Page 214 of The Professor's Wife

Again, I knew the feeling.

I knew it so well that I wanted to pound against my chest and scream that we could make it stop hurting. That we could find a way out if we broke away the cuffs they used to bind us to them.

As though he heard my screaming thoughts, his eyes suddenly flickered my way.

The angry blues met mine and held without wavering.

Unblinking.

Entirely focused.

He saw me.

Not glanced at me.

Not noticed me.

He looked into me.

An ache opened beneath my ribs.

For one disorienting second, the patio seemed to tilt, and I felt outside myself, watching a woman in a blue dress stare at a man she had never met.

His eyes narrowed.

His fingers faltered over the guitar strings, and the song broke off. His mouth parted, but his stare remained fixed on mine.

A few heads turned in my direction, curiosity filling their faces.

I backed away, startled and confused.

Of all things, guilt clawed up my throat.

But I had done nothing to this stranger.

Stay.

The simple thought warred with my entire being.

Shaking my head, I hurried back inside the restaurant as his voice resumed the song.

I remained shaken for some time.

I was aware of the spectacle I had made of myself on the patio. The way I had spun around and raced back inside, feeling the eyes of everyone on me.

Even as I sat beside my husband, I could feel the attention of patrons passing through the restaurant.

Embarrassment flamed across my cheeks.

Thinking back on it, there was no reason for me to have reacted that way. Nothing had truly happened.

I kept my eyes focused on my plate, trying to make sense of it.

Then again, the man had reacted, too, hadn’t he?

He had stopped singing for a few beats.

It wasn’t as though I had started it. I would have been happy to close my eyes and listen to his voice. Hell, he could have sung out his shopping list, and I wouldn’t have minded.