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I huff, “No, it’s not like that at all! And I’ve had a lot of guys ask. I always say no.”
“Always?” Nathan cocks his head to the side.
My gaze falls to my feet and I can’t help it, I smile up at him. “No, not always. There have been a few exceptions.”
He looks at me and I feel a jolt of lightening course through my body. “A few?”
“Not a few, not even a couple. There’s been one, my only one. He left me the d
ay I met you. When I slammed into you in the guy’s room—it was because he texted me.”
Nathan’s grin vanishes. “He broke up with you in a text?” I nod. His dark eyes glance around the room as his hand comes to rest on his chin, thinking. “So, the night at the bar?”
“It was rebound night.” He cringes and then gives me a pitiful look. I hold up my hands and shake my head. “No, it was fine.”
“It wasn’t. Kerry, let me explain.”
What he says next is going to be the truth. I can tell. There’s something about the way his lips twitch, like this bothers him. His shoulders move a fraction of an inch, sagging ever so slightly, and I really want to know what was so bad that he walked away, but I’m nervous it’ll be something bad.
Holding up a hand, I stop him. “It’s all right. You don’t have to tell me.”
“I want to tell you. I want to know you.” He lifts a strand of hair and tucks it behind my ear.
The man is plucking my nerves like the strings on a cello. This one won’t stop quivering and it races through me and comes out in my voice. “I’d like that.”
“Me too.” He offers me another kiss on the cheek and it melts me the same way every one of his kisses does. “Finish getting dressed so we can go see what this is, and finish what we started. I just have to grab my bag from the office. I’ll be right back.” He ducks out the door and I’m alone.
Chapter 12
This seems too good to be true, but something is finally going right for me. Unless we’re mauled by the raccoon on the way to Nathan’s house, tonight is going to be great. Just to be sure, he’s driving. I’m not taking any chances.
I disappear behind the curtain and tug on my jeans and slip my bra on. I just happened to wear my favorite black one with cute bottoms. I shaved, body buttered, and waxed everything for class so no one would draw a Sasquatch, so going home with Nathan isn’t an issue. I’m smooth and feel pretty.
As I grab my hairbrush and lip gloss to stuff in my backpack, I hear Nathan approaching with someone. I’m still behind the curtain, hidden from sight.
Nathan returns, his voice sounding very different from before. “Thank you. It was difficult, but it’s nice to be back.”
Dr. Jax responds, “I can imagine. Family can be difficult at the best of times.”
They’re standing at the opposite end of the room. I’m not sure if I should stay hidden or walk out. I have nothing to hide, so I toss my bag over my shoulder and duck out between the backdrop panels.
Jax glances my way. “So you made it through the night, Miss Hill?” Then, he darts his crinkly eyes the other way toward Nathan. “This is your prize pupil, Nathan, I’m sure of it. There’s no way she can be this brave and talented, and not go places. You’re going to be glad you came back to teach this semester.”
Nathan’s expression changes abruptly and he glances back at me. “I’m sorry, what? Did you say she’s a student?”
Jax laughs. “Yeah, incoming freshman. Fell for my you’re-not-a-serious-artist bit pretty hard. She’s talented and ballsy. I want you in my sculpture class next semester, Kerry.” He points an aged finger at me and laughs as he walks out of the room, leaving us in a wake of silence
Nathan is staring at me, his eyes wide and furious. “You’re a student!”
It doesn’t hit me until that moment, and when it does, it smashes me flat. It can’t be true, but it explains why the others listened to him. It explains his tone in class and why he wasn’t here last week. “Oh hell, no,” I laugh, like I’m a little too nuts. I hold up my hands and back away from him. “You can’t be a teacher. You’re not. There’s no freaking way.”
“I am.” He’s all serious now, and irate. Running his hands through his hair, he turns his back on me for a second. When spins back around I can see the muscle in his jaw twitch. He talks with his hands, slowly moving them. “I thought you were a model.”
“I am, but it’s because Jax trapped me on day one of Drawing III.”
Nathan runs his hand through his hair and takes a long slow breath. “That’s my class. This is my class. Jax covered for me.”
“What?” I back away from him, heart pounding. I made out with a professor? “How old are you?” Yeah, not the best question, but I’m so not believing this.
