High School Reunion Read online

  High School

  Reunion

  Kimberly Dean

  Rover Books

  New York

  www.RoverBooks.com

  This book is a work of fiction.

  In real life, make sure you practice safe sex.

  This book is made available in electronic form by permission of VirginBooks by RoverBooks.

  www.RoverBooks.com

  First published in 2005 by

  Cheek

  Thames Wharf Studios

  Rainville Road

  London W6 9HA

  Copyright © Kimberly Dean 2005

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

  ISBN-10: 0-7952-0350-0

  ISBN-13: 978-0-7952-0350-3

  All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  The author and publisher specifically disclaim any responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.

  Chapter One

  Get out of the car, Roma.

  No.

  It’s easy. Just open the door and step out.

  I don’t wanna.

  I’m losing my patience. Get your butt out of the car!

  Bite me.

  The argument inside Roma Hanson’s brain had been going on for the last fifteen minutes. Although it reminded her vaguely of an argument she’d had with her mother when she was six years old, it showed no signs of waning.

  Move it!

  Make me!

  She scanned the building in front of her. Nobody else seemed to be having a problem going inside. In the short time she’d been sitting watching, dozens of people of various shapes and sizes had entered the place. Several, in fact, had even had – get this – smiles on their faces. Young, old, fat, thin…They’d all just walked up to the door and stepped inside, easy as pie.

  Pie.

  Mm, now that sounded good. Distracted, she glanced around at her surroundings. There was a bakery just two blocks down the street…

  Oh, no, you don’t! That’s what got you into this predicament in the first place!

  Taking a deep breath, she tried again to work up her courage. Her gaze ran hesitantly over the sign declaring jake’s gym. It sounded so…so…Rocky-ish. Visions of sweaty men with tattoos filled her head. Maybe this wasn’t the place for her.

  Then again, sweaty men with tattoos? That didn’t sound too bad.

  She stared at the plate glass windows, trying to see inside, but the reflection of the sun hid the club’s activity. She really didn’t like unknown quantities. Maybe she should try Workout World or Spa City. Surely they would suit her just fine.

  But they don’t have trainers, her brain insisted. Not real ones. You know a pimply faced college student trying to earn beer money won’t keep you motivated.

  ‘Ah, crud,’ she muttered in defeat. Self-discipline had never been her strong point. If she went to another gym, she’d last three days. Tops. She couldn’t let that happen. She needed to see results, and she needed to see them quickly. Procrastinating had only made matters worse. It was crunch time.

  Before she could change her mind, she opened the car door and hopped out. Her heels skidded on the slick surface of the parking lot, and she grabbed the car to regain her balance.

  Winter. The evil troll still had its grip on the city. Even though it was March, there were no signs that spring was on its way. Shivering, Roma wrapped her heavy coat more tightly around herself.

  It’s too cold. You can come back tomorrow.

  ‘No!’ Her eyes rounded when she realised she’d spoken out loud. Quickly, she looked around to make sure that nobody had heard her. Fortunately, the parking lot was empty.

  She faced the building and braced herself. She’d never get up her nerve again if she left now. Her devious brain would find some other excuse to keep her away. She’d made it out of the car; she was going in. After all, this problem wasn’t going to fix itself. Her high school reunion was only three months away, and she had thirty pounds to lose. Thirty!

  She slammed the door, turned and marched determinedly towards the building. What was the worst that could happen anyway? She’d never been inside a real gym before, but she doubted that people would turn and stare at her. It couldn’t be that evident that she was a newbie.

  Just act like you know what you’re doing. Just walk into the place and ask somebody about the training programmes. Easy.

  It should have been easy.

  It would have been easy if it weren’t for a hidden, mischievous patch of ice.

  The whole thing happened so fast, Roma didn’t know what hit her. One moment, she was walking along confidently. In the flash of a millisecond, everything spun out of control. The smooth soles of her pumps lost their traction and, suddenly, her legs began churning like Road-runner’s in those old Saturday morning cartoons.

  She yelped as momentum threw her forwards.

  Her hands swung up to brace herself, but her luck being what it was, they landed against the one unstable thing she could find. With her nose plastered against the jake stencil on the front door, she went hurling into the gym.

  She stumbled, gained momentum, and charged across the room in front of the reception desk. Her body was nearly parallel to the floor, her face only three feet above it, as she tried to recover. Like a duck out of water, her arms flapped wildly. Her purse connected solidly with…something.

  One more step and gravity finally won the battle. Sprawling face forwards, she executed a perfect swan dive.

  ‘Ummmph,’ she groaned as she came to a slithering stop.

  At first, stunned silence greeted her. Then a deep voice rang out from somewhere overhead. ‘Lady! Are you all right?’

  Lady? Oh yeah, she felt real ladylike right about now. She kept her head down. Maybe she could get on her hands and knees and crawl backwards out of the place. If she kept her face hidden, nobody would ever be able to recognise her. She’d burn her coat and ditch the purse before it could be identified.

  ‘Are you OK?’ the voice repeated.

  ‘Peachy,’ she mumbled. Suddenly, the urge to laugh seized her. No, they won’t stare or anything. Giggles shook her body, and she tried to hold them back.

  ‘Oh God, she’s convulsing!’

  A hand settled on the back of her head, and Roma knew that there would be no crawling. A big body crouched down next to her, and she felt it loom over her.

  ‘Don’t move,’ the voice instructed. ‘Help will be here soon. Somebody dial nine-one-one!’

  Oh, wouldn’t that just be perfect? Call the fire engines. Bring on the ambulances. Nothing like a little more unwanted attention.

  ‘No, no. Don’t do that. I’m fine,’ she insisted as she pushed herself back onto her knees.

  Now what? she wondered. Just how in the heck was she supposed to get herself out of this mess?

  Act like nothing happened, the devious side of her suggested.

  Don’t even look at me, replied the angel on her other shoulder.

  Staring intently at the floor tiling, she mumbled, ‘Um, I’d like to talk to somebody about joining the gym.’

  The man with the deep voice chuckled with surprise. ‘Sure, Goldilocks, if you’re sure you’re all right.’

  A helpi
ng hand appeared in front of her face, and she grabbed it. The man pulled her up to a standing position, but she still couldn’t bear to look at him. Instead, she took great care in dusting off her skirt.

  ‘I apologise about the ice out there. This is our fault. Are you sure you’re not hurt?’

  He began to help her brush off her coat. His hand swiped down her back, and Roma let out a whoop when his touch curved around her bottom. ‘Hey! Watch it!’

  Unintentional or not, he’d goosed her.

  Spinning around, she lifted her gaze and found herself facing a full house. Suddenly, she realised that the room was absolutely silent. Nobody had moved since she had entered – well, flopped – onto the scene. Everywhere she looked, eyes were wide and mouths were agape.

  A groan slipped from her lips. There was absolutely no graceful way out of this situation. Deciding to go with the flow, she lowered herself into what she hoped was a graceful curtsy.

  Across the room, somebody coughed. The sound was quickly muffled, but it was enough to snap the tension. Laughter and applause broke out in waves. She smiled hesitantly and bowed again.

  ‘Tito, bring me some ice and salt that sidewalk before somebody really gets hurt.’

  Roma whirled around at the sound of the increasingly familiar voice. Would he just let it go already? She just wanted to leave in peace. ‘Really, I’m fine,’ she assured. ‘You don’t have to –’

  Her air caught in her throat and wheezed through her lips. Holy samoly! Electricity zapped backwards from her eyeballs and short-circuited her brain. If she’d taken the time to look at him before, she might have done something stupid.

  The man connected to the voice was a Greek god. She fought the urge to lick her lips as she gave him the once over. Sandy-blond hair. Dark-blue eyes. And those muscles…Oh my, did he have muscles. She nearly asked him to pick up something heavy just so she could watch them strain.

  ‘The ice isn’t for you, it’s for me,’ he said. He held his cheek with one hand, but a broad smile split his face. His eyes twinkled as he looked at her. ‘You clobbered me with your purse.’

  Oh, no. That had been the thud she’d felt on the way down. Good Lord, she’d just brained this gorgeous stud. Her wallet, keys, hairbrush, calculator and a million other things lived in her purse. In all, the bag had to weigh about ten pounds. ‘Ohmigosh! Are you all right? Is anything broken?’

  She fluttered about, not knowing what to do. How did one apologise for hitting such a sumptuous hunk of manhood – and a seemingly nice guy, at that?

  ‘I’m so sorry. I just lost control,’ she stammered.

  ‘No kidding.’ The man started to laugh, but bent over with a groan.

  That did it; Roma lost it entirely. Hopping from one foot to the other, she charged towards him. He flinched at her sudden move, and she skidded to a halt. Carefully, she reached out and touched his cheekbone. A tingling sensation shot up her arm, and she pulled back as if burnt. Frantically, hands waving wildly, she looked around the room.

  ‘Somebody get this man some ice!’ she bellowed. She spun back towards him. ‘How’s your vision? Can you see me?’

  Bent over as he was, his eyes were level with her chest. He let out a long breath. ‘Oh, yeah. I can see you.’

  ‘Am I clear?’

  ‘There’s supposed to be two, right?’ Grinning, he stood upright and held out his hand. ‘I’m Jake Logan.’

  Jake – as in Jake’s Gym. Roma winced. She’d just done a belly flop in front of the owner. And she’d managed to belt him on the way down! ‘I’m so sorry. My clumsiness gets the best of me at times. I’ll pay for any damage I’ve done.’

  She reached for her purse, and tried not to take offence when he instinctively moved out of harm’s way. Quickly, she searched through the contents of her bag – forever forward known as the ‘blunt object’. She finally found a business card, and she pushed it into his hand.

  ‘I’ve got insurance. I’ll pay for any medical care you might need.’

  ‘There’s no harm done.’

  ‘No harm?’ Her eyebrows shot upwards. ‘Are you blind? I just bashed you. You might have a concussion. You could go blind for all we know.’

  Tito appeared with an ice bag, and she literally ripped it from the kid’s hands. She reached for Jake, but hesitated when he braced himself.

  Guilt racked her. Of course, he’d be leery of her touch. She’d nearly knocked him out.

  Disappointed, she turned her hand over and offered him the pack.

  She went still when he caught her hand.

  Quickly, she looked up at him. The humour in his eyes was surprisingly intimate – as was his touch. His callused fingers felt blistering hot in contrast to the ice pack. Her breath caught when the heat ran up her arm and settled in her chest. She watched, mesmerised, as he lifted their joined hands and pressed the ice pack against his cheekbone.

  She cleared her throat. ‘Better?’ she asked.

  ‘Oh, yeah.’

  His gaze dropped to her opened coat and centred again on her chest. She nearly gasped aloud when her nipples stiffened instinctively. The heat. It was pouring into the sensitive tips, making them nearly burn.

  She let out a quick puff of air and pulled her hand back. Surreptitiously, she began creeping towards the door. ‘Well, I’m sorry for the intrusion. You’ve got my card, feel free to contact me.’

  ‘Whoa, Goldie. I’m contacting you now.’ Before she could escape, he reached out and grabbed the hood of her coat. ‘I thought you wanted to talk about joining.’

  Damn! The blow to the head hadn’t affected his memory.

  ‘This was a mistake,’ she stammered.

  A huge mistake. She’d come here to get in shape, not make a fool of herself in front of dozens of people. He was too much of a distraction, anyway. If she worked out here, she’d spend half her time panting after him and worrying that she was nipping out. Jogging bras didn’t hide that kind of thing.

  He laughed and swung an arm around her shoulders. ‘Just keep that purse away from me, and we’ll get along fine.’

  Roma hung her head. ‘I can’t believe I did that.’

  ‘It’s no big deal.’ He finally looked at her business card. ‘Roma…Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me. Roma Grace Hanson?’

  Her face flared. ‘Rub it in, why don’t you?’

  ‘Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Roma Grace. Come on into my office. I’m dying to hear what brought a woman like you to my humble gym.’

  ‘Must have been temporary insanity.’

  His lips twitched. ‘Some of my best friends are insane.’

  He gave her a quick squeeze, and Roma felt her body press against warm hard flesh. Incredibly hard flesh – the kind she’d like to test with her fingernails. She nimbly extricated herself from his hold. There were people around and most were still watching her. ‘This cold pack is meant for your cheek. Would you please put it there?’

  ‘Don’t worry about me. I’ve got a hard head.’ He lowered himself into the chair behind the desk, but obediently settled the ice pack against the side of his face. ‘OK, why don’t we start from scratch? What can I do for you?’

  Roma’s eyebrows lifted. Do for her?

  She could think of quite a few things. Fun, naughty, impulsive things.

  Nothing, her sensible side insisted.

  This wasn’t going to work. Did the Fates need to shove another neon sign in front of her face? Thirty pounds, shmirty pounds. So she’d be a little chunky at her reunion. It wasn’t that big of a deal. She’d been pudgy in high school; nobody would even notice. Except her, of course.

  ‘You mentioned that you were interested in joining the gym,’ he said patiently. ‘Can I answer any questions?’

  She shook her head quickly. ‘You must have heard me incorrectly – what with the blow to the head and all. I said I was looking for…uh…a “john in the gym”.’

  She pushed herself to her feet. ‘Can you direct me to the ladies’ room?’
>
  He let out a snort. ‘Nice try, but no.’

  ‘No?’ she sputtered. ‘But…But what if I really had to go?’

  ‘Then I’d show you to one.’ He laughed. ‘As it is, I have very good hearing, notwithstanding “the blow to the head and all”. I distinctly heard you ask for information about joining the gym.’

  Roma fidgeted where she stood, but that watchful gaze of his didn’t even blink. She couldn’t get away from that intense blue stare. She could see amusement swirling in the fathomless depths of his eyes, but there was something more. Something hotter and deeper. The enigmatic expression made her nervous. ‘I need to lose thirty pounds in the next three months,’ she blurted.

  His laser look intensified, and his eyebrows lowered. ‘I don’t think so.’

  Disappointment filled her. It couldn’t be done. She should have known. She’d waited too long to get started. This man said it wasn’t possible, though, and he obviously knew his business. Just look at him.

  Sigh. Just look at him.

  ‘You don’t need to lose that much.’

  She blinked. She couldn’t have heard him right. ‘But I’m soft.’

  ‘Soft can be a good thing.’

  His gaze ran down her body so slowly, she could practically feel it caressing her skin. A tingling sensation started between her legs, and she pressed her thighs together hard. How could he do that? She was wearing a winter coat and a professional-looking blouse and skirt. That piercing look of his made her feel like she was naked.

  He sat back in his chair. ‘You haven’t got that much to lose. Maybe ten to fifteen pounds. When you add muscle back, though, it will only be about five.’

  Her jaw dropped, and she looked at him as if he’d just grown a second head. Was he insane? She knew her body. ‘I jiggle,’ she argued.

  ‘I noticed.’

  God, had he noticed. He’d have to be blind, deaf and dumb not to notice. Jake still felt thrown off-centre by the way this blonde whirlwind had crash-landed in his gym, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew a good thing when he saw one.

  And she was more than a good thing. He’d had a hard-on ever since she’d reached out and touched his cheek.