Blood of Zeus (Blood of Zeus #1) - Meredith Wild Page 0,6

their necks in unison, intent on spotting the other Valari in the room.

Well…hell.

This new twist has handed me the best opportunity to escape—but no way is that part of my plan anymore. Not now, with Kara Valari in my sights.

After giving Sarah a friendly hug and heartfelt congratulations about the turnout, I signal Jesse that I’ll be back. Which, at this point, may or may not be the truth.

Using my size to my advantage, I cut a path through the crowd until only a few people stand between Kara and me. Her lip is clipped between her teeth, her brows pulled together in concentration as she stares up at the highest shelf before her.

Seemingly oblivious to the people mingling around her, she lifts herself up on her tiptoes, her fingertips barely making contact with the spine of whatever book she’s after.

I maneuver until I’m there, inches away. And I don’t realize the gravity of what I’m doing until it’s too late.

Chapter Three

Kara

I rip my hand back when he grazes my skin. The hot bolt of awareness inspires a flash of concern first, then melts into something even more unsettling when I realize it’s Professor Kane—well, Maximus—beside me.

His polite gesture isn’t paired with a friendly smile. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he felt the singe of energy between us too. But that’s impossible. Normal people don’t feel things like I do…except he looks like I feel—stunned and fascinated.

He stares down at the book like it offended him before offering it to me. I take it, careful not to touch him.

“Thanks.”

He doesn’t speak for a moment, his blue-eyed gaze boring into me like I’m a problem he can’t solve. It doesn’t help that this place is jammed, forcing us into a proximity that feels too personal. Especially as I find myself taking in details about him I couldn’t appreciate before. The ring of deeper blue around the irises of his eyes. His muscled forearms, visible now with his sleeves rolled up tightly. Most noticeably, his hair falls in messy coppery waves past his shoulders, giving him a wild and untethered look, far from the buttoned-up professor I met yesterday.

The din of the crowd is pierced with the squeal of an excited Piper Blue fan on the other side of the store. Maximus looks over briefly before turning his attention back to me and the book in my hand.

“Required reading?”

I blink a couple of times before I latch on to his meaning. “Oh.” I tuck the heavy hardcover under my arm. “Not really. Just looked interesting, I guess.”

The corner of his mouth quirks up. “Greek rituals are interesting?”

“I’m a classics—”

“Yes, I know. Classics major. You told me that already.” He rests his elbow on the edge of the shelf dedicated to the Roman Empire. “It’s just that everyone’s here to gush over celebrities, and you’re over here in your own little world.”

“And that’s interesting to you?”

Those rings of cobalt seem to intensify. “It is.”

I fidget with the textured edge of the book, a little floored that he’d notice. “Is that why you’re here? To gush over celebrities?”

His smirk broadens. “No. I’m friends with the owners. I grew up down the street. They’re basically family.”

“So is Piper. She and my sister have been inseparable for years.”

“That’s nice of you to come and support her.”

I fail to mask an eye roll.

He laughs. “What?”

“Piper has enough fangirls. She doesn’t need moral support. My sister’s determined to put me in the spotlight every chance she can. I was promised a lift home after class, and here we are.”

“Little bit of a detour.”

I wrinkle my nose. “Little bit.”

“You could just leave, you know.”

I shrug. “I like books.”

“I can tell. How’s Dante treating you?”

I feel my cheeks color, though I can’t reason why. His question is simple enough. “I’m enjoying it,” I finally manage.

His next words are lower. Almost…intimate. “You don’t have to tell me that just because I’m your professor.”

“I wouldn’t lie about it.”

His gaze drops from my eyes to the book and seems to wander over more of me. I take in an uneven breath because this feels dangerously like flirting. With my professor. Not that I’m parked on any moral high ground about it, but I’m not in a position to get entangled with anyone. Especially Maximus, with his sweet eyes and electric touch and soft-looking mouth…

Umph.

Suddenly I’m shoved from behind, launched against his massive frame. Lightning fast, he wraps his arm around me to keep me from tumbling sideways into the people near