Читать книгу Lesson in Romance - Harmony Evans - Страница 12

Chapter 3

Thirty minutes later, Cara was eagerly arranging her teaching materials on the coffee table when the sound of glass breaking and a loud curse sent her on a mad dash to the kitchen.

“Is everything okay?” Her heart pounded and her fingers grasped the edge of the doorway.

“Yeah, that’s just the way we announce mealtimes around here,” he joked and dumped a pile of blue glass into a nearby garbage can.

She giggled, relieved he wasn’t hurt.

He retrieved two more glasses from a cupboard and started filling them with ice from the refrigerator.

She moved toward him. “Mmm. So tempting.”

Alex looked over his shoulder at her as ice cubes spilled onto the floor. “Excuse me?” he said in a shocked voice.

She laughed and gestured to an island where a mouth-watering tray of deli meats, assorted cheeses, dill pickles, fresh Italian bread, a tricolor pasta salad and a giant pitcher of iced tea were waiting to be eaten.

The confused look on his face was priceless, then his eyes widened in recognition. “Oh…right. The food.”

She pursed her lips. “What did you think I was talking about?”

He flashed a grin, flexing his muscles like a bodybuilder preening before the judge’s table. “My cover-model looks, of course!”

Unable to resist, she picked up an olive. But instead of eating it, she threw it at him.

“Hey!” he shouted when it bopped him on the shoulder.

Alex selected another olive and good-naturedly chucked it at her. “You do not want to get in a food fight with me,” he warned.

“Oh, yeah?” she taunted, deflecting the green orb with her elbow, before picking up another and tossing it his way. “Why not?”

“Because,” he said, reaching up and catching her olive with one hand before dropping it into his mouth. “You’ll lose every time.”

He grabbed a whole handful and like a pitcher getting ready to throw a fast ball, prepared to attack.

“Okay, okay!” she shrieked, grabbing a napkin off the table and waving it back and forth in surrender. “Truce!”

Alex pumped his fist in the air with a triumphant “yes!” Rich and melodious, the sound of his laughter was like one big hug.

After washing their hands, they loaded up their plates, both a bit cautious of the other, and sat down at the table. As Alex poured the iced tea, Cara admired a bunch of wildflowers stuck into a jelly jar.

“What’s the occasion?” she asked, before she bit into her ham and swiss on rye.

“My mom always told me flowers make a table. She said even if you’re drinking Kool-Aid and eating macaroni and cheese on paper plates, as we often did, flowers can make it seem like caviar and champagne.”

“What types of flowers did you have?”

He looked thoughtful. “When times were good, carnations from the florist down the street. They’d always last real long.” He paused, and his shoulders sagged a little. “When times were lean, there were always plenty of dandelions to choose from in Central Park.”

She smiled, eager to know more about the woman she’d only met through a letter. “Your mother sounds wonderful.”

“She’s my rock. I just wish I’d get to see her more often. Now that I’m done touring, I should be able to spend a little more time with her.” He bit into his sandwich piled high with roast beef.

“Does she live in Harlem, too?”

Alex swallowed and shook his head. “Not anymore. I bought her a place in Brooklyn a few months back.”

Cara felt a pinprick of fear. “Oh? Whereabouts?” she asked, somehow managing to keep her voice steady.

“Park Slope.”

Phew, she thought, glad to hear his mother didn’t live in Williamsburg, the Brooklyn neighborhood where she lived that was just east of Park Slope. Although it was unlikely she’d ever run into her or Alex, she didn’t want to take any chances.

He took one of the wildflowers out of the jar, inhaled its scent, a faint smile upon his lips. “I would have bought her a place near me,” he continued, “but she wanted to get out of Harlem. Go somewhere different. I guess memories can do that to a person.”

He replaced the flower, and the smile disappeared, eyes clouded over. “Ever since my…” He stopped and took a bite of his sandwich.

“Your what?” she blurted.

The look on his face could have melted concrete. Tension stretched between them and made itself at home.

Way to go, Williams.

When it came to Alex, her natural curiosity went into overdrive. Yet she knew from past experience that sometimes being nosy about someone else’s life could lead to more questions about her own. And in this case, that would be a disaster.

Alex looked stricken as he sat there, toying with his pasta salad.

“I’m sorry. It’s really none of my business.”

She saw something dark flicker in his eyes and vanish.

He waved her apology away, swallowed deep. “My twin brother, Michael. He…left,” he swallowed deep. “And my mom hasn’t been the same since.”

Twins. A lump rose in her throat.

She’d heard that twins shared a strong emotional connection with their other half, even inside the womb, and wondered if Alex and Michael had that type of relationship. They must have.

Then why weren’t there any pictures of Michael anywhere?

“I’m sorry,” she blurted again. And she was sorry for him, more than he would ever understand.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and then suddenly got up. Cara winced as his chair scraped the floor.

“Would you excuse me?” he said without looking at her.

She bit her lip, remained silent as his plate clattered in the sink and he stalked out, the screen door slamming behind him.

Elbows on the table, she pushed her plate aside and threaded her fingers through her hair, not caring now if she messed it up.

She felt bad about bringing up the past, but unconsciously a part of her wanted to hear Alex talk about her father and what he’d done to his family. She hated keeping secrets, and it could have been an opportunity to tell the truth. Clear the air. Maybe the fact that she was Judge Williams’s daughter wouldn’t matter to him.

But she was lying to herself, because she knew that it would.

Thirteen years had gone by. Long enough to forget. It was also long enough to remember.

Michael had to be out of jail by now. Unless the crime was so horrible he was still locked up.

She shuddered at the thought, glad Alex wasn’t involved. She was a huge fan of his music and respected him as an artist.

She couldn’t allow her feelings to go deeper than that. Like any other woman, she knew that falling in love with a musician had extreme heartbreak already built into the package.

Especially someone like Alex, who was all wrapped up in a tight, muscled body that just about knocked her into the next century simply by looking at him.

She had to forget about his past…and his body. The most important thing was getting the lessons started and they weren’t getting anywhere by avoiding each other.

She had to find him.

She washed the dishes and then stepped outside, hoping he wasn’t far. The afternoon sun, although filtered by the canopy of leaves overhead, warmed her face.

Moments later, she peered around the edge of the house and spotted Alex on the deck. He was stretched out on a lounge chair, eyes closed, right arm shielding his face. His shirt was off and wedged behind his neck.

She started to walk around the corner, stopped short. Although she never thought herself a voyeur, this was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up.

Her eyes traced the hair on his muscular chest all the way down to where it disappeared beneath the waistband of his jeans. A quiver of pleasure swelled deep within her loins and feathered up into her abdomen. She wondered how he could look so sexy doing absolutely nothing.

Normally, she didn’t get turned on just by looking at a guy, but Alex was no ordinary man. She’d fantasized about him for years; the sound of his voice, the color of his eyes, the feel of his skin.

Everything.

She leaned against the side of the house, closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind of any thoughts that could get her into trouble.

Alex was within arm’s reach, yet still untouchable. It was scary and frustrating at the same time, because even if she had the courage to act on her desires, she couldn’t cross the line. It would be very unprofessional. Not only that, she might lose control, and that was something she never did.

To her, losing control meant she needed him. Her stomach did a little flip. What would she do if she couldn’t get enough?

Opening her eyes, she clenched her fists against the warmth pooling low in her belly. No màs. The brief contact she’d initiated in the mini-lesson would have to be enough to satisfy her longing.

Just as she was going to announce her presence, her nose did it for her.

“God bless you,” he called, after her loud and obnoxious sneeze.

“Thank you,” she said in a pinched voice, coming around the corner. “I was just coming to find you.” She stood a few feet away from him, covered her mouth and sneezed again.

His eyes opened. “So I heard.”

Her heart skittered and for a second she was afraid he knew she’d been watching him. But unless he could see through walls, that was impossible. Until her allergies gave her away, she’d been out of his line of sight the entire time.

She dragged over a lawn chair and sat down. “Ready to—” her body bent over at the waist and she sneezed a third time “—get to work?”

Alex covered his ears. “Good lord, woman. You sound like a foghorn in reverse.”

“I do not!” she retorted and sneezed again, hating the sound.

“It’s this place.” She waved her arms around above her head. “The fresh mountain air. I think I’m allergic to it. You’re a New Yorker. You know what I’m talking about.”

He laughed. “You got that right. It’s why I bought this place. To escape from a lot of things, the air included.”

She tapped her fingers on the armrest and wondered what he was trying to escape from. “Are you okay?”

His eyes met hers, crinkled at the edges. “I’m good. It’s just been a long time since I talked about my family with anyone.”

Relief that he wasn’t mad flowed through her. “I’m glad to hear that. I’m far too nosy for my own good.”

“You’re a teacher. What do you expect?”

She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “What do you mean by that?”

He sat up and swung his legs over the side. “Chill out. All I meant was the best teachers like to ask questions. They don’t accept the status quo. They’re always trying to learn new things.”

She raised her eyebrows. “It sounds like you hold the profession in high regard.”

Her breath hitched in her throat as he pulled the lounger closer to her chair. Her eyes delighted at the hair on his chest, small tight curls, just the way she liked it.

His voiced dropped low. “I’ll put it to you this way. I’ve never met a teacher I haven’t been able to, eventually, drive crazy.”

The grin on his face would have made a devil proud. Her skin tingled in bewilderment. She wasn’t sure if he was flirting with her or just kidding around.

As always, the man was an enigma.

She cleared her throat. “I see. Well, what you don’t know about me—I mean, us—is that we can sense when a student is stalling.”

She wanted to laugh at his wide-eyed, innocent stare, but held it in as he put a hand over his heart.

“You can’t mean me?”

“Yes.” She poked him in the chest. “You.”

“Ow, woman. There’s a law against carrying concealed weapons, you know.”

Alex started to lie down again, but Cara stood up, grabbed him by the hand and pulled him to a sitting position. No easy feat.

“Oh, no, you don’t. Come on, big boy. Time for school.”

He groaned in mock protest as he slid open the patio door and stepped aside, allowing her to go in first.

Cara took her place on the sofa, while Alex sat on the easy chair. She patted the spot next to her.

“Sit here, please,” she said, rummaging around in her briefcase for a pencil.

“You don’t have a ruler in there, do you?”

Two can play at this game.

“Maybe, maybe not,” she bantered.

He moved next to her, pointed at the magnetic letters in front of them and made a face. “You’re not planning on teaching me how to read with those, are you?”

“Why not? They’re very effective tools for learning.”

“Yeah, right.” He sniffed, crossing his arms. “Maybe for someone still in diapers.”

She sighed in exasperation. “Will you just trust me? I know what I’m doing here.”

He linked his hands behind his head, leaned against the pillows and stretched out his legs, lips curved in a sullen yet sexy smile.

“Okay, okay. You’re the boss.”

She pursed her lips slightly and tried not to stare at the triangular patch of hair at the base of each muscled arm. His nipples budded hard from the cool air. All of that combined with the faint scent of his cologne was slowly driving her crazy.

Oh, my.

“Can you please put your shirt on?”

His smile deepened. “Why?”

“Because I can’t teach you when you’re half-naked, that’s why. Just put it on. Please.”

He rolled his eyes and she ignored the urge to give him a playful swat on the behind. He went outside and snatched his shirt from the chaise longue. She had to admit she enjoyed watching his muscled abdomen contort as he pulled it over his head, and she was sorry to see it disappear under his shirt.

He sat down. “Thank you. Now what I’d like you to do is put each one of these in alphabetical order.”

Alex cracked his knuckles. “Piece of cake.”

He arranged the letters from A to Z, humming “The Alphabet Song” as he went along. He ended the tune in fake falsetto, holding the last note like an opera diva.

Although she was glad he knew his letters, playtime was over. She had a literacy center to keep open and he had a reputation to maintain. It was as if he’d forgotten the reason they were doing this in the first place.

“Are you always like this?”

“I warned you.” He laughed. “I haven’t even pulled out my best material yet.”

She fought to keep impatience out of her voice. “Let’s try to stay focused, okay?”

“I’m sorry.” He folded his hands in his lap like a choirboy. “You have my complete attention.”

“Next, I’d like you to point to each letter, say it aloud and see if you can think of a word that begins with that sound. I’ll write the word on the whiteboard as you say it. I’ll go first.”

“C. Cup.” She printed the word neatly. “C-U-P.” She put her finger under each letter. “Cup begins with the ‘kuh’ sound.” She put the next letter on the board. “Your turn.”

Alex glanced at the board, then at her. “This all seems so elementary. Are you sure we just can’t—”

“English is a sound-based language,” she interrupted. “You’ll learn faster if you can hear the sounds at the same time you read them.”

She pointed at the letter. “Just take your time.”

His brow furrowed in concentration as he looked at the board.

“It looks like the letter B.”

“That’s right, and what sound does the letter B make?”

He moved his lips, and she felt bad as he struggled to figure out the sound. But she had to test him a little, to see how much he knew.

He blew out a harsh breath. “I’m sorry. I can’t do this.”

She put her hand on his knee. “It’s okay,” she said soothingly. “The sound of the letter B is ‘buh.’”

“B-Buh.” He repeated the sound after her, then several more times. “Beautiful.” He turned to face her.

His eyes held hers, and her cheeks flared hot.

“Wh-what?”

“You asked me for a word that started with the sound ‘buh,’ and I’m giving you one. Beautiful.”

She stared into his eyes, dumbstruck for a moment, wondering why he would pick that particular word, knowing he couldn’t be referring to her, hating herself for wishing that he was.

Alex waved his hand near her face. “Earth to Cara.” She jumped and the dry-erase pen rolled onto the floor. “And I thought I was supposed to be the one falling asleep in class.”

She ignored his comment and brought out another letter.

“F. Hmm…” He rubbed his fingers under his chin as if pondering a theory.

“Keep it clean!” she warned, her insides fluttering.

“I was going to say Fudge.” An innocent smile played on his lips. “What did you think I was going to say?”

“Never mind,” she murmured, her face warm. “Great job.”

“Do I get a gold star?”

She grabbed her magnetic letters. “Perhaps, but there’s a lot more to do.”

“Wait a minute.” He took the letters from her hands and set them on the table.

She looked up at him, a little stunned by the heat that flowed from his fingers as he placed her hand in his.

He paused, like he was trying to find the right words. “I want to apologize for giving you a hard time back in Harlem.”

His eyes searched hers, and the sensual feel of his thumb as he rubbed it back and forth over the ridge of her knuckles made it difficult for her to concentrate. She was sure he could hear her heart pounding.

“It’s okay,” she stammered. “It must have been difficult coming back and finding all that stuff out.”

He nodded, not taking his eyes off hers, sucking her in and surprising her with the desire she saw there, making her want to drown in it.

“It was, but I had no right to take it out on you and I want to apologize.”

She watched his full lips as he spoke to her, and when her mouth began to water she slipped her hand from his.

“You already have. The thing you have to do is to keep at this. I know it’s hard, but I’ll help you. No matter how long it takes.

“And—” she winked “—if you promise to stay on task, I promise…” She quickly racked her mind for ideas and blurted out the first one that popped into her head. “I’ll make dinner tonight!”

He leaned back against the pillows with a grin that could light up a city block. “Now that’s one offer I can’t refuse.”

* * *

Two hours later, Alex braced his palms against the tile and gritted his teeth as cold water streamed over his body. Arching his back, he shivered more from disbelief than discomfort even though he felt like he was going to explode.

He never would have guessed learning the ABC’s would be such an incredible turn-on.

He didn’t know what it was about Cara, but he was so attracted to her he could barely concentrate on what he was supposed to be doing. Instead, all he could think about was making love to her.

For him, the afternoon had been a lesson in restraint.

He had to stop himself from tugging on the bun in her hair to release her unruly curls, from caressing her neck and stroking the outside of her thighs when they brushed against his. Her full lips had his complete attention when she spoke, even if the subject matter didn’t.

He smiled and wondered whether if he kissed her her caramel skin would glow like it did when he teased her. How would it respond if he were to taste her?

Thinking of her in his arms, he didn’t need to look down to know his erection was still at the ready, with no means of release other than by his own hand, and he knew doing that would be wholly unsatisfying. It would just make him want her even more.

His teeth chattered as he sucked in his breath and wished he could make the water colder, even though it was like ice right now.

Alex grabbed the soap and thought about how much he enjoyed flirting with her. Still, it unnerved him that his initial fear of talking to her was starting to disappear. He didn’t like the fact he let down his guard a little too easily around her, often without realizing it until it was too late.

First, he’d told her the story of the man who humiliated him on the subway. She didn’t have too much of a reaction to that one, or at least one that he noticed. Being an adult literacy teacher, she’d probably heard all sorts of horror stories.