“Sorry we’re a little early.”
Caitlin turned, her stretches forgotten. A mom was standing with her perfectly attired daughter beside her. “No problem, I was only warming up.”
She ushered her student in and took a deep breath as she glanced out the window and saw the other cars pulling up. But the outline of one parent made her fingers curl around the blind, holding it in place so she could keep watching the road.
Only he wasn’t technically a parent.
Mr. Navy SEAL himself was leaning against the hood of a large 4x4. Long denim-clad legs stretched out, arms folded to show off golden skin and eye-raising biceps protruding from a crisp white T-shirt. She could see Gabby jumping up and down, holding hands with a little friend.
Caitlin let the blind go and stepped back. What the hell was she doing ogling him?
“Miss Rose?”
A shy voice made her turn, distracted her, but her eyes were still begging to flick back to the window, no matter how much her brain tried to argue.
“Miss Rose?”
“Two minutes class, then we’ll start,” she instructed, beaming smile locked in place as she addressed the girls. “You may start your stretches.”
Caitlin surveyed the room and touched a child on the back as she passed, trying to keep herself busy. She didn’t know why she was giving the man even a second thought, but something about him was pulling her like a magnet to metal. The flicker of kindness in his eye when he looked at his niece, the determined fix of his jaw as he’d stood listening in class today.
But there was a very valid reason she didn’t date tough guys, and he definitely fell into that category. Because she knew firsthand that physical strength didn’t necessarily mean the guy was built only to protect you. She’d already learned that the hard way.
Tom ran his hands over his hair, still surprised to feel the length of it. He’d always kept it close to buzzed off, but now that he wasn’t on active duty, he’d let it grow out.
“Are you going to stay?” Gabby’s face was turned up to him.
He dropped his hand to her hair, stroking her forehead with his thumb. “Sure thing, kiddo.”
She skipped off and into the building, and Tom was left walking on his own. There weren’t many other parents there, just a few moms standing in clusters inside, no doubt gossiping, so he headed for the door. Thought he might watch for a …
Wow.
The tiny ballerinas in a sea of pink surrounded their teacher. She was dressed in skintight black leggings and the palest of pink tops crossed over her breasts and tied at the back. She was pointing her toes, asking the giggling girls to do the same.
He’d had no idea that she was the schoolteacher and the dance teacher.
And he might have sat in the waiting area and kept his eyes off her had he known.
“I haven’t seen you here before.”
Tom turned, dragged his gaze from the all too distracting Miss Rose. “Sorry?”
He locked eyes with a middle-aged mom sipping from a paper coffee cup. “I just said that I haven’t seen you here before, and we don’t get many dads, so I’m sure I’d remember.”
“Ah, I’m Tom,” he introduced himself, still fighting the pull to glance back into the studio. “I’m looking after my niece.”
The woman held out her hand and clasped his warmly. “Then that’s why I didn’t recognize you.”
He rocked back on his heels, wished he’d dropped Gabby off and come back to collect her instead of waiting. He didn’t exactly enjoy small talk.
“Not married, or do you just not like to wear a ring?”
Oh, hell. This was definitely the kind of small talk he didn’t like to engage in.
“Single,” he said, the smile leaving his face. He didn’t take kindly to being interrogated. Never had, never would.
The woman didn’t look at all as if she’d picked up on his leave me alone signs, either.
“Well then, I guess you’re allowed to check out the teacher.”
Heat hit Tom’s cheeks before he could fight it. Jeez, had he been that obvious?
“You must be mistaken,” he said, voice cool. “I was watching my niece. She asked me to stay within sight.”
The mom looked confused, but Tom didn’t change the expression on his face. He’d been trained not to betray a hint of weakness, and here he was mooning over a pretty girl as though he’d never seen an attractive member of the opposite sex before. Sure, she was beautiful, but he wasn’t in the market for a relationship, and he didn’t want to be called out like that again. The last thing he needed was to hurt the feelings of a fragile paper ballerina who doubled as his niece’s teacher.
“Nice to meet you,” Tom said, turning his back and putting an end to the conversation.
He crossed the room and sank onto a chair, but he still couldn’t look away. Because even from there, he could see through the door to the happiness and laughter in the studio. Gabby danced around as if she couldn’t think of anywhere better to be in the world, and the mesmerizing Miss Rose twirled about amongst the girls as if she was loving every minute of it.
And she probably was. Darkness clawed its way into his chest and threatened to sink its teeth into him, but he steeled his jaw and fought it, pushed the haunting clouds of memory away.
Just because he was troubled didn’t mean everyone else around him had to be miserable. He’d gone through hell, but he’d emerged alive, and he wasn’t going to let anything drag him down.
Or at least he wasn’t going to be pulled any further into the web of emptiness than he’d already allowed himself to be.
Tom was struggling not to zone out. He’d never tried so hard in his life to focus, had never paid anyone so much attention in his life, but still … Gabby was talking a million miles an hour and it was hard to keep up.
“So, did you see me? Did you see how fast I can twirl? Were you watching when …”
He didn’t hear another word. Lost the fight to stay tuned in to what she was saying.
Because a slender frame, braced against the cool autumn wind with only a flimsy coat around her, appeared in his rearview mirror. Ankles bare and peeking out from skintight black leggings, but with her hair out and wrapping around her face; a contrast to the tight bun she’d had it pulled back in before.
“Tommy?” Gabby had just figured out he wasn’t listening. He had no idea what she’d been saying. All he could focus on was the slim figure retreating from view.
And he didn’t like it. Didn’t like it one little bit.
“I’m sorry, honey, hold that thought.” He gave her a quick smile, not sure whether he was trying to reassure her or himself. “Buckle up, there’s something I need to do.”
Tom thrust the key into the ignition, waited until he heard Gabby’s belt click, then checked in his mirrors before doing a U-turn. Caitlin hadn’t gotten far, had just turned the corner into the next block.
He ran his tongue over his teeth. His mouth was dry. And he couldn’t figure out what the hell he was going to say when he pulled over. Didn’t want to appear to be a sleaze-hanging-out-the-window-and-trying-to-convince-the-girl-to-get-in kind of guy.
“Is that Miss Rose?” Gabby burst through his thoughts