6. Clair #4
“Mm-hmm,” Clair said skeptically and took another sip. Then she looked back at the screen she'd been working on before she fell asleep and frowned.
Something was different—the analysis was finished. Not just the one sequence she'd been running—all of them were done.
Clair straightened up.
“Kaelus?” she said, making his name a question.
“Yes?” He turned to look at her again.
“Did you finish my metabolic comparison?” Clair asked him.
He frowned.
“No.”
She stared at the display and then returned his frown.
“Yes, you did.”
He ran a hand through his hair.
“Fine. I ran several analyses while you slept.”
“That is the definition of finishing my metabolic comparison,” Clair pointed out.
He shrugged.
“I was already using the Molecular Resonance Analyzer, so it was no trouble.”
“You entered all my sample data,” Clair said.
“It was inefficient to leave the machine idle,” Kaelus said stiffly.
Clair turned around in her chair. Kaelus still wasn't looking at her, but she could tell he was focused on her one hundred percent. She didn’t know how to feel about that. It wasn't unpleasant exactly—just strange.
For years, she'd been married to a man who saw her work as an inconvenience. James had resented every hour she spent in the lab, complained when she worked late, and acted as though her career was some selfish hobby she pursued at his expense.
Kaelus had spent the evening quietly finishing her work while she slept.
He hadn't done it for praise—clearly, he hadn't even intended to tell her. He’d just done it. Also, he’d covered her because she was cold, he'd made her coffee, and he had stayed.
“Kaelus,” Clair said softly.
This time he turned.
“What?”
“Thank you.”
He frowned slightly.
“For what?”
“For all of it.” She made a motion with her free hand, indicating everything he’d done for her—the work, the coffee, the lab coat.
He frowned.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
Clair smiled.
“Yes, you do.”
Their eyes met and for once, she didn't tease him. She didn't call him honey-bun or sugar-booger or sweetie-pie. She simply looked at him and Kaelus looked back.
The silence between them felt different somehow, Clair thought. It wasn’t uncomfortable or irritated—it was just…nice.
Clair pulled his lab coat more tightly around herself, enjoying his warm scent far more than she should.
“You should go back to your suite and get some sleep,” Kaelus said finally, but his voice was quieter than usual.
“So should you,” she pointed out.
“I will.”
“When?”
“When I finish my work,” he rumbled.
Clair rolled her eyes.
“Which means sometime next week.”
His mouth twitched up slightly. There it was again—that almost-smile.
Clair pointed at him.
“I saw that.”
“You saw nothing.”
“You smiled.”
“I did not,” he protested.
“You absolutely did.” Clair grinned at him.
Kaelus rose from his stool.
“I believe exhaustion has impaired your visual perception.”
“Oh, bullshit,” she said, laughing.
She gathered her things, but when she started to take off his lab coat, Kaelus stopped her.
“Keep it.”
Clair frowned.
“What? Why?”
“Because you are still cold. I don’t want you to catch a chill.” Kaelus frowned. “If you get sick, I will need to tend you.”
“But the coat is yours,” she pointed out, ignoring his justification.
He nodded.
“I am aware.”
“Well…” She shrugged. “I guess I can bring it back tomorrow.”
He nodded again.
“That would be acceptable.”
Clair wrapped it more tightly around herself. It nearly swallowed her whole—she liked that. Liked it a lot.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
Kaelus nodded. Then he walked her to the laboratory door—he’d never done that before.
Clair stepped into the corridor and turned back.
“Good night, Kaelus,” she murmured.
“Good night, Clair,” he rumbled.
A little shiver went down her spine. He had called her Clair instead of Doctor Donovan. He’d only done that once before.
Clair looked up at him.
Kaelus appeared to realize what he'd done because his expression immediately became guarded…but he didn't correct himself.
“Sleep,” he ordered. “Otherwise you won’t be able to work to capacity tomorrow.”
Clair smiled.
“Yes, Doctor Bossy-pants.”
He growled—a low rumble that came from deep in his chest.
Still smiling, Clair turned and headed toward her suite. The lab coat brushed around her ankles as she walked, enveloping her in Kaelus's warm, spicy scent. And for some reason, Clair found herself lifting one oversized sleeve and pressing it briefly against her nose.
Crap—she really liked the way he smelled. And she liked the way he looked at her too. She liked knowing he would catch her if she fell and feed her if she forgot to eat and protect her if something dangerous came near.
And worst of all, she was beginning to suspect that underneath all the growling and rules and impossible arrogance, he might like her too.
That was definitely going to be a problem, especially given the fact that she’d sworn off men for the rest of her life.
That was what she thought anyway, until the two of them were sitting in Commander Sylvan’s office and the big Hybrid point blank refused to go on an important scientific mission with her…