As with most women, I assumed she’d fall in with the crowd and simper at my feet. Instead, she kept her distance, offering disdain, like she knew I wore a public front. But that wasn’t possible. A few sniffs and a glance through her student profile, and I knew there wasn’t anything special about her domestic cat. Yet her behaviour continued to annoy me.
So I did what any self-respecting teacher at this fine institution did—I challenged her every chance I could get. She would either rise to the challenge or wash out. So why did I feel uncomfortable every time I saw a flash of hurt cross her face?
“Director Cooper.” I nodded and then plopped my ass in a chair directly across from Tabitha while Kasim gave a quick jerk of his chin before taking up a spot against the wall. In all the years I’d known my adoptive brother, I didn’t think he’d ever met a wall that didn’t require his assistance to be held up.
Behind her desk, Director Cooper steepled her long dark fingers. She wore a hint of a smile, which made my skin crawl. There were rumours about how she put teams together, playing a little matchmaker, but that couldn’t be the case here... could it?
While it was true we weren’t on a case at the moment, we were in the midst of one where a breakthrough could come at any moment, which kept us off the duty roster. And our case was too important, too high risk to add a member to our team, especially one who was a little cadet. Besides if this were a meeting about a case, then Arin would be here as well.
I sprawled across the chair without a care in the world to the outside eye, even if my brain whirled a mile a minute. Could Tabitha have complained about the things I’d said? None of it crossed the line. I made sure of that. While cadets needed to be pushed and challenged, I didn’t believe in torture... at least not for them.
No. It couldn’t be a complaint since that wouldn’t have—shouldn’t have—involved the director as the first level of the grievance. Besides wasn’t there some form—COC—or something that needed to be filed first?
Seconds ticked by without anyone uttering a word. My muscles coiled and tightened within me. I was patient to a point, but it was easier to be patient when I knew what I was being patient for. The unknown always bothered me. It was why I went into FUC in the first place, to figure out the puzzle of our enemies. And the combat helped as well, giving me a reason to expel some violence when I was confronted.
A glance at Kasim showed his narrowed gaze trained on Tabitha. Only the slight flaring of his nostrils as he scented the air in the room betrayed the fact that he was alive and not a statue standing guard over the room. Interesting. Is there something between these two? Or does he scent some form of deceit from her?
Kasim never paid attention to females. When he needed companionship, he solicited one of our leftovers, or I found someone for him. So, his attention toward Tabitha had to be something else. Something along the lines of mine toward her... a puzzle that needed to be figured out, an attraction I couldn’t shake, an intrigue to toy with me and ruin my focus.
Her demeanour surprised me as I followed his gaze, returning mine to her. She sat stiffly, hands folded in her lap, knees and legs together. Like a perfect picture. Not a hair out of place and her glasses perched primly on her pert little nose. But the longer I watched, I noticed the little cracks in her facade. Her fingers trembled, and the moment they did, she tightened her grip enough to turn her pale flesh whiter. A little bead of sweat popped onto her brow, trailing a little path into her pulled-back silver hair. I wondered what her hair felt like. Was it as soft as it looked or a little rough? Would my fingers tangle in it, giving it a gentle tug as I directed her head down...
Great bears, what was I thinking? Her and sex did not mix, even if I had a vague and uncomfortable feeling that all the women in my dreams for the last few weeks possessed either silver hair, blue hair, glasses, or that little pert nose. It couldn’t be.
I shifted in my seat, attempting to adjust and hide my big friend who decided to come out and play. Gah. It had been too long. Tonight, I’d remedy that. The three of us would take the evening and head into town to find a way to blow off the overabundance of testosterone we suffered from.
Director Cooper cleared her throat in what sounded suspiciously like a laugh. But the moment my gaze landed on her, I couldn’t see any sign that she’d made the sound. My eyes narrowed as I stared down my nose. What in all things sweet is going on?
The sound of heavy footsteps interrupted my musings.
“Ahh. The final person we’ve been waiting for.” The corners of Director Cooper’s mouth stretched into a full smile. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought she licked her lips in anticipation, but that couldn’t be right. “Come in, Mr. Kane. We’ve been waiting for you.”
My eyebrows rose, and Kasim shifted, stepping out of the growing shadows around him.
“Director Cooper, I, ah...” Arin stopped dead two steps inside the room. His gaze darted around the room, and when it landed on me, he looked with questions written in his eyes. The same ones I wore. I gave a subtle shrug of my shoulders before patting the arm of the chair next to me as I straightened up. With his characteristic slow, rolling gait, he dropped into the chair. “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. I was in
