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“Ah, yes. Yes, hello.” That sounded like an intelligent reply, right?
“Professor Belanger?”
“Yes. It’s me. I was hoping I could talk to you, if—I mean, if you have time, of course.” Wow. I was killing it. In the worst possible way.
“Okay, sure… And erm, I think I know why you might be calling…”
“You do?” Damn, had I beenthatobvious in class?
“Yes, I think so. And I just wanted to say, don’t worry. It’s okay to feel that way.”
“It is?” I fumbled at my collar, opening the top two buttons with shaky fingers.
“Yes, of course. I understand it’s most likely something new for you, something you probably haven’t had to deal with before. Believe me, I understand how you feel. This is all new to me as well. Sitting in your class, being honest…I kind of felt the same way as you.”
“You did?!” My heart began hammering. Holy crap! This girl was amazing. My bear’s sixth sense had seemed to pick up on something rare and profound, some sort of compatibility to us being mates. She felt the same way, she—
“Well, sure. I mean, me knowing I’m the only human in the class, in the whole university, actually, and you having to deal with teaching a human for the first time, it’s not so different, right? It was a new experience for me and for you, so I can understand how you feel, professor. But I want to assure you, I’m not only going to be as capable as your paranormal students, but even more. I promise you won’t have any problems from me, and I’ll work super hard. I hope you’ll give me a chance.”
My excitement shrank, her words pouring water on my internal fireworks. I’d gotten carried away and taken the wrong end of the stick with me. What an idiot. “Oh, yes—yes, of course, of course. And that’s very insightful of you, Cecilia. And I’m sure you’re going to be a great student. I…”
“And I’m so sorry that me being in class today made you so uncomfortable and distracted you so much. But I’m sure as the semester goes on, and you get used to it, you’ll not even notice me there.”
A gulp got trapped in my throat.
She took the silence as an opportunity to kill me further, in her innocent way. “Please, don’t give me being there a second thought.”
Not a chance. Somehow, I already knew the reality: when it came to her, there would be thoughts piled upon thoughts, a hundred stories high, now and forever.
I shook myself from the daze of listening to her lovely voice and made my position, at least partially, clear. “Cecilia, to be clear: I had absolutely no problem with you being in class today, and I mean that very sincerely. In fact,”—I cleared my throat, exhaling slowly— “it was a wonderful sight, to see such a bright-eyed, beaut—nice young human lady, in my class. I think it’s great to see some human inclusivity, here in New Nebraska. It’s refreshing.”
Her tone brightened, audibly. “Really? Oh, that’s such a relief to hear. Thank you, professor. That means a lot.”
“Don’t mention it. Every student deserves to feel welcome, respected and appreciated. And also, possibly, I mean—it might be nice…” My words waved a little white flag. I couldn’t work up the courage.
“Well, I’d better get back to my mom. Thanks so much for your call, professor. It means a lot to me. See you next class?”
“Yes, see you then. Bye.” I tapped the end call button and released a long, pent-up sigh. Ugh, why was I so hopeless? I’d never cared to flirt back with girls before, so to say I had no experience wooing them, was an understatement. But I was going to change that for Cecilia. Learn how to do better for her. And I’d always been a hard worker.
I slipped my phone into my pocket, left my bedroom, and walked down the stairs to the living room.
My bear grumbled. I could sense his energy rippling across my chest and limbs, his primal desires coursing through my blood. He griped and groaned, his obsession with Cecilia so intense, even from that first sight of her, in class.
He’d never reacted to anyone that way before.
And it wasn’t just physical. He was a crazy bastard but had some sort of innate sense about the goodness in people. That sort of basic animal instinct to detect the light and the dark in those around us, was the only thing about him I’d learned to trust over the years. When he’d felt the pull to Cecilia, her light calling to him, he was roaring at me to do something, reach out to her, make sure she didn’t need anything from us.
He grumbled again in my mind, apparently thinking we might be of use to her in some way—how, I had no idea—and he was clearly upset I wasn’t racing over to her place to offer up our services.
I focused, empathizing with his frustrations, but asking him to calm down, rest, go to sleep. I had to keep him under control. He was just far too dangerous to allow outside.
And I would never risk any harm coming to her.
I’d have to be careful, with how obsessed he was with her. But there was no way I could stay away from her appeal. She was as beautiful on the inside as she was out.
I’d learned a lot from a letter of recommendation that had been in her file. A file that I’d happened to sneak a peek at that afternoon, during a small break, when I just couldn’t get her off my mind. The letter had been from a high school English teacher, commending her for her exemplary schoolwork, but also for how she had helped tutor other students on top of a part-time job and taking care of an ailing mother.
My bear seemed to roll his eyes that it had taken me reading her file to sense something he already knew, and had figured out immediately—that she was a wonderful person.
