Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 51210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
Daddy,
Thank you for Tapper. He told me he’d be too lonely here by himself, so I took him with me. I hope that’s okay. I’m off to run home to change clothes for my afternoon class. Will I see you when you’re off work?
Saylor
After reading her message, she typed one more line.
PS. Can I sleep over again?
She hovered by the island for several seconds, wondering if her message was too much. She could rewrite it without that last line and throw the note away. Saylor reread his note. He’d left hugs and kisses. That meant he wanted her back, right?
Stiffening her spine, Saylor decided to leave her message as is. Even if he were too busy for her to come back over tonight, that didn’t mean that he wasn’t interested in her. They didn’t need to go from teacher and student to a dedicated couple spending all their free time together after two nights.
Crap! She was his teacher. That was completely frowned on by the university. They were both adults. He wasn’t eighteen, but a man who had faced so many challenges in life. Max also wasn’t an art major. This was an evening class he was taking because he enjoyed drawing.
The grading scale for these classes was fairly easy. Plus, anyone seeing his work wouldn’t question Max getting a good score. As long as he completed all the assignments, no one would question if favoritism played a role in her grading.
Saylor squeezed Tapper tight and pushed any worries from her mind. She deserved to be happy and wouldn’t fret over anything negative that might happen. Picking up her phone, she texted one more line:
PPS. XOXOXOXOXOX.
Driving back to her condo with Tapper on her lap, Saylor couldn’t believe how much had changed since she’d left her driveway to go to Max’s class. She didn’t feel isolated and cut off from everyone. Teaching could be a very lonely profession. The other university professors in her department were friendly enough, but they’d lived in this community for years. She was the newcomer.
Feeling lazy, she visited a drive-thru for a quick breakfast treat. That would have enough carbs to fuel her until after her class. She set Tapper carefully in the passenger seat so she didn’t drop any crumbs on the stuffie’s soft fur. One bite of the greasy sandwich made her groan with delight. Somehow, she was going to have to share with Max that she enjoyed food he probably never ate.
They did have steak, she reminded herself. A man of Max’s size would need a lot of protein to fuel his body. Still, she couldn’t see him eating a triple bacon biscuit. He was in way too good of shape to have many of those empty calories.
Her mind drifted to his body. Damn, he was built like a Greek statue. Chiseled and powerful, Max had to be aware of how handsome he was. Saylor hadn’t noted a drop of over-inflated ego or conceit. Max was completely aware of his power and athleticism. That showed in his every move.
A jarring honk from behind her booted her out of her thoughts. With an ‘I’m sorry’ wave, Saylor steered her car forward, pushing her memories of Max’s moves from her mind. In just a few minutes, she pulled into her neighborhood. She wasn’t that far from Max’s home.
Once in her place, Saylor jumped in the shower. She hated washing off Max’s scent, but couldn’t go to teach smelling like a brothel. Rolling her eyes as she laughed at herself for that thought, Saylor dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. Even though it was warm outside this time of year, Saylor always froze in the air-conditioned building. In her office, she had some colorful smocks that she wore over her clothing in messy classes like clay pottery. Still in an art classroom, dressing in expensive or fancy clothes was an invitation to stain, snag, or rip her apparel.
As she brushed her hair, Saylor looked at herself in the mirror. Was she imagining it or had the shadowed look in her eyes disappeared? Definitely not tossing and turning all night had decreased the dark circles under her eyes. She set the brush down and wrapped her arms around herself in a silent hug.
Please let this continue.
After experiencing Max’s caring attention, Saylor didn’t want to lose it. Her heart would never be the same. She forced herself to stop mooning over Max and get ready. In a few more minutes, she headed toward the university.
CHAPTER 9
Sweat rolled into Max’s eyes as he concentrated on the tangle of wires. Tracing the most important pathways on the explosive device, he forced himself to breathe slowly and take his time. Rushing led to dangerous results.
With that said, he was acutely aware that the timer now held less than thirty seconds. Soon, he would have to take his best guess if he didn’t figure out which wire would disarm the bomb. There! Max spotted a pink-striped wire leading to the ignition. Without debating his decision, Max snipped the pliers closed, severing the target.