Adriana Hunter
http://www.AdrianaHunter.com
Copyright © 2012: Adriana Hunter
Sweet Dreams Publishing
Smashwords Edition
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Shelby sighed happily as she stretched, still comfortably between the sheets of her bed. The clock on the table next to her told her it was ten o’clock in the morning, and she was happy as a clam because she had absolutely nowhere to be and nothing to do. It was the Monday of Memorial Day Weekend and she was off the hook for work. She could stay in bed and read, or perhaps go out and do some light shopping.
Throwing off the covers, she whistled her way into the shower, and kept whistling right on until her phone rang halfway through breakfast. Glancing at the little screen, she saw it was her sister, Lisa, and answered.
“Shelby. Thank God,” Lisa said, sounding thoroughly harried. “I just got a call from corporate telling me that I need to fly to Los Angeles to head up a training seminar.”
“Oh, no. Do you need me to watch Dawson?”
“Could you?” Lisa paused. “I’m really sorry, Shelby. I know you probably had plans for the weekend but I really don’t trust anyone else with him.”
“I don’t mind at all, Lisa. Really, it’s no trouble. I love spending time with Dawson. Besides, he hasn’t seen his auntie in awhile so it will be good for both of us.”
“Thanks, sis. You’re the best.”
****
The two walked in over an hour later, Lisa hauling a pile of bags, Dawson skipping happily with a gap-toothed grin on his face.
“Auntie Shel!” he launched himself at her and nearly knocked the wind out of her as he wrapped his arms around her hips.
“Hey sport.” Shelby laughed and ruffled his hair. “How’ve you been?”
“Great!” He jumped back and looked up at her. “Mommy says I get to spend the WHOLE weekend with you.”
“You sure do.” Lisa set the bags down next to the kitchen counter and pulled her son in for a quick hug. “I have a daily checklist of places he needs to be and things he needs to get done every day for while I’m gone.”
“Places he needs to be?” Shelby frowned. “I thought we would just hang out, maybe go to the Science Center or the beach.”
Lisa waved her hand. “It’s just school and his daily karate class. 4 P.M. every afternoon.”
Oh Jesus. “Alright. I’ll take care of it.” H
They got Dawson settled, and then Lisa rushed out the door to the airport. The two of them stood in the kitchen for a long moment, simply looking at each other.
“So, what do you want to do this afternoon?”
They ended up going to Putt Putt, a miniature golfing center, and Shelby decided there were worse ways to spend an afternoon. They played two rounds, then enjoyed hot dogs and ice cream in the small food court inside the building before going for a round in the arcade.
By the time they were done, Dawson had a handful of glow in the dark worms, a large Sponge Bob plushie, and candy-sticky lips.
“Do we really have to go?” he whined as she dragged him out the door and to the car.
“You have karate in less than an hour, remember?” she said.
“Oh yeah.” His face instantly turned solemn as she buckled him in. “Sensei is very strict about being on time. He’d make me do extra push-ups if I was late.”
Shelby raised her eyebrows. This sensei of his sounded like a hard ass. She instantly pictured an image of an old, Asian man with a pencil thin mustache and beard and a stern look on his face.
They got home, dressed Dawson in his uniform—or gi, as he called it—tugged on his orange belt, and headed to the dojo. It was a surprisingly small building in the middle of a strip mall, with tall glass windows that allowed you to see straight inside. There was a bell on the door that jingled as they stepped inside into what was actually one big, open room with low walls separating different areas. Right in the center was a series of wooden benches set up like bleachers, where parents could sit and watch. Over the low pony wall was the dojo itself, a rectangular, carpeted area where quite a few students of varying belt levels stood, practicing different techniques. Shelby smiled at the two punching bags, then arched her brows at the variety of weapons she saw mounted on the walls.
“Don’t worry,” a male voice said from behind her, sounding amused. “They aren’t sharpened. And nobody’s died in this dojo yet.”
Startled, she turned to see a tall man standing off to the side, wearing the same uniform as the students but with an orange and white block-patterned belt instead of any of the other colors. He had reddish blonde hair and warm brown eyes that twinkled at her out of a classically handsome face. The cut of his clothes revealed a strong, powerful body that didn’t look to have an ounce of fat anywhere.
Dawson instantly snapped his feet together and bowed from the waist. “Sensei Wilson.”
The man bowed back, and Shelby had to struggle not to gape. He was the furthest thing from the Asian martial arts guru she had pictured in her mind. Rather than old and wise, he looked young and strong and very virile. A flush crept up her cheeks as she realized she was openly staring, and quickly looked away.
“Hello, Mr. Carson,” he responded, and Shelby blinked. Did they all refer to each other by last name? “And how are you today?”
“I’m doing great!” Dawson flashed his customary grin, then tugged on Shelby’s arm. “I get to spend the entire week with my favorite Aunt Shelby.”
“I see.” The man turned to her with a smile and held out a strong, powerful-looking hand. “My name is Jace Wilson, and I’m the owner of this dojo. It’s very nice to meet you.”
“I’m Shelby Janson. It’s great to meet you too.” Shelby shook his hand, mentally bracing herself because it looked like he was the kind of man who crushed fingers, but was surprised when he simply gave her a firm, but respectful handshake that didn’t cause her knuckle bones to grind against one another. The calluses on his palms did scrape her skin, but not in an unpleasant way. “I’d heard that Dawson had been taking up martial arts for a while, but I’ve never actually been to his school.
She looked around. “Do I leave him here, or do I need to stay with him until he’s done?”
“You can leave him here if you want, but I encourage you to stay and observe one of our classes. They’re pretty fun.”
Why not? It wasn’t as though she had anything better to do. “I think I will.” Plus, if Dawson got hurt, she wanted to be there in case she needed to rush him off somewhere.
Jace seemed to read her mind, because he laughed. “Don’t worry. The last major injury we had in here was over five years ago. But as I said, you’re welcome to stay and watch.”
The two of them walked over to the wooden Japanese gate, bowed, then entered the floor. Jace called for everyone to line up and they all scrambled to the middle of the room, organized by rank. He shouted something in Japanese and they stood to attention, turned to bow to the flag hanging on the far wall, then turned back and bowed to him. It was all very formal, and Shelby thought she understood what Dawson had meant when he’d said his sensei was strict. Jace might not’ve looked like the typical sterotype of a martial arts guru, but he obviously was a traditionalist.
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She watched as they formed lines of three, facing the flag, and Jace led them through a series of what looked to be punches, kicks and blocks. They then put mats out on the floor and proceeded to practice various sets of complicated moves that involved grabbing, twisting and throwing each other. Shelby winced as she watched Dawson go skidding across the mat, then smiled as he laughed, bounced straight back up, and proceeded to do the same to his much larger opponent.
She admitted that while it was fun to watch cute little Dawson, her eyes kept straying back to Jace. He demonstrated each move before they practiced it, moving with a fluidity and speed that seemed at odds with his tall, muscular build. In fact, it was hard to watch much of anything else.
You’re totally checking him out, a snide little voice in her head whispered, and she jerked her gaze away from him. There was absolutely no point in it. She already knew from the last string of failed dates she’d been on that men didn’t appreciate hourglass figures, and seeing how built Jace was, she was sure he was no different. The only men she needed in her life were the ones in her family, including little Dawson who looked like he was having the time of his life out on the training floor.
When the lesson ended they all lined up and bowed, then bowed out by rank, which meant Dawson was one of the last ones. He came skipping over to her, his blond hair tousled and his green eyes sparkling with excitement.
“Did you see me throw Matt earlier?” he asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “He went flying so far, didn’t he!”
Laughing, she pulled him in for a hug. “You were awesome, sport. You looked like you had a lot of fun.”
“So what did you think?” Jace asked, and she jumped, not having noticed his approach.
“It wasn’t like any other sport I’ve ever watched before,” she admitted. “You run a tight ship, Mr. Wilson, and you look to be a very good teacher too.” Not to mention very athletic. She’d seen how many times he’d gone through all those moves himself, and yet he’d barely broken a sweat.
“Thanks.” He grinned at her, and the expression lit up his face and made him look even more handsome than before. “Believe it or not karate has one of the lowest injury rates out there despite it being a contact sport.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” She smiled. “I’d hate to hear my nephew was putting himself in mortal danger.”
“Mr. Carson here’s a real trooper.” He clapped a hand on Dawson’s shoulder. His eyes twinkled again, but this time there was something a little more in them as he looked her up and down. “You should try it out. We’re always looking for new white belts in here.”
“Me? Karate?” she blushed. “Oh no. I could never do all that.”
He laughed, a warm, rich sound that made her feel warm inside. “We don’t start off by throwing people around, you know. It’s very basic. And I always do a week or two of private lessons to get you on your feet before I stick you out there with the others.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” She glanced out at the floor again, where two blue belts were free sparring. “I’ve got an awfully busy schedule.” The truth, of course, was that she couldn’t imagine letting herself flounder about and get all sweaty and messy while she was alone with a man like him. It would be embarrassing.
He gave her a knowing smile that made her think he saw right through her excuses. “Well if you change your mind, let me know.” He turned to Dawson. “I will see you tomorrow.”
She drove herself and Dawson home, and listened with only half an ear as he chattered away about anything and everything that came into his mind, as kids often did. Her own mind was in several places at once, thinking about work, carting Dawson to and from school and who knew where else.
She tossed Dawson into the shower to go wash of the sweat when they got back, then started on mac and cheese and hot dogs for dinner—one of his favorite meals. She knew it would put extra fat on her hips, but she didn’t really care. A girl could indulge every once in a while, couldn’t she?
You probably wouldn’t worry so much about what you ate if you exercised more, that snide little voice in her head reminded her.
“Please,” she thought to herself, as she cut up the fried dogs and stirred them into the mac and cheese. “I go for a walk every day during my lunch hour and I eat healthy. What more can you ask for?” She was an accountant for a small firm and spent the majority of her time with her butt in the chair.
You could always take up Mr. Buff on his offer. Karate would go a long way to get you into shape.
An image of Jace flashed in her mind, and she blushed.
“Not happening. No way is that happening.”
“What’s not happening?” Dawson piped up from behind her, causing her to drop the spoon she was stirring with. It landed in the pot with a loud plop.
“Nothing, honey.” She turned and smiled at him. “Just thinking out loud. Dinner’s ready.”
They settled in, had dinner, watched TV, and went to bed… and yet she couldn’t quite stop thinking about it.
****
Jace sat in his little office at the dojo, tapping the bottom of his pen restlessly against a document he was supposed to be reviewing. People thought that being a martial arts instructor only involved being out on the floor correcting punches and kicks and practicing kata, but there was a fair share of paperwork he needed to take care of too. There was always a behind the scenes to everything.
Unfortunately he wasn’t thinking about the paperwork, but about Dawson’s aunt… the lovely Ms. Shelby Janson. Ever since she’d walked into his dojo yesterday, looking curious and a little out of place at the same time, he couldn’t quite stop thinking about her. He’d taken one look at her, standing near the doorway, and his own curiosity had been piqued because he’d never seen her around before.
Up close she’d been a stunner—clouds of silky black hair and a curvy body shown off by a form fitting top and jeans. Her green eyes had shimmered with a mixture of fear and hope when he’d mentioned the private lessons, and the blush that had spread across her pale cheeks as he’d looked her over had been very endearing.
Something about her called to him in a way that no woman had since his ex-wife. His heart clenched a little at the reminder, and he winced. Cara was the last thing he needed on his mind right now. The bell on the door jangled as someone pushed it open, and he looked up to see Dawson and Shelby walk in. Little Dawson looked as enthusiastic as ever, and Shelby looked a little more comfortable than she had the other day.
“Hello there.” He walked out to greet them, exchanged bows with Dawson and shook Shelby’s hand in his. In contrast to her incredibly full figure, her hands were small and fine-boned, yet she didn’t give the dead mouse handshake. He hated it when he shook a woman’s hand and felt like he was flapping a wet rag around, so it was a welcome change. “And how are you today, Ms. Janson?”
She smiled, the expression softening the features of her heart shaped face.
“Please, call me Shelby. We’re doing just fine today.”
Class was about to start, so he took Dawson out onto the floor and started class with everyone. But this time he could feel her eyes on him as he led the class through their warm up routines. He partnered them up and had them practice self-defense moves on each other, and as he was walking around every so often he caught a glimpse of her watching him. Every time their eyes met she would look away, that very becoming blush spreading across her cheeks again.
Oh yeah. She was definitely interested in him. But shy, it seemed, and that didn’t make sense because she was gorgeous. Those green eyes and black curls gave her a gypsy look, and though he’d never really been attracted to full figured women on her it only looked more exotic, more enticing. And it helped that physically she was nothing like the tall, slender blonde his ex-wife had been.
After class was over he headed back to his office to finish up his paperwork. A shadow darkened the doorway and he looked up to see her standing there, biting down on her full lower lip h
esitantly. Did she have any idea how sexy that looked?
“Shelby.” He gave her a smile to try and put her at ease. “What can I do for you?”
“I…” she paused, a glimmer of doubt in those green eyes. “I was thinking about your offer and I decided I want to give it a shot.”
“My offer?” he frowned. He didn’t remember asking her out on a date.
Her face fell. “Well you had offered to give me private lessons. But if you’ve changed your mind…”
“No!” Her eyes widened and he immediately softened his tone. “No, no, of course I haven’t. I’ve just been… preoccupied.” Jesus. He could barely talk straight around her! “I would love to give you private lessons.”
She gave him a relieved smile. “Oh, good. How much do you charge?”
“Oh the first lesson is a freebie so you can decide whether or not it’s something you want to do,” he said, waving his hand. “If you want to continue then I just charge a flat monthly fee. But we don’t need to get into all that now. We’ll just set a time for the first lesson and go from there.”
“That sounds fine.” Shelby paused a moment. “Would… six o’clock tomorrow night work for you?”
“That should be fine. I don’t have any group lessons scheduled for that time so I’ll be able to give you my full attention.”
She blushed lightly. “I will see you then.”
“It’s a date.”
****
It’s a date.
Those words continued to run through her mind as Shelby agonized over what to wear to her first lesson. She knew it was stupid since she was hardly expected to dress nice when by the end of the lesson she’d be sweaty and exhausted, but she couldn’t help it. Jace was a hunky guy and she was… well… an inferior model.
She looked at herself in the mirror and checked out the black leggings and purple tank top she’d chosen and sighed. They fit her like a second skin and made it clear she had love handles, but they didn’t look as awful as the baggy sweatpants she’d nearly convinced herself into wearing earlier. If she knew anything, it was that trying to hide your body with overly large clothes made you look even worse than if you just wore clothes that fit you.
Knock Out Curves (Plus Size Loving) BBW Romance Page 1