With a last stern look at herself, she exited the bathroom and headed back to the gym, feeling in control of herself and her raging hormones. She took her seat, feeling confident she could focus for the rest of the day, and then her eyes met his, and her insides went to jelly.
CHAPTER 2
“It needs to be tighter,” Ian said, tugging on the bandage tied around Piper’s hand, demonstrating that it loosened easily. “It’s the pressure that stops the bleeding, so it needs to be tight. Not cutting off the circulation, but tight.”
“Okay,” was all Shelby could manage to squeak out, her face beginning to burn with embarrassment.
What was wrong with her? They had been working on first aid since lunch. Shelby had been partnered up with Piper, just like last week, and she couldn’t seem to get any of it right. The current scenario, a knife cut to the palm of the hand, should be easy enough. All she had to do was tie the bandage around Piper’s hand, so her fist would put pressure on the wound.
She bent over Piper’s hand, picking out the loosened knot, trying to hide her red face from Ian. She could pretend she didn’t know why she couldn’t concentrate, but the problem was standing right there beside her, looking gorgeous in his flannel shirt. It wasn’t like she could tell her smoking-hot survival instructor she needed him to step back so she could concentrate. Besides, he would have to go all the way across town for it to make any difference.
Pulling her focus back from imagining what was under Ian’s shirt, she straightened up the bandage, and then wrapped it back around Piper’s fist. Her fingers fumbled with the bandage, making it difficult to get it lined up right. When she finally had it positioned correctly, she pulled the knot tight, and all the tension slipped from the knot again.
She blew her breath out hard to keep from tossing the bandage on the floor in a fit.
What is wrong with me?
It was just a simple knot; why the hell couldn’t she do it? She was a capable woman. She was the mother of two energetic boys. She should be able to tie this knot with her eyes closed.
Curling her fingers into tight fists, Shelby turned her eyes towards the ceiling, trying to hold back her tears. She couldn’t cry—not here.
Ian stepped closer and kneeled beside her on the mat.
“Here, let me show you a trick.”
She shifted to let him in, offering the ends of the triangular bandage to him. As he took them, his hand brushed against hers, and the room faded away until there was only him. A warmth spread through her hand, growing into a tingling sensation anchored deep in her core.
She glanced at him, and she was sure she saw his eyes darken and a ghost of a smile flit across his lips. For a split second, she was certain he had felt it too, and then it was gone, and she wasn’t sure what she had seen.
“When you tie the first part of the knot, loop it under a second time. The bandage locks on itself. Makes it easier to keep the tension.” He spoke calmly, clearly unaffected by the touching of their fingers.
She concentrated on his hands, trying to ignore the urgent signals from her body and focus on his demo. For her, time had slowed, and it seemed to take forever for him to finish. And yet, at the same time, everything was flashing by so quickly she couldn’t process it all.
Why didn’t she have better control over her body’s responses? Ian was just a man—and her instructor. She was being ridiculous.
When he finished, Ian pulled the knot out and passed the bandage back to her; again, their fingers touched. A shiver of desire shot through her body. Instantly, her eyes sought out his, and she saw him react—saw the shock on his face—and then, he bolted.
Ian didn’t miss the look on Shelby’s face when he backed away, avoiding her gaze. He couldn’t afford to let her see into the depths of his eyes—who knew what demons she would see hiding there.
Wheeling around, he strode across to the pair of students completely on the other side of the practice area. He should not be reacting to her like this.
He needed space.
Ian crouched down beside Tony and Rick, keeping his eyes fixed on Rick’s bandaged hand while he tried to get his thoughts under control. What the hell was wrong with him? He was here to do a job—nothing more. He was absolutely not supposed to be reacting like a horny teenager every time he was near her.
Except he couldn’t ignore the heat between them.
He had thought he felt Shelby react when their hands had accidentally touched the first time, but he had definitely felt her shiver when he had purposely done it the second time. She had felt something; he would bet on it. But just because his hormones were suddenly raging like a teen-aged boy didn’t mean he could act on it.
It would be a bad idea all around. It didn’t matter that her blue eyes pierced him right to his heart. It didn’t matter that all he could think about was tangling his hands in her long hair and loosening it until it fell free from the elastic. What mattered, at this moment, was that he was her instructor, and Jade had a strict hands-off policy—except on those occasions when she didn’t, and this definitely wasn’t one of those.
Why on earth did he have the bad luck to meet her here, while she was one of his students? Why couldn’t he have run into her in a bar, where he could have bought her a drink and coaxed more of those endearing blushes out of her?
Those were dangerous thoughts. He couldn’t risk going down that road; he couldn’t let there be a repeat of the past. Work and relationships didn’t mix. He didn’t need Jade’s rules to remind him of that. He had learned that the hard way, and it wasn’t a lesson he cared to relearn.
It didn’t matter that this was the second day of a two-day course, and once the course ended in a few hours he would no longer be her instructor and would probably never see her again. He couldn’t risk it, because it wouldn’t just be his job on the line.
The instant Ian stepped away, the fire in Shelby’s blood was extinguished, leaving her feeling dizzy and unsure of what she had felt. Had they shared a flash of heat or was it her wild imagination? Had he bolted because he had seen the longing in her eyes? Had everyone noticed?
Fighting the urge to slink out of the room and away from all the staring eyes, Shelby struggled to finish her knot.
“Are you okay?” Piper asked.
Startled, Shelby looked at her partner, and then glanced around the room. Nobody was paying the slightest attention to her. She was being ridiculous. It had just been one of those moments that happened between adults. It didn’t mean anything.
She squared her shoulders and smiled at Piper. “Yes. I’ve got this.”
And she knew deep down that she did. This course was one small step towards fully escaping Blake, and a stupid knot wasn’t going to defeat her. She attacked the knot again. At first her fingers trembled, but after a few minutes, her body relaxed, and she deftly secured the bandage without losing any of the tension.
“And check for circulation,” Piper coached.
Shelby checked Piper’s circulation to ensure the bandage wasn’t too tight, and then rocked back on her heals, smiling in triumph.
“Circulation is good,” she reported out loud.
“Nicely done,” Ian said from out of nowhere.
Shelby jumped. She hadn’t realized he was standing right behind her; when had he come back?
At his words, she felt a warm glow spread through her, and she ducked her head, as she untied Piper’s hand, to hide the pleasure on her face. She had done it. She just wished her family could have been there to witness it.
Feeling a little giddy with pride, she glanced up to share her moment of triumph with Ian. A pang of disappointment pierced her gut. He had already moved on to the next student.
“Earth to Shelby,” Piper sing-songed.
Shelby shook her head and looked back at her partner. “I guess it’s my turn to get tied up.”
“It sure is. Too bad our smoking-hot instructor isn’t going to be the one to do it.” Piper winked at her.
She
lby smiled awkwardly, her face turning pink again—both at having been caught ogling the instructor, and because Piper was right.
Shelby set her pen down and then opened and closed her hand to stretch out her stiff fingers. The first knuckle of her middle finger was dented and sore from the pressure of her pen, and she rubbed it absentmindedly as she rotated her aching neck and shoulders. The day had been long, and she was tired. She didn’t think she could take in one more piece of information.
It had certainly been challenging having Ian as her instructor. He was so ruggedly good looking, and it had been a struggle trying to concentrate on learning survival techniques when her mind kept drifting off into daydreams starring Ian rescuing her from perilous situations. In each version of her fantasy, Ian would stride out of the forest carrying her to safety in his arms.
Just thinking about being alone and vulnerable in the woods, while he arrived to save her had her womanly bits beginning to tingle again. She shook her head to clear the naughty thoughts.
Get a grip. This is real life, not a romance novel, she told herself for what felt like the hundredth time.
A girl needed to rescue herself.
Ian stood at the end of the front row of tables talking with Piper and helping her work through a map exercise. He glanced up and caught her looking at him. Before Shelby could look away, his eyes grabbed hold and held her gaze steady.
Shelby snapped her gaze away, pinning her eyes to the map she had been plotting a course on. She was unsettled; it had felt like he could read her thoughts. She had done enough embarrassing things today without him learning he had starred in an almost endless looping stream of fantasies in her head, since the second she had laid eyes on him. What was she doing even thinking those kinds of things about him? Not only was he her instructor but getting involved with another man was the last thing she wanted or needed. What she needed was to get a grip on herself.
This course was important. It was the first step towards creating the new Shelby: a Blake-free Shelby. She could have messed everything up today, and she couldn’t afford to do that. She needed to keep her focus and maintain her momentum. She had goals, and unlike when she had been a naïve teenager, this time she wasn’t letting a man derail her.
Not even one as hot as Ian McLean.
“We’re all done for today folks.”
Shelby glanced up at Ian and then quickly fastened her eyes back onto the map spread out on the table in front of her.
“I hope you enjoyed the course and will feel more confident when you venture out. I have a brochure about the other courses and getaways that Alfresco Adventures offers, if you’re interested.” Ian glanced at his watch. “We did go overtime. I apologize for that. I didn’t want you to miss any of my training.”
Shelby had been focusing so hard on ignoring the seductive pull of his voice that it took a moment for Ian’s words to register.
Late? A wave of panic shot through her. Oh no...no,no,no,no. I can’t be late!
Shelby scrambled to get her phone and check the time. In her haste, she fumbled the phone, and it flipped out of her fingers, skittering across the floor and underneath the table.
“Shit.” She dropped to her knees and crawled after it. This can’t be happening! This really can’t be happening. She couldn’t miss the 4:30 bus. She had to be home before Blake arrived to pick up the boys.
The phone skittered to a stop, just inches from a pair of feet. With a sickening feeling, she realized she knew who they belonged to. She didn’t need to look up the long, well-muscled legs to know she was crouched under a table at Ian’s feet. Carefully keeping her eyes averted, she reached for her phone. As she grasped it, a strong hand wrapped around hers.
At the shock of his touch, Shelby glanced up. Her face blazed scarlet, as their eyes met. His dark chocolate gaze pulled her into their depths. He only held her hand for a brief moment, but he squeezed it ever so slightly with his strong, tanned fingers before he released it.
Suddenly, there wasn’t enough air, and she tore her eyes away, not knowing where to look. The faint scent of evergreen trees clinging to his body was making her want to pull him down under the table and slake the desire burning in her core. Cheeks flaming at the intensity of her own thoughts, Shelby tried to free herself from where she was wedged between the table legs and a chair.
“Here, let me help you up.” Ian held out a hand to her.
She froze and then recoiled from his hand. She knew that if she took his hand, the feel of his warm skin would send her over the edge, and her raging hormones would cause her to do something horrifically humiliating like throwing herself at him—something she needed to avoid.
In her rush to get away from him, she scooted backwards and cracked her head against the table. Swallowing a string of curse words, she rocked back and forth clutching her head.
“Ouch. That looked like it hurt,” Ian said, as he gently guided Shelby out from under the table, protecting her head with his hand.
Instinctively, he pulled her protectively against his chest, and for a few blissful seconds, she stayed with her head against his chest, and then the moment was gone.
As Shelby pulled away like she had been electrocuted, Ian took a reflexive step backwards. The sight of her cheeks flushing red, as she broke free from his embrace, spiked Ian’s desire to pull her back into his arms where she would be safe.
Stop being an idiot, Ian. The last things she wants is you trampling in like some kind of Tarzan.
“I’ve gotta go,” Shelby said, pulling him out of his serious thoughts.
She scrambled to gather her things, slipping her phone into her back pocket. He flinched a little as she stuffed the map haphazardly into her bag, rather than folding it carefully along the creases. She didn’t glance his way even once while she grabbed her coat.
As she passed the last row of tables, she caught her foot and stumbled. Without thinking, he moved towards her to catch her, but she caught herself first and kept moving towards the door without looking back.
The door clanged shut, and she was gone, leaving him standing and staring after her, oblivious to the remaining students. He didn’t know what it was about Shelby that had caught his interest. She certainly wasn’t his normal type, not lately anyway—not since Natalie.
“Thanks, Ian,” Piper said, interrupting his trip into the past.
He forced a smile in return; his mind still fixed on Shelby. “You take care, Piper. Maybe, I’ll see you at another course.”
“Yes, I think you will. Maybe the Survival Spa. I saw something about it in the pamphlet.”
“It’s new. You should check it out.”
“I will,” Piper said, nodding her head resolutely.
And then, she was gone too. Ian turned slowly to survey the room. All he wanted was to get out of there and see if his buddy, Spencer, wanted to go for a beer. Teaching today had ended up being much more than he had bargained for.
But first he needed to clean up.
Ian sighed and got started. He had just gotten into the rhythm of flipping the tables over and folding down the legs, when he noticed a purse on the floor. Feeling awkward about opening a woman’s purse—you never knew what you would find—Ian pulled out the wallet.
When he saw the name on the ID, he couldn’t help the smile that slide across his face. Suddenly all the reasons why it would be a bad idea to get involved with someone he met through work seemed inconsequential and borderline ridiculous. The course was over. He wasn’t her instructor anymore.
Shelby Reid had forgotten her purse, and it was going to be up to him to see that she got it back.
CHAPTER 3
“Stop! Please stop!” Shelby called, waving her hands frantically at the bus, as it drove by in a cloud of exhaust. She ran one hand through her hair, watching her only chance at making it home on time drive away. The next bus wasn’t for another thirty minutes and wouldn’t get her home before Blake arrived to pick up the boys; which meant she would have to deal wi
th the combined forces of both Blake and her mother’s disapproval.
There must be another option. She frantically pulled her phone out of her back pocket, but her fingers were too sweaty, and the transit app wouldn’t open.
Why does this crap always happen to me? She wiped her hands on her pants in frustration. Why can’t anything just work out?
When the app finally opened, it showed another bus just one block over. She hiked her bag up higher on her shoulder; she could catch it if she hustled. She might still be late, but it was better than waiting here. As she ran, she fished her bus money out of her pocket.
A half an hour later, when the bus finally arrived at the stop nearest her place, Shelby again found herself impatiently pleading with a bus door to open. Despite running full tilt, she had barely managed to catch the bus, and it still felt like her heart was pounding from the effort. Nothing was far in Victoria, but the ride had seemed to take forever, and her anxiety had grown with every red light. She needed to get off this bus and get home before her entire life blew up.
The bus stop was about three blocks from her house, and she covered that distance at a run, her shoulder bag banging against her hip in an awkward rhythm.
As she approached her basement suite, Shelby could feel her feet dragging, already imagining how her mother’s lecture would go: “Do you know what time it is, Shelby? What were you thinking? Do you think I don’t have other things to do? No wonder you ruined your marriage.”
Taking one last deep, steadying breath to try and clear the toxic words from her thoughts, Shelby headed up the walk. No point in delaying, it wouldn’t make her mother’s harsh words any softer. It would be so much easier if she didn’t need to rely on her mother for childcare, but until she made more money, she had no other options.
Saving Shelby Page 2
