Teach Me To Live (Teach Me - Book One) by Alannah Carbonneau Read Free Book Online

stepped away from him. My face was on fire as I tucked my hair behind my ear, nervously announcing. “You said you only went back to see me. That’s stalking.”
    Oh, my goodness. Had Austin seriously been about to kiss me? Or had the whole thing been some wonderfully nerve-wracking illusion I’d crafted in my very imaginative head?
    The low sound of his voice begged me to lift my eyes to his. I couldn’t. “No sweetheart, that’s a hopeful man. There’s a big difference.”
    My breath caught and I struggled with both his admission and my reply. What I came up with was in no way my best retort. “You’re an odd one, Austin.”
    “I’d rather live life as one of the odd ones than to conform to the status quo.” He caressed the back of my hand with his thumb. “I’m sorry if I made things awkward between us. It wasn’t my intention.”
    “It’s not awkward,” I assured quickly. Oh goodness, he was talking about the almost-kiss.
    “You have yet to meet my eyes,” he informed. “It’s feeling pretty awkward from my end.”
    Finally, I lifted my eyes to his. They were a cloudy blue that made me regret ever pulling away from his advance. “I’m sorry—I . . .”
    “You don’t have to explain,” he continued his soft caressing of my hand and I couldn’t deny how nice it felt to just be touched. “I should have known better. You’re not one of those girls.”
    I flinched. “One of those girls?”
    “The kind of girl a guy can kiss without putting in an honest days work.” He winked, obviously trying to lighten the mood.
    There was just something about Austin that made me feel happy. It was odd, how inherently capable he was of evoking a smile from deep within.
    “Are you planning on putting in an honest days work today?”
    “I don’t know,” he mused. “You tell me when the days over if I’ve made an honest man of the work I’ve done.”
    My breath caught and a beautiful warmth bloomed in the deep confines of my belly. “I think I can manage that.”
    He turned slowly away from me as he began walking down the path. When he spoke, the smile that followed his words was way bigger than just an ordinary smile. It was a smile to rival the sun in the very sky.
    “Can’t wait for the verdict, sweetheart.”
    Silence filled the remainder of our walk to the river. All I could hear were our breaths tumbling from between our lips. His was louder and more frequent than mine. It was almost as though he was breathless. I wondered if I made him feel as robbed of air as he made me feel. The thought was a warming and entrancing one.
    Almost as soon as the river came into view the sound of splashing waves claimed the panting of our breaths. It was really beautiful here. The sun was high in the sky, spilling its rays onto the river, the rolling waves catching the rays in their prisms of liquid crystals.
    The river was wide and high spruce trees towered on either side with scattered conifers, poplars, and birch trees. The land was rugged and the bed of the river was rocky and lush with growth. It was a peaceful place and I instantly knew that I would come back here, with, or without Austin. It was one of those places that ensured clear thoughts and peaceful decisions. It was one of those places that just resonated with a place deep inside of me. With my soul.
    Dropping my hand, I watched as Austin shrugged from his jacket, placing it down on the grassy earth. “Take a seat.”
    I narrowed my eyes. “On your jacket?”
    “Yeah, why not?”
    “O-kay,” Slowly, I lowered myself onto the jacket before looking up at him. “Are you planning on watching me all afternoon, or are you going to sit, too?”
    “You do realize that patience is a virtue, right?”
    I snorted, quite becoming, I know. “Yeah, as if I need any more virtues.”
    “What do you mean?”
    I shook my head. “It’s nothing.”
    I could see from my peripherals that he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. That was a conundrum in