. Is everything ready for tomorrow?” Beckett asked.

“Everything is all set. Gram’s flying in tonight, Raya’s picking her up, and they are packing Ruby’s suitcase tonight.”

“You’re a good man, Grayson.” The two of them completed each other and I loved that he made my friend so happy.

“I don’t know how I ever got so lucky with her, but I'll spend all my days making sure she knows it.” His gruff voice deepened. “Anyway, we’re in for tonight as long as we can meet you there with Zoey. It’ll save us time.”

“Thanks, man. We appreciate it.”

“Don’t I know it,” he laughed.

“How’s Zoey?” Beckett asked.

“You know Peanut. She’s awesome. We’ve had a great time sugaring her up and getting ready to send her home to you.”

My laughter was cut short by Beckett’s frown. It was only funny because I didn't have to deal with it.

“Sorry,”I mouthed and straddled his lap. I’d make it up to him.

His eyebrows shot up almost to his hairline.

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