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