“Katy!” Bryan and Rob both waved as they approached. Talk about too gorgeous for his own good. Their own good. They looked like Christmas, Bryan in his green blazer, Rob in red, both presents I wanted to unwrap. I smiled, thrilled to see them since I hadn’t seen them much now that school had started. Bryan gave me a gentle yet deep kiss in greeting, one that curled my toes and left me longing for more.
Rob took me into his arms, spun me around, and kissed me hard, scratching me with his five o’clock scruff and transferring his fire to me through our connection. My skin hummed and heated, and my core liquified.
“Wow,” I said when he finally let me up for air. “That was some greeting, guys.”
“We missed you, Reed.” When Rob grinned, his dark gaze broke into a wicked glimmer. He shrugged out of his blazer and slung it over his shoulder. I loved the way the uniform looked on him, the white shirt a stark contrast to his golden skin. And now parts of me really tingled.
Bryan took my hand. Those hazel eyes danced as they always did when he looked at me. He kept his blazer on despite the heat and looked incredible the way it formed to his large frame. This was an assault on my senses. “How was your first day as a TA?”
“I didn’t die and didn’t have to kill anyone, and no students went dark and tried to trap me in the ruins, so I call that a win.”
“That’s not funny, Katy.” He still hadn’t gotten over how close we all came to dying last year.
“Too soon?”
“Yeah.”
“Clay would have laughed.”
“That’s because Clay thinks everything is a joke.” He said it like it was a bad thing.
“Only when something is really, really funny. Like your face.” Clay literally popped in a foot in front of me and took advantage of my surprise by pulling me to him and slanting his lips over mine, dipping me to really kiss me. His hair fell forward, brushing my forehead, while his beard tickled my face. He straightened us and waggled his eyebrows. “Hi.”
“Hi.” I swept my hair behind my ear and nodded at his disheveled clothes. His shirt was partially untucked and sporting a coffee stain that wasn’t there this morning when he’d brought me a rock, his yellow blazer sporting a grass stain, and the knees of his gray slacks dark with dirt. “What happened to you?”
“One of the new air elementals got himself stuck in a tree. I had to help him out.”
“Why didn’t you use your element?”
“He was freaking out, so I climbed the tree.” He examined the stain on the elbow of his blazer. “Took me a couple tries. Climbing trees isn’t as easy as it looks. Also, the ground is really, really hard when you hit it.”
“So noted.” I glanced around. My guys traveled in twos. “Where’s Leo?”
“He’ll be along. We’ve got to get him over his aversion to teleporting. It takes him forever to get anywhere.”
“What’s so wrong with walking instead of teleporting?” Bryan asked.
Clay shrugged. “Nothing, if you don’t mind spending half your life just getting from point A to point B. I’d rather jump from A to B and still have time for C and D.”
“It’s the journey,” Bryan argued. “Not the destination.”
“Thank you, Yoda.” He removed the blazer and draped it over his arm. “What are we all doing outside instead of in class? Are we skipping?” He brought up his hand when Bryan took a breath to answer. “Never mind. Bry wouldn’t be caught dead skipping a class.”
“Blow me.”
“Okay.” Clay blasted him with air. We all laughed, even Bryan. “Gotta choose your words better, dude. Now, what are you all really doing out here?”
“I don’t have another class until primary.” Rob switched his blazer to the other shoulder. “How about you?”
“Me? I’m totally skipping.” He flashed a brilliant grin that lit up my world.
“It’s the first day,” Bryan pointed out, of course lecturing on breaking a rule.
“Yep.” He popped his lips, overemphasizing the word. “I like to set the right expectation since I don’t plan to be in class that much.”
“Which class is it?” I asked.
“Elemental History, which, if I recall when I read your schedule, you were also supposed to be in, Montana.”
“Professor Layden got me out of it if I agreed to partner with Spencer. Not that I had the choice. She would have pulled the Council card if I refused.”
Rob stiffened and looked ready to set something on fire. His eyes darkened along with his expression as he worked his jaw. “That’s what we wanted to talk to you about.” He nodded at Bryan. He then regarded Clay. “I’m guessing you didn’t say anything.”
“About you losing your shit when you heard our girl had to partner with the British heartthrob? I hadn’t gotten around to it.”
Rob glared, which Clay blew off. As always.
“Trust me,” I said and reached for Rob. “I’m not exactly thrilled about it.”
“I don’t understand why they brought him here. We’re your partners.”
“Yeah, we are.” Clay waggled his eyebrows, something he did whenever he hinted at anything sexual in nature. Which, with him, was just about every conversation. “In every sense of the word.”
“What’d I miss?” Leo asked as he joined the group. Like Bryan, Leo wore his full uniform, the blue blazer that matched his brilliant gaze loose on his trim shoulders. His blond curls went wild as he combed his fingers through them to pull them off his face.
“Clay making another sex reference,” Rob grumbled.
“Sorry I missed that.” He kissed me softly, gently caressing my mouth with his. “Hey, babe.”
“Hey.”
We all took a seat under a tree to stay out of the direct sun. It was already getting warm enough to cause sweat stains. I didn’t
