“I guess we could do the interviews inside.”
“Great idea.”
She beams, and all traces of anxiety disappear. It’s a small victory, but it’s moments like this that I love my job.
I regret putting my back to Joel. I can hear his voice carrying above the students. He’s animated and laughing. It gives him energy, to be around people.
After dinner, the students help to wash up, and I brief them about tomorrow. By the time I’m ready to head to the cabin, a light rain is falling.
I only came out in a t-shirt because the sun was shining when we came in to dinner two hours ago. My coat is hanging by the door in the cabin where I left it. I’ve got my folder full of notes that I don’t want to get wet, but I’ll have to make a dash for it.
The students head out into the night, laughing as they run through the rain. They have no fear of getting wet, and their energy is infectious. It’s just a little water, I tell myself. My notes will dry.
I stand by the door, watching the rain get heavier and the last of the students scurry down the path toward the lights of the cabins. The rain has cooled the air, and I shiver in the darkness.
“Take my coat.”
Joel’s voice is a murmur behind me, and my body shivers with the thrill of his voice. I feel a weight on my shoulders as he drapes his coat around me. It smells of him, pine and coffee, and a unique scent that’s all Joel.
I’m about to protest, but he jogs down the steps and into the rain wearing nothing but his sweatpants and white t-shirt.
He doesn’t flinch in the rain, and a few feet away he turns back. “Are you coming?”
The rain makes splashes on his t-shirt, causing the fabric to cling to his skin. My gaze lingers on his torso and the muscles underthe t-shirt. The t-shirt that’s getting wetter the longer he stands waiting for me.
I tuck my folder under his jacket and jog down the steps. He falls into step next to me as I jog towards the cabins. I’m not a runner, and my pace is a slow jog, but Joel keeps pace with me rather than going ahead.
By the time we reach the cabin, my hair is plastered to my face and his coat is slick with rain.
Joel goes in first and hands me a towel. I dump my things and run the towel through my hair. When I glance up, Joel is peeling off his wet t-shirt. The pounding of the rain on the cabin roof hides my gasp.
Muscles ripple as he tugs the wet fabric over his head. His skin is tanned, and a single scar threads its way from his underarm to the back of his shoulder. He’s facing the wall, and as he drops the wet shirt on the ground, he turns around.
Too late, I tear my gaze away from his torso. His gaze meets mine, and I close my suddenly dry mouth.
Joel raises an eyebrow, a look of amusement on his face. He’s caught me staring, and a surge of heat travels up my neck. I spin away quickly and hold out the towel towards him.
“Sorry, I didn’t know you were getting undressed.”
He takes the towel, and I hear him rubbing it over his head. I make myself busy checking my folder, although it’s all dry. Not until I hear him unzip his bag, then the soft sounds of fabric rustling, and I’m certain he’s put a top on, do I risk turning around.
Joel may have a dry t-shirt on, but he’s still the sexiest man I’ve ever seen. I grab my folder, needing a distraction. There’s nowhere to go to get away from him, so I sit at the small table with my back to the hunk of hot man roaming around my cabin.
I try to concentrate on my notes, but I’m aware of exactly where Joel is in the cabin. I hear him at the sink filling the kettle, and a few moments later, he slides a steaming mug of chamomile tea in front of me.
“Mind if I join you?”
He sinks into the chair next to mine before I can answer. His presence makes my heart race, and he’s toothere,too present, taking up space in the cabin and my mind. But where else is there to go?
He pulls out a paperback, and I’m relieved he doesn’t want to talk. I don’t think I can keep my voice steady with him so close.
It’s only the rain pounding on the roof that masks the sound of my heart beating against my rib cage.
I lean over my notes and will myself to concentrate. I go down the list of student names, taking notes about each one. If I can stick to the list of names, it will give my sanity something to cling onto.
Most of the students are embracing the assignment, but there are one or two I need to speak with tomorrow who don’t seem to have a direction yet.
As I make notes in the margins, my heart begins to calm. I realize I’m not going to make an inappropriate grab for Joel; I can sit next to him without falling apart, or drooling, or grabbing his arms and licking his muscles.
