Burning Up by Susan Andersen Read Free Book Online Page A

of grass, she grinned. She poked Janna. “I’m thinking Ty gets his attention span from the Purcell side of the family.”
    Janna laughed.
    Denser shade than that provided by the leafy trees suddenly blocked her light, and expecting to see rain clouds had blown in, she tipped her head back.
    Only it wasn’t clouds. Instead, she found herself looking up at Gabe. His dark brows pleated overthe strong thrust of his nose, he stared back down at her.
    Her heart beat double time. Because as their gazes locked, an electric current seemed to pulse between them.
    Then Grace leaned forward and Macy saw her smile up at him. “There you are,” the teacher said.
    And gave the blanket next to her hip a sit-next-tome pat.

CHAPTER FIVE
    L OUNGING BACK ON his elbows next to Grace, Gabe watched Macy’s animated gestures as she laughed and talked with Janna, Shannon and his date. Jesus. Was there no escaping this woman? It just went to show it didn’t pay to get too complacent. Because Macy O’James was not a restful female to be around, and more than once since that night in the hall he’d mentally congratulated himself on the wide berth he’d managed to give her. Yes, they had to share the dinner table. But he’d avoided being in any other common room she might occupy.
    Which wasn’t to say he hadn’t heard her laughing and flirting up a storm with the AAE boys. The chick was a freaking magnetar—a powerful force drawing anything that even approached her orbit. Hell, she’d even gotten the honeymoon kids to occasionally come up for air and interact with her.
    It wasn’t as if he’d assumed she wouldn’t be here today. She was actually pretty attentive to her cousin’s needs—he’d give her that—so he’d figured she might bring Janna to Tyler’s game. But he sure as hell hadn’t expected to find Grace sharing a blanket with her.
    As if she could read his thoughts, the brunetteschoolteacher turned to him and smiled. “Isn’t this fun?”
    “Yeah. Great. I sort of expected to spend the time with just you, but either way, it’s good to have some time together.”
    “This is like an unexpected party, though, don’t you think? Did I tell you what Macy said about her nephew Tyler having me as his teacher this fall?”
    “I don’t think the kid is actually her nephew.” Okay, he was being a boor, but he couldn’t seem to help it. He’d been looking forward to having a relaxing hour or two with Grace and here Macy was. Butting in. Getting in the way of his absorbing some of the teacher’s serenity. Making his heart rate spike.
    “Oh, I know,” Grace agreed in her sweet-natured way. “I guess he’d be her second cousin. Still, that’s what she calls him. And apparently he calls her Aunt. Anyway—” She launched into a tale of what-Macy-said.
    The woman under discussion suddenly shrieked Tyler’s name and shot up onto her knees. “C’mon, c’mon, c’mon,” she and Janna, who’d leaned forward in her chair, chanted with almost perfect synchronism.
    Gabe’s gaze flew to the field and homed in on Ty, and he sat up with a jerk. Number eleven on the visiting team had hit a long pop-up and was racing for first base, slinging his bat to the side as he ran. Ty, his eyes narrowed in fierce concentration, had his hands overhead, his mitt cupped toward the descending ball,as he backpedaled…danced several steps to the left…then corrected by taking a short step back toward center. He was positioned under the ball when it came down, hit the tip of his mitt, balanced for one breathless moment—
    Then bobbled over the edge and fell into the space between his raised arms and his body.
    “Nooooooo,” Janna and Macy groaned.
    Tyler slapped his mitt and free hand at his narrow little chest, his stomach, his groin, his thighs, hunching in on himself as he chased the ball rolling down his torso. Then he suddenly straightened.
    And held the ball high.
    “Oh, my,” Grace whispered as Janna, Macy and Shannon screamed