Love Lessons by Cathryn Fox

away,” she managed to get out around a tongue gone thick.
    “Then you’ll need my address.”
    “No. I already know where your chalet is.”
    That sexy, lopsided grin returned. “Well, now, would you look at that.”
    “What?”
    “It appears you do know quite a bit about me after all.”
    She lifted her chin and countered with, “Which means there’s no reason for us to get to know each other better.”
    His smile fell, and he suddenly looked like a puppy that had just been kicked. “But you still hate me.”
    “No, I…” When she caught the glint in his eyes, the heated way he looked at her, she briefly shut her eyes and looked skyward. “You’re a little infuriating, you know that?” Jesus, could he pour it on any thicker? The guy was all sex and charm even when he wasn’t trying.
    “Only a little?” His sexy laugh fell over her, and Mel noticed the way her body warmed in all the wrong places. “Wait until you get to know me better,” he teased with a wink. “I’m sure there’ll be lots of other things you’ll want to call me.”
    “I can already think of a few.”
    “Hey, be nice. I’m one of the good guys. You’ll see.”
    Mel had no intentions of getting to know the infamous Ryeland Montgomery, a boy who’d recently graduated Canada’s Ivy League university in the top of his class and was on his way to law school to follow in his daddy’s footsteps, but she had no time to argue. She jumped from the Jeep and rushed along the stone walkway leading to the main entrance. As she hurried her steps, a strange tingle raced down her spine and the sensation that she was being watched prompted her to glance over her shoulder. Her gaze collided with Ryeland’s and they exchanged a long look. His eyes drilled into hers, tracking her every movement carefully.
    Fighting off the strange way he made her feel, she pushed through the front doors, putting Ryeland Montgomery, his sexy body, boyish grin, and demands that she get to know him better out of her mind.
    With her head low, she walked through the front foyer and dashed toward the dining room, all the while hoping to avoid a run-in with her boss. Water dripped from her bangs and she wiped her cheek on her shoulder. That’s when she caught Ryeland’s scent in the fabric. Dear God, he smelled good. Like the fresh outdoors, clean soap, and hard man all mixed together. If someone decided to bottle his scent, they’d surely make millions.
    Jaelyn came in to the back staff lounge behind her. “Holy shit, Mel, was that Ryeland Montgomery dropping you off?” Her green eyes moved over the polo Mel was wearing and she pointed a manicured nail at the little alligator logo. “Is that his?”
    “Yes and yes,” Mel said, tossing the wet tampon box into her locker before pulling his shirt over her shoulders. She was about to stuff it onto the top shelf of her cubbyhole when she caught his smell a second time. Unable to help herself she buried her face in the shirt and pulled in a breath. She drew it deep, savoring the aroma as it filled her lungs.
    “Mel?”
    Oh, God, what am I doing?
    “Yeah?” she asked, throwing the polo to the back of her locker. She grabbed her clothes and slammed the metal door shut.
    “What the hell is going on?”
    “He gave me a lift because his friends soaked me. That’s it. And what’s really going on is I need to get dressed.” Dishes clanged in the dish pit outside the staff lounge as Mel paused and pointed to the dining room. “And I need to get out there before Judith realizes I’m late and cans my sorry ass.”
    Jaelyn gave her an odd look but didn’t press for details about Ryeland, and for that Mel was thankful. Changing the subject, Jaelyn whacked Mel on the ass. “Hey, you don’t have a sorry ass. You have a nice ass. Not as nice as mine of course.”
    Mel laughed. “Of course.” Jaelyn was a good friend, and even they were opposite in almost every way, she was the one person who could pull a smile from