Page 38 of Teach Me Your Ways

I didn’t know why, but I felt guilty. Like she had just walked in on us getting freaky. I couldn’t be wearing more clothes if I tried. And Grady was dressed like any other dude at a pool. There was nothing wrong, but by the way she was looking at us, it felt dirty.

“I was just getting ready to verify their diving certifications,” Grady said casually.

Dean Carver’s gaze swept over me in my wetsuit, then lingered on Grady’s bare chest with an expression I couldn’t quite read. Hunger? Calculation? Whatever it was made my skin crawl.

“How thorough of you,” she said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “I’m sure you’ll be very hands-on with your instruction.”

The way she said it made everything sound dirty. Like she was trying to catch us in some compromising position that existed only in her twisted imagination.

Grady’s jaw tightened. “Safety is my top priority, Dean. I won’t take students into open water without proper verification of their skills.”

“Of course not.” She stepped closer to him, close enough that I could see his discomfort. “You’re always so responsible with your students. So attentive to their needs.”

What the hell was happening? The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife, but it wasn’t the good kind of tension. This felt poisonous. Manipulative. I suddenly felt bad for Grady. What must it feel like to be ogled all the time? Shit, I was guilty of it too.

“Dean Carver,” I said, forcing a bright smile and breaking the tension. “Are you getting in with us today?”

She finally looked at me like she’d forgotten I existed. “I’m just here to observe.”

The look she gave me was all icy and judgmental. I knew what she was thinking. She was wondering if I was going to report back anytime soon. She was wondering if I was going to tell her about the diving instruction.

Nope. I wasn’t.

Lina came back out, now in a wetsuit, but with the top portion strategically zipped down to show so much cleavage a nip slip was one deep breath away. She practically ran to the dean and hugged her like a long-lost aunt.

“Lina, sweetheart,” the dean said with a chuckle, zipping up the wetsuit to her chin. “You’re not at a pool party.”

“No, ma’am,” Lina chirped, more subdued suddenly.

The dean didn’t seem surprised by Lina’s outfit. But yet when she looked at me in my wet suit it was with judgment. Like I was the one parading around with my tits hanging out.

Grady stepped forward. “Shall we begin?”