Julian (Trinity Academy 4)

Not having the heart to say no, I agree, “Fine, but you better not give me attitude during the lessons.”

“Would I ever?” She widens her eyes for added effect.

I let out a chuckle then decide to make a quick escape before Miss Sebastian has something to say about me offering to teach Jamie to play the piano.

“If you’ll all excuse me, I have some calls to make.”

Mason coughs and mutters under his breath, “Bullshit.”

“That will be ten dollars,” Jamie pipes up.

A look of surprise flashes across Mason’s face. “Why?”

“You have to pay up for cursing,” Rhett explains to him.

Mason lets out a chuckle. “I do?”

“Don’t worry, it’s Jamie’s way of showing she cares,” Miss Sebastian says.

“Ten dollars it is then.” Mason pulls the note from his wallet and hands it to Jamie.

“Ooh… you curse like a drunken sailor. With all the money I’ll make off you, we can pay for our Sunday dinners out of the swear jar.”

“That’s an excellent idea,” Lake laughs. “I should’ve thought of that. I’d never have to pay for food again.”

Shaking my head at their bantering, I wave and leave the suite with a smile on my face.

That’s something I’ve started to notice recently. I’ve been smiling more.Chapter 15JamieJulian: Wait at the suite. I’ll meet you there at eight.

I frown at the message, wondering why he would want me to wait here.

Is it possible he does care and doesn’t want me walking the short distance to the music building alone in the dark?

“Aww… sweet. He has a heart after all,” I murmur as I place my phone down on the nightstand.

Thirty minutes later, I’ve put away most of my clothes, and as I’m placing my bras in the drawers, Kingsley calls out, “Jamie, Julian’s here.”

“I’ll be right out,” I shout back, rushing to the bed. I scoop up my panties, and as I turn to the dresser, Julian comes to stand in the doorway. I shove the bundle of lingerie into the drawer then close it. “All done. Let’s go.”

Walking toward him, I’m surprised to see he’s not wearing a suit, but instead, opted for wearing a pair of jeans and a sweater. The sleeves are pushed up to his elbows, giving me a view of his forearms in all their annoyingly sexy glory.

When we head for the front door, Kingsley’s voice drips with innuendo as she says, “Enjoy your piano lesson.”

I smile at her and wiggle my eyebrows before I pull the front door closed behind us.

“Did you manage to return all your calls?” I ask to make conversation as we wait for the elevator to open.

The last time I stood in front of an elevator with him, my panties were practically melting from all the heat I was feeling.

Nope, don’t think about that night.

“Yes, I did. Thank you for asking,” Julian answers formally.

“Seriously?” I ask, stepping inside the elevator. “Are you going to be all formal now?”

“I'm not formal,” he argues. “I even dressed casually.”

Letting my eyes sweep over his well-toned body, I tease, “I can see that. The look suits you.”

That’s no lie. The man looks good in a suit, but seeing him like this is nothing short of yummy.

I notice his eyes moving over me, but then they stop on the bandage. “How does your arm feel?”

“Better. Thank you for asking.” I repeat his words from earlier, then chuckle when a light frown forms on his face from my reserved tone.

The doors to the elevator open, and as we step out, a janitor comes toward us, so I step closer to Julian to get out of his way.

“Evening, Mr. Reyes, Miss Truman,” the janitor says, a friendly smile on his face.

“Hi,” I greet him, where Julian just nods his head at the man.

When we walk out of the building, I ask, “How does he know my name?”

“He probably had to fix something in your suite,” Julian guesses.

I shrug it off and glance around me as we walk down the path leading to the music building.

A couple of security guards pass by us, each one greeting us.

“It’s actually comforting seeing the extra security around campus. Thank you for arranging it.”

We reach the building, and Julian opens the door. Waiting for me to walk in first, he murmurs, “You’re welcome.”

“Which studio do you want to use?” I ask, stopping in front of the first door.

“I prefer number four.”

Julian walks behind me, and when we’re in the studio, I head over to the piano and sitting down, I look up at him.

Geez, talk about having déjà vu.

My eyes drop to his arms before I turn my head away and look down at the keys.

As Julian takes a seat next to me, and his arm presses against mine, I feel the same fluttering of attraction I had when I first met him.

“Place your hands on the keys.” His voice is nothing more than a low rumble, and it makes my eyes snap up to his face, wondering if he’s feeling the same thing as me.