Love Like Ours (Sugar Lake Book 3) Read online

  Speaking of hurdles, he realized he’d been so caught up in her, he hadn’t told her the truth about having stumbled into her classroom. As he opened his mouth to do so, his phone rang. His gut pitched as he dug it out of his pocket and saw Maria’s number. “I’m sorry. I need to take this.”

  Talia was flirting with a thin and dangerous line. Technically speaking, Derek was her student, at least until Fletch was better, and personally speaking, she was already way outside her comfort zone. Sure, she surrounded herself with new and different people on a near-daily basis, but she didn’t meet them for walks or nearly kiss them. And boy, did she want to kiss Derek! It had taken every ounce of restraint not to lean up and taste his full lips, to feel the emotions of a man who had given up everything for his father. She wanted to see him again, to get to know even more about him, and there was no denying she wanted much more than a kiss, which floored her.

  Maybe Piper was wearing off on her.

  She watched him talking on the phone, not wanting their evening to end, but as worry fell over his face like a curtain, she had a feeling it was about to.

  He tucked his phone in his pocket, and those gorgeous blue eyes held a hint of sorrow. “That was Maria. She takes care of my father. He’s having a hard night, and sometimes I’m the only one who can calm him down.” He stepped closer. “I really didn’t want tonight to end so soon.”

  “Me, either.” She was usually much more careful about sharing her feelings, but Derek was testing all the things she thought she knew about herself. “I’m sorry he’s having a hard time. Of course you have to go. What will you do to help calm him?”

  He pulled off his beanie—which was also crazy sexy. She loved beanies—and raked a hand through his hair, pulling it away from his face. His long hair had been one of the first things she’d noticed, along with his intense blue eyes, and embarrassingly, she’d let his holey jeans and long hair sway her impression of him. Now she wanted to run her fingers through his hair and get to know him better. Everything she’d seen in him since their first encounter made him even more attractive—his love and loyalty toward his father, his kindness, his sense of humor and intelligence. She wondered how she could have mistaken him for anything less than the man he was, and she couldn’t deny that she’d never seen a more beautiful man. Which is probably the same way the women who watch him dance feel.

  That reality hit her like a kick to the stomach.

  “When he gets like this,” Derek said, bringing her back to their conversation, “all it usually takes is playing my guitar and singing to him. One song and he’ll be out like a light. He taught me to play when I was a kid.” He paused for a moment, then said, “You know, you could come with me. I know it’s a little strange as an extension of our night, but . . .” He took her hand in his again, and his gaze turned tender, softening her resolve. “I’d really like to spend more time with you.”

  The image of him playing his guitar for his father pushed away the cold reality of his dancing. Her thoughts raced. She glanced at Molly to try to sort them, but all she heard was Go! There wasn’t much else to sort through. Apparently, her cautious brain had taken a hiatus for the night, because she said, “I have to bring Molly home first.”

  Ten minutes later she was rushing into Fletch’s house, talking a mile a minute as she wiped Molly’s paws and hung up the leash. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m never like this! I’m going with a guy I barely know, and almost ran over, to see his father? What am I doing?”

  She paced, and Fletch sat on the couch, chuckling.

  “Why are you laughing?” She looked in the mirror on the wall and said, “I half expected to see Piper looking back at me. I almost kissed him, Fletch. When have I ever done that the first time I’ve gone out with someone? And this wasn’t a date! And he’s a stripper. Well, he says he’s a dancer, but . . . yeah, there’s that little golden nugget.”

  “A stripper? Tal, I’m afraid you’re going to have to explain this one to me.”

  “He works at Decadence, which I thought was an upscale pub.” She paced his living room.

  “Upscale club, sure.”

  “You know it? You’ve been there?” Maybe that should surprise her, but it didn’t. She assumed most people went to clubs like that and she was just the odd girl out. She’d heard Piper talk about male dancers like they were no big deal.

  Her stomach clenched. What if Piper has seen him dance?

  “Decadence features male and female dancers,” Fletch explained. “But I wouldn’t call it a strip club. It’s classier than those.”

  “Do not tell me about your trips to those, please.” She glared at him. “What is wrong with me? He strips to a G-string, does pelvic thrusts that could make a girl’s toes curl, and he’s my student! Well, he’s your student, which means he’s temporarily my student, and I can’t kiss him.”

  Fletch patted the cushion beside him, and she sank down to it with a groan.

  “You can’t kiss your student.”

  “I know!” She threw her hands up. “This is a bad idea. I shouldn’t go to his house.”

  “But you can be friends with him, and honestly, babe, I’ve never seen you this caught up in anyone. Ever. Maybe it’s good for you. Maybe you needed a friend who’s more cutting-edge than boring old me. We both know I’m not going to push your boundaries. But no, you can’t kiss him.”

  “Ugh! So what should I do? I shouldn’t go, right? I should just text him and say thanks but no thanks.” She leaned back and closed her eyes, trying to ignore the pain slicing through her at the idea of doing that.

  “You know you probably shouldn’t go.”

  She opened her eyes and gave him a deadpan look. “Thanks.”

  “At least not while he’s your student. The whole dancing thing, well, that’s another issue. I mean, what kind of guy is he? You should have Ben check him out.”

  “My brother is not doing a background check on him! He gave up his job to care for his father, who has Alzheimer’s. He seems like a really good guy, Fletch. The kind of guy that if he didn’t dance and wasn’t my student, I would like to . . .”

  “Go out with? Get to know better? I get it. And it’s obvious that you want to go to his place right now. But, Tal, this is how professors get themselves in trouble. They tell themselves they can handle the girls in the short skirts or guys wanting to ball them, but they can’t. Plus, a dancer? I can’t even see you going into a club like that.”

  She looked away.

  “Holy shit! You went to see him dance? What has gotten into you?”

  “I don’t know! I didn’t know I was going to see him dance. It just happened.” She buried her face in her hands, and when she looked up again, she stared straight ahead, visualizing Derek’s face, the way his eyes went from playful to sensual in the space of a second and then turned deep and thoughtful as he spoke of his father. “I think it’s his eyes. They’re riveting. I got sucked in.”

  “You don’t get sucked in, especially over eyes, which means this guy must have a lot more than just a hot bod and a pretty face going on. But still, that doesn’t change the fact that as far as the school’s concerned, you’re in a power position over him right now. We both know carnal desires can be a lot stronger than rational thoughts.”

  She sighed. “You’re right. You’re absolutely one hundred percent right.” She pushed to her feet and said, “Thank you for reminding me that at the very core of ourselves, we’re all animals. I’ll text him on my way out and tell him I’m not coming over.”

  “You must be really wild about this guy, because you didn’t even notice I showered.”

  Her gaze swept over his damp, finger-combed hair, and she caught the scent of soap. “You still look like hell, only cleaner. And I’m not going to hug you, because you just turned me away from the first guy who has made me hot and bothered in years.”

  “You still love me,” he called after her. “Or at least you will when you’re not getting fired because
of having hot sex with a student.”

  She stopped by the front door and glanced back at him. “Now it’s not just balling him, but I’m missing out on hot sex? You are very cruel, Professor Fletcher. I sure hope you’re well soon, because now every time I take Molly for a walk I’m going to see his mesmerizing blue eyes gazing up at me.”

  “Up? Wait! Were you lying on top of him?”

  She arched a brow and spoke as snootily as she could. “Hm. You’ll never know now, will you? Sleep well, libido killer.”

  “That’s only until he’s no longer your student,” he yelled as she opened the front door. “Once you no longer have power over him, you’re free to satisfy your every desire with Mr. G-String.”

  She glared at him, even though she knew she was doing the right thing by not going to see Derek. But she wasn’t ready to let him go just yet. “How fast can you be well enough to teach?”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  BRIDGETTE FLEW THROUGH the back door of Willow’s bakery Friday morning and said, “Where were you hiding yesterday?” She shrugged off her coat and tossed it on a counter.

  Talia had spent her day off hiding, but more to keep herself from doing something stupid than to avoid seeing her sisters. After sending a quick text to Derek Wednesday night saying she couldn’t make it to meet his father after all, she’d spent the rest of the night thinking about their almost kiss, reliving the feel of him against her and the weight of his stare boring into her. She’d woken up Thursday morning hot, bothered, and beyond flustered. It didn’t help that Derek had texted her twice yesterday, once asking if she wanted to hang out at lunch and the other apologizing for crossing a line with their almost kiss. She’d been this close to responding with something sexier than Don’t worry about it. We didn’t cross any lines. Sorry I can’t meet you for lunch. I’m swamped, but she had to wrap her head around his dancing—or not—and she was afraid to see too much of him before Fletch took over his class again.

  She took a bite of her chocolate-cream doughnut and glanced at Willow, who was pulling a tray of muffins from one of the ovens.

  “You know she’s not talking about me,” Willow said as she set the tray on the counter. “Where’s the little man, Bridge?”

  “Today is bring-your-pet-to-school day. Bodhi’s taking Louie in and bringing Dahlia.” Dahlia was their Great Dane. Bridgette leaned her hip against the counter in her pretty blue dress and stared at Talia, who had a mouthful of doughnut.

  “Her second,” Willow said as Piper came through the back door.

  Piper tugged off her coat and tossed it on a chair. “Whose second what?”

  “Tal’s second doughnut,” Bridgette said. “Plus, she dodged most of my texts yesterday.”

  “Yeah? Mine too.” Piper grabbed a muffin and sat on the counter beside where Talia was leaning against it. Her construction boots swung as she bit into her breakfast.

  Piper’s torn work jeans sent Talia’s mind racing back to Derek and his sexy butt as he’d walked away from her at the bar in those formfitting jeans, which led her to him taking off his clothes, dancing like he was sex personified . . . She took another big bite of her doughnut.

  “It doesn’t work, you know,” Piper said.

  Talia arched a brow, her mouth full of sweets.

  Piper grinned. “Substituting sugar for sex.”

  She choked on the doughnut, which sent her into a coughing fit.

  Piper smirked, Bridgette laughed, and Willow handed her a glass of water.

  Talia chugged it down. “Who says I’m doing that?” She shoved the rest of her doughnut in her mouth. Sure, she looked like a chipmunk, but she didn’t care. Because that sugar was going to have to hold her over or she was in trouble.

  Willow took Talia’s plate. “You’re cut off, and if you’re not substituting, then you lost your job or something equally bad has happened, because you never eat like this or hide from us.”

  “I didn’t hide from any of you. I returned your texts.” Talia wiped her mouth as all three sisters glared at her. “What?”

  “You sent me a text that said, ‘I’m not dead,’” Bridgette reminded her.

  “You asked if I was still alive.” Talia rolled her eyes. “I spent the day with Fletch. Is that such a big deal?”

  “Not unless you finally gave in and took my advice about that fine piece of professorial ass,” Piper said. “If you didn’t bang him, you were definitely hiding.”

  “Fine!” Talia relented. “I was hiding from you guys and keeping myself safe. Fletch kept me in check. You guys would have thrown me to the wolves. Or rather, one very fine, very off-limits, long-haired, blue-eyed, insanely sexy and loyal wolf.” Great. Now she was thinking about his eyes and that body moving like a sex machine. She shook her head to try to clear the heat from her veins and noticed her sisters gaping at her. There was no way she’d tell them about his G-string-flaunting job. Nope. Piper would drive right to the bar and sit there until she got a good look at him, and she had no idea what her other sisters would do or say, but more than likely, they’d be just as conflicted as she was.

  “Long hair? Blue eyes?” Piper said. “Do tell, dear sister. Does he have tats, too? Because you can throw that beefcake my way. I know just what to do with a guy like that.”

  “God, Pipe! Where is your off button? There’s not much to tell,” Talia lied.

  “Oh yes there is if it’s about you and a long-haired guy,” Bridgette said. “I can’t even imagine you looking at a man who isn’t completely clean-cut.”

  “Yeah, that makes two of us,” Talia mumbled. “Apparently my normal brain has decided to jump ship. It’s a wonder I can still teach.”

  Willow waved another doughnut in front of her. “If you tell us, I’ll give you this.”

  Talia snagged it. She needed all the help she could get. “I’m always the sister who has nothing new and exciting to talk about, and suddenly I’ve skipped right over new and exciting and gone straight to losing my mind over a student.”

  “What?” her sisters said at once.

  “A student?” Bridgette blinked several times. “Like . . . a kid? How old is he?”

  “No! Like an adult! Geez, Bridge. Who do you think I am?” Talia paced as she ate the doughnut. “I don’t know exactly how old he is, probably around my age. He’s the guy I almost hit in the parking lot.”

  “Well, you sure took my advice about nailing a hot guy.” Piper slid off the counter, laughing at Talia, who was glowering at her. “That explains the tight sweaterdress and fuck-me boots.”

  “These are not fuck-me boots!” Talia snapped.

  Her sisters exchanged a look that told her they knew she was full of shit.

  “Yeah, you’re right,” Piper said. “Knee-high suede and three-inch heels definitely don’t scream take me.”

  “No, not at all,” Bridgette said with a soft laugh. “Neither does the dress that shows your incredible figure.”

  Talia rolled her eyes.

  “What’s the big deal?” Piper asked. “You finally have a sex drive! Just do him and move on. It’s not like he’ll tell on you.”

  “Ohmygod. Piper!” Bridgette chided her. “She cannot do a student. And she’s never like this, which means something.”

  “Yeah, it means I’m going to weigh three hundred pounds by the time Fletch is ready to teach his class, which is when I’ll be free to see the one and only, mysteriously intriguing Derek G-String Grant.”

  “Hold the flipping phone!” Piper snapped. “G-string? How would you know this if you didn’t bang him?”

  Talia met each of their expectant faces, realizing what she’d accidentally let slip. “I was kidding. He looks like he wears a G-string, that’s all. His name is Derek Grant.”

  “Derek Grant.” Willow looked up from where she was frosting doughnuts. Her braided hair lay in a thick plait down her back, a few wispy locks framing her face. In her jeans and SWEETIE PIE BAKERY T-shirt, she could pass for closer to twenty than thirty. “I like tha
t name, and so what if you have to wait a little while? Just be friends until Fletch takes over and you won’t lose your job by dating him. Friends is nice. It builds a solid foundation.”

  “Says the girl who gets sex every night of the week,” Piper said. “While Talia’s coochie hasn’t been tickled by a man in God only knows how long.”

  “We’re not talking about my sex life,” Talia said. “I never should have said anything to you about him, but . . .” She crossed her arms, uncrossed them, and reached for her glasses, which were not on her nose because she was wearing contacts today. And yes, she’d worn a particularly curve-hugging outfit because come on, it feels good to have Derek’s interest, even if he is off-limits.

  Her phone vibrated, and her sisters crowded around her as she dug it out of her purse. “God, you’re like flies to honey.”

  “We’re all here, so unless it’s Ben . . .” Willow said, peering over Talia’s shoulder.

  “Or Mom or Dad,” Bridgette said. “Or Aurelia.”

  “Aurelia’s with Ben. We needed supplies from the city, and Ben was heading there for a meeting, so they went together,” Willow said, then squealed when Talia unlocked her phone screen and Derek’s message popped up. “Nope! It’s him!”

  “Do you mind?” Talia leaned away as she opened the text. Her sisters leaned with her.

  “He wants you to meet him after class,” Piper said. “At least we know he’s not a wimp.”

  “How can you possibly know that from a text?” Talia asked.

  “He’s going after what he wants. That’s a man, not a pushover.” Piper grabbed another muffin. “My vote is that you meet him after class. I have to get to a job site, but I want details. Including all the juicy stuff you pretend not to want, because I can tell by your doughnut-eating face that this guy’s got you thinking about every single one of them.” She headed for the door, snagged her coat, and said, “And if you blow me off, I’ll show up at that class you’re teaching for Fletch one day and embarrass the hell out of you.”