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Or did some part of himwantpeople to realize the truth?
“Expecting a quiz?” Callen asked, his warm breath fanning over my nape.
Gasping, I spun and came face to face with him. My heart drummed. He stood directly in front of me, his hands stuffed in his pockets. How had I not heard him move?
“Why? Is class in session, Professor Bruce?” A flush sizzled in my cheeks. Had I used a flirty tone? I’d used a flirty tone, hadn’t I?
I began to look away, but he caughtme by the chin. A gentle but implacable clutch. Our gazes locked, and I gulped. He searched my eyes. With the pad of his thumb, he traced the seam of my bottom lip as he’d done to his own.
My pulse jumped. What was happening here? Why would he… Why did I… Should we…
“You want to be friends, lass?” His soft tone washed over me, stroking my nerve endings.
I didn’t mean to, but I stepped closer. “I?—”
“Da!” a sweet, excited voice proclaimed.
Surprise overtook Callen’s features as he released me and whipped around. In the open doorway stood a grinning little girl with silky black hair, big blue eyes, and a frilly pink dress. She clutched a doll to her chest.
Startled, I froze. Callen’s gaze darted to me, and he stiffened. As he refocused on the child, however, his demeanor transformed. From full of dread to total adoration. He smiled a genuine smile that softened his entire face and stole my breath.
“Hello, my angel.” He strode to the side of the desk, away from me, and opened his arms. “I missed you terribly.”
Was I about to meet the infamous Mirren?
Chapter
Eleven
Be in the Know: When To Summon Your Rage Support Squad
FromA Beginner’s Guide to Berserker Bliss
Author Unknown
Asoft patter of footsteps sounded as the girl ran into his arms. I watched, transfixed, as Callen lifted her off her feet. The two embraced as if they hadn’t seen each other for months, whispering and chuckling together, presenting a glorious picture of love and family.
Homesickness threatened to choke me. Would I ever enjoy a reunion with my parents?
“Who’s she?” the little girl asked, pointing at me. Safe in the arms of her father, she rested her head on his shoulder and stared at me with those icy baby blues. And what a stare it was! Direct. Unwavering. Unnerving, really.
Callen kissed his daughter’s brow, love all but shiningfrom his pores. How tender he was with her. How reverent. She was clearly his greatest treasure.
No way he’d harmed this girl’s mother. Callen Bruce would rather die than hurt his baby girl.
The same couldn’t be said of his feelings for his wife. “This is Isobel.” His lips flattened as though the introduction tasted bitter.
“The shrew you were forced to marry?” Asked with an innocent, curious tone. No doubt she’d only repeated what she’d heard others say.
I laughed with genuine amusement, and both father and daughter studied me. The first with surprise. The latter with burgeoning curiosity. I hiked my shoulders. “What? It’s funny.”
“I married her, yes,” he said with a sigh. “You may call her Isobel.”
“The shrew prefers Elle,” I piped up, holding my book against my chest. “You must be Mirren.” The six-year-old girl I’d heard almost nothing about. “I’m so happy to meet you.”
Mimicking her dad, she heaved a sigh. “We’re never goin’ to be friends, so you can stop tryin’. You’ll die soon, anyway. Everyone does.”
Oookay. I glanced at Callen, whose tough façade developed cracks. Those cracks revealed…whatwasthat? Devastation? I gulped but rallied fast, flashing an all-is-well schoolteacher smile at Mirren. “You’re right that everyone dies. Even people who shouldn’t.” A lesson I’d learned at my father’s passing. “That’s why we should live our best life while we can. For me, that means winning you over because I like you already.”
