Page 13 of Burn for You (Flirting with Forever 3)

Breathing hard, I push back and stand quickly. Unfortunately, she does the same thing at the same time, leaving us less than a foot apart. Our chests rise and fall rapidly as we standoff opposite each other, and I’m about half a second from hauling her to me and burying my lips against her neck when Jake and Brian Schmidt, the history department chair, walk in.

With a final huff, Piper whirls around and leaves the workroom.

Chapter 7

Piper

I’m late. I’ve never been late to school in my entire teaching career. So, when do I choose to do it? Right. Just a few weeks before the selection of the new department chair. I’m so mortified by how unprofessional it felt to have to call and tell them I needed someone to cover my first period class until I could make it in.

Damn cramps. I’d woken up in plenty of time to get to school, but my uterus apparently had other plans. It felt like it was in a vise, my back hurt, and I was even slightly nauseated. I can’t remember the last time it was this bad, but I guess I was due. I’d curled myself up into a little ball and hit snooze, unable to crawl out of bed

and hoping it would subside if I gave myself a few extra minutes.

Only I didn’t hit snooze. I must have turned the alarm off completely. By the time I stumbled to the bathroom to look for some painkillers, it was 7:45 a.m. and I was due at school in fifteen minutes—which would have been totally doable, if not for the fact that I really thought I might keel over and die right there in the bathroom.

As I finally enter the school, I’m surrounded by hearts, flowers, chocolates, and people in love. To top off my great mood—yep, it’s Valentine’s Day. It’s hard for me to admit this, but as much as I grumble, I wish I were partaking in the festivities, no matter how manufactured and commercial the holiday is. To have that special someone would be amazing.

Instead, all weekend long, I’d vacillated between frustration at Damon and his crazy ideas, and worry about whether or not I should continue talking to Prof.M. My more immediate concern is here in the real world, I guess. Tryst is just an app. Prof.M. only becomes a part of my reality if I actually meet him—if I let him in. That’s definitely got to be put on hold. It needs to be. I just can’t handle it right now.

Hell, I can’t even handle getting myself to school on time and still don’t know how I’m going to make it through the day because the ibuprofen I’d taken earlier is not helping.

Cringing, I push the button to the main office and the secretary, Beverly, buzzes me in. She takes one look at my pale face and the set of my jaw and immediately sympathizes. “Oh, honey,” she bites her lip and lowers her voice to a whisper, “are you sick?”

I shake my head, gritting my teeth and fighting the urge to bend in half, arms crossed over my lower abdomen.

“Cramps?”

Ugh. Let’s all talk about my uterus right here in the office, why don’t we? I give her a brief nod, my eyes flickering to hers and then away. “I’m so sorry to be late. It wasn’t intentional at all.”

Beverly waves a hand. “Don’t worry about it for another second. Mr. Madero opened the divider wall between your classrooms, he’s been handling your class and his at the same time.”

I blink at her, as if she’s speaking in a foreign tongue, like she’s grown a second head and a third eyeball. She can’t possibly have said what I think she did. Oh my God, I’m in so much pain I’m hallucinating. I give myself a shake and focus on her again. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” Beads of sweat form and slide between my shoulder blades and down my back. Because I’m not already uncomfortable enough standing here with my lady parts clenching. Breathe, Piper.

Beverly clicks her tongue as she studies my frowning face. “Mr. Madero. He’s got both classes this morning.” She shrugs her shoulders. “He was in here when you called in, and he told me not to worry about finding someone to cover, that it was the same class and it was no problem to open the divider and—” She pauses for a second. “I’m sorry, did I do something wrong?”

I close my eyes briefly before opening them again, plastering a smile on my shell-shocked face. “No. Oh, no, Beverly, not at all. I was just caught by surprise.” I press a hand to my stomach. “Truth be told, I’m really just not myself today.”

She gives me an understanding nod. “No problem, sweetie. You let us know if you need to go home. I know how it can be sometimes.”

I give her a weak smile. “Thanks.”

I turn on my heel to leave just as Zoey pokes her head out of her office. Her eyes are wide as she scans my face. “Are you okay?”

I huff out a breath. “Walk with me. I have to get to my class.”

We exit the office, and I raise a shaky hand to my forehead. “I’ve got a hormone-induced headache coming on, and my uterus is trying to twist itself into a demented pretzel.”

“Oh, man. I have some ibuprofen in my office if you need some.”

“I already took some. It didn’t help. And while this”—I wave my hand in front of my angry abdomen—“doesn’t help, the worst part is that I now owe Damon for helping me out this morning. He offered to cover my class.” I whisper, “And, of course, Jake is going to be aware of the situation.”

“Ugh. That totally sucks.”

“So, I end up looking like a fragile female while he gets to put on his hero cape for the day—all just in time for Jake to choose him over me.”

I look at the hearts plastered to the walls over the lockers. “And it’s Valentine’s Day on top of everything else. I just want to …” I lift a hand high and smack a cupid cutout that dangles from the ceiling. “Ugh. Can this not be my life today?”

“I’ll find you chocolate and bring it down to you—I’ll leave it on your desk in the workroom. Will that help?” She sends me a troubled smile.

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