Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 147967 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 740(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147967 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 740(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
“Um.” Shoot. Could she do that? She wasn’t so sure.
“Because I can’t protect you properly if you’re avoiding me. And you’ve no reason to be embarrassed.”
“I haven’t?” she said in a high-pitched voice.
“Of course not,” he said, sounding amused. “I’ve had plenty of people knee me in the groin then ice me down.”
Oh, he was so lying.
Maya narrowed her gaze at him as her temper stirred. “You’re lying. I thought you said there would be no lies between us.”
“Hmm. I believe I actually said that you couldn’t lie to me. However, I am willing to agree to no lies between us.”
“You just lied.” She waggled her finger in his face. “Tut-tut-tut. That’s very naughty. I might have to look into some consequences for you.”
“Is that so? You might want to rethink that stance. Because you’ve told far more lies than I have. I know you haven’t had any headaches or sore stomachs.”
Shit. She had claimed a lot of headaches and sore tummies lately as an excuse to go to bed. She hadn’t really thought of them as lies . . . more like a necessity.
But lying was a rule.
“We can just call it even,” she said hastily.
“I thought you might feel that way. I’m willing to overlook all the lies if you stop avoiding me.”
“I will. I will stop avoiding you.”
“I suppose it would be pushing it to tell you that you can also stop feeling shy around me.”
“I don’t feel shy,” she blurted out.
Shit. What was she doing? She really didn’t want to confess exactly how she felt around him.
“No? Then why do you struggle to look at me and talk to me at the same time? I thought it was shyness and you’d get over it.”
Had he really thought that?
Because she wasn’t precisely a shy person.
But she guessed it was better he thought that than have him know the truth.
That she was overwhelmed by him.
Physically. Mentally.
He was just so gorgeous she grew tongue-tied around him. Although she thought she had been doing better lately.
Well, sort of.
“I just . . . I don’t know.”
“What did we just speak about, Maya?” he said in a low, warning voice.
What? What was he talking about? What had she . . . oh.
She’d just lied to him.
“You don’t have to tell me everything, although I prefer it that way. But you do have to be truthful in the things that you do tell me. If there is something you can’t tell me, then say that.”
“I don’t . . . I can’t tell you,” she said.
“Good girl for being honest.”
Really? He was going to praise her for that?
“Now. Dinner is almost ready and you need to eat so you have the strength to do the dishes after.”
Dear Lord.
She was going to be so thankful when that consequence was over.
29
“Maya, there you are. I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” David said impatiently as he walked into the breakroom.
Really? Everywhere?
Where had he looked? Her studio? The changing room? The women’s bathroom? This place wasn’t actually so big that she could hide from him.
Believe her, she’d tried.
“I’ve decided to add additional classes to the schedule.”
She sighed as she put her fork down. Matthieu glanced over at her from where he sat across the small table. They’d brought in leftovers for lunch and she’d really like to eat. Matthieu was an amazing cook.
“What are you eating?” David asked, peering at her food as though he thought it might rise up and eat him.
“Lasagna. Matthieu made it.”
Things were a lot better between them after their chat a few nights ago. She was no longer worried about the near-kiss. It was obvious he hadn’t even noticed that she’d nearly kissed him.
Thank God.
But that could never happen again.
David turned his nose up as though he couldn’t understand anyone eating lasagna. “Well, it smells.”
Lord, he was a dick. “If it makes you that uncomfortable, we’ll go eat outside.”
“That would be appreciated,” David said with a sniff.
“Not happening,” Matthieu rumbled.
Surprise filled her as she turned to him. Normally he was pretty quiet and unobtrusive while she was working.
“It’s safer in here,” he added.
David huffed. “Safer? Nothing has happened! Not a single threat.”
“Yeah, how would you know that?” Matthieu asked.
“Because I asked Maya to keep me updated.”
That was true. She shrugged and nodded at Matthieu. “Even my father hasn’t had any more threats.”
Kind of weird, really.
“You said you were adding more classes,” she prompted David.
“Yes, I’ll put out the new schedule for next week by the end of today. But I’ll need you to take on a couple more classes.”
“I don’t know if I can do that,” she said. Normally, she’d welcome the money. But she didn’t want to spend any more time away from her babies.
“Really? Because I know you’ve wanted to take those puppy yoga classes and I’ve added another one on a Wednesday evening starting next week.”