Silent Hearts (Hamilton Stables 3) by Melissa West Page B

to her friend. “Remember your promise.”
    Nick pretended to lock his lips and then passed the pretend key to Becca.
    “And no mocking facial expressions.”
    “Hey, now, we said nothing about mockery. The instructor could be an eighty-year-old man carrying around an oxygen tank. How am I supposed to keep from smiling at that?”
    Unable to keep from smiling herself, Becca pushed into the room, only to stop short, causing Nick to run into her. “Holy hot.” Her gaze landed on the man at the front of the classroom, dressed in a fitted black T-shirt that showed every one of his perfectly cut arm and chest muscles. Dark brown hair shot off his head in spikes, and black ink climbed down from his biceps to his forearms.
    “Hey there,” Mr. Unbelievably Hot said, but Becca could only manage to sigh in reply.
    “Jesus. I didn’t know you were capable of drooling so much,” Nick said, walking around her and starting for the back.
    “Let’s sit up front.” Becca motioned to the front row, and Nick glanced at the instructor.
    “Seriously? That’s your thing?”
    Becca took the middle seat and patted the desk beside her. “Honey, that is every woman on the planet’s thing.”
    “I didn’t think you were so typical.”
    “I’m typical when it comes to tattoos.”
    She grinned at the instructor and he grinned back, and Becca thought scuba diving lessons might have been the best idea she’d ever had.
    Once the instructor looked away, Becca glanced around the classroom. Immediately, her thoughts drifted back to her and Nick’s days in elementary school. They’d renovated over the years, but the feel of learning still hung in the air, ghosts of laughter from children running in the halls.
    A memory popped up of Nick sitting in front of her and smiling wide as he attempted to pass her a stack of papers the teacher had handed to him as the row leader. Only the stack never made it into her hands. Their fingers hit as she reached for the stack and he tried to hand it off, and then they fell to the floor, white sheets scattering everywhere. It was that moment, him red and her laughing, that she knew they would be great friends.
    “All right,” the instructor said, bringing her back to the present. “It’s three fifteen, so I think it’s safe to say this is our class. I’m Zac Littleton and I’ll be your instructor for the next six weeks.”
    “Littleton?” Becca asked. “Are you related to Kate?”
    At that Nick finally looked up and at the instructor, and Becca caught the recognition cross his face. “You’re one of Kate’s brothers, right? I’m Nick Hamilton, Alex’s brother.”
    “Right, I recognize you from the wedding.” Zac walked over and shook Nick’s hand, but whereas most men stiffened or appeared in awe when meeting one of the insanely wealthy Hamiltons, Zac seemed undeterred. There was something more to the way they stared at each other, a story Becca couldn’t quite put together, and then she remembered the Hamiltons talking about another set of brothers in high school. Brothers from Crestler’s Key who played baseball, competitors of theirs. Becca wondered if those brothers were the Littletons, but before she could dwell on it, Zac bit his lip and turned to her, and she had to fight to keep from giggling like a little girl.
    Clearly, it had been a long, long time.
    “And you are?”
    “Becca Stark. I’m a family friend.”
    “Hmmm, too bad Kate hasn’t introduced us yet. I’m sure I would have remembered you.”
    Becca grinned, and Nick cleared his throat loudly. “So, the class?”
    “Right. Better get back to work.” Zac winked at Becca, and she grinned back, embarrassed but unable to rein in her response to him. It had been a long time since she was this attracted to someone.
    Well, someone other than unattainable Nick.
    There were no more than twelve to fifteen students in total in the class, and Becca surmised that meant she would get plenty of time with hottie Zac, and maybe