I know I'm horrible! I promised to upload early because I planned on having this grand writing session on Monday, but I failed. Miserably. Sorry. Now, I know I'm two days late but here it is!

Forgive me? 

Also, I opened an instagram page specifically for my books on Wattpad so I'd really appreciate it if you checked it out. (Username: viviennkeller)

Thanks for reading!

--VIVKELLER23

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Teagan

Teagan whistled while he worked. It was Sunday afternoon, just a little after the lunch hour, and he found himself filling in for one of his coworkers on the one day he had to himself. Usually, there would be a game on Sunday, but it seemed half of his team had been forced to make up exams due to poor grades. Obviously without his team, there was no game. So instead of coaching, he was scrubbing at the floors while listening to She's So Mean by Matchbox 20 from his earphones.

The rock band had been recommended to him by Gavin of all people. The young boy knew quite a bit about good music. It was simple facts. Gavin had been the one to request Queen at every practice since he'd made the soccer team, and that was by far one of the best bands of all times.

So where was he if not on the soccer field yelling at Gavin to stop making passes at the Ice Queen?

"Hey, Tee, care to help me get this machine started?"

It was Miss Wilson, Gavin's teacher, of course, with her overdramatic pout and unnaturally sultry voice. But Teagan knew she left generous tips every time he did her bidding so he wasn't going to complain.

He pasted his brightest smile and sauntered over to the thirty-something-year-old with the big brown eyes. "How's it going, Missus?" he asked.

Miss Wilson rolled her eyes. "How many times have I told you to call me Karlie?"

"About as many times as I've told you to stop calling me Tee. You're giving Gavin the wrong impression," he told her, but he kept his words light and flirting. It wouldn't do to anger one of the regulars. Besides, Gavin knew Teagan wasn't serious about anyone, no matter how many times females thought they could change that.

"Ah, but Tee, there's so much we could do to give off more than just an impression," the woman all but purred.

Where did these women get the idea that coming onto him that aggressively was attractive? Sure, he was just as guilty as the next guy for giving in to temptation while knowing the women in question were off limits, but more times than not, the girls he went to bed with were acceptable. Not always respectable, but they weren't outright cougars who would cause a firestorm of drama to follow their one night of sensual bliss.

The last time he'd chosen to throw caution to the wind had convinced everyone at Gray's College that he wasn't above sleeping his way through a higher education. That wasn't a reputation he wanted to carry for the rest of his years there.

So when Miss Karlie Wilson reached out a slender hand to touch his left arm, Teagan took a step back. Because he didn't want or need the older woman's attention. The fact that Gavin was eyeing him with a wary gleam in his eyes had nothing to do with it.

Remember that one time Miss Portillo wasn't all that happy to be dismissed?

Teagan winced inwardly, recalling his past history with Gavin's teachers. Okay, so maybe Gavin had a legitimate reason for not trusting him around the females in his life...

"Tee? What do you say you come over to my place after your shift here?"

He wondered how many guys could say they'd been hit on while working at the laundromat. "I don't think that's a good idea." He saw the flirtatious smile slipping on that youthful face and tried to repair the damage before it was too late. "A woman like you needs more than just one night. I'm not that guy. One night is all I can ever give anybody."

He knew that now. Just look at the mess he'd made by keeping Crue around for so long.

Miss Wilson's pink lips pursed as she considered what he'd said. Then she shrugged. "You're not all bad, Tee," she told him, her eyes running over his face. He wasn't sure what she was looking for, but whatever it was, she must have found it because in the next instant she smiled. "I hope you find that girl who's worth more than one night for you. But until you do, I'm always open to having some fun."

And that was the problem. Always before, fun had been enough reason to take complete strangers up on their lusty offers. Now he realized he could have just as much fun spending countless hours of the night just watching shows together and talking about insignificant things.

Crazier still, he didn't feel empty when the sun came back up.

Gavin threw the towel he'd been folding for a customer back into the laundry basket and beamed. The mischievous dimples known for charming the socks off the coldest of teachers flashed brightly.

What in the world? Teagan wondered as he followed Gavin's excited, black gaze. Oh.

There were moments in life when time just stopped. Times when you couldn't tell whether what you were living was reality or fantasy or a mixture of the two. Instances when everything was still and all you could hear was the pounding of your heart.

This wasn't one of those moments.

His ears were ringing, but not because the moment was anything less than a twisted game of Fate. Another chip off the carefree mask he was beginning to lose his grip on. He'd never noticed before just how heavy the mask could be when you were caught in a scene you wanted no part of.

The scene the Ice Queen, dressed immaculately in tailored slacks and a caramel turtleneck shirt, had just stumbled in on.

Crap on a turd. He could just imagine what was going through her mind. Here he was, nothing more than a cocky bastard dressed in rags while helping folks with their dirty laundry. This wasn't the part of himself he was proud of, but it was the part she saw with those expressive violet eyes of hers that seemed to catch everything.

Especially the things he tended to forget about himself.

"Rain!" Gavin exclaimed, abandoning his post as the unofficial laundry boy to grab hold of Rain's hand.

Gavin's excitement must have forced her out of her deep thoughts because she blinked before smiling down at the little rascal. "I'm surprised to see you here. I would have thought you'd be on the soccer field on a Sunday morning."

Gavin shook his head. "I'm not ashamed of my humble work."

The boy could hardly spell half of the spelling words he'd been given this week but he could use words like humble? And why did his statement sound like it'd been spoken by a true gentleman who felt proud of the work? Teagan knew for a fact that Gavin was no more than a cunning fifth grader who was only looking to get a few bucks to supplement the meager wages he got for doing his chores at home. He helped the customers who came into the laundromat only because they paid him to do so.

Rain laughed. "That's a good thing, Gavin. Be proud of who you are because it's the one thing that's all yours. No one can take that from you no matter how hard they try."

That was an interesting choice of words. It also made him want to know what else she meant by it. There was more to that than just the surface meaning, he just wasn't at that stage in their relationship- acquaintance?- to try to make a guess.

"Teagan also works here whenever he can," Gavin pointed out.

Rain's gaze turned to look at him where he stood beside Miss Wilson. The eyes reminded him of a cold winter's night, dark, vividly purple skies without a star in sight. "So I see."

"Hey, Rainy Day," he drawled with a confidence that was all for show. He didn't know how to deal with females that made him want things he had no business wanting. His only experience was with girls who knew the rules and wanted to play for a bit. "Looks like we just can't stay away from each other."

"I can stay away just fine," she contradicted, and without so much as a bat of her lashes, she spun around to help a young looking girl who waited patiently near the door.

Gavin's teacher whistled lowly while Teagan's eyes followed the sway of Rain's hips. "Now there's a girl you can't just lasso into bed!"

That was something he already knew. What kind of stuff was Miss Wilson into anyway? He'd never had to use a rope to keep his bedmates interested before. Kinky stuff, Miss Wilson. "Is that how you prefer to be handled?"

"Leave it, cowboy." But she gave him a tiny smile that was all the answer he needed.

The more you know. There were times when you could be completely wrong about people.

Was this one of those times? He'd been almost positive that he was making some headway in his pursuit of the Ice Queen. Now, he wasn't so sure. Teagan was pretty sure the whole "oh, I can stay away" speech meant she was back to seeing him as the lowly scum who'd turned down his one chance at a night of meaningless sex with her. She was retreating once more into her icy persona while he just had to suck it up and flow with it.

When Hell freezes over, sure.

Teagan drew in a deep breath, his mind made up, and flashed his signature smirk. He gave the kinky teacher a wink. "Thanks for the juicy intel, but I'm gonna go try my luck on the little icicle over yonder."

"Careful you don't get burned, Tee. Even you wouldn't be able to pull off a crispy look," Miss Wilson warned.

The funny thing about her warning was he'd always thought it was an exaggeration when people claimed to get burned by the one person they cared about. Heck, even he'd used the saying of fueling the flames one too many times while trying to get one person or the other into bed with him. He'd never meant it before. Often times there wasn't even a spark. Yet something about the hot and cold Ice Queen made him suspect he could easily be burned alive.

Teagan nodded simply, and turned to follow Gavin and Rain.

"Is there something I can help you ladies with?" he asked as he came up beside Rain. The younger girl standing next to her crossed her arms over her chest and lowered her eyes to look at the toes of her shoes. A clear message that she didn't want to be bothered.

Rain, who wore the facade of the Icy Queen today, blew out a puff of air and straightened. "We're fine, thank you."

Well, that was a frosty reception. "Is there a problem?" Teagan demanded, instantly hating himself for having to ask.

"Why would there be a problem?" she replied with wide eyes.

"Don't answer my question with a question. What did I do that's got you so frozen today?"

Gavin was looking back and forth between the two of them, a frown on his face. He looked torn between confusion and amusement as he tried to follow along.

"I'm sorry I'm not melting into a puddle at your feet today," Rain offered. She turned to lift some of the clothes from the laundry basket placed at her feet, effectively guaranteeing that she wouldn't have to look him in the eye. "I just didn't expect to find you here... with company."

He was lying if he said he didn't like knowing she was upset because he'd been talking to another woman, one who would have had no problem going home with him if that was what he'd wanted. She was so transparent sometimes, he had to wonder how people didn't see the hurt she fought so hard to cover up. "Oh, that one's just a regular with unbelievable persistence," he clarified.

"Then she's just your type."

Gavin snickered at that. "It wouldn't be the first time he fooled around with one of my teachers," the boy added. "He's a magnet for the wrong kind of women, Grandma says."

Rain gave Gavin a dazzling smile. "Your grandmother must be a wise woman."

"Only when she remembers me and my sister's names," was the boy's dry response.

"Can you go finish up what you were doing?"

Gavin flared up at Teagan, one cocky eyebrow raised in challenge. "Are you gonna make me, hot shot?"

This boy! "Do you want to go home with some money or not?"

"Fine," Gavin grumbled.

Teagan watched Rain bite her lower lip to keep from laughing outright. He shook his head, and shot a glance at the quiet young woman standing rigidly to the side. "What about you, Rainy?" He cocked his head to the side, silently reading the signs. "What brings royalty like you to a laundromat on this side of the tracks?"

"Like you, I have work to do."

"Doing someone else's laundry?" This wasn't making any sense. He would have thought Rain had someone on hand to do her laundry rather than the other way around.

"Is it really that shocking to you that I should want to help others?" she snapped.

He shook his head to clear it. "That's not it-"

"The work I do involves helping people who have been through difficult experiences," she informed him in a calm tone. She reached out a hand to touch the woman on the shoulder. "After I'm done here we can go out for that ice cream," she whispered gently.

The woman was thin, like bone thin. Now that her face was raised and looking at Rain, Teagan could see her hazel eyes looked big enough to swallow her face since there was so little to it. There were dark circles under her eyes that made her seem older than the seventeen years he suspected she had lived on earth so far. And, for the first time since he'd noticed her in the doorway of the laundromat, his eyes took in the delicate state she was in.

The girl was pregnant.

"Lilian, are you feeling okay?" Rain asked the frail looking girl. There was genuine concern on her face. Regardless of who this girl was or where she'd come from, Rain Sullivan cared about her wellbeing.

The girl nodded. "I'm fine, just tired like always."

"I can drive you home and finish up on my own."

Teagan frowned. What kind of job did the Ice Queen have that put her in the position to do normal chores for other people? He wondered if her father knew about this. Surely not. He wasn't a man who would appreciate his daughter working for others who happened to be of a lower social class.

The young girl, Lilian, simply shook her head. "I'm fine, really, Rain. Thank you."

"Alright." Rain returned to tossing clothes into the big washer after directing Lilian to go find a seat on one of the empty benches lining the laundromat's walls. Once finished putting the clothes inside, she closed the washer, fed the machine its money, and started the cycle.

Teagan hadn't moved from his place in front of her. That in itself annoyed her. "Was there something else you needed?"

Oh, yeah. There were lots of things he felt he needed from her. Most of those things weren't appropriate though so he couldn't say them. "I've got a lot of questions for you, and I have the feeling each answer you give me will make it harder and harder for me to see you as anything less than what you are."

"And what am I?"

He shook his head. "I'll let you know when I can show you."

xXx

The good thing about having the Ice Queen come into your workplace was the fact that she offered you a distraction from the long, lonely hours of work. Teagan had the pleasure of watching her interact with Gavin and Lilian without needing an excuse to be around her. And what he saw made him like her all the more.

She could be cool with him. He understood on some level that treating him coldly was the only way she could feel safe around him. But just because he understood it didn't mean he wouldn't try to breach her freezing fortress. On some level, he could admit they were the same in that aspect. She was the picture of impersonal civility to protect herself while he was the textbook definition of the charming player to ensure he was never the one to get played.

In a sense, they were comrades. The issue then was figuring out why the Ice Queen felt the need to hide inside a block of ice when it was clear she had a giving heart.

"Are you gonna eat the cherry, sugar?"

Teagan blinked, his mind coming back to the present. The troublesome Minion was flashing his dimples at Rain, trying to get her to give him the cherry at the top of her sundae. "I already gave you mine," Teagan pointed out.

"And now I want more." Gavin rolled his eyes at him which made Lilian chuckle. "You should know something about that, right? Aren't you the best example of getting some and wanting more?"

Did that mean...? No. Gavin's not that depraved.

Rain sputtered and reached for a napkin to cover her mouth. "Gavin!"

Scratch that. Maybe he is. "You, young man, have got to stop talking about things that don't concern you. Where do you hear all this stuff?"

"Women talk, Coach. I've got ears."

"You won't have them for long if your Grandmother hears about what you've been saying," Teagan threatened.

"Grandma would skin you alive first for the way you've been messing around before she ever got to punishing me. Just try it!"

Rain's eyes sparkled at that. "I'd love to meet her."

"Well, it's a good thing you'll be marrying me, huh?"

If he said it once, he said it a thousand times. Gavin Santos was one smooth talking fifth grader.

Teagan glanced around the picnic table with its umbrella down the center to offer shade from the still bright sun. He couldn't recall the last time he'd simply hung out with friends to share a lazy Sunday afternoon. Part of the reason for that was that he didn't have friends. He had exes and girls he pursued simply to love them and leave them. Sure, he went out with the boys on the soccer team, but they were kids and he was the coach. It wasn't the same as when he could just talk to Rain.

That was what was so unsettling. The desire for more, the need to taste her and take her, was still there, right under the surface. It was a constantly burning fire that warmed him. But it wasn't the only thing he wanted with her.

To the guy who'd always been satisfied with fast and rough nights to fill the emptiness around him, wanting more than that could be catastrophic.

Which was why he was okay with her taking a step back today. Perhaps that was what he needed, too? Just a simple step back to clear his head and get his mojo back. Maybe then he could think clearly and focus on the goal he was chasing.

"I'm going to head home now," Rain said. Her violet eyes looked at him with questions she wasn't going to ask him. "Thank you for the dessert."

"Sure thing, Rainy," Teagan replied. Then he winked at the two women as they got up from their seats. "Always a pleasure to share some sweets with two gorgeous ladies."

Lilian dropped those doe like eyes of hers to the ground. She still hadn't responded to any of his attempts at conversation with her which was telling him way more than what she would have liked to divulge. She didn't trust men. He could only guess as to why.

"I'll see you tomorrow in class then?" The Ice Queen asked.

"Wouldn't miss it."

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