For a moment Nate’s eyes widened, then he pointed to her top and chuckled. “There’s sauce on your shirt.”
She looked down at the stain and mentally gave herself a forehead slap. How could she forget about the stab wound?
“Freckles, for a primary school teacher, you sure have a dirty mind.” He snickered and walked out of the room.
Jade stood for a beat, a scathing response nowhere to be found, then she followed him out.
* * * *
Nate walked through the corridor, laughing on the inside. He had a feeling if he laughed out loud, Jade would yell at him. And he would keep to himself that he was totally checking out her breasts. The soft fabric with a button popped open showed the edges of a white, sensible-looking bra. A stab of lust had hit him hard, and he’d had to resist the urge to kiss her.
He scrubbed a hand over his face. What the hell was he thinking? He had women at concerts flashing him with impressive-sized breasts all the time, and not one of them had left an impression or even made him want to look twice. So why did this tiny woman, with her big temper, turn him on so much?
“The school hall is this way,” she said with a clipped tone as she brushed past him.
He watched her hips sway has she stormed into what he assumed would be the music room. Now he couldn’t take his eyes off her slim hips and imagined what it would be like to hold them in his hands while she rocked on top—
Dammit, what was going on? How long had it been since he’d last had sex?
If he needed to ask himself that question, it had been way too long. Being on tour didn’t give him the opportunity, regardless of all the phone numbers slipped to him. With his disguise, it couldn’t happen. Nor did he want some groupie who’d do about anyone with a guitar in their hand. And on his downtime, when he’d packed away the disguise, which wasn’t often, he’d be in his hotel room playing music completely different to what his band played. He played music he loved, music that flowed through his veins and made his heart pump with excitement.
He just needed to get laid, and this blazing hot redhead was a huge temptation. But if they would be working together, it probably wasn’t the best idea. Was it even allowed? But their working arrangement was only temporary; surely that wouldn’t be breaking any school rules? Hell, Jade didn’t even like him, so why the hell did he think she’d want to sleep with him?
“So, this is where we’ll be conducting the lessons,” she said, interrupting his thoughts. “We’ve had instruments donated. They’re not in the greatest condition, but we’ll just have to make do.”
Nate decided he needed to get his mind out of the gutter and concentrate on why he was there. He inspected the instruments. “You’re not wrong about them not being in the greatest condition.” He picked up an acoustic guitar with two strings missing and a small hole in the timber. “No one can play on this.”
“I’ll need to get a few things repaired and tuned—”
“It’s not worth spending the money. This is all garbage. Whoever donated these was probably going to throw them out anyway. You’ve saved them the tip fees.” He turned to find a stricken expression on Jade’s face. “Sorry,” he added to soften the blow. He didn’t mean to upset her.
Then the wounded expression changed, a splash of red colored her cheeks, and her mouth slammed into a thin line. “When I see Brian, I will rip his head off! He promised me these were easily fixed. I should never have trusted him. He has shifty, little beady insect eyes.” She dropped onto a nearby stool, slumping her shoulders in defeat like she wasn’t only seconds ago about to decapitate someone. “So, I guess we won’t be needing your help. The school can’t buy the instruments I need.”
It bothered him seeing her so upset. Nor did he want to deprive a child of free lessons. “I’ll buy them.”
She sat up straight on the seat. “What?”
“I was going to give you the stuff from my grandmother’s garage, but why not just buy new stuff?” It wasn’t like he couldn’t afford it. “Give me a list of whatever you need.”
“Are you serious?” Standing up, she raced over to him.
He nodded.
“Oh my God. That’s so generous. Thank you.” And she threw her arms around him.
It wasn’t anything other than appreciation, but the contact blasted through his body, making him hot and extremely turned on. To keep her from pulling away too soon, he wrapped his arms around her too.
The top of her head barely reached his chin, but they seemed to fit perfectly together. And as he pulled her in a little tighter, she didn’t complain. But after a beat, like she realized the embrace was taking longer than necessary, she stepped back.
Clearing her throat, she said, “Thanks again.”
“I’m happy to do it.”
A few strands of red curls broke away from her ponytail and framed her round face. God, she was cute and sexy and passionate. He wanted to get his hands on her, touch her, and taste her smooth, creamy skin. Wanted to watch her face flush red and her freckles pop when he touched her in all her sensitive places.
Unable to stop himself, he tucked a wayward strand behind her ear, his finger caressing the side of her face. She drew in a quick breath, and her gaze dropped to his lips before she stepped further away. It was probably a good idea she put distance between them. A primary school music hall wasn’t the best place to make out.
“Get my number from Toby and text me your list.”