“And is that a fresh haircut?”
I scramble out of my chair. “Alright. That’s enough. I freshen up a little for my lunchappointment,and you make it seem like I’m getting married.”
“Not yet,” Flint mutters under his breath.
I am about to retort when Ryker Navarro stalks into the lab.
“Hey, man,” Ryker lifts his chin toward me. “What’s with the ironed clothes?”
“That’s it,” I point to the door. “Get out. Both of you.”
Flint turns to Ryker. “The man seems a little sensitive if you ask me.”
“For the love of…” I pull up my countdown app. “I have about 35 minutes before I need to leave…”
Both men howl with laughter.
Ryker points. “Is that a countdown clock?”
I shove the phone back into my pocket. “No.”
“They grow up so quickly,” Flint wipes imaginary tears from the corners of his eyes. “I’m going to enjoy being on this side of it.”
I fume. These fuckers are wrecking the chaotic zen of my lab with their gossip. It’s worse than a quilting bee in here. “There are no sides because nothing is going on. I’m doing a favor.”
“Oh, then, you won’t mind if I ask her out,” Ryker raises an eyebrow at me.
My blood boils. I’d be damned if thisfucknutasks Carolina out. She was off-limits.
Mine.
“Don’t you dare!” I point at him.
This causes Flint and Ryker to laugh harder.
“All I know is, she’s a damn sight better than that empty-headed blonde you foisted on me the other night,” Ryker grumbles. “No challenge whatsoever.”
“What’s a challenge?”
Time stands still as I turn toward the voice in the doorway. No fucking way it’s her. No fucking way she’s early. And no fucking way she found my lab without any fuck nugget giving me a heads up.
“Hey, Carolina!” Flint swoops in for a big hug, where he lifts her off the ground.
She squeals. “Put me down, you big oaf.”
My hands move before I even know what I’m doing. I drag Carolina away from Flint and pull her behind me.
Carolina pats me on the shoulder and clears her throat. “Um. It’s okay. I’m okay. No need to Caveman this all up, Rand.”
Ryker has the decency to stifle his laughter as he holds out a hand toward her. “I don’t think we’ve met yet. I’m Ryker. I’ve heard a lot about you, Carolina.”
Her eyebrows go up as she shakes his hand. “You have, have you?”
Ryker winks.
Tattooed MoFo is a dead man walking.
I growl at Ryker. He laughs, gives me an invisible hat tip, and pulls Flint out of the lab, leaving me alone with the most beautiful Saber sister.
