Taming His Tutor(45)

“Don’t feel you have to,” she suddenly snapped. “Especially if there’s someone else you’d rather talk to.”

He took her hand, hard, and started walking. Furious, Abbi refused to make a scene in front of other people. Refused to make a scene at all. He was a free agent, could do what he liked. And she’d tell him so, as soon as they were alone.

As the door to the bar slammed behind them she wrenched her hand free of his and marched in the general direction of her apartment.

“That wasn’t what it looked like,” he called after her.

She said nothing. Couldn’t just yet. It wasn’t her business anyway, was it? This wasn’t about them sharing anything other than their bodies. He had every right to a private life. And if he’d seen another woman he was intensely interested in?

“She’s my sister.” He ground the words out, like it was the last thing he wanted to say.

Abbi stopped still on the sidewalk and swiveled to face him. “Your sister?” She’d had no idea he had a sister. Instinctively she knew he didn’t mean a foster-family sister. She re-framed that episode in her mind. That woman’s height? Those long limbs? He was talking flesh-and-blood family. Abbi marched back to him and grabbed hold of his arm. “Why didn’t you talk to her?”

Hell, he hadn’t even waved. He’d stared at her for such an intense moment. And that woman had seen him too. But then Joe had looked away. He’d collared Abbi and gotten the hell out of there.

Why?

“I’m sorry, this lesson was a bust,” Joe said shortly, ignoring her question.

She wasn’t sorry. She was dying of curiosity. But even more than that, she was desperate to help him somehow. Because he was hurt.

She held her breath, trying to figure out what she should do or say or whatever. But Joe was definitely feeling crapola. She could see it in his tense stance, in the way he wouldn’t meet her eyes, in the uncharacteristic gruffness of his voice.

“Do you want to go back to the bar?” she asked softly. “I can grab a taxi home…if you’d rather go back alone…”

“I’d rather you didn’t…”

The guy actually looked awkward. But somehow she didn’t think he’d want to grab a coffee and sit and talk in some late-night cafe.

What did he do when he wanted to escape? Oh, she knew. But she wasn’t confident enough to lay one on him. Not yet. Maybe some other exercise might have the same effect? Admittedly not in quite such a satisfying way, but it was worth a shot, right?

“Why don’t we go to the gym? I could play on the equipment,” she said. “I’m never going to do that in the daytime, you know.”

A short laugh burst from him. “Okay. Sure.”

It was only a few minutes’ walk to his gym. Kicking her shoes off as soon as they got there, Abbi stepped into the gym floor area, fascinated to explore the big space when there was no one else there.

She ran a hand over one of the exercise machines that was on the perimeter of the circuit and glanced over at him. “Show me some moves?”

She liked the idea of watching him work out while butt-naked. She could watch every one of those amazing muscles flex. But she might have to wait another five minutes before asking him to strip. He still looked way too uptight.

He shook his head. “I’ve already taken a class today.”

“Only one?” She looked at the machine again. “Pity.”

“You can come along to a class anytime.”

Oh, she so wasn’t ever going to do one of his classes. She walked farther into the workout area and came across a container full of balls.

Bingo.

She grabbed one, turning to quickly throw it to him.

He caught it instantly, with one hand. Of course.

“You like one-on-one?” she asked.

“You know I do.”

And no doubt he also knew she’d be absolutely hopeless at it. Which she was. But that didn’t stop her from trying. The guy knew all her most embarrassing secrets. So what if he saw her panting and unable to catch a damn ball?

But she did catch the ball as he threw it back. She turned and ran, attempting to dribble the ball, but only letting it bounce the once before she just held onto it and ran, giggling as he quickly caught on and chased her. She ducked in behind one of the exercise machines, into a space too small for him to follow.

“That’s not fair,” he waggled a finger at her.

“I know, and now I’m stuck anyway.”

“Come on out, I won’t bite.”

“Much.” She laughed and threw the ball back at him. “Do you miss playing?”

“Nah.” He spun the basketball on his finger. Then stopped and sent her a rueful smile. “Okay, sometimes.”