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“Why? Are you a bad teacher?”
“No! People pay good money for college. You can’t just come in off the street,” she says with a bit of a stutter as if she’s quick on her feet to make up a suitable excuse.
“I donate to colleges, so maybe I want to see where my money’s going.”
“Do you donate tomycollege?”
“I’ll have to check.” I hand the money over most of the time, and my financial advisor takes care of it.
“Well, sit in on another professor’s lecture.”
It’s so easy to rile her up. No challenge at all. But even so, I enjoy it. And now that I came up with the idea, Ihaveto see her lecture. She looks damned sexy in her professor getup. I can’t believe I ever thought of it as unflattering. Maybe by the end of this, I’ll get to live out my fantasy and test the strength of that cluttered desk in her office.
This thought has me thick and hard again. If I keep allowing my mind to travel to places it shouldn’t, I’ll be damned uncomfortable for most of this treasure hunt. I now realize the power this small woman holds over me. I wonder if it’s more than sex I want from Cori. Is there something about theactualwoman that calls to me in a way most women don’t? This isn’t an appealing thought. I don’t want to be tied down, don’t want to be responsible for another person, or to be accountable to anyone. I love my life just the way it is.
I continue walking next to Cori as we make our way along the trails. I watch her excitement as we pass buildings and she stops to look inside the hundred-year-old structures. She’s so curiousabout everything and has a true zest for life. It’s as if she’s afraid to let this side of her out to play though. I don’t understand why.
“I miss doing this, seeing history with my own eyes,” she says, her skin glowing, and her eyes sparkling.
“Life without adventure is no fun. Anytime you want to try a new place, give me a call.”
She looks at me in a wondering way that makes me squirm. I want to tell her that those were simply empty words — that I’m a busy man and once I’m gone from this mission, I won’t be back. But I can’t seem to say this. I don’t want to trample on her excitement.
“Better be careful what you promise, Blaze.” She winks and this surprises me. Then the moment’s broken as we continue on.
We turn a corner, and a rattle makes Cori jump backward so I catch her. A rattlesnake is two feet away and Cori’s wearing sandals.
“Be very quiet and back up slowly,” I warn. I watch the color drain from her face as she stiffly stands at my side without saying a word. I gently nudge her arm, but she isn’t moving.
“Cori, we have to back away. You’ve seen rattlers before, haven’t you?”
Finally she turns her head and looks at me, fright in her eyes. If she’s this scared of a little snake, I’m not so sure she’s going to be able to finish this adventure with me. The snake rattles again and appears to be looking directly at us. I’ve seen worse things than a rattler, and if I were alone, I wouldn’t be frightened at all, however, if Cori freaks out, I’m afraid she’ll get bit.
“I love the various climates of this state, but sometimes nature’s more deadly than I like,” Cori whispers as the two of us back out of the danger zone.
“Nature can be a real bi—”
“Blaze,” Cori interrupts.
I laugh. I haven’t been corrected for my language in a very long time. I find it amusing as I look at Cori’s professor face. I can visualize her students hanging their heads in shame when she scolds them.
Without a thought, I reach for her, run my finger down her cheek, and cup her chin, my thumb rubbing against her jaw. Her eyes soften as I get lost in them. I wasn’t afraid of the snake. Cori, on the other hand, scares the hell out of me.
I pull my hand away and step back. As much as I want this woman, I don’t want to screw it up. The moment came and went, and as we begin moving again, I’m not sure if I made the right decision by pulling away. I just know that now isn’t the time to get distracted. We’re on a mission, and if I screw it up the very first day, she’ll flee faster than a hummingbird seeing a cat.
When we complete our objective, maybe I’ll take a few extra days — or weeks — and finish what we started last weekend. She’s worth sticking around for — at least for a little while. I’ll bed her again. I’ll have too many regrets if I don’t.
We walk in silence for several moments then find the cemetery. Excitement fills me and I’m a little frustrated about it. I don’t want to be having a good time on this adventure. I want to be mad at the woman in the lake and Gramps for making me do this hunt. But as we approach the grave of Jenna Mae, I kneel down and run my fingers across the small hot stone.
“Is this it?” she asks as she kneels next to me.
“I think so,” I tell her. Then I’m still.
“Where do we look?”
I’m almost afraid to search, because if nothing’s here, this might end. But if there’s something, I’ll have to stay. I’m not sure what I want more. Reaching down I move a few rocks... and we find the next clue. Staying it is. I have to fight a smile from overtaking my features. I guess I have my answer on what I really want.
Chapter Nineteen
