“H-hey,” I stammer, voice breathy.
I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’ve looked into those dreamy hazel eyes a thousand times before and never felt anything more than affection for an old friend. But now I’m newly aware of the handsome planes of his face, the silkiness of his nearly-black brown hair, and the way his shoulders seem to take up the entire doorframe. I can’t keep from staring at his big hand gripping that brown sandwich bag, and thinking about what it felt like to have that hand pressed flat against my fluttering stomach last night.
I had assumed the tingle attack at the bar was an anomaly brought on by a mixture of dating-related despair and too much alcohol, but maybe I was wrong.
And maybe these lessons are going to be even more awkward than I expected.
Chapter Seven
Libby
“Should I come in?” Jus nods meaningfully toward me, making it clear I’ve been standing here staring at him for too long.
“Yes, of course. Sorry.” I move out of the way with a nervous laugh, flapping my hand toward the kitchen on the other side of my microscopic entryway. “Can I get you something to drink? Tea or water or juice?”
“Still anti-soda?” He shrugs off his coat as he moves inside, sending a whiff of his Justin scent drifting my way. He smells even better than he did last night—a combo of soap, fresh air, sea salt, and a hint of toasted bread from the sandwich shop that sort of makes me want to bite him. It’s a completely foreign urge, one that is shocking enough to make me stumble over the welcome mat as I close the door.
“You okay?” Jus asks, arching a brow.
“Fine. Two left feet, as usual.” I ignore the mouthwatering smell of him and head to the fridge. “And yes, I’m still anti-soda, but I’ve got sparkling fruit-flavored things. Orange or cranberry; choose your poison.”
“That’s all right. I’ll stick with tea,” he says, holding out his paper bag. “I brought you half of my second sandwich. You still love the Vietnamese veggie, right?”
“Yes, thank you.” I accept the bag and tuck my future dinner onto the top shelf before shutting the fridge and turning back to him, feeling off-center in a way I’ve never felt around Jus. “That was thoughtful.”
“No problem.” He nods a little too long, his gaze fixed on the tile, before he sucks in a deep breath and lets it out with a sigh. “So, I’ve been thinking about this, Libs…”
“Yes?” My throat tightens. “Please don’t tell me that you’ve changed your mind.”
“I mean, of course I want to help you, but I have no idea where to start, and—”
“That’s okay!” I say with forced brightness. “I made a list last night and I’ve got study materials all ready in the living room. That should get us started, and then we can just let the lesson plan flow from there. I’m good at lesson plans, and you’re good at getting people to date you, so this should really be a no-brainer.”
“Right. Okay.” But he still refuses to lift his gaze from whatever fascinating thing is happening next to my feet, and when he speaks again he sounds as uncomfortable as I feel. “So what’s the first thing on the list?”
“I can’t remember. I’ll have to look at my notes. You want to wait in the living room and I’ll get the tea ready? You’re still Earl Grey with extra sugar, right?”
“Yeah, thanks.” He casts a longing glance toward the door before reluctantly moving toward the living room.
As soon as he’s out of sight, I squeeze my eyes shut and give myself a silent pep talk—
Stop being crazy! Stop it! Right now! This is Justin.
So you’re feeling weird fizzy things around him. So what? It doesn’t matter.
He’s a drop-dead gorgeous professional hockey player who lives up to his bad-boy, womanizing reputation, and you’re the world’s oldest virgin elementary school teacher. He’s a shark who roams the open sea banging all the sexiest, most beautiful and successful female sharks, and you’re a goldfish who’s never been out of your bowl.
He’s so far out of your league he might as well be another species, Libby, and even if he weren’t, he would still be completely off-limits. He’s practically family and has already mentioned several times that he thinks of you as a little sister.
Besides, Roger is the one you want. This is just physical weirdness, nothing that can’t be overcome.
So get in there, push through the awkward part, and get the information you need. New things are never easy, but you can’t afford to screw up what might be your only chance to turn your non-existent love life around.