Chlorine and Chaos Read online

  “Welcome back.” Brand’s gaze roamed freely over her body, causing heat to ignite throughout her veins. “You look….”

  Mrs. Hall cleared her throat, and Brand’s eyes flicked back to Sage’s face.

  “The years have done well by you, Sage.”

  “Thank you. It’s good to see you again, Brand.” Ah, good, you can speak, after all. “Did I hear you mention swim practice?” Sage’s brow furrowed. “Are you coaching here?”

  “Yep.” Brand stuck his left leg out, wiggling it around awkwardly, but all Sage could focus on was the dusting of blond hair that covered his tanned calves. Bigger calves, stronger calves than she remembered.

  “Bum knee.”

  Sage brought her gaze back to his, trying to clear her thoughts. “I’m sorry? What?”

  “Car accident. Right after high school. Never made it out of town.” He shrugged, but Sage knew what those words meant.

  He’d never made it out. She frowned, remembering Brand’s one goal in life, and how nothing else had mattered to him but reaching that damn goal: representing the US in the summer Olympics. Not his academics, though he’d had to keep those up to remain on the team. Not his girlfriend, Rosie, though he’d kept that up for appearances and to remain in his parents’ good graces.

  Not even Sage, though he’d loved her as much as he’d known how.

  Or so she’d told herself all throughout high school.

  Secretly or not, for a while, Brandon Tiggs had been the one constant in her life, aside from Jimmy.

  And here he was. Staring at her as though she’d stepped right out of a magazine, hunger in his eyes, and…what was that? Appreciation? Longing?

  He smiled again, his gaze lingering on her lips just a little too long.

  Sage’s stomach began its slow ascent, creeping back up to her torso—where butterflies flapped around, tickling her insides, and warmth pooled low in her belly.

  Not ten minutes since returning to her high school, and she’d already reverted back to the lovesick teenager she once was. Except that now, she had the added desire of a woman who knew what men could do for her…and none had ever come close to Brandon effing Tiggs.

  Forget the abuse from her foster fathers. Forget the trauma, the fear, the constant apprehension of a childhood spent cowering.

  Brandon Tiggs had been the hardest part of her past to get over.

  And here he was.

  Holy shit. Sage Shepard walked out of his life nearly nine years ago, then strolled into Lorimar High this morning looking like sex on a stick. This wasn’t the black-haired rebel Tig remembered—though he’d loved every bit of that girl. He’d never forgotten her, never gotten over her, never found anyone who made him feel the way Sage had for those four years of high school.

  And he’d never forgiven himself for the pain he’d caused her. He doubted she’d forgiven him either. He didn’t deserve her forgiveness.

  He ran his hands through his hair as he leaned back in his chair, rocking back and forth in shock. That was all he could call it: pure, exhilarating shock. How had Jimmy managed to keep this a secret? Tig shook his head. He’d been checking in on Jimmy Shepard once, sometimes two times a week since Sage left all those years ago, keeping his promise to a woman who hated his guts. Her brother was the most important thing in her life, and Tig had made sure Jimmy stayed happy and healthy, checking in at the care facility and feeding Jimmy’s love of elephants with the occasional trip to the zoo, or with a stuffed animal or trinket for his collection.

  He couldn’t believe Jimmy kept Sage’s return a secret from him, but then, he had been acting a bit funny the last few times Tig visited.

  And Ellie Hall…she had to have known Sage was coming back. She’d kept the secret from him as well. Who else conspired against him? Definitely not Sage. He’d nearly knocked her off her feet with his presence; that much Tig could tell.

  He leaned back in his chair, one hand in his hair, and a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

  Sage was back. He had a second chance.

  He’d be damned if he fucked this up twice.

  The way that tight skirt clung to her legs…his thoughts roamed to what lay beneath the red fabric, and he wondered if she’d added any more ink to the broken heart on her hip bone. He hoped she hadn’t had the small tattoo removed or covered up.

  Her lip and eyebrow rings were gone, as was the blue-black hair dye, the bangs, the safety pins. Had she walked past him in the grocery store, he probably wouldn’t have recognized her.

  “Bullshit.”

  “Did you say something, Tig?” Coach Simmons paused outside Tig’s door, poking his head in, bushy eyebrows raised.

  Tig looked up, meeting the man’s dark gaze. “Nah, sorry, Coach. Just thinking out loud.”

  As usual, Coach Simmons took Tig’s response as an invitation to enter, and he took a seat across from Tig. “You see that new piece of ass today? Damn, and here I thought slutty nurses were only a thing for Halloween—”

  Tig was across the desk before he realized he’d moved, palms splayed against the hard wood, knuckles white as he fought against the urge to strangle the football coach. “Stay away from her, Simmons.”

  “Whoa, easy there, stud.” Simmons slowly raised his hands in surrender. “I get it, you’ve already claimed this one for yourself, huh? That’s cool, man, I can dig it.” Simmons repositioned his groin, adjusting in his seat. “She hot as fuck, though, so if ya don’t nail her soon….”

  Tig growled—actually growled—deep in his throat. Simmons was a pig—always talking about women like they were slabs of juicy steak he couldn’t wait to bite into.

  “Just stay away from this one,” Tig forced through clenched teeth. “We have history.”

  Simmons’ eyes widened. “No shit? You dirty dog, that was fast!” He stood and slapped Tig across the back, and it was all Tig could do not to grab the man by the throat—a desire he’d fought since Coach Simmons began working at Lorimar High two years prior. Tig righted himself, narrowing his gaze at the bastard before him.

  Missing the hatred in Tig’s eyes, Simmons pressed on. “I’d like to have history with an ass that fine, man. I’d wear that thing like a hat! You’re one lucky sonofabitch.”

  With teeth grinding and fists clenched at his sides, Tig watched Simmons walk out of his office, then he slammed his palm onto the desk.

  At least the asshole hadn’t been talking about a female student this time.

  Sage spent the first few hours of the day familiarizing herself with her new office—arranging things to her liking, locating items she knew she’d need frequently, rearranging Band-Aids and cotton swabs, and…dammit…when she’d relocated the jar of tongue depressors for the twelfth time, she nearly screamed in frustration.

  She wouldn’t be able to focus on anything with Brandon Tiggs on campus.

  How did this happen? She’d known when he hadn’t made it to the Olympics, not because she’d heard about the accident, but because she’d watched for his name in the papers, searching stats and news releases for her town’s golden boy. She’d never found him, and chalked it up to destiny—she wasn’t meant to find him, wasn’t meant to follow his career. They’d come from two different worlds, and the break-up at the end of senior year, though heartbreaking, had been for the best. She’d known it then, and she knew it now.

  Speaking of now…her mind wandered to his soft green eyes, that tanned skin, those rugged shoulders, the way his burgundy and gold polo shirt stretched taut over muscles she remembered well—muscles that had only grown since high school.

  The image of today’s Brand merged with the memory of his lips on hers, the way he’d so tenderly loved her, made love to her all those years ago. Publicly, he’d been just another jock at school, someone she didn’t spend time with because outcasts like Sage Shepard didn’t socialize with golden boys like Brandon Tiggs. Privately, she’d spent every waking moment with the love of her life, her high school sweetheart. She’d given h
im her heart, her body, her soul. He’d been her polar opposite, but against all odds, Brand picked up every broken piece of her, time and time again.

  And she’d never been the same since.

  “Damn,” she whispered, grabbing for the tongue depressors in frustration and moving them to another shelf in the cabinet. How did this happen? How had no one told her, warned her?

  Her jaw twitched as the answer came to her, innocent and pure…and, apparently, Sage could now add scheming to Jimmy’s list of attributes.

  Sage smiled—irritated that Jimmy had kept this secret from her, and reluctantly excited by the prospect of working with Brand.

  She picked up the phone, dialing the number to the quaint two-bedroom apartment she and Jimmy had just moved into together.

  “Sagey?”

  “Hey Jimbo, whatcha doin’?”

  “Watching Adventure Time, Sagey. Are you at school?”

  “I sure am.”

  “Do you like it? I miss school.”

  Sage smiled. “I do like it, Jimmy. You were right—this job is perfect for me.”

  “I know, Sagey. I always know what’s best for you.”

  Her smile grew. “Do you think anyone remembers me here?” This was a test.

  Jimmy laughed, which Sage could hear muffled even through the hand he covered the receiver with.

  “Jimmy.”

  “You saw Tig!”

  Sage closed her eyes, then pinched the bridge of her nose. “I did. But you knew I would, didn’t you?”

  “I always know what’s best for you, Sagey.”

  She inhaled a deep breath, tears springing to her eyes. “I know you do. You’re the best big brother in the world.”

  “Did you kiss him?”

  “Jimmy. I haven’t seen him in almost nine years. It’s not like that.” She pushed the mental image of Brand’s lips out of her mind. “It’s not like that,” she repeated, more for herself than her brother.

  “Tig and Sagey kissing in a tree! K-I-S-S-I—”

  “Okay, Jimmy, I get the point. I need to get back to work, now”—someone had to find a suitable location for those damn tongue depressors—“did you eat lunch yet?”

  “No, but Ellie will be here soon. I’m making us peanut butter and banana!”

  Sage shook her head, grinning, not in the least bit surprised that Jimmy and Mrs. Hall had probably done everything they could to bring Sage back to Lorimar High. She wondered, for the first time, what became of the nurse Sage replaced when this job just miraculously became available right when Sage was ready to begin job hunting.

  She should have known something was up. Hopefully they hadn’t thrown the poor woman in the river.

  “Did you hear me, Sagey? Peanut butter and banana! Your favorite!”

  “Yeah, Jimbo, sounds yummy. Don’t forget the mayo.”

  Of course, Sage couldn’t have known—she’d had no idea what happened to Brand after high school.

  But they’d known. She was sure of that. Mrs. Hall—her brother’s favorite person and weekly lunch date—had been in cahoots with Jimmy all along. That woman was a sneaky devil!

  And it had worked. Because here she was. Back inside with the one guy she’d loved since she knew how to love.

  What the hell was she supposed to do with that?

  He paused at the doorway of her office, palms sweating. “Knock, knock.”

  Sage fumbled, sending a jar of tongue depressors onto its side, scattering them across her desk. “Damn.”

  Tig smiled. He liked how her mouth looked when she cursed, the way she instantly pursed her lips once the word was out. He remembered that perfect mouth in more ways than one. She stood, smoothing her skirt—a habit he recalled well, though back then it was destroyed black jeans or a lace skirt covered in safety pins. She wrung her hands now, another familiar routine, and he had a hard time keeping himself from stilling those delicate fingers.

  “I can’t believe you’re here.” He cleared his throat, attempting to dispel the huskiness of his voice.

  She smiled, her gray eyes sparkling. “Well, I am the nurse. Where would you expect me to be?”

  “You know what I mean. When did you get back?”

  “Just before Christmas.” She tilted her head. “You didn’t know?”

  Tig shook his head. Had he known, nothing would have been accomplished as he awaited her return. Even now, his mind and his mouth had lost nearly all of their communication skills. He desperately searched for words to say.

  Teeth gnawing on her bottom lip, she looked down, pulling those storm-filled eyes away from him.

  “Don’t do that.”

  She brought her gaze back to his.

  There. He used to get lost in those storms.

  “Do what?”

  “Don’t look away from me, Sage. I haven’t seen you in what, six, seven years? I want to soak you in.”

  “Eight,” she whispered. “Almost nine.”

  Had it felt like a lifetime to her as well?

  He took a step forward, focusing on the way her eyes widened slightly, then dropped his gaze to her chest—so much larger than he remembered—as it rose and fell with quicker succession. He took another step forward. She didn’t retreat. Another step. Soon they stood just a foot or so away from one another, and Tig knew his strength would be tested if he got much closer. Her lips begged for his; her eyes, wide and full of curiosity, scanned his face, his eyes, his lips, pleading with him to take her in his arms—

  Sage turned, then sat in her desk chair with a thud, her womanly grace momentarily forgotten, and Tig realized that awkward girl who pretended she didn’t give a shit still resided inside this beautiful woman she’d become.

  He swallowed. “You’re beautiful.”

  “Thank you.” She busied herself with collecting the fallen tongue depressors, avoiding his gaze. Each wooden stick that hit the trashcan’s floor echoed in his ears, filling the awkward silence, reminding him that he stood there, dumbfounded in her presence.

  “Sage….”

  She didn’t look up. She hadn’t forgiven him.

  “Sage.” He didn’t know what to say. His heart broke with every second her gray eyes weren’t locked with his. He needed her to look at him, needed her to see him. God, he needed her.

  He hadn’t even realized how badly he needed her until she walked back into his life.

  “Sage.”

  She stopped collecting the wooden sticks, then slowly met his gaze. “I don’t know what to do here, Brand. I don’t…what do you want from me?”

  He drew in a ragged breath. What did he want from her?

  Nothing. And Everything. All at once.

  Sage stood rigidly as his green eyes flicked from her eyes to her lips, to her throat, then back to her eyes, holding her breath for what would come next, but he didn’t respond.

  What could he say? Sorry for breaking your heart? Sorry for becoming your world, then leaving you alone when you needed me most?

  Sorry for hiding you away for the four years we were together, keeping you my dirty little secret?

  Stop it. That hadn’t been his fault. She’d had to remind herself of that fact over the years, remind herself of why Brand kept their love a secret, though it did nothing to dull the pain.

  “I can’t….” She didn’t know what to say either, and could barely think past the thrumming heartbeat in her ears.

  “Sage.” The way he cradled her name in his mouth, so delicately, so protectively…she wondered if she even needed him to say anything else.

  Sage rose from the chair, walking to him once more before she even realized she’d moved, as though her body was still just naturally drawn to his.

  They stood there, locked in a silent battle, neither of them knowing what to say, or how to fix their broken past. Sage’s heart threatened to break free of her chest, but her arms begged to hold him. Her fingers twitched. She fought the urge to wrap herself around him, let him love her, soothe her the way only he knew
how. Seeing him again brought back every moment of tenderness, every cry of passion, every fear soothed, every trauma forgotten. He had been the bandage that always held her together, the glue that kept her from falling apart when life threatened to destroy her.

  God, she wanted that again. She wanted him again.

  The familiar chemical scent of years spent in the water teased her senses once more, lulling her back to the days when she’d get lost in the smell of him, the feel of him, his love, his touch.

  She dropped her gaze, focusing on his hands hanging at his sides, and allowed herself a moment to get lost in the memories…so slow and gentle, his touch so deliberate.

  The fingers of his left hand twitched as if also remembering the way it felt to touch her.

  Even though she knew he’d fought the same hormonal urges any high school boys dealt with, he’d loved her with precision, with a deftness she hadn’t found in any man since. And dammit, she’d tried.

  She reached out now, brushing her fingertips across his knuckles, the ache to feel his hands on her again nearly crippling. He grabbed her hand, and she brought her gaze back up to his.

  Sage swallowed hard as the memories flooded her mind. If he stood there any longer, eye-fucking her with that confidence she remembered so well, she’d slam him onto the desk and ride him all the way to the pleasure she couldn’t forget.

  “God damn you, Brand. I tried to forget you.”

  She crushed her lips against his before she could change her mind.

  He wrapped her in his arms, pulling her close, so close—not nearly close enough. The nurse’s office faded away, the school a distant memory, as he pushed his tongue between her lips, spreading her mouth wide to receive him. She tasted Brand, brushing her tongue along the length of his, and almost groaned when his hand moved to knead her ass. She pulled his lower lip into her mouth as his other hand slid behind her neck, cupping the base of her head and holding her tightly to him.