Chapter 10
TEN
“ D on’t even think about backing out.” Alora poked his chest, then immediately regretted it when she encountered solid muscle. “If I have to suffer through this, so do you.”
His eyes dropped to where her finger still pressed against his suit jacket. “As you wish.”
And oh, that was definitely not fair—quoting Princess Bride in that voice while looking at her like that. There had to be laws against this sort of thing.
“Right.” She stepped back, reminding herself that spontaneous combustion from sexual tension probably wouldn’t help her research. “Let’s science. I mean, do science. Professionally.”
A low rumble escaped him—not quite a laugh, not quite a growl. “Your methods are... unconventional. But effective.”
“High praise from Mr. Perfect.” She stepped back before she did something ridiculous like trace that jawline with her fingers. Just to study its angle. For science.
Throughout the afternoon, she caught him positioning himself between her and various “threats”—including a wobbly stack of books, a slightly suspicious-looking beaker, and at one point, a delivery person who’d brought more Thai food. Each time, he played it off as coincidence, but Maya’s knowing looks told a different story.
“He’s like a very expensive guard dog,” Maya whispered during one supply run. “A guard tiger? Either way, he’s marking territory without actually marking territory.”
“He is not,” Alora hissed back, though she’d noticed how other lab techs gave her a wider berth since Rehan started prowling—she meant patrolling—her lab. “He’s just... safety conscious.”
“Safety conscious enough to growl at a guy for asking to borrow your stapler?”
“That was... professional concern about office supplies.”
Maya’s snort could have shamed a jaguar. “Honey, that man’s about as professionally detached as your lab is professionally organized. Speaking of which, you might want to change before dinner. As much as I love the dancing tigers on your coat, your mom’s trying to impress him.”
Reality crashed back in. Dinner. With her parents. And Rehan “Perfect Suit” Kedi.
“Oh god.” Alora slumped against the supply shelves. “This is going to be a disaster.”
“It’ll be entertaining, at least.” Maya patted her shoulder. “Remember when your mom spent an hour questioning my shifting process? At least he knows what he’s talking about.”
“That’s worse! She’ll never stop asking questions.” Alora banged her head gently against a shelf. “And Dad... oh god, Dad’s going to do his protective scientist routine.”
“The one where he brings out his old genetics papers to establish dominance?”
“While subtly working in questions about funding sources and future intentions.” Alora groaned. “Maybe we could fake a lab emergency?”
“Pretty sure your guard tiger out there would tear down the building if he thought you were in danger.” Maya’s grin turned wicked. “Which, by the way, is definitely not normal boss behavior.”
“He’s just... invested in the research.”
“Oh, he’s invested in something all right.” Maya waggled her eyebrows. “The question is when are you going to collect on that investment?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Now come on—let’s get you changed into something that says ‘brilliant scientist’ rather than ‘crazy cat lady with three PhDs.’“
Alora glanced down at her tiger-covered lab coat. “What’s wrong with looking like both?”