The Teacher's Billionaire

in Boston for long?”
    “Don’t know for sure,” he replied picking up the salad bowl and offering it to her first. “It’ll depend on how things go. Might only be a couple of days.”
    Accepting the bowl, Callie was careful not to let her skin come in contact with his again. Her nerve endings just couldn’t handle it. Another reaction like the one she just had and she might short out some of the synapses in her brain.
    Neither said anything else for several minutes as they focused on their meal.
    “Warren mentioned you might visit his ranch this summer,” Dylan said breaking the comfortable silence. “Have you ever been to Texas?”
    “No, the only place outside of New England I’ve been is Florida.” She hated admitting that to someone like Dylan who’d traveled the world but there was no point in lying.
    Dylan helped himself to more salad. “I think you’ll like it. Warren is glad you’re thinking about visiting.”
    Callie shrugged. She didn’t have the heart to tell him, she wasn’t sure she would ever make the trip.
    “I’m glad your visit went well last weekend. What did you end up doing with your dog while you were gone?”
    It seemed like an odd question. Why did he care what she’d done with Lucky? Perhaps he was just making conversation. “My friend Lauren came by to feed and walk him.” Without elaborating further she continued eating.
    “Did she know why you were going away?” Dylan stopped eating. “Does she know Warren’s your father?”
    “Yeah. Lauren’s like a sister to me. There isn’t much we keep from each other.” For the first time Callie noticed that Dylan had stopped eating. “Everything taste okay? You’re not eating anymore.”
    “Delicious. Just going to get more lemonade. Do you want more?” he replied pushing back his chair. Dylan didn’t wait for an answer. Instead he simply refilled her glass. “Have you told anyone else?”
    Callie shook her head. “No. Just Lauren. I’m not sure I’m ready for all my friends to know.” For a brief second Callie thought she saw a look of relief pass across Dylan’s face.
I’m imaging things again.
    Dylan sat back down. “That makes sense. No need to rush things.” With that comment, Dylan changed the subject entirely by asking her about her students and what they were learning.
    With the simple switch in topics, she was again able to forget who Dylan actually was. Instead of seeing the rich, powerful CEO on the other side of the table, she saw someone she liked spending time with, and who seemed to like spending time with her. Someone who under normal circumstances she could see having a relationship with.
    Stop. Right. There. We’re from two different worlds. He dates A-listers that dress in Gucci and Armani, not school teachers that shop at JC Penney.
    Thanks to her mind’s jolt back to the real world, Callie felt the need to put some extra distance between Dylan and herself. So even though she wasn’t finished eating, Callie stood. “Keep eating. I’m just going to start cleaning up this mess.” Turning to face the counter she busied herself with putting things away and wiping down the already clean counter.
    “Why don’t you let me do that?”
    Callie froze in place. She hadn’t heard him get up. Yet Dylan now stood directly behind her, close enough that she could feel his breath on the back of her neck. Without waiting for a reply he removed the parsley from her hand and placed it on the shelf she’d been struggling to reach.
    Slowly she dropped her arm back down and turned around expecting Dylan to step back. He didn’t move. Rather he reached out to brush a stray piece of hair off her face.
    As if on autopilot Callie closed her eyes as his fingers skimmed down her check and neck to her shoulder. With the weight of his hand resting on her shoulder, she waited not sure what to expect. And then she felt just the slightest bit of pressure as his lips settled over hers. Everything seemed to stop. The only things she was aware of were his callused hand on her shoulder and his lips on hers. The kiss was gentle. Tender.
    This shouldn’t be happening. Not with this man.
    Even as her brain protested, Callie’s body responded. She wanted to feel his hard-muscled body pressed up against hers. Even though she knew she should break contact, she took a step closer and rested her hands on his wide shoulders.
    Kissing hadn’t been on his agenda for the evening. Not that he hadn’t been thinking about