Wild Invitation

one.
    “Mr.…Zach.”
    “Quinn,” he supplied. “Zach Quinn.”
    Her cheeks flared with little red spots of temper. “Mr. Quinn, Bryan is a child. I expect you to act like an adult.”
    Oh, he had plenty of plans to act like an adult around Ms. Kildaire. “I promised JB.”
    She stared at him, then blew out a breath. “And promises are to be kept.”
    “Yes.”
    “What do you suggest I do?” She folded her arms. “I have to punish him, and I can’t do that without knowing why he did what he did.”
    “I’ll take care of it.” Bryan had hit someone, and his nephew knew he’d be disciplined for it, provocation or not. But some things, Zach knew, were worth fighting over. “I’ll make sure the punishment fits the crime.”
    “It’s a school matter.”
    “It’s a leopard matter.”

Chapter 2
    UNDERSTANDING FILTERED INTO those pretty melted-chocolate eyes. “He’s usually so well controlled, I forget he’s only seven.”
    “Boy’ll grow up to be one of the dominants, probably a soldier.” He glanced behind him. “Ready?”
    Bryan nodded, backpack slung over his shoulder. “Yep.”
    Zach watched as his nephew walked up to the desk and said, “I’m sorry I dis—”—a frown of concentration—“disrupted the classroom. But I’m not sorry I hit Morgan.”
    Zach was looking at Annie and saw her struggle to hide a smile. “That’s not a very good attitude, Bryan.”
    “I know. And I’m ready for the punishment. But I’m still not sorry.”
    Brown eyes flicked to him. “Is stubbornness a family trait?” Her lips curved just a little, just enough to make everything in him sit up in attention.
    “Now that, sweetheart,” he said, a stunning realization taking form in his chest, “is something you’ll have to decide for yourself.”
Well, hell.
    She colored again. “Thank you for coming in, Mr. Quinn. I’ll look forward to seeing Bryan in class on Monday.”
    He didn’t move, tasting the realization that had him by the throat. It was hot, wild,
right
. Utterly, absolutely right. The knowledge made his smile slow and seductive. “Why don’t you walk out with us?” The corridors had been close to empty when he arrived, and he couldn’t hear any movement now. No way was he leaving sweet Annie Kildaire alone in a building with winter darkness only an hour away at most.
    “I’ll be out in a moment.” She began to gather the papers on her desk.
    “We’ll wait.” He glanced at Bryan. “Can you wait?”
    “Yep.” A sunny smile. “But I’m hungry.”
    Reaching into the back pocket of his jeans, he pulled out a muesli bar he’d grabbed on his way here. “I got you this for the ride home.”
    Bryan caught it with cat-quick reflexes and happily went off to scramble into a seat, backpack at his feet. Meanwhile, Ms. Kildaire was giving him a guarded kind of look. “Really Mr. Quinn—”
    “Zach. You can only call me Mr. Quinn when you’re angry.”
    “Mr.—”
    “Zach.”
    Her hand fisted. “Fine. Zach.”
    He smiled, liking that she was already comfortable enough to argue with him. Some women found him a little too dangerous to play with. And he very much wanted to play with Annie. “Yes, Teach?”
    He could hear her gritting her teeth. “I’ll be perfectly fine walking out alone. I do it every day of the week.”
    He shrugged, enjoying the verbal sparring. “I’m here today.”
    “And what you says goes?” Looking down, she shoved her papers into an untidy pile.
    “Unless you can talk me out of it.” He saw her jaw set and knew she was gritting those human teeth again. All that beautiful passion, he thought in pleasure, hidden behind the shyness that had first stained her cheeks.
    “And why should I be talking you out of anything?” She grabbed what looked like a black leather-synth satchel and put the papers inside. “You’re nobody to me.”
    The cat didn’t like that. The man didn’t either. “That wasn’t very nice.”
    She turned to shoot him a glare, then recommenced packing her satchel. He could almost see her trying to figure out if he was being serious or if he was teasing her. That it took her that much focus told him she hadn’t been teased much. That was a shame. Because when Annie got mad, she forgot to be shy.
    Now, she slapped her satchel closed and swung it over hershoulder. Or tried to. Zach slid it out of her hand and brought the strap over his head, settling it diagonally across his body.
    “Mr. Quinn!” She looked like she