Hard To Handle (Teach Me Book 2) Read Free Page A

classroom indicated that maybe she hadn’t mumbled that quietly enough.
    Oops.
    Not.
    * * *
    Laney had been feeling quite accomplished at avoiding Zach and having their contact consist of emails and notes left in their mailboxes in the workroom. She should have known this feeling would be short-lived.
    “Why, there’s Little Miss Elusive! Have you been hiding from me, darlin’?”
    Was it possible to have convulsions by merely hearing that voice? She was nearly certain one was coming on.
    “I would say I was quite successful up until this point, wouldn’t you?”
    Wide-eyed with faux innocence, Zach gasped. “But … but why ever would you want to avoid someone as sweet as moi?”
    Her eyes narrowed. “You’re not even remotely French. Don’t go there.”
    “You’re being diff-i-cult.” He said the last word in a sing-song voice.
    Seriously? It was as if it were his life’s ambition to annoy the shit out of her. Laney laid her head down on her desk and softly thudded it against the wood. “Why me, why me, why me?” she mumbled repeatedly. She felt a hand on her shoulder and it instantly gave her shivers. Odd .
    Raising her eyes slowly, gaze wary, she saw Zach standing beside her with a worried expression upon his face. It was so foreign to have him be anything but irritating or mean to her, she felt thrown off kilter. Like, waaaay off kilter.
    “Laney, we can do this. I promise.” He spoke softly, his expression genuine. Without him wearing the usual sneer or sarcastic smirk, she could actually focus on how his eyes were a beautiful shade of gray. They reminded her of the stormy rain clouds coming in over the Atlantic right at dusk.
    And had he ever actually spoken to her in that gentle tone of voice?
    “Yo, Laney! I need your help with something, please, gorgeous.” Lawson wandered in the room, redirecting her attention from the moment—or whatever it was—that she and Zach were having.
    “Oh, hey, man,” he greeted Zach. Walking up to her, Lawson leaned against her bookshelf, stroking his short, neatly trimmed blond beard. “I borrowed this book from you last year and it worked out well with the lesson I did. Can I borrow it again? It’s called, Miss Rumphius .” He tilted his head to the side, smiling imploringly, his blonde curl slightly shifting upon his head.
    “Of course you can, handsome.” She winked, and gestured in the direction of the main bookshelf nearby. “It should be on the top shelf, there.”
    Laney sighed as she continued to watch Lawson thumbing through the books. Lawson was such a cutie. Goofy sense of humor, yes, but definitely cute. Why did all of her guy friends have to be so freaking attractive when there was no chemistry between them? Someone upstairs must have a really sick sense of humor.
    And he had such beautiful hair for a guy. I should probably ask him what conditioner he uses, because God knows I could use so —
    A throat being cleared loudly snapped her out of her musings. She turned to look at Zach, whose eyes were narrowed on her with a brow raised.
    So she did what any mature woman would do.
    She stuck her tongue out at him.

C HAPTER F OUR
    I T WAS THE DESIGNATED DINNER night Laney’s mother had enforced, having them all gather at her childhood home for a home cooked meal. Laney loved her mother’s cooking, especially since she prepared Italian dishes which was her heritage.
    Laney and her brother, Foster, inherited much from their father, their lighter skin and light brown hair contrasting with their mother’s trademark Italian features of a darker complexion and hair. Laney hated that she didn’t resemble her mother more than she did. The only attribute she’d inherited from her mother was her full hips and breasts. While the latter might be great in attracting men, there were many women who would agree that ample hips weren’t always a cherished attribute.
    Their mother kept an old photograph of the four of them on display upon one of the