Romance: Young Adult Romance: The Perfect Game (A Highschool Football Romance) (Bad Boy Nerd New Adult Romance) (54 page)

     Ian guffawed outright.

     “You know, it was at last night’s show that I
really
got a good taste of your sense of humor,” he observed, adding in a darker tone, “I stopped laughing, though, when I saw you run out the door. I was afraid I’d never see you again.”

     Cara snorted.

    
“Well that was the general plan,” she allowed, adding as she arched her eyebrows in his direction, “Do you mean to tell me that you set all of this up just to meet me?” she paused here, adding with crossed eyes, “Are you intentionally flunking classic lit, just so we could connect?
Kinda
creepy there, dude.”

     Ian shook his head.

     “
Believe
me,
Cara, I sure do wish that I was faking my complete and utter inability to write a composition
just so
I could meet you.
The fact is, though, that I really am in need of your services,” he revealed, adding through gritted teeth, “I must admit, of course, that I have been putting off seeking out the services of yet another tutor who is just going to take particular delight in treating me like an illiterate metal head.
So imagine my surprise when I asked around about the mystery girl who keeps popping up at my shows, only to learn that she just happens to be an ace English tutor.”

     With these words Ian leaned once again across the table; continuing to pierce her with that unnerving
azure-eyed
stare as he erased all distance between them.

     “So what do you think, Teach?” he asked her, voice laced with
sensual
challenge. “Are you ready to take on
a rock’n’roll
rebel?”

     The tutor pursed her lips, considering his words with arched eyebrows and a decided air of skepticism.

     “Take you on?” she repeated in an intentionally vague tone. “You mean as a pupil? Lordy, why am I even bothering to ask?” she finished, more to herself than to Ian.

    
Yet she
smiled as Ian let loose with a deep melodic chuckle that sent tingles down her spine.

     “No, actually you’re exactly spot on,” he revealed, adding as his azure eyes came alight with a bold flash of blatant seduction, “I figure that, if you teach me a few things, I just might be able to return the favor.”

     Grinning in spite of herself, Cara reached
across the table
to grace his muscled shoulder with a single playful slap.

     “Oh
be-have
,” she chided him with a playful grin, adding with the slight waggle of her eyebrows, “Or don’t.”

Chapter three

     Reluctantly insisting that they set aside all intervals of flirtation and playfulness, at least for the time being, Cara issued a unique challenge to her new pupil; one that she hoped would make him just as comfortable and at ease in a classroom as he was on a concert stage.

    
Seizing upon the contents of his current learning unit in classic literature, one that revolved around a comprehensive study of Greek mythology and the gods and goddesses that fill its legends, she challenged him to craft an old-style ballad about each of these divine heroes and heroines; then working with her to morph these songs into workable grade A compositions— literally, or so they hoped.

     As an avid fan of Greek mythology herself, Cara came to relish the weekly music performances involved in this lesson. Bringing his guitar with him to every tutoring session and putting it to excellent use, Ian entertained her with highly theatrical renditions of his original compositions.

     For each session he morphed her cubicle into a (very) small scale performance stage, his
deep smooth
voice booming as he delivered stirring ballads that told tales of legends past; emphasizing each performance with all of his usual performance tricks and ‘shows of showmanship.’

    
The skillful flip of his smooth gold hair, the flash of his vivid aquiline eyes, the sinuous writhe and slither of his oh so graceful lean muscled form, the agility of his hands as he strummed the chords of the chestnut polish acoustic guitar; he even snuck in a few suggestive dance moves, gyrating his hard trim hips as he purred lyrics that hinted at the passionate relations that were said to have transpired between the legendary couples of Greek mythology: Apollo and Daphne, Psyche and Eros, Persephone and Hades, Aphrodite and Hephaestus, Aphrodite and Adonis, Aphrodite and—well, anyone who just happened to be roaming around ancient Greece at the time.

    
“He pulls off Adonis particularly well,” she noted, watching enrapt as the young man she’d once perceived as an angel morphed magically into a mythical god; his carved bronzed face upturned to the lights above them as his full moist lips did part to let loose with a soft, smooth melody--one that told the tale of the most beautiful god of them all.

     Strumming his guitar as though it was a harp, her
private
performer ensnared her gaze as he delivered the final lines of his ballad; his silky hair flying like a pennant around his sculpted head as he released his culminating chorus in the form of an impassioned wail.

     A sob erupted in Cara’s throat as he delivered this last stirring crescendo, bringing her to her feet as she applauded his performance with hoots and whistles to boot.

     “Brilliant!” she praised him, meeting him at the center of the room as the two clasped hands between them.

    
“Why thank you Miss,” he acknowledged with a nod, adding as he gritted his teeth, “I only hope that my lit prof feels the same way tomorrow, when he hands out my first graded composition,” he paused here, squeezing her fingers tight between his as he added, “The first, that is, since I started working with the best tutor on campus—a lady who constantly amazes me with her intelligence, her wit, her creativity,” he paused here, adding as he reached forward to press his soft, warm lips against her plump cheek, “You’re a wonder, Cara.
I only hope that your influence has well and seeped
into
this thick noggin of mine.”

     He exhaled as she graced his shoulder with a reassuring pat.

     “Listen to me,” she commanded him, staring straight into his eyes as she continued, “If your essays are as half as good as your ballads, then you have absolutely nothing to
worry about
. Do you understand me? Nothing. Now go to class and
knock ‘em
dead—to use a
really weak
and lame analogy that never should pass the lips of an English teacher. Shame on me!”

     She fell silent as her student leaned forward to erase all distance between them; touching her lips with a soft sweet kiss.

     Although gentle and respectful, Ian’s kiss resounded with a white hot intensity that she felt all the way through to her soul—as well as to other select parts of her body that she’d almost forgotten existed.

     “Wow, this dude is good,” she mused in silence, taking a deep breath before adding aloud, “So what, may I ask, was that for?”

     Ian smiled; a shy, gentle smile that seemed uncharacteristic for the slick rocker.

     “For being awesome and amazing, and for saving my derriere this semester.”

     Cara grinned.

     “And it is, I must say,
an awfully
cute derriere,” she observed, adding as she covered her mouth with her hand, “Oh dear Lord, I cannot believe I just made that crass and
unprofessional
statement. That was nothing short of foolish.
I am so sorry!”

     She relaxed as Ian once again closed all distance between them; sweeping her up in a warm tight embrace and holding her closer to him.

     “Now you listen to me,” he whispered, echoing her earlier sentiment. “I condone and actively encourage you, my tutor, to be as crass, unprofessional, or even outright inappropriate as possible with me. Capiche?”

     For a moment the couple said nothing more; just clung
tightly
to one another as Cara savored the feel of his strong muscled arms wound tight around her body.

     Their
public
surroundings dissolved around them as she lost herself in all things Ian;
savoring
the feel of his hard muscled chest pressed against hers, the light waft of his citrus tinged
scent
and the soft brush of his long golden hair as it swayed across her shoulders.

     Now, she reasoned, she’d finally kissed and touched the object of her deepest, sweetest fantasy.

     And now that she’d had her first taste and touch of her beloved
rock’n’roller
, she wondered if she could ever stop.

     Abruptly breaking free of his encompassing embrace, Cara cleared her throat loudly as she retreated to her desk; absently shuffling her way through some papers as she told him in a distracted tone, “Well be sure and tell me how things go in class today. Best of luck, Ian.”

     Arching his feathered eyebrows with a wolfish
white-toothed
grin, Ian turned with a smooth flourish in the direction of the door.

     “Will do Teach,” he assented, adding in a soft purr, “And here’s hoping that good
ol
’ Ian gets very, very lucky—in more ways than one.”

Chapter four

     These words resounded in Cara’s mind the next morning, as she stood once again in her office cubicle; pacing the floor of her modest office as she clenched her hands tight before her.

     “His class met mid-day yesterday. Why hasn’t he called me? E-mailed me? Texted me? Alerted me of his essay grade via carrier pigeon? You know, whatever chosen mode of communication works best for the dude,” she reasoned, adding as she lifted her chin to
prideful
effect, “Of course, I would expend the same amount of care and concern for all of my clients. That’s right. Every. Darned. One. Of. Them. It is my job, after all, to care about the overall welfare and singular academic success of my students.”

     She cringed as that annoying little voice in her head—the one she liked to call Cara’s Conscious, and that was the politest term
she
could conjure—resounded suddenly from her psyche, saying the words she did not want or need to hear.

     “It is indeed your job to care about your students,” said the voice, which she
thought always
sounded a heck of a lot like Dame Maggie Smith for some reason. “It is not your job to slobber profusely all over them—then to dream of them that night, and for the 105
th
night in a row.”

     “Oh, do you have to go and keep count?” Cara scoffed aloud, adding as she rolled her eyes heavenward, “Why don’t you just
shuddup
!”

     “Cara, are you kosher?”

     Jumping at the sound of another voice that had an annoying habit of running her life, Cara now turned to face Gary Lennox,
lead
teacher at the
Primswell
University student tutoring center.

     “Yeah,” she assured him with a wan forced smile. “I’m kosher.”

     “Good,” he replied, tone equally forced and totally unconvinced. “One of your students is here, and he looks to be incredibly joyful about his
latest
composition grade—a grade, or so he has told me, that you helped him earn.”

     Clasping her hands before her, Cara let loose with a
loud,
joyful whoop as she processed this news.

     “Ian!” she exclaimed, adding as Gary met this exclamation with a
sharply
arched eyebrow, “Um, I am so pleased that one of my brightest, most challenging students
has
succeeded on such a grand scale.”

     Gary looked at her for a long moment, then nodded.

     “Indeed,” he muttered, stepping aside to make way for a golden fireball who bounded with swift strides into her office.

     “Ian!” Cara exclaimed, holding her hand out to him, “So I understand you have some good news for…”

     Taking her hand in his, Ian pulled her to him and swept her up in two muscled arms; holding her body closer than close as he seized her lips in a passionate kiss.

     Swallowing her startled breath, Ian massaged her lips
in
soft, smooth strokes as she sighed her contentment.

     Leaning into his kiss, Cara wrapped her arms around his bulging shoulders as their tongues entangled between them.

     Their
public
surroundings dissolved around them as Ian’s
sturdy
hands ran like warm water down the surface of his back; soothing and massaging her tension wrought muscles as he continued to kiss her senseless.

     Angling his head over hers to intensify their kiss, Ian pulled her closer still as she entwined her fingers in the lengths of his silky blond hair, pressing herself against him as she savored the feel of his
sleek,
muscular shoulders.

     Just barely above the pounding of her heart, Cara heard the opening of a door in the front office of the learning center. The noise, although faint, served to shatter their intimate romantic mood, causing her to break their kiss and step sharp away from him.

     For just a moment the couple stared deep into one another’s eyes, their hands still clenched as so many words remained unspoken between them.

     Finally and with a deep sustaining breath, Cara parted her lips and released on a whisper, “So I take it you got an A on the paper? I mean, I’m just hazarding a wild guess here. Excuse me if I am mistaken.”

     Pitching his head back in a leonine motion, Ian let loose with a melodic guffaw as he considered these words.

     “You always make me laugh,” he praised her, adding with a sheepish grin, “And while I would love to tell you that I did indeed score an A on my classic lit composition, the truth is that I was only able to manage a measly B plus.”

     He jumped as his tutor met these words with a loud, resounding howl.

     “A measly B plus? Ian, that’s amazing!”  Cara insisted, adding as she graced him with a proud smile, “You’ve come so far in such a short time, and I couldn’t be
prouder
of you.”

     Ian shook his head.

     “We’ve come so far in such a short time,” he corrected her, adding as he squeezed her fingers between his, “Just imagine how much further we could go together, Cara. Just imagine the possibilities.”

     He said these last words in a
soft,
suggestive
tone that sent tingles down her spine.

    
“Well I kind of guessed as much,” she purred in return, adding as she inclined her head in his direction, “I mean, if a B plus paper earns me that kind of kiss, imagine what you’d do if you got an A,” she paused here, adding with just a hint of sensual challenge, “So you tell me, Ian,.
What’s our next step?”

     Ian shrugged.

     “Well for starters,” he began, tone smooth if just a bit shy. “I’d
really
like you to come to Night Grooves tonight, to see my 8 o’clock show.”

     Cara thought for a moment, then shook her head.

     “I don’t know Ian,” she told him, shuffling her feet beneath her. “The last time I came to see you, things didn’t go so swimmingly for me—as you may remember.”

     Ian chuckled.

     “
This time,
would be different,” he insisted, adding as he pointed an affirming finger in her direction, “This time you would sit at the best table in the house, front row center. I’ll join you there after the show, and we’ll—I don’t know—have dinner or something.”

     Cara grinned.

     “Well if I didn’t know better, Mr. McGovern,” she began, tone sly and coquettish. “I’d say that you were asking me out on a date.”

     She took in her breath as he surged inward to sear her lips with a soft sweet kiss.

     “You do know better,” he teased her, adding as he arched his eyebrows playful in her direction, “And, in case there’s any doubt, I am indeed asking you out on a date.”