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Had she been sent home?
Had the Hanleys found her?
Had she gotten sick?
Worst case scenarios swirled through my head as I strode down the hall until I spotted her walking back to the classroom.
“You’re going the wrong way,” I spoke to her back, relief making my deep voice a low rumble. “The cafeteria is that way.” I raised my arm, pointing where she needed to go, and noticed her eyes lock on my extended arm. A delicate tremor of fear danced across her face and I lowered my arm, as the thought that I might frighten her pricked at me.
“I left my bag in the room. I had to go to the office,” she prattled tensely, waving a hall pass still clutched in her hand. Her nervous chatter didn’t irritate me nearly as much as it had from the Sharp girl, and I knew better than to look too deeply at the reason why.
“You’ll have to wait until after lunch,” I informed her, turning to go to lunch now that I’d found her and determined she was safe. She didn’t immediately follow and I heard her give an aggravated huff, which caused me to slowly spin back as I lifted an eyebrow.
She froze under my gaze, instinctively recognizing a predator, and my wolf took notice, preening with pride as I smirked slightly.
“I need my bag,” she finally said, her back straightening as she tilted her chin up. I crossed my arms, feeling my shirt strain under the pressure as I waited for her reasoning. “My lunch money is in it,” she admitted hesitantly, her shoulders hunched.
“The doors are locked when the teacher leaves the room. School policy,” I explained, as her persistence started to make sense. Hunger was something every shifter understood. Our metabolism was higher than normal as we consumed enough calories for our human and wolf forms. I would never allow any member of my Pack to miss lunch because they didn’t have money, which made my next words automatic. “Come on, I’ll buy your lunch today.”
Her head jerked in surprise, causing me to hesitate momentarily. She wasn’t Pack, not in her mind, and for a second I doubted my decision. I could almost see the refusal in her eyes, then her stomach growled, loud enough both of us heard it clearly, and I pressed my lips together, knowing she wouldn’t appreciate my amusement.
Her cheeks turned an interesting shade of cherry as she crossed her arms over her stomach, as if that would somehow muffle the sound, and solidified my decision.
My smile disappeared though as I saw her about to refuse even when it was obvious she was starving. “Let’s go,” I said curtly, not giving her an opportunity to decide since I had the feeling she’d choose wrong. “I’d rather not miss lunch waiting on you.”
I didn’t bother waiting for her, and only when I heard the soft scuff of her shoe, which told me she’d followed, did I allow my lip to curl in satisfaction. I held the door for her and she carefully skirted around me.
No accidental touches, I noted, impressed and perturbed in equal measure. I had grown used to women throwing themselves at me, but she was the exception, even as her scent acted as a lure.
A fact she seemed inexplicably unaware of.
At the cashier, I wiggled two fingers as Carol gave me a flirty smile. She had to be pushing eighty and had been here when my father attended, but it didn’t stop her hand from lingering on mine when she handed me back two lunch tickets.
“Have a wonderful day, Coach Dom,” she simpered and I gave her an absentminded nod as my attention immediately went back to Jess. I offered her a ticket, but didn’t release it when she reached for it. Our fingers were barely a millimeter apart, the ticket the only thing connecting us and I was suddenly reluctant to part with it and her.
“Why don’t you sit at our table today?” The request tumbled from my lips without an ounce of thought, every fiber of my being focused on her and not on the room at large.
She tugged on the ticket, almost experimentally, but I didn’t let go, wanting to hear her response.
“Is that a question or an order?” She asked sharply, her eyes widening as if she’d startled herself with the question and my head dipped in reluctant admiration of her fire.
I opened my fingers and she staggered, her fingers curling protectively around the ticket. I shook my head, murmuring, “An invitation,” as I stepped aside for her to move ahead.
She went warily, her gaze darting around the room as I watched her curiously. She was the opposite of any woman I’d ever met. Feisty and a little prickly, she didn’t fall at my feet and I found myself intrigued.
