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He frowned. “I don’t pout.”

“You’re doing it now.” Sloane sighed. “Then we started working together, and I learned about your fascination with all things science, and your appreciation of animal conservation. You’re always so keen to uncover the truth and solve scientific mysteries. I admit, you have a few weird habits I can’t get my head around, but I’ll deal with them.”

“What habits don’t you like?”

“Your octo-squibs for one.”

He stroked her hair off her face. “You know why I have them. They help to relax me.”

“You mean, they drug you with their sedative. That’s bad for you.”

“It’s good for you, though.” Dallin hated to admit how bad things had gotten for him. “Sloane, you’ve never seen me at my worst. I can be unpredictable. I can’t keep control of my thoughts, and I can’t always predict my reactions.”

“Yeah, that’s not a secret. I see you like that more often than you realize. You’re terrible at hiding when you have brain overload.”

“I’m not. I make sure I’m not anywhere near you when it happens.”

“I know you’ve been trying to keep this from me, but I’m around you all the time. You don’t realize how often you stand in one spot, staring into space while that brain of yours goes into overload.

“I don’t do it that often. I rarely do it around you.” Dallin was certain he didn’t, but how could he be sure?

Sloane’s mouth tilted up one side. “You probably do it at least twice a week.”

“I’m really that bad?”

“No! I didn’t say it was bad. And it doesn’t scare me. Sure, to begin with, it was a bit weird. I tried to snap you out of it a few times, but you didn’t respond to anything I did. I even had Angel come take a look at you, and she said not to worry. It was just one of your quirks.”

“I don’t remember that happening.”

She shrugged. “Why would you? You literally had other things on your mind. Other things that shut everything else down. Your brain goes into serious processing mode, so the rest of you stops.”

“Which is bad for you. I’m supposed to be the one that looks out for you. How can I do that, if this messed up brain takes me off somewhere else?”

“I’m pretty good at taking care of myself. And you.”

“You shouldn’t have to be. It’s what I’m here for. At least, if I was working properly, it would be. I... I can’t be what you want.”

She snuggled against him. “You let me decide what I want. And you shouldn’t look at this as a negative. What you’ve got inside that head of yours is incredible. You have instant recall. You forget nothing.”

Dallin closed his eyes and let out a sigh. “Honestly, it’s exhausting. If I could take it all back, I would.”

Sloane was quiet for a moment, simply tracing her free hand across his bare chest and stirring lustful feelings in him. “Does it help to get the information out? You could free up some space.”

“Get it out? It doesn’t come out.”

“You could try talking things through with someone. You have all this information stuffed in your head, and it simply needs an outlet.”

“What kind of outlet?”

“Have you ever thought about teaching?”

He grimaced. “No. That doesn’t appeal. I’m not a natural with children.”

“How many have you been around?”

“Not many. They’re noisy.”

Sloane grinned. “I’m not suggesting a class of children, but you could teach virtually. Whatever topic is on your brain, you put up a virtual lecture or discussion about it. You unload the information in your head so it’s not stuck in there. You could make it interactive and have a question-and-answer session. That would get even more information out.”