Chapter 4
Daniela should have known she was making a mistake when she decided to walk back to her car between classes on Tuesday.
The late morning sky had turned a gunmetal gray and the clouds seemed swollen with the threat of rain.
But there’d been no mention of showers in the weather forecast, and she wanted to retrieve a sweater from her car in case she got cold in her next class.
She’d barely locked the car door behind her when she felt the first fat droplets of rain.
Hoisting her backpack over her head, she began running for cover.
But by the time she reached the Miriam Merrick East Law Library, where she’d been headed next, her fitted t-shirt and dark jeans were half soaked.
Her hot pink flip-flops made a loud squishing noise as she ducked inside the elegant, modern building.
“Excuse me, where’s the restroom?” she asked the woman seated behind the wide circulation desk.
“Around the corner to your right.”
Two boys standing nearby glanced over at Daniela and stared, their mouths hanging open before they exchanged lewd grins.
Daniela looked down at herself and cringed when she saw that her pink t-shirt was plastered to her chest. Her lacy black bra was completely visible through the now-transparent material, her pebbled nipples flashing everyone in the vicinity.
Clutching her backpack protectively to her chest, Daniela took off in the direction the librarian had indicated. Keeping her head down, she scurried around the first corner and crashed headlong into what felt like a concrete wall.
Her backpack dropped to the floor as she lost her balance and stumbled backward.
A pair of steel-corded arms shot out to catch her as she lifted her eyes to mumble an embarrassed apology.
Her breath lodged in her throat when she found herself staring into the drop-dead gorgeous face of Caleb Thorne.
The apology died on her lips and her hands froze against his huge chest, where they’d landed during the collision.
The feel of hard, muscled flesh beneath her fingers sent heat waves ricocheting through her body.
The hands gripping her upper arms were massive, a searing brand on her rain-slick skin.
“Miss Moreau,” he murmured in that deep, hypnotic voice that had whispered through her dreams all night long, leaving her hot and achy in unmentionable places.
She swallowed hard and silently ordered herself to get a damn grip. She’d never be able to carry out her mission if she got tongue-tied every time the man was near. “Sorry for bumping into you, Professor Thorne. I was sort of in a hurry.”
“You don’t say.” When her hands fell away from his chest, he released her and crouched down to pick up her backpack.
As he slowly straightened to his full height, those midnight eyes roamed over her, lingering on the outline of her breasts against the flimsy layer of wet cotton.
His gaze darkened, coaxing a shiver from her that had nothing to do with the cool air circulating through the building.
“Thank you,” she murmured, accepting her backpack from him. This time their fingers made no contact during the transfer, and she didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed.
Caleb glanced over her head toward the windows at the front of the library. Those lickable lips of his quirked at the corners. “Guess it’s raining outside.”
“Yeah,” she grumbled, cradling her soggy backpack to her chest again. “You’d think our local meteorologists could’ve given us a little warning. Even the weather app failed me.”
His amused gaze returned to hers. “No umbrella?”
“Left it at home.” She pushed at a lock of wet hair that fell into her right eye, and wondered if she was only imagining Caleb’s reluctance to part company with her.
As if reading her mind, he took a step backward. “I’d better let you go…dry off. See you in class tomorrow.”
“Um, yeah. Sure.” Wait! Don’t go! It’ll only take me a few minutes to lose the drowned-rat look and make myself presentable again!
But she only turned and continued on her way to the restroom, telling herself she’d have better luck next time.
Caleb stood watching as Daniela walked away from him, damp curls hanging between her shoulder blades. The clothes plastered against her hourglass body showcased a small waist that flared into an eat-your-heart-out-Beyoncé ass. The sight of her round bottom and long, curvy legs made his mouth water.
He pulled in a deep, ragged breath and slowly made his way back to the table in a private corner of the library where he’d been studying before the encounter with Daniela.
No matter how hard he tried to erase it, her fallen-angel image was seared into his brain.
As if she still stood before him, he saw the long-lashed dark eyes that tilted at the corners, the finely sculpted cheekbones, the delicate chin that hinted at a stubborn streak, the lush mouth that begged to be kissed.
Her flawless brown skin looked soft and silky to the touch.
Her hair was parted halfway down the center, and thick black curls framed the sensual contours of her face before tumbling down to her shoulders.
His eyes hadn’t deceived him yesterday. She was beautiful. Half temptress, half innocent.
“Mind if I join you?”
For a moment Caleb wondered if he’d only imagined hearing the soft, husky voice of the woman dominating his thoughts. But when he glanced up from the table, she stood there in the flesh, remarkably drier than she’d been twenty minutes ago.
Idly he wondered if she’d patted herself dry with paper towels, or positioned herself in front of the automatic hand dryer. His groin tightened at the image of her tugging off her clingy wet t-shirt to expose a flat belly and plump breasts spilling from a scrap of black lace.
“Do you mind?” she repeated, dark brows arched as she waited for his response.
Against his better judgment, Caleb shook his head and gestured toward the seat opposite his own. When she lowered that luscious rump into the chair, he found himself envying the lucky piece of furniture.
That’s when he should have known he was in deep trouble.
Forcing normalcy into his tone, Caleb asked, “What are you working on?”
“An assignment for Legal Research and Writing. We have to prepare a case brief by the end of the semester.” Daniela slipped off her pink flip-flops and tucked her bare feet beneath her legs, sitting lotus-style in the chair.
There was something so earthy, so bohemian, about the pose that Caleb almost smiled.
There they were seated in a richly appointed law library that boasted the largest collection of legal information in San Antonio. Around them were scholarly-looking people roaming up and down rows of bookcases filled with tomes on every legal subject conceivable.
And there was Daniela, sitting across from her law professor and looking as wholesome and appealing as a barefoot contessa. Her scent wafted into his nostrils, summer rain mingled with something exotic that conjured images of gossamer white curtains stirring in a sultry Mediterranean breeze.
Just the essence of the woman could inspire even the most hardened misanthrope to spout poetry—long, flowery sonnets of angst and devotion.
With a supreme effort, Caleb reined in his thoughts. “A case brief, huh?”
She nodded, removing a spiral notebook and a pen from her backpack. “Got any pointers for me?”
“Yeah,” he said gruffly, returning to his own work. “Be as brief as possible.”
She chuckled, a low, throaty sound that sucker-punched him in the balls.
He lifted his head to look at her. “Seriously. A case brief should be precise and get to the point of the issues that have been raised. It should be coherent, focused, well organized and properly cited. You don’t want—” He broke off, frowning as Daniela scribbled furiously in her notebook. “What’re you doing?”
She glanced up, blinking those dreamy doe eyes at him. “I’m taking notes. This is good stuff.”
His lips twitched. “I’m sure your instructor provided the same information. But if you want,” he heard himself saying, “I can look over your case brief before you turn it in.”
Daniela beamed a smile at him that made him feel twenty feet tall. “I’m going to take you up on that offer, Professor Thorne. Thank you very much.”
“Who do you have, by the way? For Legal Research and Writing.”
“Adler.”
Caleb nodded approvingly. “Shara’s a good friend of mine. You’ll like her—she definitely knows her stuff.”
“I’ll bet,” Daniela murmured.
Caleb thought he detected a double meaning in those two words.
And then he remembered that she’d been with him yesterday when Shara invited him for coffee.
She’d probably reached the conclusion that he and Shara were involved.
Not that it mattered one iota what Daniela Moreau had assumed.
She was his student, one of many under his instruction.
He’d do well to remember that.
She looked around admiringly at the Doric marble columns, custom chandeliers and rows of mahogany reading tables.
“This is quite a library,” she marveled.
“Don’t laugh, but I feel like I’m in a movie.
When I decided to enroll here, I binge-watched a bunch of films about law school, everything from The Paper Chase to Legally Blonde—plus the sequel.
” She grinned. “If you ask me whether I own a pink power suit like Elle Woods, I’ll plead the Fifth. ”
Caleb fought the tug of a grin. He didn’t want to find her adorable, but he couldn’t help it. She was irresistible. Fucking disarming.
“Your students are so lucky you’re not practicing law anymore,” she told him. “BigLaw’s loss is definitely the university’s gain.”
“Sucking up doesn’t work on me, Miss Moreau,” Caleb said dryly. “At the end of the semester, you will receive the grade you earned. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“What? You think I was sucking up? I would never.”
“Riiight,” he drawled.