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Of all the club members, she’d spent the least amount of time with Aero. Blaze, Zed, and Ratchet were good friends of hers, along with their wives. Shorty, Gunner, and Bear treated her like a kid sister, while Kai always served her drinks and flirted with her at the bar. His intentions were pure, though, and she was sure he was just keeping an eye on her. Nash, Bones, and Ma all looked upon Sam like she was a child in need of protection and guidance, despite having a wonderful set of parents just a few hours away. Sam felt loved and accepted among the Iron Dragons, being seamlessly brought into their fold as part of the family.
However, Aero was an anomaly, and she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t been intrigued by him since she started going to the compound. She had watched him play pool and sit quietly in a booth with a beer. Sometimes, he would go upstairs alone before things got rowdy. However, she had never approached him. She stayed back and watched, like someone who saw a gorgeous, untamed animal and didn’t want to scare it off.
Remembering that Molly was waiting for an answer, Sam shook her head. “Nobody. It doesn’t matter.” Giving up on the lesson plan and gathering up her notes, she said, “I’m going to bed.”
“I’m here if you wanna talk,” Molly called after her, but Sam shut her bedroom door on her offer.
Aero shifted uncomfortably in his boots as he and Bear signed in at the front office of South Street Elementary. The tall blonde woman behind the desk, “Miss Rachel M. Dean,” according to her nameplate, smiled at him.
“So, you’re here to upgrade our security?” Rachel asked, even though she’d just watched him fill out the sign-in sheet and then wrote “security work” herself on his visitor badge.
“Yes, ma’am,” Aero said, picking up his toolbox.
“We sure are,” Bear said, grinning widely at the secretary and lifting his tool bag with one muscled, tattooed arm.
“Will you be working here long?” She twirled a blonde lock around her finger, watching his movements as he hiked the bag up on his shoulder.
Aero suppressed a sigh. He wasn’t interested in her, her questions, or the flirty tone she was using, and he didn’t think Bear should be either. Aero just wanted to get the work done. “Until we’re finished. Thank you.”
With that, he slapped the visitor sticker onto his chest, turned on his heel, and entered the hallway with a slightly disappointed Bear on his heels. A few doors down, he walked past Sam’s classroom, not stopping when he heard her singing a song with a bunch of other little voices.
Aero worked steadily for several hours, swapping out the locks on three classroom doors while Bear mapped the halls and classrooms for where they’d be running new wire for the cameras. When Aero glanced at his watch, he saw it was noon. The hallway and classrooms were quiet; all of the students were at lunch or on the playground, and he wondered if Sam was in her classroom.
After being in her classroom, a calming and inviting space, he had a strange desire to go back. Whether it was to see Sam or to be surrounded by the sunshine-like vibes that emanated from the room, he wasn’t sure.
Instructing Bear to go have his own lunch, Aero started moving, coming to a stop in front of the open door to room 112. Peeking inside, he saw Sam at her desk.
“Hey,” he announced himself, not wanting to scare her into choking again.
“Hi,” she said, glancing up at him. Her hazel eyes widened just a fraction, belying her surprise at seeing him.
“Can I come in?” Aero asked, unsure.
“Sure.” As he came into the room, Sam looked at him from head to toe. He walked towards her desk and leaned against a table, crossing his arms.
“How are you?”
“I’m fine. How are you?” Sam asked, trying to gauge his intentions. Was he here to ask about the security work? Did he need her password or permission to change her locks? Or was he really there to see her? A flutter of nervous happiness expanded in her stomach.
“I’m okay,” Aero said.
Sam glanced down at her desk, not knowing what to say. “Did you have lunch?”
“What?” His brows pulled together in confusion.
“Did you have lunch?” Sam repeated, gesturing to the sandwich on her desk beside her computer.
“Oh, no. I didn’t.”
“Want half?” Sam cocked a brow, pushing the sandwich toward him.
“No, that’s okay,” he said, backing up slightly, even as her willingness to share made him feel warm inside.
“Really, it’s fine. Here,” Sam picked up the half she’d already bitten and set it aside on a tissue, then held the remaining half out to him.
Not wanting to be rude, Aero reached for the sandwich, his fingers brushing hers as he took it. He tensed slightly but relaxed as he sat down on the table and bit into the sandwich. It was good.
“Thank you,” he said when he swallowed.
