Chapter One
“Nathan!”
“What?”
“Stop staring at me,” Haley told her boyfriend who was seated across the table from her in the far corner of the Tutoring Center. Her face felt hot and she knew her skin was probably a bright pink colour, demonstrating her embarrassment to him loud and clear.
“How do you know I’m staring at you when you’re not even looking at me?”
Glancing up from the text book she was attempting to read, she saw the teasing glint in his baby blue eyes which was coupled with that familiar smirk of his. “I can feel you staring at me.”
“Can you now? How ‘bout you come over here and fee—”
“Nathan!” she interrupted, her face growing even warmer at what she was pretty sure he’d been about to say.
“Yes?”
Haley’s teeth bit into her bottom lip as she tried not to laugh at the innocent tone his voice had suddenly taken on. “Quit distracting me.”
“How am I distracting you, Hales? I’m just sitting here, minding my own business.”
“You should be finishing the assignment I gave you.” Leaning forward slightly, she tapped her pen on his own open text book.
Nathan let his eyes roam all over his girlfriend, his gaze settling on her chest which was being nicely displayed in the blue, silkscreen baby T-shirt she was wearing today and his smirk turned into a genuine smile when he saw the little shiver that seemed to travel through her just then. His eyes crinkled with amusement when they met her rich chocolate brown ones again a moment later.
“Stop it!” Haley ordered, although her voice was wavering. Right now she was desperate to feel Nathan’s lips on hers but, unfortunately, they weren’t alone. A couple of her fellow tutors were sitting in different parts of the room with their own tutees although, she thought to herself with a smile, she was pretty sure their chatter wasn’t anywhere nearly as flirty as the banter she and Nathan were currently engaged in.
“You want to get out of here?” Nathan asked even though he knew what her answer was going to be.
“Yes,” she stated, immediately starting to pack away her things.
“Huh?”
This time Haley did laugh. “Don’t act so surprised.”
“We’re really cutting out of here early?”
“Well, we can stay and finish up if that’s what you’d prefer,” she quipped.
“No, no, that’s okay. You’re the boss and if you say we’re done for the day, then I’m not gonna argue with you.”
Getting up from her seat, Haley adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder before gently pushing her chair under the table. “I’m the boss, huh? I think I need to mark this day down on my calendar or something.”
“Very funny.”
Sticking out her tongue, she dashed in front of him so that she was first out of the door, her long, auburn hair swinging behind her with every step. Nathan laughed to himself as he watched her practically skipping out of the school’s main entrance and following her to the parking lot, he called out, “And they say I’m the bad influence!”