Page 18 of Tempted By the Alpha Outlaw

Her eyes snap to mine, wide and uncertain–but I’m already pushing off of the counter and striding toward the door. Leaving her behind is a challenge, harder than it should be…

But I do.

For now.

7

MAGNOLIA

The schoolroom smells like crayons and pencil shavings, a scent that seems to follow me everywhere I go these days. Most of the kids have already left for the day, their voices echoing down the stone walls of the den as they run off to their families.

Lucy, of course, is the exception. She’s sitting cross-legged on the reading rug, flipping through a picture book with exaggerated concentration, waiting for me to finish tidying up.

“Alright, Lu,” I call over my shoulder, straightening a stack of papers on my desk. “You ready to head out?”

“Almost!” she chirps, holding up the book. “I’m reading about dinosaurs.”

“You’ve read that one a hundred times,” I tease, crossing the room to ruffle her hair. “Come on, we’ll borrow it and you can finish it at home.”

Before she can protest, the thud of boots on the worn wooden floorboards outside echoes through the quiet schoolroom, instantly drawing both of our attention.His scent–that delicious scent of dark chocolate and roasted coffee–fills my lungs. I turn toward the doorway, my breath catching mid-step as I see him.

Colt.

He’s leaning against the frame, his broad shoulders filling the entryway. He’s wearing a worn white t-shirt that stretches deliciously across his chest, jeans that seem to fit just right. The light from the hallway casts shadows across his sharp features, accentuating the rugged edge to his jawline. In one hand, he holds a battered toolbox, the other tucked casually into the pocket of his jeans, like he’s got all the time in the world.

It’s the kind of entrance that shouldn’t be sexy—but God, does it work.

“Am I interrupting?” he drawls, his green-blue eyes flicking between me and Lucy.

“No,” I say quickly, my cheeks warming. “Just finishing up.”

Lucy is instantly enamored, dropping the book as if she didn’t just try to convince me she was busy reading it. My mom has been on a full campaign against Colt in our household, given the way Kate has hyped him up with River’s help–but it doesn’t seem to be working on my littlest sister.

“Hi!” Lucy pipes up, her little face lighting up as she scrambles to her feet. “Are you here to fix stuff?”

Colt’s mouth quirks into a half-smile, and I swear I feel it all the way down to my toes. “Yep,” he says, crouching slightly to meet Lucy’s gaze. “What about you, kid? You the boss around here?”

She giggles, clutching the book to her chest. “Maggie’s the boss,” she says matter-of-factly. “But I’m her helper.”

“Good to know,” Colt replies. He’s good with kids.Of coursehe’s good with kids. He stands again, his gaze sliding back to me. “Was chatting with Tilda earlier and she mentioned there’s a cabinet giving you trouble?”

It takes me a second too long to respond, and I have to clear my throat to shake myself free of the effect he has on me. “Oh, right,” I manage, my voice embarrassingly high. “The one by the supply closet. It’s been creaking like crazy whenever we open it.”

“Lead the way,” he says, tilting his chin toward the back of the room. His words are simple enough, but there’s something in the way he says them that feels like a command.

I want to obey.

I want to do whatever he tells me to do.

I glance at Lucy, who’s been watching this whole interaction with open curiosity. “Go grab your stuff, okay? We’ll head out in a minute.”

“Okay!” she chirps before scurrying off to her desk, leaving me alone with Colt.

That’s right…alone.

Again.

Something I’m starting to think is very, very dangerous.

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