Looking down the hall, though, I stopped, seeing bodies scurrying through a door. I yanked out my earbuds.
“Hurry, hurry!” one of them whispered, but it was so loud I could still hear it yards away.
And even with the blur of short shorts and tank tops, I still recognized the girls.
Christa, Sydney, and Ana.
“Hey, are you all all right?” I headed up to the closed door that Sydney had just disappeared through and saw the sign that read ATHLETICS.
Ana and Christa had spun around and were now staring at me wide-eyed, the blush of getting caught red all over their faces.
I smiled. “I’m not a teacher. Relax.”
And they pinched their lips together, trying to hold back smiles while they snuck glances at each other.
“Where’s Sydney?” I ventured, knowing damn well she’d gone through the door.
The sign didn’t say that any specific gender was prohibited, but I did know that tutoring was over. The girls weren’t supposed to be roaming the school.
“She’s—,” Christa started, but Ana nudged her with her elbow.
“She’s …?” I pressed.
When neither of them came clean, I turned to leave. “I think Ms. Penley is still here….”
“She’s in the weight room,” Ana blurted out.
I turned around, narrowing my eyes. “Doing what?”
Both of the girls smirked, avoiding eye contact.
“Jaxon Trent,” Christa deadpanned.
I froze. The softness from my face hardened into steel. “Go to the parking lot,” I ordered. “I’ll send her out.” When they didn’t move, I lost my cool. “Now,” I ordered.
They covered smiles with their hands and veered around my immobile body, heading back down the corridor.
Heading through the ATHLETICS door, I walked down the dim, carpeted hallway with offices to my left and right. Coach Burns, the football coach and a history teacher. Coach McNally, the girls’ tennis and soccer coach who also taught driver’s ed. There were a few more offices, but I kept my eyes focused straight ahead on the big, heavy-looking wooden door that read WEIGHT ROOM.
I shook my head, trying to ignore the pounding of my heart in my chest. Jax wasn’t really having sex with a seventeen-year-old girl in here. No, he was smarter than that, right?
And then I remembered the two girls I’d seen him with a couple of years ago. And I thought of Liam, who definitely wasn’t as smart as I’d thought.
With my stomach clenching, I pushed lightly through the door and spotted both of them right away.
Separate and clothed. Thank God.
I let out a small breath and relaxed my shoulders. I didn’t know why the hell I cared, but … I swallowed.
Just not her. He couldn’t go for her.
The room was empty except for Jax and Sydney, and “Again” by Alice in Chains was playing on the CD player in the corner of the fully equipped room. I only knew the song because Tate listened to nothing but Alice in Chains when we’d first met. Two big fans were spinning from each side of the room, trying to keep it cool. The school had AC, but it was still stifling this time of year.
Jax was lying back on a black weight bench, a dumbbell in each hand as he spread his arms wide and then brought them back in and straight up over his body, flexing every muscle in his glowing, tanned arms, abs, shoulders, and pecs.
And I wanted her out of here.
He still wore the same knee-length black shorts as before, and his legs were spread, a foot resting on each side of the bench as a vision of me straddling him on that bench popped into my head.
I closed my eyes for a split second. I’m so fucking warped. I quickly swallowed the drool in my mouth before I accidentally drowned myself.
“You liked my sister.”
I heard Sydney talking, with her back to me.
Jax’s tone was clipped. “Your sister’s cool.”
“But not enough to come back for seconds,” Sydney taunted in a sexy voice, stepping up to the weight bench. “Wanna see if I’m better?” she asked.
“Jesus Christ,” Jax grumbled under his breath.
Dropping the dumbbells on the floor, he sat up and wiped his hand up his brow and over the top of his head, breathing hard.
Jax was pissed. I didn’t know him well, but I knew that about him. Whenever I’d seen him angry, he always ran his hand through his hair. It was his tell.
“Sydney,” I called, and watched both of their heads pop up to look at me. “Your friends are waiting in the parking lot. See you tomorrow.”
Sydney paused, probably trying to figure out how she could get the upper hand. Jax was frozen, glaring at me under scary black eyebrows.
Sydney arched an eyebrow before walking past me out of the door. She almost brushed my shoulder, and I could smell the anger on her. I was going to pay for that tomorrow.
Cocking my head, I gave Jax an amused look.
He shook his head, grabbing his towel off the floor. “Don’t give me that look. I didn’t ask her to come in here.”
“Like I care.” I kept my voice casual, because I so totally did care. “Half the women in town have seen you naked.”
He walked to a table, picking up a water bottle before turning his head to look at me. “That’s an exaggeration.” It sounded more like a warning instead of a statement.
And I watched him tilt his head back and gulp down mouthfuls of water.
Clearing my throat, I asked, “Why are you here? I thought you worked out at the gym.”