And here I was, in a rush to leave.
I look to him with my brows drawn in, my face a perfect picture of confusion. He keeps his eyes on his food.
“Go.”
One word, and suddenly I feel like a weight’s been placed on my chest. My feet refuse to move, my eyes don’t listen when I tell them to leave his face.
Hurt.
I heard it in his voice. It was small, almost unnoticeable, but it was new, so through the ever-present anger, I caught it.
He wanted me to sit, eat, and enjoy. With him.
The pressure increases, making it harder to breathe, and I glance away, then back.
“Go, Oakley.” He still doesn’t look at me and as I walk out, my head down and appetite suddenly gone, I realize something.
I could never stand an angry Alec, but a hurt one… he’s dangerous.
Chapter 4
“Free time’s over!” Alec yells from down the hall.
I peek at my watch and roll my eyes, shoving the last of my banana in my mouth as I make my way to Alec’s office. He seems to be under the impression he’s in charge around here, and so far, I’ve found it’s easier to let him believe that. Gotta pick my battles and I think I’ll save my ammo for another.
“You rang, oh mighty one.”
He doesn’t turn around, but starts sifting through files on his desk. “That smart mouth. Better be careful, Oakley. I think I like it.”
My eyes fly to the back of his head, narrowing as I grow suddenly anxious. “Oh please, this is nothing new and you hate being challenged in any way, especially when it comes to me.”
“Watch how you word things. Challenged by you? Love every second of that. Challenged for you? That’s when things get slippery.”
I shake my head. “I’m sorry, did you need something, because I don’t speak Alec enigmas.”
“Sure you do, you just choose to ignore it. But you won’t be able to forever.”
“Right, I’m gonna get back to work since you’re being a dramadick,” I snap, flustered and confused.
“This must be new, all that lip you’re givin’. I don’t much remember it.”
“No?”
“Nope.”
“Not even the time you showed up at Sam Harris’s party with the sole purpose of embarrassing me? Because I specifically remember you telling me that exact same thing.”
He scoffs, and I glare at his back. “Right. You told me to ‘kiss your ass,’ but got mad when I told you to bend over so I could. You bitched at me for a solid hour.”
“You made it seem like we were sleeping together!”
“And? Sam only invited you to the party so he could fuck you,” he tells me, as if that makes it better. “That wasn’t about to happen.”
My face heats remembering it. Everyone figured me for a slut, until Rowan got back from the trip he was on with his history class and set them straight. Funny how they wouldn’t believe it, coming from me. Idiots.
“Tell me more, Oakley.”
“Prom.”
“Oh yeah. That was a good night.” He looks over his shoulder, letting his smirk be seen, then turns back.
“You paid off the limo driver! Made him go by my house before hitting the after-party, knowing my dad was in the garage having poker night, which meant I was on lockdown the rest of the night!”
“Again, you bitched for a good hour before your dad told you to get inside.” He spins around slowly. “Had my first beer with him that night."
He eyes me as I frown at him. Crossing one arm over, he grabs ahold of his left bicep, his right hand holding a file. “Remember when you ‘lost’ your ID and season pass right before you were set to go on that weekend trip to North Star?”
My jaw drops, eyes narrowing.
He doesn’t grin, just bends one leg and sits back on his desk. He tilts his head, seaweed green eyes watching me, studying me. “You never did figure that one out, did you?”
“Never, but I guess, now that I think about it, it makes sense.”
“Does it?” His eyes pinch at the side. This, and the ease the words leave him in, almost makes him appear playful.
I don’t know how to handle a potentially playful Alec, so I pop a shoulder. “Well, you were the one that always seemed to go out of your way to make sure things sucked for me.”
He nods slowly.
“Any more confessions?” I raise a blonde brow.
“Plenty. And they all served their purpose. Worked like charms.”
“While I’m glad your making me miserable got your rocks off. Mind filling me in on what you need from me?”
A slow smirk stretches across his face. “You wanna know what I need from you, huh?”
My face heats, but the gleam in his eyes keeps me from looking away.
Son of a bitch, he is being playful.
Alec kicks off his desk and walks toward me. As he passes, he pauses to speak near my ear. “Think about it, princess. It wasn’t about who was getting their ‘rocks off,’ it was about, at the end of the night, who guaran-fucking-teed… wasn’t. As for what I need, we’ll save that for another time.” His intense gaze holds mine. “And there will be another time.”
I can’t even begin to focus on what he means because his voice just dropped to a level I’ve never heard. It was low, smooth, yet still held a jagged edge. A secret inference.
I turn my head first, then my body, and I stare at him.
This man in front of me, he tormented me for years, bashed me in front of dozens of people, made day-to-day life harder than necessary. Yet here he stands, eyes blazing, looking all too ready and hard up. And stupid girl, I’m right there with him.
Right when I open my mouth, finally believing I can form a proper sentence, he speaks. “First eval for today.” He tosses me the file and in a daze, I catch and open it. My eyes fly to his.
“No way. I can’t be in here for this. You probably shouldn’t even be allowed to do this.”
“I am, you can, and you will.” He stands taller, reaching for the door handle. I hadn’t even noticed I’d shut it behind me.
This freaking stranger in front of me lets his eyes burn down my body with a purpose I’ve never seen, and what the holy hell, it creates an overpowering flare deep in my bones. I watch, completely transfixed and undeniably turned on by this asshole, as his tongue pokes out to lick the corner of his lips, forcing my teeth to bite into mine.
“I can see it in those wide, hazel eyes of yours. The curiosity, the tension you’re feeling right now. You may not understand it yet, but you can’t deny it either.” He licks his lips again and suddenly I’m in dire need of some Carmex.
“Wanna know the best part of this?” he asks, getting no response from me. “While he’s in here, within mere inches from where you’ll sit, it’ll be me on your mind. And I’ll be sitting there, cementing the look I know I’ll find on your telling little face to memory, reveling in the fact that I put it there. That whatever crosses your secretly dirty little mind, while he sits beside you, will be about me for once. But that’s not even the best part.” I watch him tip his head toward the door quickly, then he stalks his way to me.
I don’t breathe. Don’t move. This is not the Alec I know. He’s a damn imposter. An intense, strong, and dominant imposter.
“The best part… he’ll know. Because that flush on your neck, and the black taking over your lust-filled eyes doesn’t lie. Never has.”
Now it’s me who stares. At his eyes. His lips. His chest. Back to his eyes.
“Time for some fun.”
My brows pull in right as the door opens and Alec’s menacing smirk returns.
“Let’s do thi—what the fuck?”
Eyes wide with guilt, I quickly step back from Alec, who doesn’t move an inch to greet Rowan, our first eval of the day.
Oh my God!
Alec played me. That dick!
I flip around to glare at him, and he looks past me. “Let’s get started.”
; “What is this?” Rowan questions again, coming to stand behind me.
I look to Alec, seeing the vein in his neck pop slightly.
“It’s evaluation time. Sit.”
“Oakley.” Rowan spins me around and I grow even redder, just thinking he can see how hot and bothered I feel.
Jesus. Alec struck again, but this time, he fired closer to home, manipulating me directly into seeing him as more than the lame-ass he is. Just to try and prove some sort of point to Rowan.
“What’s going on?” Rowan’s brown eyes scan my face and I try to get lost in his soft features.
I smile at him, but he knows me well and can see something’s off.
He stares at me. I can see the accusation in his eyes, but more than that, the dip of his brows tells me he’s worried. And of course he is. He knows how much Alec despises me. He must have been hoping, like me, that Alec would have matured some in the two years he was gone, lose the need to rip at me. Guess we wished for too much.
“Don’t worry, Row,” I assure him, reaching out to rub his forearm.
The loud smack of a file hitting the desk has me jumping back and glaring over my shoulder.
Alec stares vacantly in our direction. “Unless you want to work through the night, Oakley, I suggest you two sit down.”
Reluctantly, we both move to sit.
Once seated, Rowan relaxes, and I can see he’s excited about his first round of evaluations.
“Your conditioning and drill ground skills are better than half the class. I can see you put in the work your advisor recommended pre-program.”
Rowan grins, nodding at Alec, and I offer him a smile when he peeks my way.
They continue going over Rowan’s form and things he can do to jump to an even more impressive level, and I start to tune them out. Eventually, my eyes have roamed over all there is to roam in this room and then they land on Alec.
He’s not necessarily excited as he speaks to Rowan about his performance. Truly, he looks uninterested, hollow as he stares, speaking directly to him.
Or maybe it’s just the way his face looks. Perpetually angry, jaded.
A little rugged, but still well-kept.
Okay, now I’m staring.
But I mean, Alec is grown.
And yeah, okay, when he left he was a twenty-year-old Fire Academy graduate. Obviously he was trim and fit, but in the two years that he’s been gone he’s, I don’t know, filled out. Seems to have grown taller, has this tan, tough skin that looks like it’s already lived. His hair, a dark iron brown, is still kept short, a standard fade with a little on top to play with. I can’t say for sure, but I’m betting he’s got some tattoos under that t-shirt. He’s grown into himself. That seductive tone he used on me earlier, while just a trap to knock me off-track in front of Rowan, was intense. I can’t imagine how he’d be if it was for real.
If that silky roughness carries over into the bedroom.
My eyes shoot up as I think it and, son of a bitch…
While Alec isn’t looking at me, the satisfied crease at the edge of his eyes mocks me.
I peek at Rowan, finding crinkles framing his eyes as he tries to focus on what he’s telling Alec, but his gaze keeps sliding my way.
“You need to find a study partner.” Alec cuts his glare to me, then back. “One that’s in your class. Your written exams are weak, below average even. It’s only week two, but better to get a handle on this now than fall behind later.”
“Are you serious?” Rowan complains, throwing himself back in his chair.
Oh shit. This is why I didn’t want to be in here.
I put two and two together, based on Rowan’s comments on day one. He thought having both myself and Alec here, he’d have some leeway, and he doesn’t. Won’t. If anything, it will be harder.
“Dead serious. You can’t just put all your time in the gym. Being quick and strong doesn’t make you a good firefighter. And it sure as hell won’t make you a Blaze. It’s a thousand times more than that. Put in the effort and you’ll be fine.”
“Don’t think you’re sly, Alec.” Rowan glares hard and Alec shrugs, not changing his dry expression. “I see what you’re doing and it won’t work. Two years gone, sure, but that little fact remains. Remember that, asshole.” With that, Rowan storms for the door, but turns back to me before exiting.
My brows pull in as I watch his nostrils flare with each breath.
“I’m coming over tonight, Oakley.” When my head snaps back at his demand, he boldly holds his gaze steady. “Be ready for me.”
I bite the inside of my lip to keep from frowning. That, or calling him out on his nerve.
This isn’t him. He’s not commanding or brash, he’s the light-hearted one of the two of us. It’s why we fit. And I get Alec brings out the worst in him, but trying to appear dominant at my expense isn’t cool. He’ll definitely hear about it tonight.
He knows it too, which is why he breaks eye contact and heads off.
As soon as he’s out of sight, I sigh, my shoulders dropping.
“Get the hell out of my office.”
With a frown, I twist to look at Alec, but he refuses to pull his eyes from the cracked screen of his phone.
Dick.
***
I smile against my pillow when my phone dings, but frown when I open and read the message.
Rowan: Can’t make it over tonight. Forgot I told Kevin I’d give him a ride home after the gym. Raincheck?
Raincheck?
My brows pull in, on what?
He’s the one who made it a point to say he’d be here tonight.
With a sigh, I toss my phone to the floor and eventually fall asleep.
Chapter 5
“He didn’t show last night. Did he?”
My eyes snap to Alec’s. “Excuse me?”
“Rowan. Did. He. Show?” he demands, like he can, and my mouth drops open.
His eyes instantly fall to my lips. “Nah. He didn’t. You’re extra pissy today.”
“Stop pretending to know anything about me,” I tell him, and his eyes come back to mine. “And mind your own business. We might be partners, temporarily if I have my way, but seriously. Ask all you want about work, and let’s leave it at that.”
“I knew this was a bad move,” he complains, eyes hard, annoyed. “You’re a distraction.”
With a scoff, I stand, snatching my clipboard off the desk. “Whatever you say. I am not distracting him.”
Large fists press into the cheap wood on both sides of me, forearms flexing through the tight black long sleeve, demanding me to follow their length, past his bicep and wide shoulders.
With a deep breath, I force my gaze to his.
Dark green stares back, irritation burning deep.
He crouches down, bringing his face closer to mine, raising a brow as he speaks in a raspy whisper, “Who said anything about him?”
My brows lift, my wide stare following him as he pushes himself up and heads to the auditorium.
I don’t get time to replay the conversation in my head, because right before he’s out of sight, he snaps his fingers over his head, as if that’s supposed to make me move faster.
I purposely wait a good twenty-five seconds before entering, choosing to stand to the side as he starts us off.
“All right.” Alec claps and the recruits silence themselves. “There are a few things we need to go over today. We’ll ease in this week, focus on form and proper technique, things like that. Today we cover the double D’s. Oakley,” he looks to me, “I’ll need your help with demonstrations.”
My brows pull in as I eye him, because duh, that’s how this whole partner thing works.
He simply stares at me, then in one swift move, yanks his shirt over his head and oh my God, hello muscle and ink and muscle.
He’s literally filled out every inch of his chest. There’s not a pinch of body fat anywhere on him, nothing but solid and tanned skin. Dip after dip, his abs scream at me. Hard work and
harder play, that’s the vibe I’m getting. And those hip bones… it’s like someone carved ’em out. They’re so… there. Staring at me, inviting—
“Distraction,” Alec says loudly, and my eyes fly to his, light chuckles sounding from around the room. “It’s a dangerous, dangerous thing,” he tells the class with a straight face, but humor lines his eyes. “When you are given a task, do not let anything get in your way. Find your focus and be effective, every damn time.”
I’ll strangle him. He used me as a live lesson in front of my own recruits, in front of Rowan, dirty bastard.
Two can play this game, though. Double D’s he says, huh?
“I say we start with pushups, basic upper body strengthening tools,” I tell him, speaking for the first time, and all eyes land on me. My gaze falls on Rowan, who shakes his head and looks away.
“Boys and girls,” Alec mocks. “Oakley Rivera, your secondary instructor. She graduated Blaze a year ago.”
I meet the off-putting gaze of each recruit, skipping past Rowan.
There's a perception built within them, one they can’t control, that’s autotuned to assume the large, intimating man in the room is who they’ll learn from. Who will guide them, can’t fault ’em for it.
“You were saying?” Alec prompts.
“Thirty in twenty seconds, proper form is a must. If everyone gets it first try, we’ll move along.” I turn to Alec, raising a brow, and he shrugs.
“Sounds good.”
“Good.” I grin, spitefully. “Time for demonstrations.”
He scowls my way, then drops to the mat. “Tell me when.”
I set the timer on my watch, then drop down beside him, smirking on the inside when his eyes narrow. “When.”
The class watches—me more than him, I’m sure—as a few count out loud. We stay neck and neck, neither tiring or slowing our speed. When I pop up, he gives one last, full pushup.
I fight the urge to laugh when he hops to his feet, right as the timer sounds. He completed thirty-one pushups in twenty seconds, just like I knew he would.
I stare at him. His chest puffs slightly, and his hands find his hips. He gives a little tilt of his head as if to say, “There you go.”
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