Page 13 of Avoiding Temptation
As if he knows just how competitive I am, he drops his gaze to my feet before he says, “I bet you can. Loser buys dinner.”
“Jesus,” I mutter, holding my hand out.
He offers his support once I’ve got the first shoe on my foot and start wobbling about as I attempt the second one. The moment his fingers wrap around mine, sparks fly up my arm. My eyes search his out, and, when I find them, he’s staring right back at me.
“I don’t want a one-night-stand,” I blurt out, probably sounding like a total moron.
“That’s good, because I wasn’t offering one.”
“Really?”
My eyes search his. From the way he was looking at me earlier and the way he touched me, I was convinced that was where he hoped this was heading.
“I’m not the type of man to do that kind of thing.” He reaches out and tucks a lock of my hair behind my ear. The move is so soft and gentle, the total opposite to what I’d expect from looking at him.
“I don’t believe that for a second. I saw you—” I cut myself off when I realise I’m about to admit to watching him the other night.
“You saw me what? Have you been stalking me, Miss Smith?”
“What? No. It’s just...Eddie took me to The Avenue last week and you were...enjoying yourself.”
“Ah, I see,” he says sadly. Dropping my hand, he turns to leave.
“Wait.” Without thinking, I slide my hand back into his when I catch up with him. “You just looked like you were having fun. I was...jealous.”
“Jealous? Wasn’t Mr. Boring keeping you entertained?”
“He took me to the VIP section. It’s not really my kind of thing. I’d have been much happier down with you.”
“That’s because I’m such a good dancer.”
“I saw. Everyone seemed to love you.”
“I know how to show them a good time.”
“So what are you waiting for? I want a good time.”
Chapter Six
Our first stopisn’t the craziest of locations. I was kind of hoping he’d dive right in with the wild night he had planned. That said, takeout Chinese sitting in the middle of Leicester Square is pretty awesome.
“Oh my god, this is so good,” I moan around a mouthful of sticky chicken. Aside from going out for dinner with Eddie, my diet has been pretty limited since I moved here, so this tastes incredible. “You’ve got to try some. Here.” I hold out my fork for him, and, after a slight hesitation, he opens his mouth. I realise my mistake almost immediately. His full lips wrap around my fork, and I can’t take my eyes away from them as he chews and then swipes his tongue across the bottom one to lick up some stray sauce.
“Keep looking at me like that and I’ll get the wrong idea about what you want from me tonight.”
His words cause desire to fill my veins, but as much as I’m enjoying his company, I know I can’t allow anything to happen. He’s my student. What I’m doing with him now is forbidden, let alone if I was to take it any further.
“So how come you’ve gone back to school?” I ask, trying to steer our conversation back to safe ground.
“I fucked it up first time around. Believe it or not, I was a bit of a nightmare teenager.”
“I don’t believe that for a second,” I say with a laugh. He’s got the bad boy image now—I can only imagine what he was like as a kid.
“I didn’t care back then. My only focus was pissing my parents off as much as possible. But now, I want more.”
“Good for you. There are so many people who just put up with what life dealt them. Not everyone has the guts to admit they might have screwed up and do something to better themselves.”
“I’ve got balls, don’t you worry about that.” He winks, and I can’t help but laugh. This guy does something to me, something I’ve never experienced before, but the world seems that little bit better when he’s by my side. It’s crazy. Unbelievable. But true.
