by Tiana Cole
Lake Whinbey ran along the western side of Elite Academy and Amanda was determined to let the sounds of the piano and the gentle waves of the lake be her only distraction. Her mind was a blank slate.
Or it would have been if she hadn’t, in that moment, spotted Alex flirting spectacularly with a blonde woman who looked like she rolled around in piles of cash every day. A quick turn and she had her back to the happy couple.
I never stood a chance.
~
Despite the fact that his social life of late was nothing to write home about, Alex felt better than he had in a long time. His students were eager to learn to ride and care for horses while the athletes soaked up his words of wisdom and showed him what hard work really was. Their dedication to their sport was admirable and he felt like he actually accomplished something everyday.
Too bad he’d seen neither hide nor hair from Amanda since the staff meeting. He thought for sure she would have stopped by the stables to visit with the horses, if not to see him. But she’d been a ghost, which confirmed his suspicions that he’d said something to upset her the first day. He didn’t know what but he was determined to find out.
He had to do it soon too, because while he and Amanda were the youngest people on staff, there were plenty of hot young mums—married hot young mums—eager to grab a piece of the new equestrian instructor. Last weekend he’d been trapped in the stables by Bitsy Worthington and her roving hands and filthy mouth. Not that he hadn’t appreciated her creativity but Alex didn’t mess around with other people’s wives. He’d gotten free and sought solace by the lake, only to be accosted by the mother of his best rider, Candie Cheltenham. She’d flat out asked him to meet her at a hotel and promised to blow his mind with her magical mouth and erotic flexibility.
To make matters worse, he was pretty sure he’d seen Amanda riding a bicycle along the lake. She’d been headed his way and he’d hoped to stop and chat with her, but taking his eyes off Candie was a risk he hadn’t been willing to take. By the time he’d looked up again, she was gone.
School had started back two weeks ago and there’d been no trace of Amanda. If he didn’t see her by the end of the day today, he would use his resources to find her phone number and address.
“Hey Boss, we have a last minute lesson for a beginner. Want me to take it?” His second in command was the nephew of one of the board members so he hadn’t much choice in the matter, but Austin was eager to learn and ready to help whenever he could.
“No worries, I’ll take it. You can head home and get started on your weekend as long as the other horses are taken care of.”
He flashed a bright smile. “You’re the best, Baez. Have a good weekend. Hey have you seen that hot new lit teacher? She’s smokin’ but she’s out of my league.”
Alex laughed. “Oh yeah, how can you tell?”
Austin grinned and blushed. “I’ve read one really smart book, in college, The Great Gatsby so I figured that was my in, right?” Alex nodded. “Yeah well she’s super smart. She asked if I thought the excesses of today and the dying American dream are as prescient today as they were when Fitzgerald penned the novel. Those were her words, not mine.”
Alex laughed. “Sounds kind of hot.”
Austin’s smile grew wider. “I thought so too, until I realized I didn’t have an answer. I thought it was just a simple love story.”
“Now you know, my friend.”
“I guess so. See you tomorrow.”
Alex waved him off, confident the man would arrive on time tomorrow and only slightly hungover. Walking over to one of the gentlest horses, Alex pulled out the chestnut in preparation for the upcoming lesson along with his own horse, Dancer. “You girls ready for today?”
“I think they prefer to be called women.”
Alex smiled at the sound of the voice he’d been waiting all week to hear. He turned. “Amanda, lovely to see you again. I thought perhaps you’d transferred out already.”
She laughed but her gaze didn’t meet hers. “Nope still here. I’ve just been settling into my apartment and getting used to the new school.”
And avoid him, no doubt. He wanted answers but Alex knew when to push and when to hang back. “Are you ready for your lesson?”
She shook her head with a nervous smile. “Not at all. Last night I had a dream that I fell off the horse and got trampled, so that’s where I am.”
Alex laughed and closed the distance between them, placing a friendly hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry to hear that Amanda, but I assure you there’s nothing to worry about. This horse, Cinnamon, is very gentle and perfect for first time riders.”
She ran a hand through her short hair, large almond eyes casting a wary gaze in his direction. “If you say so. I’m putting my safety in your hands.”
“They are quite capable,” he said, smiling and wiggling his fingers. She laughed as he’d meant her to and they got started on the lesson. “First we need to make sure you’re comfortable around Cinnamon. If you’re nervous she’ll be nervous.” He grabbed her hand and put it on the horse’s back, placing his hand on top of hers. “Stroke her gently and talk to her.”
“You mean tell her about my day and all that?” He nodded and she gave him a look that said she thought he was teasing her.
“Like this. Hey girl, this is Amanda and she’s new to riding horses and kind of a scaredy cat. Be gentle and I’ll hook you up with some sugar cubes.”
She smacked his stomach. “Don’t tell her I’m a ‘fraidy cat! I’m not scared, just anxious. Don’t listen to him, he’s just a prankster.”
Alex laughed, amused at her antics. But she was a natural with the horse, speaking softly and nuzzling the horse until the old girl was putty in her hands. “Now we practice getting on and off the horse.”
“Oh good, the simple stuff,” she said sarcastically.
“Just wait until you get on that saddle, the feeling is unbelievable. You’ll be happy you made it through, and when you come back for the next lesson we can get right on the horses.”
“Fine,” she smiled and kept a hand on Cinnamon. “Let’s get me on Cinnamon, then.”
He helped her, making her get on and off the horse about a dozen times until she felt comfortable with the motion. “Alright you can stay on now.”
“Good because another round of that and I might have marred your pretty face.”
He grinned over his shoulder, flashing a bright smile. “You think I’m pretty? I’d prefer ruggedly handsome but I’d also accept masculine grace.”
Amanda laughed. “Oh my gosh you are insane!” Her shoulders shook and then she realized she was on top of the horse and froze, scanning the scenery from her new perch. “It really is amazingly beautiful up here.”
He agreed but his gaze wasn’t on the vibrant green grass, or the quickly changing treetops. It was on Amanda. Dark wisps of hair flew in the light lake breeze, curling around her small face in a protective gesture he understood. “Told you.”
“You were right,” she gave a reluctant smile. “So how’s school so far?”
“Not too bad. The kids are great and my athletes are incredible. I could do without Elite Academy mums though. Those women are scary.”
With a laugh that didn’t quite sound right, Amanda nodded her commiseration. “I imagine you are a welcome sight around here, young and handsome, and more importantly helping their kids become medaled Olympians.”
When she put it like that, he felt a little less like a piece of meat. Still a means to an end, but not so merciless about it. “I feel much better then, thanks.” He beamed a smile at her when they came to a clearing that offered a small glimpse of sun-drenched lake. “Now this view is worth a dozen more times on the saddle, right?”
“Definitely,” she said, sounding rather breathless.
Alex had never felt as proud as he did in that moment. He’d given Amanda the ability to ride a horse, shared with her his pleasure at viewing nature from atop a horse. Other than his time serving his nation in t
he military, this was his most rewarding memory.
“And you get to see this everyday? Maybe I’ve chosen the wrong line of work.”
He barked out a laugh. “I wish I could make it out here everyday. Truthfully I spend most of my time in one of the paddocks, practicing with students. We don’t have any racers this year so there’s no need to be so far out each day.” It really was a shame. But with a little finesse he could see this view regularly. “If you had lessons regularly I’d get to see it a lot more.”
She laughed and blushed, but her eyes were so clear and refreshed. “Nice way to get more lessons out of me.”
“Actually I was thinking about me. I could see that view and spend more time with you.” She didn’t say anything but Alex wasn’t about to give up. “Or you could just let me take you out.”
“Out as in…?”
He frowned. “Am I really that bad at asking out a woman?”
She bent over laughing, rubbing between Cinnamon’s ears. “Is that what you were doing? I thought you only wanted to be friends.”
“Why would ever think such a thing? I’m not an idiot. Do I look like an idiot to you?” He knew he was glaring and tried to soften his look but it didn’t matter because he hadn’t frightened Amanda. No, she was laughing at him.
“Not an idiot, per se,” she laughed. “But you do look kind of crazed right now, doesn’t he girl?” Cinnamon neighed her agreement, sending Amanda into another fit of laughter.
“I’ve never had a woman laugh at me before and I don’t think I like it.”
“Sorry,” she looked chastened but not really. “I’m not laughing at you. I imagine women are too happy to be the object of your attention to laugh at you.”
“Does that mean you’re not happy?”
She thought about it and shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean I wanted you to ask me out but then you said the whole friends thing and I gave that idea up. Now, I guess I’m just trying to catch up.”
Her honesty was refreshing. “Well I do want to be your friend Amanda, but I also would like very much to kiss you.”
This time when she smiled her whole face lit up, showing off her sharp cheekbones and full lips, golden brown skin and bottomless brown eyes. “Well when you put it like that, how can I resist?”
How, indeed?
Chapter 4
“Mr. Baez we were all wondering,” five giggling girls stood in a half circle before him, their redheaded leader at their apex, “do you have a wife or a girlfriend?” They giggled some more and he worked hard clenching his jaw, to keep from rolling his eyes.
Alex cast them with a firm glare and crossed his arms. He needed to put a stop to this. It was the tenth, or maybe the eleventh, group of girls to corner him and inquire about his relationship status. It was tiresome. “I’m not sure that’s any of your business seeing as you girls are students and minors.”
Collectively the group groaned. “Party pooper. We think you’re hot Mr. Baez, a lot of us do actually.”
He smiled but kept it kid-friendly. “Thank you but again, not appropriate. I am a faculty member, not a potential date for any of you.” He needed to nip this crazy thing in the bud before one of these girls got it in their head to make a move on him. “Now off to class you go before you end up with detention. I hear Mrs. Olsen is in charge for the upcoming week.”
Quick groans surrounded him but they all flounced off to class, because that’s exactly what they did. Hips swinging in too short plaid skirts, knee-high socks and stilettos. What a strange mix of little girls and grown women. They were in a hurry to grow up and he just wanted to grab them and tell them to enjoy it while it lasted.
“That was some pretty fancy teenager handling.” Amanda walked over to him with an bemused smirk on her face.
Alex turned with a smile for the pretty object of his affection. “Amanda, fancy seeing you here.”
“I was off to change for my riding lesson when I saw a group of girls standing around. I came to tell them to get to class when I heard all about how they all think you’re sooooo hot!” She laughed until she cried. “You handled it well, though.”
“Thanks.” Raking a hand through his long-ish blonde curls, he blew out a long breath. “It’s hard to figure out how to be nice while rebuffing them, but I hope that did the trick.”
She laughed and patted his chest sympathetically. “Keep hope alive, my friend. Those girls have a grade A crush and as a former teenage girl with her own history of crushing on young teachers, I can tell you they won’t give you up easily. You’ll have to be mean, grow a gut, get ugly or get a girlfriend. A wife works better, especially if she’s gorgeous.”
Alex smiled. “Better call up my assistant and get her on the hunt for a gorgeous fake wife.”
“Crushes wait for no one.”
He laughed again as they walked down the hall, noticing she wore a very pretty dress that hugged her luscious curves. “You look hot today, is that for me?”
She laughed. “Oh yeah, I hear pink is your favorite color, right?”
“Definitely.”
“This is my stop,” she told him when they came to the wooden door of the teacher’s washroom. “I need to change and I’ll meet you at the stables. Don’t brush Cinnamon, I’ll do it.”
He laughed at her insistence and nodded. “Fine. You can even do Dancer if you want.” He laughed at her grunt before disappearing into the room to change. Being around Amanda was like inhaling fresh air after being stuck in a casino or airplane for too long. She invigorated him.
Especially during their riding lessons. Today was their fifth lesson and he was happy to see her grow more and more comfortable on top of a horse. They’d done some light trotting a few days ago and her face lit up like the palace Christmas tree he’d always admired as a child. He liked being around her all the time because she was generous with her smiles, she laughed easily and she was so smart sometimes he wondered if she was too good for him.
But today he had something special planned for her because he liked her and wanted her to know it. Plus, Rafael had sworn that this was a move the right woman would appreciate. So he’d had Austin set it all up for him, and swore him to secrecy.
When Amanda finally showed up, looking good enough to eat in a pair of tight jeans that hugged her curves, red sweater and brown knee-boots. He wanted to walk right up to her, grab her hair and kiss her until she begged him to never stop. “Hey. Sorry I’m late, I got held up by a couple moms searching for the ‘hot horse guy’.” She smiled, not looking sorry at all.
“Did you tell them I’ve transferred to Siberia?” Those mums were driving him mad with their incessant flirting and random drop-ins.
“No but I told them your favorite dessert was snickerdoodles. Sorry but I love them.” She shrugged, again not looking sorry at all.
“You mercenary little minx.”
Amanda laughed and crossed her arms in defiance. “Don’t you forget it, buster.”
They got on their ride and Alex kept sneaking glances at Amanda and her absolute love of life. The woman found pleasure in everything from the scent of fading flowers to the smell of the hay comingling with the horses. She made him feel lighter just by virtue of being around her. “I have a surprise for you.”
She smiled and he squeezed the saddle horn tight to avoid reaching out to her. “Really because I have a surprise for you. When we get to the lake.”
He smiled, now eager to reach their destination to find out what her surprise was. Had she gotten him something special or was he reading more between them than there was? She had agreed to a date this weekend, so he shouldn’t be worried, but the truth was he was out of his element. Alex chose women who were shallow and after one thing, well two things if you counted his crown. “You sure you don’t want to tell me now?”
“No way Alex. My mouth is like a vault.” She made a zipping motion at her lips and tossed the key away. He laughed.
“I’m just trying to help you out. You know, in case y
our surprise isn’t as amazing as mine.”
She laughed a very unladylike laugh that he found too adorable for words. “Probably not. You’re probably a gift whisperer or something, and honestly I’m not all that great with them.”
Hell, now he felt bad. “I’m sure I’ll love it.” Finally they arrived at the spot overlooking the lake and dismounted. “You’ve shown such tremendous progress on Cinnamon I thought we should celebrate.” He hopped down and helped her off her horse.
Waiting a moment to steady her legs—she was still getting used to spending extended periods of time on a horse—she released a sigh of pleasure. “Oh Alex, this is amazing! Thank you.” She wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. “This is so sweet. No one has ever done anything so sweet.”
“You’re welcome, except for the sweet part.” He swelled with pride at her gratitude but Alex wanted to show her that she deserved all this and so much more. And he was the man to give it to her.
She laughed but accepted it. “Fine. And thanks.” She opened the bag she stuffed inside one of the saddlebags. “My surprise is nowhere near as great, but I’m correcting the travesty of you never having tried peanut butter cookies before.”
He opened the pink lidded plastic container and inhaled before grabbing one and sinking his teeth into it. “Mmmm,” he groaned with a big smile. “I love’em!”
Amanda placed a hand to her chest and laughed long and hard until she was out of breath. “I’m glad you like them. I left another container in your office.”
Being a good guy was really hard, he realized when Amanda licked her lips. He wanted to go for it, to take her in his arms and show her just how much he wanted her. But the time wasn’t right. Amanda was still unsure of him and he was determined to change her mind.
Starting with Friday night.
~
“You look incredible.”
Amanda flushed furiously at Alex’s compliment but her chest swelled with feminine pride at the look in his eyes. “Thank you Alex. You look pretty handsome, really.” She eyed him up and down, happy she’d chosen her little black dress with the modest neckline and long sleeves. Turning to find her shoes and purse, she flushed again at the strangled cough he released. Oh and the back plunged down to her waist. “Come on in, don’t mind…anything really. This place is speck sized.”
