Read Forbidden Heat (Firework Girls #1) for Free Online Page B

can’t figure him out. I would agree he’s kind of a dork (not that I mind, because I’m kind of a dork too), except ‘dork’ just is not the right word for a man who looks like that and gets my skin all tingly every time he’s within fifty feet of me.
    “What about the others?” I prompt.
    “Caivano is a city.”
    “Near Naples, yes.” That one I knew. My grandfather was from that city and I still have cousins there.
    “And Nikas I knew was Greek. It sounded Greek anyway. But I had to look that one up too. It’s just short for Nikolaos.”
    I nod. “That about covers it.”
    “It’s a rich heritage.”
    “It’s a whole lot of names,” I say rolling my eyes.
    He packs the last book, closes the flap on his bag, and hoists it over his shoulder. He’s close enough I could reach out and touch that shoulder if I wanted to. “At least you have a middle name or two to call your own,” he says.
    “Don’t you have a middle name?”
    “Nope. Shane Brooks. That’s it.”
    “What? That’s not possible. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone with no middle name.”
    “Ah, we’re out there. We have a support group that meets on Tuesdays.”
    I laugh. “Well, I have more names than I need. Feel free to borrow one of mine.”
    “Hmm,” he says, eyeing me. Be still my heart. “But how would I pick? It’d have to be one with some nice meaning, I think. There’s nothing too mysterious about the meaning behind Brooks.”
    “Nope. I don’t even think I need to Google that one.”
    He laughs. “How about Procopio? That one has an interesting story behind it, even if it is grizzly. I like stories.”
    I grin. “Shane Procopio Brooks. That has a certain ring to it.”
    “I think so, too. I thank you for your generosity, Miss Nikas.” He bows his head slightly, keeping his eyes on mine and giving me a heart-stopping smile.
    My god, isn’t it bad enough that he’s so delicious to look at? The fact that he’s so easy to talk to is not helping me. Why have I been standing here chatting with him? I didn’t mean to. All this is doing is pulling me into his orbit even more. I should go. I really, really should.
    But once again our gaze deepens into something that feels impossible to look away from.
    Neither one of us says a word
    Suddenly, he says he has to go and I’m watching his back as he heads for the door.
    Dammit.
    I slowly trail after him, a little numb.
    What the fuck just happened? What’s the matter with me?
    I exit the room and notice he’s gone down the hall to the right when I need to go left. I force myself to go left and not trail after him like a little lost puppy. I take only a couple steps when I remember why I needed to talk to him in the first place.
    I spin and call down the hallway, “Oh, Professor Brooks?”
    He turns and stops, waiting for me as I walk back to him. I stop several steps short. It feels dangerous to get any closer.
    He’s gripping the strap of his bag with one broad hand. He almost looks leery of me.
    “I’m sorry, I forgot,” I say. “The chemistry majors have a field trip to Carson Laboratories on Tuesday. I won’t be here for class. Is there something I need to do to make it up?”
    “As long as you know the material, you should be fine,” he says. He looks about to say something else, but hesitates. I hover there, waiting for the rest. “You’re welcome to pick up a copy of the lecture notes after,” he says. He takes half a step back. “Have a good day, Miss Nikas.”
    It’s starting to feel weird to me that he’s not calling me by my true last name, Maddox. Even though that’s what every professor on campus has done for the last three years.
    “You too, Professor Brooks.”
    We both turn and go our separate ways.
     

     
    I’m so distracted by my interactions with Professor Brooks, I literally run into the back of another student at the on-campus snack bar, the Gizmo.
    “Oh sorry!” I say, as the guy turns around to see who’s accosted