Renegade Read Free

rap her knuckles against his forehead. She didn’t know whether it was arrogance or naïveté that had Gabriel believing the reporters and photographers would disappear because he willed it.
    She gave him a lingering look that said:
You and I are not going to get along
. The silent warning whispered to her and her frustration escalated.
    She, Gabriel, and artist Desiree Leighton had met for the first time five days earlier at a new teacher orientation. She and Desiree, fifty-eight and a self-proclaimed hippie from the 60s, had bonded instantly, but not so with Gabriel. He had sat off by himself while the principal presented an overview of Weir’s history. Even after teachers met with the heads of their respective departments, Gabriel still did not interact with anyone. At the end of the three-day session Summer had two words for him: arrogant and aloof.
    What she refused to acknowledge was that he was gorgeous. She had successfully suppressed a gasp when she’d come face-to-face with him for the first time. Film footage and photographs had failed to capture the power in his tall muscular body whenever hemoved, or the air of authority that demanded one’s complete attention once he walked into a room.
    A background check revealed he had been born Gabriel Morris Cole. A native Floridian born into what was reported to be the wealthiest black family in the United States and never married, he had celebrated his thirty-fourth birthday in March, stood six-three in bare feet, weighed around one-eighty and had earned a master’s degree in music education. And despite his celebrity status, he had remained a very private person. His file also contained several entries of long-term romantic liaisons with women in film and music. Other than that, he had lived a scandal-free life.
    Summer had spent more than a month going over the background reports of everyone at Weir High—faculty and staff—and had come up with nothing that hinted of a suspicion of illegal drug use and/or sales. Several had been arrested for minor traffic infractions, the head custodian had had a portion of his wages garnisheed for non-payment of child support, and one teacher had filed for bankruptcy.
    She stared at Gabriel as he took off his sunglasses and baseball cap. Long, gray-streaked wavy black hair flowed over his shoulders and down his back before he secured it in a ponytail with an elastic band.
    Her dark brown eyes locked with a pair the color of sun-fired gold. Without warning he smiled, flashing a pair of deep dimples in both cheeks. There was something in the crooked smile under a neatly barbered mustache that was so endearing that Summer held her breath for several seconds before she returned his smile with a sensual one of her own. The unconscious gesture seemed to melt the tension between them.
    Attractive lines fanned out around Gabriel’s largepenetrating eyes as his smile widened. “Have you come up with any ideas for the spring music festival?”
    Moving away from the window, Summer sat down at one of the three desks she had claimed for herself, unaware that Gabriel’s gaze measured her approach under lowered lids. Opening a drawer, she reached for her shoulder bag and withdrew a small spiral notebook.
    “As a matter of fact, I have. I spent the weekend exploring a few possibilities.”
    Gabriel sat down at a desk facing Summer’s, leaving Desiree to claim the remaining desk in a corner whenever she arrived. Resting his elbows on the scarred top, he gave her a direct stare. “You spent your Labor Day weekend working?” The query held a hint of disbelief.
    Her head came up and she glared at him. “Yes, I did. You make it sound as if I’d committed a serious crime.”
    “It’s not a crime to work holidays, Summer,” he countered, his deep soft voice layered with a thick southern drawl, “but if I’d known you intended to start on the project, then I would’ve asked if I could work with you.”
    She blinked once. “That could