frowned at him, indignation radiating from her.
He gave a shrug
and continued on, never having been one to hold his punches when it
came to evaluating skill levels. If people thought he wasn’t
tactful, too bad. They could blame it on his rogue tendencies.
“Sorry, but it’s the truth and it’s dangerous for you to go around
thinking you have any skill in that area. I’m surprised you passed
the basic course.” When she bit her lip and shifted her gaze, he
looked at her with narrowed eyes. “Or did you?”
“I passed...sort
of.” Brandi squirmed when he continued to stare and finally
continued. “All right, it was a mercy pass.” She looked down at the
table top and then peered up at him as if ashamed at having been
caught. “The instructor knew I was trying hard and really needed
the credit.”
Reno sighed and
thought he should reprimand her, however the way she looked up at
him through her lashes appealed to his softer side—wherever that
had come from! He found himself giving an understanding nod. “I
won’t say anything, but you should consider retaking the
course.”
“I do much better
in my wolf form.” She lifted her chin a bit and sat up straighter
as she made her pronouncement.
“Don’t we all? But
phasing into a wolf isn’t always possible, so knowing a few human
defence tricks never hurts.” He allowed his lips to curve into a
faint smile to take the sting out of his words while considering
her carefully. “So if you’re not interested in Enforcement, what
was your friend talking about?”
“She meant I was
interested in...” Her voice trailed off and she suddenly seemed to
be absorbed by a napkin she’d been holding, smoothing out the
wrinkles and then carefully folding it. Reno found himself enjoying
the way her cheeks stained red. Not his usual sort—he tended to
choose tall blondes like Tabitha, Brad’s latest girlfriend—but this
little rounded package was...different. For one thing her red hair
was fascinating.
When she didn’t
continue, he prompted her. “Interested in...?”
“You.” The word
was spoken so quietly he almost missed it.
He cocked his head
and analyzed her answer with professional detachment. She wasn’t
just another groupie looking for the thrill of getting it on with
an Enforcer. No, embarrassment and the thinnest edge of hope laced
her voice. Not a good sign. There were still some shades of naiveté
about her. Definitely not the kind of female he needed to get
entangled with.
“Oh.” Okay, time
to back off and let her down easy, he told himself. No strings, no
attachments. That was his motto. “Now that’s a coincidence. I think
I’m interested in you, too.” Reno blinked in surprise. Where the
hell had that come from? He’d had no intention of saying that!
Brandi stood up.
Setting down the remainder of the napkin she’d ended up shredding
with her fingers. “Look, I’m sorry to have wasted your time. This
is all just a big—” She stopped as his words must have suddenly
registered and stared at him in surprise. “You’re what?”
“Um...” He paused
not sure what to say, but his basic honesty prevented him from
allowing her to think she’d misheard. “I’m interested in you too. I
haven’t met many red-headed wolves before.” A little qualifying of
his answer couldn’t hurt, he assured himself.
Brandi gave him a
funny look and slowly sat back down. “Oh. Yeah. It’s pretty
unusual. It’s not quite as red when I shift, though.” She tucked
her hair back behind her ears, then seemed to realize what she was
doing and dropped her hands into her lap.
Reno smiled at her
obvious nervousness. Yep, this was definitely more entertaining
than he’d thought it would be. When his friends—fellow
instructors—said they were going out for the night, he’d envisioned
having a beer or two at a sports bar and watching a game on a big
screen TV. The Academy pub had come as a surprise, though perhaps
not totally unpleasant. Being
He gave a shrug
and continued on, never having been one to hold his punches when it
came to evaluating skill levels. If people thought he wasn’t
tactful, too bad. They could blame it on his rogue tendencies.
“Sorry, but it’s the truth and it’s dangerous for you to go around
thinking you have any skill in that area. I’m surprised you passed
the basic course.” When she bit her lip and shifted her gaze, he
looked at her with narrowed eyes. “Or did you?”
“I passed...sort
of.” Brandi squirmed when he continued to stare and finally
continued. “All right, it was a mercy pass.” She looked down at the
table top and then peered up at him as if ashamed at having been
caught. “The instructor knew I was trying hard and really needed
the credit.”
Reno sighed and
thought he should reprimand her, however the way she looked up at
him through her lashes appealed to his softer side—wherever that
had come from! He found himself giving an understanding nod. “I
won’t say anything, but you should consider retaking the
course.”
“I do much better
in my wolf form.” She lifted her chin a bit and sat up straighter
as she made her pronouncement.
“Don’t we all? But
phasing into a wolf isn’t always possible, so knowing a few human
defence tricks never hurts.” He allowed his lips to curve into a
faint smile to take the sting out of his words while considering
her carefully. “So if you’re not interested in Enforcement, what
was your friend talking about?”
“She meant I was
interested in...” Her voice trailed off and she suddenly seemed to
be absorbed by a napkin she’d been holding, smoothing out the
wrinkles and then carefully folding it. Reno found himself enjoying
the way her cheeks stained red. Not his usual sort—he tended to
choose tall blondes like Tabitha, Brad’s latest girlfriend—but this
little rounded package was...different. For one thing her red hair
was fascinating.
When she didn’t
continue, he prompted her. “Interested in...?”
“You.” The word
was spoken so quietly he almost missed it.
He cocked his head
and analyzed her answer with professional detachment. She wasn’t
just another groupie looking for the thrill of getting it on with
an Enforcer. No, embarrassment and the thinnest edge of hope laced
her voice. Not a good sign. There were still some shades of naiveté
about her. Definitely not the kind of female he needed to get
entangled with.
“Oh.” Okay, time
to back off and let her down easy, he told himself. No strings, no
attachments. That was his motto. “Now that’s a coincidence. I think
I’m interested in you, too.” Reno blinked in surprise. Where the
hell had that come from? He’d had no intention of saying that!
Brandi stood up.
Setting down the remainder of the napkin she’d ended up shredding
with her fingers. “Look, I’m sorry to have wasted your time. This
is all just a big—” She stopped as his words must have suddenly
registered and stared at him in surprise. “You’re what?”
“Um...” He paused
not sure what to say, but his basic honesty prevented him from
allowing her to think she’d misheard. “I’m interested in you too. I
haven’t met many red-headed wolves before.” A little qualifying of
his answer couldn’t hurt, he assured himself.
Brandi gave him a
funny look and slowly sat back down. “Oh. Yeah. It’s pretty
unusual. It’s not quite as red when I shift, though.” She tucked
her hair back behind her ears, then seemed to realize what she was
doing and dropped her hands into her lap.
Reno smiled at her
obvious nervousness. Yep, this was definitely more entertaining
than he’d thought it would be. When his friends—fellow
instructors—said they were going out for the night, he’d envisioned
having a beer or two at a sports bar and watching a game on a big
screen TV. The Academy pub had come as a surprise, though perhaps
not totally unpleasant. Being
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