I turn to find Seth and Josh staring at me from the door. Seth wrinkles his nose and sighs. “I do not want to paint. Tell me you’re not going to make me paint.”
Josh leans casually against the doorframe and smirks at me. “Sick, huh?”
I shrug and turn around, cleaning up my mess.
“Are you feeling better?” Seth asks.
“I’m fine,” I mumble.
“Seth, why don’t you go wait for Cara at the kitchen table.” Josh hasn’t taken his eyes off me, and I squirm as Seth leaves the room. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m fine,” I repeat as I place the lid on the can of paint.
“You called in sick this morning.”
I shrug again, not wanting to admit that he’s the reason I didn’t come to work, and pissed that my lust for him is interfering with my job.
“Look at me.” His voice is firm. I close my eyes and cross my arms over my chest.
“Maybe you should find Seth a different tutor. I can make some calls.”
Josh moves into the room, grips my chin between his thumb and finger, and tilts my head back to look him in the face. “No.”
“Josh . . .”
“No.” He shakes his head. “Seth actually smiled at me this morning, Cara. He was respectful to my parents when they told him to feed the dogs and collect the eggs this morning. That’s because of you. I’m not hiring someone else.”
“I’m so glad, really, but I think—”
“Stop thinking so hard.” He offers me a half smile, that sexy dimple winking at me, and I feel myself soften. “I’m not going to ravage your body in front of him. I can control myself.” Josh frowns and narrows his eyes. “But when he’s not around, I plan to touch you as much as possible.”
I can’t stop my gasp or the way my eyes go round in surprise. “This is crazy,” I whisper.
“Call in sick again and I’ll come find you, if nothing more than to make sure you’re okay.” He smirks arrogantly and backs away. I immediately miss the warmth of his body so close to mine.
“I’m not helpless.”
“If you don’t want me to pursue you, say the word and I’ll stop. I’m not in the habit of harassing women.” He crosses his arms over his chest, his biceps flex under his white T-shirt, and I am once again a quivering, wet mess.
I should tell him I’m not interested. But I can’t form the damn words.
“Okay.” He nods and smiles. “I’ll pick Seth up at two.”
“You didn’t have to bring him here,” I mutter.
“Yeah, I did. I’ll see you later, sweetheart.”
I follow Josh out of the room and into the living space. He leaves without another word.
Seth is watching me as if I might die of the plague any moment. “Are you really sick?”
“I’m feeling better.” I shrug and offer him a small smile, and he returns it, a bright, sweet young-boy smile. “Let’s get started on fractions.”
“I hate fractions.”
“I’m with you, kid.”
* * *
“So, he didn’t call you at all over the weekend?” Jill asks over the phone. I press it between my ear and shoulder as I pull the bag of popcorn apart to empty it into a bowl. The screen on my back door is suddenly slammed, hard, and I hurry over to secure it.
“Storm’s coming in.” I love summer storms. They move in fast and hard, blowing wind and spitting rain, and then they move out just as fast. “The wind is nuts right now.” I eye the tree in the backyard and remind myself for the hundredth time to call Mr. Eckles to come over and trim it.
“Is there thunder?” Jill asks, making me laugh. She’s so in-your-face most of the time, but a total wimp when it comes to storms.
“Yes, and lightning.”
“Ugh, I’m glad I’m not there. Now, focus. You didn’t hear from Josh over the weekend?”
“Nope. It’s been a week since he showed up here the day I called in sick. He didn’t lie before. He hasn’t touched me in front of Seth, but when Seth isn’t around, he definitely does.”
“Touches you how?” She’s chewing on something crunchy.
“You know, brushes against me when he walks past, tucks my hair behind my ear, that kind of stuff. Like yesterday—” I stop short.
“If you stop now, I swear to God, I’ll shoot you the next time I see you.”
“You don’t know how to fire a gun.”
“I’ll learn. Keep talking.”
“Well, yesterday, I was leaning over Seth’s shoulder to read the worksheet he was working on, and Josh moved up behind me and rubbed his hand up and down my back, and when I looked up at him, he winked at me.”
“But no more kissing?”
“No.”
“Boring.” Jill sighs.
I laugh. “I’m so sorry that I’m not more entertaining.”
“Hey, you’re getting more action than I am these days.” She takes another bite of the crunchy. “So maybe you should just kiss him.”
“Maybe he came to his senses and realized that a sexual relationship is a bad idea.”
“Maybe pigs will fly out of my ass.” I can practically hear her roll her eyes.
“I’ve always hated that expression.” I frown and stuff a handful of popcorn in my mouth.