Free Learning Curves by Elyse Mady Page B

repeated exposure, she was no closer to developing an immunity against him.
    “Brandon,” Leanne said brightly, hoping against hope that neither he nor the eighteen suddenly fascinated students noticed the squeak in her voice. If only, she thought, taking in their interest, they showed as much enthusiasm for Blake’s poetry. Clearly, long-dead poets had nothing on the stunning presence of a very much alive hunk.
    “Wow,” Amy said sotto voce. She looked from the door to the table where Leanne stood, new respect for her seminar leader in her eyes. “You know him?”
    Leanne’s lips quirked at the disbelief evident in the girl’s query.
    “Yes.” Making the short list for the Walters Prize didn’t elicit the same envy as being on a first-name basis with someone who looked like Brandon. While she could certainly understand the young woman’s interest, it was her job to present a professional and unflappable front. It wasn’t easy, what with her body still vibrating with lust after their furious kiss last night. But thoughts like that wouldn’t help in her present situation, so she simply gave a noncommittal nod and met him in the doorway.
    Brandon at least looked apologetic. “I’m sorry for interrupting you between seminars. I stopped by the English department to drop off your tickets and Cora said you were here, so I thought I might as well bring them by in person. Just to make sure you got them.”
    Suppressing a shudder at what the departmental secretary must be thinking after meeting him, she took the tickets from his outstretched hand.
    “Thanks. That was very nice of you.”
    Cora would be turning her personal, nearly supernatural, relationship radar to the possibility of a juicy interdepartmental encounter. Leanne had no doubt she’d already contacted her Fine Arts counterpart for the full and unadulterated rundown on Brandon Myles, up to and including his primary school transcript, plus key details like his relationship history and personal affiliations. Because there was nothing—no dating disaster, no familial crisis, no potential romance—too small or insignificant to escape the notice of the administrative staff at a university like Wellington.
    “It was no trouble. It wasn’t far out of my way.”
    The fine arts building was on the other side of campus.
    Still trying to close her mind to the image of Cora sifting through her own unsuccessful dating history, she tried to act naturally. “Well, I really appreciate it.” From the tittering and wide-eyed stares of her students, she was pretty certain that plan wasn’t going as well as she might hope for. She slipped the tickets inside her day planner. “What do I owe you for the tickets?”
    He scoffed. “They’re a gift, Leanne.”
    “I hardly feel…”
    “If you don’t use them, they’ll just go to waste. You’re the one doing me the favor here.”
    “Well, if you’re sure.”
    “I am.” He moved aside as he spoke. The students from her next class began to file in. She gestured apologetically at the new arrivals, all of whom openly gawked at his presence in the room.
    “My next seminar starts soon.”
    “No problem. I’ll let you get on with your class,” Brandon said easily.
    Too easily . The thought popped into her mind before she could crush it. Oh for heaven’s sake, she was trying to get rid of him. She didn’t want him to stay. This was getting ridiculous. He’d entered every aspect of her controlled life. Her teaching, her free time, even her dreams.
    Then Brandon did something absolutely unexpected.
    Raising a casual hand, he lifted it up to her cheek. He didn’t touch her; it simply hovered millimeters from her face. But his eyes glittered with an unspoken message that Leanne was unwilling to decipher. It was all she could do not to bend her neck and feel the warm strength of his fingers against her skin. Was he trying to say what she thought he was saying? She was giddy and a little breathless at the mere