“Dom.” She managed to choke out his name after her mouth hung open for a moment. Everyone turned to the door.
She glanced around the room but wasn’t sure what she was looking for. What in the hell was he doing here? All moisture inside her mouth evaporated as the temperature in the room skyrocketed. With one eyebrow raised, he looked as if he were waiting for an answer. Had he just asked her something? If so, she hadn’t heard anything but the ringing in her ears.
“Can I help you?”
“I’ll wait till you’re free. Mind if I watch?”
Not trusting her voice, she nodded. Was this beginning drawing or watercolor? Everyone’s eyes were on her, including Dom’s, as they waited for her to continue.
She looked at the class list, unable to keep the paper from rattling. Beginning drawing. How did she normally start? Discuss composition? Art supplies? Her expectations?
Somehow, she figured out what to say and limped through a few demonstrations. Soon everyone was focused on their drawing exercises. She walked over to where he sat near the door. His cologne had a rugged smell, like leather and sandalwood, reminding her of his condo when he’d just climbed out of the shower.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, keeping her voice low. The room was as quiet as a library.
“You left this.” He tossed her tape measure onto the table. “Figured you’d be missing it. Can’t find a Hello Kitty tape measure just anywhere, you know? Mind if I stay and observe?”
She snatched it up. “Suit yourself.”
Now that the initial shock of seeing him had worn off, she was just plain irritated. What did he think he was doing coming in like this? Her hands shook as she assembled the still life in the center of the room. She fiddled with a piece of white silk until she was satisfied with how it draped over a box, then, after arranging a few pieces of fruit, a blue glass and a book, she stepped back to see how it all looked.
Did he want to tease her again since he’d obviously gotten so much enjoyment out of it the last time?
With her hands on her hips, she appraised the still life. Way too ordered, too predictable. The elements were situated with too much purpose. She shifted the book, moved the fruit and messed up the fabric. There. Much better.
She walked around the room, answering questions and making suggestions. When she got to Dom, she expected to meander casually past him, but she found herself stopping. He’d been doodling on a spare drawing pad she kept near the door in case someone forgot their art supplies. She was stunned to find his approach to the assignment energetic and almost whimsical.
His apple didn’t quite look like an apple with its irregular shape, and yet it was. The shading was dark and unabashedly bold. His book wasn’t a realistic interpretation of the still life book as it looked more like a trapezoid, but the shape was exuberant and she liked how he positioned it haphazardly on the paper. The style and composition were fabulous. She had to keep herself from putting an encouraging hand on his shoulder the way she did with her other students.
“How am I doing, teacher?”
His words yanked her back to reality. Impudent bastard.
With his back to her, his thick dark hair moved almost of its own volition as he blended a charcoal mark with his finger.
That hair. That thick, wavy hair. It wasn’t pulled back in the leather tie this time. Instead, it grazed the top of his collar, the ends tousled and curled, almost windblown. Would her fingers glide through easily or get caught in the thickness?
She stopped herself just in time. She had almost leaned in to discover whether it had a concentrated sandalwood scent to it. Tugging at the hem of her T-shirt, she smoothed it over the top of her hips and attempted to collect her wits.
“I... I love it actually.” She wanted to lie. To tell him it was terrible, but she couldn’t. “It’s bold. A little reckless perhaps, even defiant. Skirting the rules somewhat, but not quite without abandon.” She took a step forward, resting her hand on the back of his chair and leaned close. She couldn’t help herself. “It’s got a certainje ne sais quoiabout it, Mr. Serrano, if you want to know what I really feel.”
Slowly, and with the self-assurance of a man who knows what he wants and probably often gets it, he swiveled to face her.
She forgot about the rest of her students for a moment as her arm slipped from his chair back and glanced off his shoulder. With a warm hand, he clasped hers before it could fall to her side.
Looking down at his face, she saw the soft sparkle of his eyes and wanted to run her fingers along the square of his jaw. His mouth twisted into that playful smile she’d seen several times before and had dreamed about at night, and she suddenly realized she was positioned in the juncture of his legs. She couldn’t remember how to breathe.
“What a detailed assessment of my little sketch. You do have a beautiful way with words. I’m truly flattered. Thank you.” He raised an eyebrow. “Mister?”
Clearing her throat to buy herself an extra speck of time, she tried pulling away but he wouldn’t release her. She searched her brain for a clever comeback, a fitting reply. Nothing. She felt jumbled inside. “You’re welcome. Dom. It really is quite good. It...it makes me smile.” He softened his grip, but she wasn’t really relieved when she was able to pull away.
“Teacher?” She tried her best to copy his flippant tone.
After class, everyone helped stack the easels against the wall, but one student struggled to get his folded up. Before she could move to help him, Dom was at his side.
“These are rather sticky. Can I have a try at it?” With a twist, he loosened the thumb screws, collapsed the legs and handed the folded easel back. Dom rested a hand on the boy’s shoulder, the gesture almost fatherly, and the two spoke quietly for a moment. Then they both laughed. “Me, too,” she heard Dom say.
She was surprised. In previous terms, the boy had been uncommunicative and rarely asked for or accepted help. As she shuffled through her papers and drawing samples, she wondered what Dom had said to make him feel so comfortable. She finished putting away all the supplies and turned to go.
