look in his eyes, by the way his lips moved when he spoke. There was no doubt about it— Cruz Perez was raw sex and sensuality, served up on a section of delicious toast.
It was a crisp September afternoon. There was even a bit of a chill in the wind. Yet she felt so warm, as if the air around her were heated by his presence.
It took a moment, but she finally found her voice, and with it a little bit of conviction. “No, no papers to grade.”
“Oh. Right. It’s too early.” He looked at her knowingly. “You’re one of the nice teachers.”
“One of the nice teachers?” she echoed, not sure what he was driving at. Was he referring to some sort of exclusive club? Whatever it was, he’d called her nice, and she liked that. Liked thinking that he’d meant it. “What makes you say that?”
“Instinct,” he said, sounding sincere.
His mother was the “seer” around here, the one who had dreams she claimed came true. It was only so in about a third of the cases, although no one went out of their way to point the fact out to her. But even so, if there was a scrap of truth about her abilities, maybe they were passed on. Maybe he’d inherent a smattering of it himself. Because he was beginning to sense things about Savannah Clark, things that he found enticing and pleasing.
Casually, Cruz threaded his arm around her shoulders.
He had no way of knowing how intimate that felt to her, Savannah thought. Or maybe he did, and that was the whole point of it. She struggled not to enjoy the feeling as much as she did. Allowing herself to venture deeper into the trap really wouldn’t help anything in the long run.
But logic didn’t seem to be working for her today, she thought. Magic was. His magic.
“I always used to hate it when the teachers would give long assignments the first week of school,” he confided. “I couldn’t shake the feeling that they did it to get back at us because they had to return from their vacations and work again.”
Habit made her protective of her vocation. “That’s not true. It’s to get students back into a thinking mode after they’ve been playing all summer.” And Savannah didn’t have to ask to know that Cruz had been one of those students who had played the hardest and the longest.
“There’s nothing wrong with playing.” His mouth curved a little more deeply, drawing her in further still. “It can be hard work, too.”
Not for him, she thought. For him, it came naturally. Like breathing. Like kissing.
“Maybe you’re right.”
His face turned toward hers, Cruz lightly touched the outline of her pearl drop earring and sent it swaying ever so slightly.
“So,” he asked softly, “you like to stimulate your students?”
Her blood was beginning to roar through her veins, like Indy-500 stock cars revving up their engines. She had to concentrate on each word to get it out.
“Getting them to think for themselves is always a good thing.”
He smiled to himself, seeing the effect he was having on her. That it heightened his own excitement was a bonus in the bargain.
“And you are an expert on that?” he teased. “On thinking?”
Her knees felt like water. Which made her knees and her mind a perfect set.
Savannah licked her lips. “Not an expert, but—”
She stopped. Cruz was making her feel flustered, and he knew it. She could tell by the look in his eyes. Why couldn’t she resist him? Why couldn’t she be sophisticated like Vanessa or one of her other friends, and just exchange teasing phrases?
He moved slightly to stand in front of her, his brown eyes challenging her. “Tell me, Savannah, what am I thinking now?”
He’d never called her by her name before. It seemed to float to her on his tongue, making her feel even warmer than she already was. She was beginning to wish fervently that the bridesmaid dress had been sleeveless instead of having tight, long sleeves that ended a little over her wrists. She had a feeling even that wouldn’t help to cool her off.
After a moment, she found her breath. “That you’d like to dance with me.” It was a stab in the dark, and probably wrong, but it was the only thing that came to her.
The deep, lusty laugh enveloped her as Cruz obviously enjoyed her answer.
That was definitely not what had been on his mind. He was thinking of the way she’d looked, with only the moonlight sneaking into the stables. She’d looked soft and pliant, with the sheen of lovemaking still fresh on her firm, nude body and seeing her like that had made him want to make love to her all over again.
“All right,” he agreed amiably. “We can do that if you’d like.”
She’d been right. Dancing hadn’t been on his mind. But she was afraid to think what had been. Afraid to think because she might be right.
More afraid because she might be wrong—and disappointed.
Taking the glass from her hand, Cruz placed it on the first available flat surface, then gently took her into his arms.
She tried not to let the warmth of Cruz’s body seep into hers. She might as well have tried to breathe under water. It couldn’t be done.
Savannah felt like a princess, just like the first time they had danced.
“I looked for you, you know. The morning after,” he added when she looked up at him questioningly. “I was surprised that you had gone so quickly.”
She’d gone because the reality of what she had done had suddenly hit her with the force of a two-ton truck. She’d been embarrassed and somewhat ashamed, as well. And more than that, she’d been afraid that he would laugh at her, at how easily he’d been able to seduce her. She couldn’t have faced his laughter. Better to walk away with a lovely memory than to deal with aftermath and reality.
Except that now she had to.
She studied his face, looking for an answer, trying not to let herself be distracted. “Why would you look for me?”
“Why does any man look for a woman?”
She lifted one shoulder beneath her gown in a half shrug. “For a very long list of reasons,” she murmured evasively as he spun her around.
“Shorten it,” he whispered against her hair.
Urges began to grow, to multiply within her.
No, not this time, Savannah warned silently, trying hard to steel herself. She couldn’t allow herself to give in again.
No matter what she wanted, she had to maintain a barrier. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to stay here. And the Double Crown was her last hope. She’d been “released” from Pierce Academy after the principal had discovered she was pregnant. Out of sympathy and kindness, Vanessa had offered her a job and a place to stay at the ranch for as long as she wanted it.
Savannah
