Coming In Hot

Chapter 2

2

Tobias Knight strode across the pretty pastoral campus of Evergreen, picturing himself like some kind of ogre trampling through a magical fairyland. He felt about a foot taller than everyone else here, even though there were plenty of football players and the like wandering around the central landscaped area called the "quadrangle." Maybe his extra years made the difference, or his time in the army, or his naturally fiery temperament.

Whatever it was, he felt about as alien to these students and this environment as a warrior at a tea party.

Weirdly, he hadn't felt that way in Carolyn Moore's class. Something about the way she looked at him, as if she really wanted to know what he thought, had gotten to him. Plus, she was beautiful, with all that ash-blond hair and luminous gray-blue eyes under delicately arched eyebrows. He didn't normally notice eyebrows. But she had the kind of face you just wanted to stare at forever and figure out what made it so appealing.

No wonder his little brother Aiden was in love with her.

"A golden goddess," he'd called her in his letter explaining his decision to transfer from Evergreen. He’d quoted some poem--"Like the first evening star bright against the infinite sky." He’d even confessed to staying up late writing her love letters.

Good God. The poor kid was hooked harder than a trout. And if Carolyn Moore chose to, she could reel him in and get a small fortune for her trouble. Aiden, like all of the Knight brothers, had a trust from his share of their father's life insurance. Will had used his to buy a house and raise Aiden. Tobias and Ben had used theirs as the startup capital for Knight and Day Flight Tours, their new flightseeing business. Aiden, still only nineteen, needed Will's permission to access his trust.

He'd asked for exactly that in the letter that had sent all the brothers into a panic. Aiden wanted to transfer to Jupiter Point Community College, and use funds from his trust to win over his "golden goddess." The kid had lost his damn mind.

So far, Aiden had refused to identify the "golden goddess." The fact that he refused to give any other details pointed in the direction of someone they wouldn't approve of. So Tobias had combed through his schedule and located all the female professors on the list. One was nearly sixty and sported a gray braid down her back. Another was a proud-and-very-out black lesbian. That left the blond and lovely adjunct professor Carolyn Moore as the only potential “golden goddess.”

A little more research had revealed the fact that Carolyn Moore was on staff at JPCC, and was only teaching at Evergreen for one semester.

Bingo.

Tobias had volunteered to come to Evergreen and rescue Aiden from making the worst mistake of his life. He hadn't planned to participate in Ms. Gold Digger's class on Renaissance art, but every mission had its unexpected moments.

Footfalls came pounding after him, and someone grabbed the back of his jacket. Good thing he knew it had to be Aiden, or his unknown accoster would have gotten a shock. Special Forces training died hard.

"What the hell are you doing here, Tobias?"

Tobias turned to see his youngest brother glaring at him. His blond hair stuck up in bedhead spikes. He wore torn jeans and a t-shirt that said, Ride the Wave, with a picture of a surfer wearing headphones. For a moment, just a brief one, Tobias wondered what his life would have been like if he hadn't joined the army, if he'd gone to college the way his counselors had urged him. But life had sent him in a different direction. Once a warrior, always a warrior, he supposed.

Aiden, on the other hand, was a sunny, sweet-natured kid. He was naive, and this was his first time entering the big bad world. Granted, Evergreen College didn't really fit the "big bad" description, but appearances could be deceiving. A beautiful, soft-eyed blonde could well be a scheming gold digger, and how would Aiden have any clue about it?

He wouldn't. That was Tobias’s job. He had one mission—save his brother from squandering his future on a con woman.

"Good to see you, kid." Tobias reached out to squeeze his brother's shoulder. Aiden looked too pissed to risk anything more than that, like an actual hug. "You don't look too happy to see me, though."

"That depends. I mean, yeah. I'm kind of happy." Aiden eyed him with blatant suspicion. With his blond good looks, he resembled their mother, whereas Tobias had gotten his darker coloring from their father. "But if you're here to talk me out of leaving Evergreen, you can forget it."

"I don't know why you'd want to leave." Tobias shoved his hands in his pockets and gazed around at the sweeping lawns and winding pathways shaded by oak and pine trees. "It's a nice campus."

"I told you all why I wanted to leave." Aiden lifted his chin and shifted his backpack, which he'd slung over one shoulder. "And I'm not changing my mind."

Tobias surveyed his younger brother and thought about the last time he'd seen him. Aiden had come home for a long weekend and the four brothers had held a family meeting. Even though Will was a deputy sheriff and Tobias and Ben had both recently left the armed forces, Aiden had been the one who had fearlessly confronted the elephant in the room—the murder of their father.

Aiden might look young—he was young—but he was no pushover.

"Hey, you're over eighteen. You can make your own choices," Tobias told him. Of course he hoped to talk him out of this choice, but he couldn't do that if Aiden got stubborn right off the bat. "Can we go somewhere and talk? Do you have another class now?"

"No, I have a break until my Geology class." Aiden glanced around the quadrangle. "Do you want coffee? We could go to the Caf. It's your basic cafeteria, but not too bad."

"Works for me."

As they walked toward the Caf—which had a paved courtyard dotted with tables—Aiden peppered him with questions. "Do you want to see my dorm? How long are you here for? When are you going back to Jupiter Point?"

"No specific plans yet, young blood." Tobias ruffled his hair affectionately. "Just thought it would be cool to see you living the life. My little goofball brother, a college student. What do you know."

Aiden grinned at him. Now that Tobias had acknowledged his sovereignty over his own life, he'd apparently relaxed his guard. "College is pretty cool, Tobias. There are students from all over here. My roommate is from India, how cool is that?"

"Very cool. How are the parties?"

"I hardly ever party because I'm studying so much." He plastered that innocent smile on his face, the one Tobias remembered well from his younger years.

"Busted," he said good-naturedly. "But don't worry, Will doesn't have to know."

Will was the one who had raised Aiden after their father's murder. He'd done a great job, of course, but if you asked Tobias, he'd held the reins a little too tight.

"Does Will know you're here?" Aiden asked.

"He does. He said to give you a hug. So here you go." Tobias pulled his brother into a one-armed side hug from which Aiden emerged with his hair even more mussed.

"Jeez, Tobias, you're like a two-ton truck." Aiden grumbled as he adjusted his backpack. They'd reached the edge of the outdoor patio of the Caf. Students filled the tables, laughing, eating, chatting, checking their phones, listening to their headphones. Tobias felt about a thousand years old compared to the youthfulness of these kids.

"You know what I feel like right now?" Aiden complained. "I feel like one of those kids who hires a bodyguard to scare bullies away. Do you have to scowl so much?"

Tobias relaxed his face. He hadn't realized he was scowling. "I'm not trying to scare anyone. You've heard of 'resting b***h face?' I figured out that I have 'resting f**k-you face.'"

Aiden howled with laughter. The sound lightened Tobias’s heart. That was the sound of life, right there. Young, innocent life. Protecting that innocence was his job here.

Aiden spotted a table being vacated by a group of girls. "You go claim that table and I'll get the coffee."

"I can get the coffee," Tobias protested. He was the big brother, wasn't that his job?

"Nope. I got it. I prepaid a hundred dollars so I can come get a drink whenever I want. This is my turf, Tobias. My treat."

Tobias gave in and went to claim the table while Aiden disappeared through the glass doors into the Caf's inner workings. He sank into a chair and stretched out his legs. Since he and Ben had started Knight and Day Flight Tours, he didn't get nearly as much hardcore exercise as he was used to. Maybe he ought to hit the gym when he got home, or go for a trail run in the hills, or—

His brain momentarily short-circuited when he caught sight of the woman crossing the quadrangle, the sunlight catching her hair as she passed between two oak trees.

Carolyn Moore.

Except now she wasn't hidden behind that lectern, bathed in hideous fluorescent light. No, she was in full, glorious view. She wore a knee-length skirt and suede boots, along with a soft pearly sweater that clung to her long and elegantly curved torso. She was chatting with one of the students from the art class as she walked; she kept smiling at the younger woman, also a blonde, as if to encourage her. Tall and lithe, she moved with a sensual grace that sent a message right to his c**k. His body responded with annoying eagerness. You want her, it said. You're attracted. Possibly fascinated.

Except that his body wasn't in charge here. He was. And he wasn't here to get involved. In fact, he was here to stop his brother from getting involved. And one thing he absolutely wouldn't do was upset Aiden.

So he determinedly dragged his gaze away from Carolyn Moore and stared at the tips of his shoes. A working-man's boots, designed to help him fly planes and traverse the tarmac. That's what he was—a working man, a warrior, a brawler, a brother. He had no business lusting after a refined art history type who would probably faint if he took off his shirt and showed what eight years as a Chinook pilot in the 160th Airborne—also known as a Night Stalker—did to a guy.

"You still like your coffee black, right?" Aiden said as he appeared at the table with a cardboard tray holding two steaming paper cups. Recycled paper, Tobias noticed. College campus style. Piled in the middle of the tray were a variety of snack bags ranging from unhealthy to utter crap.

"Sure, sounds good." Actually, he'd been adding sugar and cream to his coffee lately. Just one more of the changes he was experimenting with since leaving the army. But it didn't really matter. The coffee was just an excuse. "Hey isn't that the teacher from the class we were just in?" he asked, feigning innocence.

Aiden's head shot around so fast it could have made sparks. He zeroed in on the two women, teacher and student, like a laser beam. "Yes," he said in a strangled voice. He plopped down on the chair next to Tobias and sighed. "That's Ms. Moore. What did you think of her class?"

"Interesting," Tobias said, referring to both the class and Aiden's reaction. "What inspired you to sign up for a class on art history?"

Aiden turned red and avoided his gaze.

Bingo again.

So Carolyn Moore was the woman who could ruin Aiden's life. The question was, would she do it? Teacher-student relationships were against the rules at Evergreen College. She could lose her job if she crossed the line with Aiden. But if she'd figured out that Aiden had a substantial fortune in the bank, she might not care.

He shouldn't jump to conclusions yet. He had to talk to her. Face to face, he'd be able to get a feel for what her intentions were, and what kind of person she was. Until then, he had to keep Aiden talking.

"I'm not sure I agreed with her interpretation of that Rembrandt painting. You know, how she said the guy was trying to bring out the shadow side of his personality? How'd she get all that just from the angle of his head?"

Aiden blew on his coffee. "So now you're the expert just because you know how to kill people and fly planes?"

"Mostly helicopters," Tobias pointed out gravely.

"Whatever! Rocket ships, I don't care. You're a pilot, not a professor, so you should really give Ms. Moore a lot more respect."

"Oh, I give her a lot of respect." You always had to respect the enemy. Otherwise you might get caught with your pants down.

"What does that mean?" Aiden went on full alert. "Why did you show up in her class, anyway? Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" He narrowed his eyes. "Is this some kind of ambush?"

"Dude. Would you take it down a notch? I gave up ambushes when I left the army. This is a pop-in, not an ambush."

Aiden ripped open a bag of cheese puffs. "Just a random pop-in. And these are meatballs wrapped in solid gold." He brandished a puff before popping it into his mouth.

Tobias closed his eyes with a sigh. He should have stayed out of sight in that class. Chosen his moment more carefully. Now Aiden was full-on suspicious, and the only way he could throw him off the scent would be to lie. And he didn't want to do that. His brother would lose trust in him if he lied. Besides, he despised liars and deceivers of all sorts.

"Okay, you're right. I came here for a reason. We got your letter about leaving Evergreen and obviously we're worried. This is a great college, Aiden. You worked hard to get in and you're pulling good grades. It doesn't make sense to leave after one semester."

Aiden fixed his wide gray eyes on him. Those eyes always reminded Tobias of Mom, and the reminder was fricking painful, like a serrated knife to the chest. "What do you care? You've been gone for twelve years."

The note of betrayal in Aiden's voice took Tobias aback. "I came back during my leaves. I kept in touch."

Aiden, unimpressed, popped another cheese puff in his mouth and offered the bag to Tobias. He waved it off. After so many years of relying on his strength and fitness, he didn't like to pour junk into his body. "Fine, you kept in touch. Yay Skype. I just don't get why you care now. I can get a good education in Jupiter Point. And I'd be around you guys, too. All the Knight brothers could be together again. What's wrong with that?"

"We'll be together at Christmas. We can be together all summer. But Jupiter Point Community College doesn't compare to Evergreen and you know it."

Aiden shrugged, looking mulish. "I have other reasons too. And they're important to me. Maybe I don't want to be here without—" He broke off.

"Without the golden goddess?" Tobias said gently. He didn't want to push Aiden, but it would be easier to have this discussion if the kid came out and named his mystery crush.

"I don't want to talk about it." Aiden surged to his feet. "Just…just go. Go home. My life is my business. You shouldn't have even come here."

Tobias pushed his chair back, sloshing black coffee all over his pants. Damn, he'd screwed this up. He didn't want to alienate his brother; that was the last thing he wanted. "s**t, Aiden. Come on. I'm not trying to run your life. We're just having a conversation, right?"

"Not anymore. This is some kind of army Jedi mind trick you're pulling, isn't it? You're going to get me to talk about…her…and then you'll twist everything around and make it seem like she isn't the most amazing, incredible, amazing…"

"You already said that," murmured Tobias.

"Gaaah!!!! !" Aiden tossed his bag of cheese puffs in the air, so a neon-orange shower of fake cheese cascaded around them. "I'm done. I said I wasn't going to talk about it and I won't. Goodbye, Tobias. I'll see you at Christmas. Maybe."

He grabbed his backpack and stormed away from the table, crunching cheese puffs onto the courtyard pavers as he went.

Tobias ran a hand across his nearly bald scalp. He'd stopped shaving his head when he left the army. New start kind of thing. His hair was just beginning to grow back in a soft baby-like fuzz. Man, he'd f****d up. Aiden was furious with him now. He was going to dig in and refuse to listen to reason.

But at least he was pretty darn sure who the golden goddess was.

He looked at the cheese puffs scattered across the pavers. The sight offended his clean-freak sensibilities, which had been honed in the orderly living quarters of military barracks. The least he could do was clean them up. He dropped to his knees and swept the orange runaways into the bag that Aiden had left behind.

He worked quickly, already thinking about his next step. Clearly he couldn't go back to Jupiter Point yet. He didn't want to leave on a bad note with Aiden. At the very least, he had to patch things up with his brother. And he still had to have a talk with adjunct professor Carolyn Moore. But before he did that, he wanted to do some research. He wanted to find out everything he could about her. And he wanted to look up the exact wording of the rules forbidding teacher-student relationships. Were there any loopholes she might try to slip through?

There was another possibility. Maybe she was unaware of Aiden's crush. In which case, his job was pretty simple. Point it out and make the rules perfectly clear to her. Also, let her know that he'd be watching. Maybe that would make her extra cautious about stepping over any lines.

A suede boot the color of red wine stepped into his field of vision. Then another one. He looked up, an act that seemed to take longer than it should, because his gaze had so far to travel. Hot sexy boots, skirt molded around long thighs, slim hips, trim waist, cashmere sweater with buttons running between perfectly curved breasts, the soft shadow at the base of her throat, the long line of her neck, the tilt of her face looking down, the quirk of her lips, the shine of her eyes.

Jesus. She was a goddess.