Bad Teacher

I love the smile that follows. It makes her shine.

“Sorry about what happened back there in that shop,” I say, clearing my throat. “I didn’t mean to yank you away from there, but if we didn’t—”

“They’d try to take more photos, and your face would be in the tabloids,” she interjects. “Got it.”

“And yours,” I add. “I didn’t want to do that to you.”

“Ah …” She nods, sitting down in the chair. “So that happens often?”

“Comes with being a prince, I guess,” I say, sitting down too. “I do hate it, though.”

“I can imagine. Do they ever leave you alone?”

“No. Why do you think I wear this when I go out?” I pat my clothes and smile at her, which makes her laugh.

“Maybe we should find you a better disguise next time. That fabric with the tiny stars on it would do the trick.” She snorts. “Not that I can design anything right now.”

“Right. The fabrics,” I say, biting my lip as I look her directly in the eye. “I’ll get it done.”

“What?”

“The fabrics. Don’t worry about it.” I hold up my hand when she tries to open her mouth, saying, “Don’t say no. Just let me fix it. I promise I will.”

She leans back in the chair, and says, “All right. If you say so.” She doesn’t seem at ease, though.

“What’s wrong?”

“I was hired by Mrs. Adallah. If she finds out what happened today—”

“She won’t,” I interrupt. “I promise your job is safe. I won’t let her fire you over something like this. It’s my fault, so I’ll take the blame.”

She nods a few times. “So is she okay with us busting in here?” she asks.

I laugh. “Yeah, she’s used to it. This is still my go-to spot to hide from the press. They never discovered it.”

“Aha … smart.” She winks and smiles back, and her gaze drifts off to the pond in front of us. “So what now?”

As my eyes gloss over her body and follow her gaze toward the water, a devious grin spreads on my face. “How about a swim?”

“A swim?” She snorts. “You’re joking, right?”

“No, c’mon,” I say, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the chair.

“But I don’t have a swimsuit,” she sputters.

“Who cares? Saida has towels. We can dry off after,” I reply.

She tries to fight me, but I drag her closer and closer to the edge.

“But I don’t—”

“Stop making excuses and let’s just have fun,” I say, laughing as she digs her heels in the sand.

Too late, though, because I can just about manage to push her into the water. A splash follows her loud squeal, and I jump in after her.

The cold water immediately wakes me up. God, I love this so much. I used to do this all the time with Faiz when I was still young. It’s been years, and I honestly miss this. But I have to say, her being here with me makes up for it big time.

“My clothes!” she screams, making me laugh. “Everything is wet!”

“Everything?” I joke, raising a brow.

The glare she gives me is priceless. I don’t know why, but I just love getting under her skin. The fire that blazes in her eyes is inextinguishable, and it sets a hunger ablaze inside me I didn’t even know existed.

“You know what I mean,” she says, folding her arms. “Are you having fun yet?”

“Oh, yes,” I say, smirking like a motherfucker.

“Glad one of us is,” she says. She frowns, but it won’t stop the smile she’s so desperately trying to hide from appearing on her face.

Suddenly, she splashes me with water. I blow out a big breath, rubbing my face while she’s laughing hysterically. I love the sound of that.

Still, I can’t help but throw some water right back at her, covering her too.

Now that we’re on even ground, the fight only intensifies, and we both do our utmost best to get each other even wetter. But she’s fierce and won’t back down, and I’m gasping for air, begging for mercy.

“I give in!” I say. “I yield!”

She laughs and splashes the water onto my face a final time. “That’s for throwing me in.”

“I deserved that,” I say. However, only now do I notice just how close together we are in the pond. And just how sexy she looks with wet clothes sticking to her body, accentuating all her curves.

Instinct makes me wade toward her. I can’t help myself. I want to push her buttons. I want to see her explode. And I want to touch her … in every spot she keeps to herself.

I want it all.

* * *

Maya

One minute, we’re dunking each other in the water, and the next, he’s so close I can almost whisk the droplets from his skin. The water droplets roll down his face and chest, exposing the thick muscles underneath his thin shirt. Just looking at him makes me gulp with need.