EPILOGUE
ONE YEAR LATER
I pull into an empty spot in the university parking lot and kill the engine. And when I look to my left, sure enough, the security guard is watching me with his usual sense of curiosity and unease.
“Bert,” I say, pulling off my helmet and nodding in his direction.
His eyes widen and he quickly nods at me, then turns and makes his way down the lot.
He’s yet to give me a ticket for parking here without a permit, and he’s never even spoken to me. I don’t know if his name is even Bert. But he looks like a Bert, and he’s never corrected me, so… he’s my friend Bert.
I make my way across campus toward the physics building, taking a moment to just breathe in the spring air and notice the green buds forming on the trees.
It’s been a week of nonstop movement in Nova Scotia, as I managed an incoming shipment of cars from Europe and met with the Black Tides.
But everything is just as it should be. Some cars are already en route to Fredericton for modifications or direct sale, while the rest are headed to Newfoundland for storage until the next auction.
And the Torngat Wraiths and the Black Tides have things locked down tighter than a deal sealed in blood.
Every port, every ferry lane, and every unofficial entry the Sons had access to is closed off or watched.
They haven’t tried to push their way through in months now, after they threw a little hissy fit when they realized all their potential channels were closed.
But a few torched shipping containers didn’t break us.
It just gave the RCMP something else to focus on.
We’re still watching the borders and keeping an eye on the ports, because we know they will try again at some point. And we’ll be ready when they do.
But I’ve been away for a week. And right now, I have only one focus.
I pull open the lecture hall door and immediately feel like I’m able to breathe deeper.
“The classical model says that if a particle encounters a barrier, and it doesn’t have the energy to cross, it will reflect back.”
I slide into my seat in the back row, watching as Cade gestures to the projection on the screen behind him of a tall barrier, and a pale, wavering line just in front of it.
“But a particle behaves like a wave,” he continues.
He turns around to face the class, and his eyes land on me.
He pauses for a moment as the corner of his lips tilts up slightly on one side, then he shifts his attention back to the class.
“And waves don’t stop just because something gets in the way.
So there’s always a chance it makes it through.
” He lightly shrugs one shoulder. “Even if it doesn’t make much sense. ”
A student near the front raises his hand, and Cade’s eyes flick to him. Cade hesitates for a moment as a flicker of annoyance crosses his features, and his chest rises. But he blinks and exhales, then points to the student.
“But wouldn’t the odds drop to zero if the barrier’s high enough? Like, isn’t there a point where it just can’t happen anymore?”
Cade huffs out a breath and a smirk tugs at the corner of his lips as his gaze drifts back to me.
I let a small smile form on my lips as I stare back at him… the man who had a wall so damn high he was even hiding from himself.
“Nothing’s truly impenetrable,” he says. “There’s always some flaw in the structure.”
“But if it doesn’t make sense physically…” the student says thoughtfully, “why does the math still say it’s possible?”
Cade’s eyes dart back to the student in front of him, and his jaw tightens. “The math doesn’t care what you think the rules should be.”
My smile grows as I watch the student’s eyes widen, and he stares back at Cade, frozen in fear.
But Cade drops his gaze and takes a deep breath, then looks back at the student with a softer expression. Even though I can tell he’s fighting for his fucking life to stay calm.
“You're trying to use classical rules to predict a quantum outcome. That’s like using a compass to navigate a black hole.” He shrugs one shoulder.
“Just because something seems impossible doesn’t mean it is.
Probability doesn’t need your permission.
Sometimes it only takes one chance in a million, and it still happens.
” He pauses, shifting his gaze around the class before looking at the curious student again. “Make sense?”
The student's shoulders drop slightly, and he nods.
Cade nods too, then looks down at his watch. “That’s it for today.”
The room rustles with movement as backpacks zip and students stand before they all file out in slow, scattered clusters. I stay seated, letting the last of them disappear through the doors, until the space empties and my view clears.
Cade’s at the front of the room with his arms crossed, leaning against the desk… waiting for me to come to him.
Smug bastard.
But still, I rise, and I take my time walking down the stairs.
“Dr. Cormier,” I say, slipping my hands into my pockets as I stop in front of him.
He lifts his chin and looks into my eyes with amusement dancing in his.
“All good?” he asks.
A slow smile pulls at my lips. “All good, baby.” I take a step closer to him. “I’ve got a nice shipment coming in. Sleek lines, low-slung curves, hand-stitched leather, that throaty little purr when the clutch catches just right… Mm,” I hum. “Can’t wait to get my hands on them.”
He arches a brow, staring right back at me. “Just them?”
My eyes fall down his body, taking in my favourite blue cable-knit sweater.
“Fuck no.”
I take the last step to close the distance between us and grab the back of his neck, crashing my mouth to his.
His hands immediately find my hips and pull me into him as I push my tongue past his lips, and pour a week’s worth of want into this kiss.
My hips grind against his as I push him against the desk, desperate to feel every part of him against me, and he leans back as his fingers slip under my shirt and run up my back, sending a burst of heat up my spine.
I slide my hand up the back of his head and twist my fingers in his hair, tugging his head back as I drop my mouth to his throat. I kiss and lick up the side of it until my lips hit the edge of his jaw and find his ear.
“Damn, baby,” I pant, feeling his hard cock in his jeans against mine. “I missed you.”
When I pull back, his eyes are glassy and his cheeks are flushed, and he looks like he’s ready to take whatever I’m willing to give him. But as he holds my gaze, it also looks like he’s asking for more.
I slowly grind my hips into him again as the sound of a door closing echoes in the hallway. But neither of us so much as flinches.
Slowly, I untangle my fingers from his hair and slip my hand down to wrap around his throat.
I squeeze slightly as I tip his chin up so he’s looking down his nose at me, then lean in and lightly press my lips to his before I release him.
As my hand slides down to rest over his chest, he pulls a deep breath in and slowly exhales.
And I have to take a moment to just look at him.
He looks fucking perfect.
He is fucking perfect.
He’s worked so hard to get here and to be healthy, present, and happy. He’s brightened more than I ever thought he could in the past year, as those small sparks I once saw are now a roaring fire. And I’ll guard it with everything I have and do whatever it takes to keep him burning.
Especially in that fucking cable-knit sweater.
I shake my head as I look him over and groan. “If we don’t hurry up and get home, I’m going to bend you over this desk and fuck you right here.”
His hands suddenly hit my chest, pushing me back just enough so he can straighten. He holds my stare for a long moment then turns and walks to the lecture hall door.
I’m just about to tell him to grab his fucking computer when he closes the door, and turns to face me.
The look in his eyes is pure fucking sin as he walks towards me again, and stops just inches away.
His eyes flash with challenge as they flick between mine, and the corner of his lips lifts in a sly smile. “Be bad.”
I exhale slowly, then I grab his hips and shove him back onto the desk… hard.
He catches himself with both hands behind him, and his eyes narrow as I step between his legs. But he doesn’t fight me. He just lets me lean in and brush my lips over his.
“Be worse.”
THE END