Chapter Eighteen (have I really gotten this far? It feels as though I just started)
Surprises... and some espionage
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"You're a teacher?" I snorted. "Good one."
He raised his eyebrows. "You don't believe me?" he said and leant casually against the table to his side. "Wait til your next two classes."
"You're trying to tell me that you teach espionage? And that you are permitted to hit on your students, and sit way too close to them during breaks?"
He tilted forward and I leant back as far as I could away from him but he just kept getting closer until I nearly had to go cross-eyed to see his brilliant eyes clearly, his face separated from mine by the thinnest distance.
"Am I too close?" he asked softly. I could feel his words form in the air, his breath brushing over my face, my lips. They tingled as if awaiting a kiss. I was dumbstruck. I couldn't move, blink, speak. I could barely breathe. His eyes roved over my face, pausing on my mouth. He wet his lips with his tongue and I could almost feel them touching mine. My breathing began to grow shaky when he didn't move. How did he have such a profound effect on me? He was hot but I wasn't usually so helpless around good-looking guys.
He finally withdrew, giving me space to recover from his intimate closeness.
"You should change out of those clothes," he said, abruptly changing the subject. "Espionage history is a theoretical study and you should be in full uniform during it." He ran his hand up the outside of my leg, lingering up the top. "I hear that the teacher is a real bastard and you wouldn't want to get on his bad side."
He stood up and walked away, just as I realised that he hadn't answered any of my questions. I looked around me, expecting a sea of faces looking my way in shock, but no one had taken any notice of his intense flirtation. None of them were even curiously looking this way. What was wrong with these people? He was an inch away from being melded to me and it wasn't considered a scandal? I had to get out of here. I stood up to leave just as the doors to the cafeteria swung open and James tumbled in, sprawling to the floor. Two large students followed him in, guffawing. I recognised them from my weapons class. Seeing them bullying one of my only friends made my fists clench. I made my way over to them.
"Are you just gonna sit there and stare at us, Jimmy-boy?" said the bigger one, I think his name was Bruno. He nudged James with his foot. "Not gonna fight back while we pound you?"
"You just back the hell up," I growled. I kicked his foot away from James who was hugging his knees but looking up at the two bullies with fearless eyes.
"What's it to you, babe?" said the other meathead, whose name I couldn't remember. I would have to find out what it was. These guys were going straight to the top of my 'list'.
I smiled serenely. "You speak to him, look at him or touch him one more time and I will pummel you until you beg me to stop."
Bruno lurched towards me but was stopped when someone stepped in front of him and pressed a hand to his chest. Luke's features had darkened with anger and distaste but he still managed to look gorgeous. Like a dark angel. Or a heroic demon.
"You heard her. Now back off, idiot," he snapped. "Or I will help her turn you into mush."
Bruno seemed to see that, while he was larger than Luke, he wouldn't win in a fight against him.
"Come on, Paul. Let's get away from these geeks." The two brutes made their exit and I spun to face James.
"What the hell? Why didn't you fight back?" I exclaimed. I knew that he had enough knowledge to send those guys to the moon and yet he had sat there while they pushed him around.
