Jared: Mating Fever (Rocked by the Bear Book 5) by V. Vaughn

1
    “ M iss Jennings .”
    Principal Cote’s tone is stern, but the sun is warm on my shoulders, and I have plans to enjoy it with my sketch pad at a local park after school today, so I pretend I didn’t hear him.
    My first year as the art teacher at Willow Elementary is not what I expected. I came in with grand ideas to keep the kids’ creativity alive, but instead, mine is being killed one rule at a time.
    “Miss Jennings!”
    I sigh before I turn around to glance at the older man with graying temples and a brow so furrowed it’s no wonder the lines are etched in his forehead permanently. Yup. My boss is not happy. I’m a thorn in his side when it comes to the rules.
    I try a diversion tactic. “Good afternoon, Mark. I’ll bet you’re going to tell me how wonderful the mural looks. The children are doing such a wonderful job. I thought we—”
    “Courtney, please. You know what this is about.”
    “I—” I shake my head because it’s no use. “I’ll have the curriculum proposal on your desk Monday morning.”
    “Yours was due today, Miss Jennings.”
    I cross my arms as I begin to scowl too. “I’m the only one that has that deadline. Everyone else’s is Monday.”
    “That’s because everyone else will actually have a version I can use. I wanted to have the weekend to check yours and make sure you don’t have plans for building a ten-foot sculpture on the front lawn.”
    “It was only five feet,” I say. “And it could have doubled as playground equipment. Do you have any idea how amazing that would have been for the children’s sense of worth?”
    Mark’s eyes get hard as he crosses his arms.
    “Fine,” I say. “I’ll have it ready and email it to you tonight.”
    “Thank you.” He offers me his smile, but I can see daggers shoot out of his eyes anyway as he says, “Enjoy your weekend.”
    I aim a few laser beams at his heart with my gaze and sweetly say, “You too.” Once I turn back toward my car, I tilt my head up to the sky. The birds are chirping in the trees, and the day is just too beautiful to ignore. I decide since technically I have until midnight, I’m going to the park anyway.
    The aroma of this morning’s coffee fills my car when I get inside, and I glance at the travel mug in the holder as I wonder if I want to sip the lukewarm drink. I forgot to take it inside this morning because I was rushing to get to work on time. The first week of school this year, I learned we really are supposed to be present a full hour before the kids arrive, even if you don’t have homework to correct or detailed lesson plans to create. So these days I rush in to make my boss happy and sit in my classroom to work on my comic book illustrations with Principal Cote cast as the evil villain.
    If it weren’t for the kids, I don’t think I’d be finishing finished the school year. I crack the windows of my car to enjoy the breeze as it whistles by. I suppose I should begin my search for another job that allows me time to work on my art. I glance at the sexy male running along the side of the road to my right. White earbud cords bounce on his bare shoulders, and muscles ripple as he moves. Once I get past and look in the rearview mirror, I realize it’s Jared Vachon, a guy I know from college.
    I met Jared when he and his twin brother transferred to Bowdoin College, but I never got to spend a significant amount of time with him. Since I moved to the next town over when I graduated, it’s not surprising to find him jogging on this road. What’s surprising is my reaction to a guy I haven’t seen in months. My crush comes back to smack me in the face, and I have to force my gaze away to pay attention to the road.
    If I’m honest, though, my feelings for Jared never disappeared. I may have stalked him a bit by attending every orchestra presentation I could just to gawk at the sexy cellist as he played. Fortunately, I kept the restraining order at bay by keeping my distance, even if something