Forever With You (Bayou Dreams Book 5) Read online

  Leslie’s back bowed off the seat and she screamed at the ceiling. Her chest rose and fell as she sucked in one deep breath after another.

  Gabe caught hell trying to get control over his own breathing. He hadn’t been so close to coming while still completely dressed since he was fifteen years old.

  “Oh, my,” Leslie breathed. “I can’t believe I just did that with my daughter’s teacher. And behind the school cafeteria, for goodness’ sake.”

  “It’s okay,” Gabe said. “I’m the assistant principal. I can get you out of detention.”

  She looked over at him and burst out laughing. Her beautiful face was still flushed from the massive orgasm that had torn through her. Damn, how he wished he could give her another one this very second. All it would take was a little maneuvering. He could push the seat back, slip onto the front-passenger floor and lose himself in that warm, wet heaven between her legs.

  “Go out with me,” he said.

  Her brow dipped in a cautious frown. “What?”

  “Go out with me,” Gabe repeated. “On a real date. Not some rendezvous at that dive in St. Pierre or behind the school cafeteria. I want to take you out on a real date, where we get dressed up, go out and have a good time like a normal couple.”

  “Gabriel—”

  “It doesn’t have to be in Gauthier. As a matter of fact, there’s nothing in Gauthier that will fit what I have in mind.” The caution in her eyes turned to curiosity. “Just say yes, Leslie. I’m asking for one real date. That’s all.”

  After a beat she nodded. “Okay. What about this Saturday?”

  “Really?” he asked, hope blossoming in his chest.

  “Yes,” she said. “Shayla is coming to pick up the girls Saturday morning after we get back from the Lock-In/Learn-In. They’re spending the night at her house.”

  A smile drew across Gabe’s face. “Saturday night it is. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  Chapter 9

  Leslie sent Stewart a message reminding him that she was leaving early, then packed her briefcase with the documents she would have to work on over the weekend. Just as she was about to shut down her laptop, Stewart responded with a request for her to step into his office on her way out.

  Leslie rapped lightly on the opened door and peeked in. “You wanted to see me?”

  “Yes, yes. Come in,” Stewart said. He tossed the pen he was holding onto the desk and gestured for her to take a seat.

  Leslie had yet to bring up the potential transfer to The Woodlands office. She could do so right now if she wasn’t such a coward.

  “I have a proposition for you,” Stewart said before she could speak. “As you know, we’ve had a couple of really good quarters and when I was at headquarters a couple of weeks ago, I discussed a possible expansion. The guys in New York agreed.”

  “Agreed to what?”

  “A second location. Our North Shore clientele has been steadily growing, so much so that it warrants a satellite office. There is retail space available in a new development in Maplesville that would be ideal, and I think you would be the ideal person to run it.”

  Leslie’s back went ramrod straight.

  “What’s with that look?” Stewart asked. “You don’t agree?”

  “Well, yes, I guess I do. It’s just that I wasn’t expecting this.”

  “This is perfect for you, Leslie. You would be required to check in with this office at least one day a week, but much of your time would be spent running the satellite office in Maplesville. You would be closer to your daughters and it would cut your commute in half, wouldn’t it?”

  “At least,” Leslie said.

  She was absolutely stunned by this turn of events. She’d come into Stew’s office debating whether or not to bring up a transfer. She didn’t think he would be the one talking about a transfer—and to Maplesville, of all places. On a good day she could be at the office in fifteen minutes flat.

  “I have every confidence you can handle this, but I also recognize that it entails more responsibility than you may be up for right now. Don’t give me an answer just yet. Take the weekend to think it over.”

  “I only get the weekend? When exactly would this move happen?”

  “That retail space has been going at lightning speed. I convinced the rental manager to hold the space for me for a few days, but if we’re going to do this, then we have to act on it. Like I said, take the weekend.”

  Leslie nodded. “I’ll let you know Monday.”

  She walked to her car on autopilot, her brain swirling with everything she’d just learned. She slid into the driver’s seat and just sat there for a moment gripping the steering wheel.

  What in the heck had just happened?

  For months now she had been mentally preparing herself to leave this office—but for Houston, not Maplesville. Her reasons to pack up her family and move had been slowly dwindling over the past few weeks. Now Leslie was hard-pressed to remember just why she had felt such an all-consuming need to leave Gauthier at all.

  But she was smart enough to recognize that her reasons were being outshined by her new relationship with Gabriel, and this amazing opportunity Stewart had just dropped in her lap. Just because she could bring herself to finally pack up Braylon’s clothes and donate them to the Goodwill didn’t mean that she was ready to face the next fifty years living in that house, living in that town.

  She had her reasons for wanting to leave. Eventually, they would rear their ugly heads again, and this nice glow would all but dissipate.

  A couple of hours later, Leslie found herself standing in the complete chaos that was GEMS’s annual Lock-In, now known as the Lock-In/Learn-In. More than two hundred and fifty kindergarten through seventh-grade students filled the gymnasium, their noisy chatter and laughter reaching decibels that could rival that of a jet engine taking off.

  Parents and teachers worked in shifts to chaperone. The first were here from 7:00 p.m. to midnight. The second shift would come in at midnight and stay until 7:00 a.m. Last year Leslie had foolishly taken the second shift, thinking it would be the easier of the two.

  Wrong.

  As the night had dragged on, many of the smaller children eventually had fallen asleep, but the older kids had stayed awake and wired throughout the night.

  As this year’s PTO president, Leslie didn’t sign up for a specific shift. Even though it didn’t officially fall under her responsibilities, she still felt it her duty to make sure everything ran smoothly throughout the event. So she would be in and out during the night, hopefully catching a few catnaps on the sofa in the teachers’ lounge. She wanted this year’s Lock-In/Learn-In to be the best yet.

  She acknowledged that a huge portion of her need to make this year’s event a success was due to Gabriel being so invested in it. She believed in his quest to have the lock-in do double duty, giving the students a chance to have fun and learn at the same time.

  As she ambled around the gymnasium, Leslie had a feeling they were well on their way to reaching the outcome Gabriel had envisioned. The gym was sectioned off according to class subject. There was a fierce competition between two teams of sixth graders to see who could solve a prime-factorization puzzle the quickest.

  In the reading corner, blankets, sleeping bags and pillows had been set up, creating the perfect space for cuddling up with a good story. It warmed Leslie’s heart to see so many kids taking advantage of the books that had been donated by The Book Nook, a new independent bookstore that had just opened in Maplesville. Meanwhile, the kindergartners—including Kristi—were undeniably enthralled with whatever story Mrs. Guidry was reading to them. Leslie waved, but her daughter’s rapt attention was focused solely on the young teacher.

  Leslie didn’t need but one guess to figure out where she would find Cassidy. If Kristi was enthralled with Mrs. Guidry
, Cassidy was completely enraptured with Mr. Franklin.

  Leslie looked toward the spot that had been cordoned off for the science fun and games. Gabriel stood at the head of a table surrounded by a bunch of excited students. He held beakers of clear liquid in each hand. In dramatic fashion, he raised the beaker in his right hand and began pouring the liquid into the other. The two clear liquids met to create a yellow cloud.

  The students’ reaction was priceless. They clapped and cheered as if it was the most amazing thing they had ever witnessed in their lives. For some, it probably was.

  Gabriel looked up and caught her staring. A subtle, skin-tingling sexy smile edged up the corner of his mouth. Leslie tried to look away, but it would have been easier to convince every one of these children to go to sleep at this very minute than to convince her eyes to look anywhere but at this gorgeous man who made her body hum with electricity each and every time he looked at her.

  She continued to observe him as he returned to the table filled with various science paraphernalia: beakers, Bunsen burners and his prized microscope. He glanced over at her and waved for her to join him. She pointed at her chest and mouthed, Me?

  Gabe shook his head and pointed past her. Leslie turned and spotted her brother-in-law striding across the gymnasium floor.

  “How’s it going?” Xavier asked, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

  “What are you doing here?” Leslie asked, returning the kiss.

  “Mr. Franklin asked me to come in and do a presentation on some basic physiology.” He held up the large black case in his right hand. “I’ve got my intestinal-system dummy. It’s always a hit at parties.”

  Chuckling, Leslie patted his back. “I hope you and your dummy have tons of fun.”

  She forced herself to focus on other aspects of the Lock-In/Learn-In so that she wouldn’t be tempted to sneak peeks of Gabriel. He was always sexiest when he was in pure science-geek mode.

  She joined the volunteers working the concession stand and found herself in the middle of a heated debate on how much cheese was appropriate to pour on the nachos. She was preparing to duck flying hot queso when she caught Elora Boudreaux motioning for her to come over. The older woman, who had at least a dozen grandchildren attending GEMS, was in charge of doling out prizes for the various games.

  “Please tell me there are more prizes for the kindergarten through second-grade kids,” Mrs. Boudreaux said, wringing her hands as if a lack of prizes would be the end of the world. Although, for this bunch it just might be.

  “There should be,” Leslie said. “Let me check the storage room. We stored them away from the gymnasium because we didn’t want to have too many of them out at one time.”

  “I can get someone else to get them if you’re too busy,” Mrs. Boudreaux said.

  “Oh, no!” Leslie said. She lowered her voice and leaned toward the other woman. “I don’t want to go back to the concession stand.”

  Mrs. Boudreaux put a hand up to shield her mouth, then whispered, “I understand. I’ve run concession with Belinda at the basketball games. That woman is power hungry, and she’ll take it wherever she can get it.”

  Leslie checked around to make sure none of the other age groups needed prizes before leaving the gymnasium. Just as she reached for the door to the main building, she heard someone call her name.

  Leslie turned and found Gabriel jogging up the covered walkway that connected the gym to the rest of the school.

  “You skipping out on the Lock-In?” he asked. “Too much noise for you?”

  “You think I can’t handle that?” She hooked a thumb toward the gym. “I have a five-year-old, a nine-year-old and a dog. That’s nothing.”

  “It makes me appreciate Mr. Mayes and his music,” Gabriel said. “It sounds like a beehive in there.”

  “Don’t worry. By the end of the night you’ll be so used to it that you won’t even hear it.”

  He nudged his chin at the door. “Where were you going?”

  “I’m on prize-restock duty. We’ll have a kindergarten mutiny on our hands if I don’t bring out more lighted yo-yos and Frisbees.”

  “Do you mind company?” Gabriel asked.

  Leslie’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.

  He put both hands up. “I swear I just want to help.”

  “Fine. You can help,” she said. “Just remember that there’s a gymnasium full of students just steps away, so no funny business.”

  “I promise,” he said, a wickedly seductive smile tipping up the corners of his lips. He opened the door and motioned for her to walk ahead of him. The moment they entered the school’s storage room, Gabriel caught her wrist and spun her around, pinning her to the door.

  “I didn’t realize you were so gullible,” he whispered against her lips.

  Leslie returned his smile. “It looks as if it worked to my advantage.”

  He caught her other arm and entwined their fingers. Amusement glittered in his eyes as he closed the distance between them, bringing his chest flush against her breasts. He lowered his head and took her lips in a kiss that had every fiber of her body humming with need.

  If not for the door holding her up, Leslie would have melted into a puddle right on the floor. She pressed her body into his as he pushed his tongue into her mouth, swirling it around, sucking on her bottom lip. His hands moved from her wrists to her shoulders, then down her back. Gabriel cupped her backside, fitting her soft center against his swelling hardness.

  The moan that climbed from her throat was drenched with want.

  How much longer would she be able to hold out? Why did she even want to? Her body was screaming for her to give in to this need that had begun to consume her nearly every waking moment since the first time he’d kissed her. She would be foolish not to take advantage of everything he could do to her.

  And, goodness, did she want him to do things to her. She wanted him to do things to her until she couldn’t walk straight.

  He moved his mouth from her lips and trailed it along her neck. Leslie’s head fell back against the door. She ran her hands up and down his back, pulling him even closer, the need to connect her body with his instinctual. Primal.

  But they couldn’t give in to those primitive desires. Not here.

  “Gabriel, we need to stop,” she murmured against his lips, but it was the exact opposite of what she wanted. She didn’t want this to stop. She wanted it to go on and on until they were both naked and exploring every square inch of each other.

  But there was a gymnasium full of people, including her two daughters, just steps away.

  Leslie brought her hands around to his chest and gently pushed. He raised his head. His expressive eyes were dazed, their brown depths flooded with a passion that made her want to say to hell with where they were and just tear off his clothes. But she knew better.

  “We can’t do this here,” Leslie said. “Anyone can walk in.”

  He nodded and took a step back. “You’re right,” he said. He let out a shaky laugh and brought his hand up to rub the back of his head. “That wasn’t supposed to go that far. I swear it was only supposed to be a quick kiss.”

  “We haven’t mastered the quick kiss,” she said. “Every kiss we have seems to last longer and longer.”

  That smile she was starting to crave crept up the side of his mouth. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t have the desire to change that anytime soon. I’m growing rather fond of our very long kisses.”

  “So am I,” she said, her cheeks heating to unprecedented levels. “Just not when half the town is a few yards away.” She brought her hand up to her neck. “There are no marks, are there?”

  He peered at her neck. “Umm...” He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth.

  “Oh, God.” Leslie slapped her hands over either side of her neck. “Please
don’t tell me I have a hickey.”

  “You don’t.” He laughed, holding his hands up. “I was kidding.”

  “Gabriel,” she said in a warning tone.

  “I promise there is no hickey,” he said, leaning over and placing a light kiss on her cheek. He whispered in her ear, “Your secret love affair is safe.”

  The slight tension she heard in his voice gave her pause. Even though he hadn’t said anything, she knew he was growing increasingly uncomfortable about keeping their relationship a secret. She studied his face, but his expression betrayed nothing.

  “How many prizes do you want to bring over?” he asked, motioning to the bins of toys.

  She regarded him for another moment before answering, “Fifty or so should be enough.” Leslie reached for the plastic bin, but he blocked her with a hand.

  “I’ve got this,” he said.

  She stood idle as he went about loading the prizes into canvas shopping bags. She wasn’t sure what to make of what had passed between them after their kiss. Should she bring up the discretion thing? Was she ready to hear what he had to say about it?

  Despite whether his feelings had changed regarding the secrecy of their relationship, hers had not. Leslie wasn’t ready to face the questions from her girls or the whispers from the people in Gauthier, whom she had no doubt would have an opinion about her dating a man so much younger than she was. Especially when the single, handsome, more age-appropriate Sawyer Robertson was right there, waiting in the wings.

  No, she was not ready to face that battle.

  From the beginning, Gabriel had said he was willing to take whatever she was willing to give. Leslie could only hope that those words still held true, because if his feelings had changed then she would have to give him up.

  And the thought of doing that hurt more than she’d ever thought possible.

  * * *

  As he pulled into Leslie’s driveway, Gabe couldn’t help the smile that broke out over his face. For the entire drive he had vacillated between feelings of relief, accomplishment, pleasure and validation. He had so many emotions flooding his bloodstream, he didn’t know what to feel.