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to hand out the beads in little cups to each child or they will fight over the case.”
    Fire wanted to growl in frustration. How was he supposed to know all this? He had been tossed in with the lions with no handbook.
    He hadn’t a clue what he was doing, yet everyone was looking at him Rio’s Fire
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    with condescension. He was getting really tired of it. The next person who looked down their nose at him, Fire was going to smack them.
    “I’ll try to keep that in mind, Mr. LeBlanc .” That was another thing that was getting on Fire’s last nerve. His mate wouldn’t even tell him his first name. “Shouldn’t you be moseying on along to your own classroom?”
    One of the kids snickered.
    “I would be there right now if your classroom wasn’t disturbing mine.”
    What an insufferable jackass! “Sorry. I promise to tape their mouths closed the next time one of them speaks.”
    “It isn’t the speaking that bothers me. It’s the shrill screaming and the loud noises.” His mate pivoted around. “Drop the crayon, Jeff.”
    Fire was shocked. He hadn’t even seen the little kid munching on it, yet his mate knew without even looking. He was envious and agitated in equal measures. Fire stepped closer, lowering his voice so the kids couldn’t hear him. “I. Don’t. Like. You.”
    “Ditto,” his mate snarled. “Just keep it down over here.” Fire wanted to throw something at him. He had told himself yesterday that his mate’s aloofness didn’t matter. So why was he standing here fuming? Why was he so angry that his jaw was clenched to the point where his teeth should be shattering?
    “Fine, now go back to your class.” Fire mentally patted himself on the back. He had sufficiently put his mate out. That would teach him to reject Fire. His mate left and Fire made the kids clean the mess up.
    As soon as everything was back in order, Fire gave them each paper and crayons. He gave Jeff a glue stick and colorful shapes that had already been cut into stars and hearts. The little bugger was unsafe with a blunt crayon.
    Fire breathed a sigh of relief when the bell rang for lunch. He would have an hour to try and get rid of his pounding-ass headache.
    No sooner was he back in his classroom from taking the kids to the cafeteria than he found his mate was there, leaning against the 40 Lynn
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    wall. Fire was starting to question the man’s sanity. He didn’t want Fire, yet he wouldn’t leave him alone.
    Freaking loony.
    “What?” he asked as he grabbed the bead case and the small plastic cups. Fire had decided to divide the colorful plastic up. That way, when his next class came in, he could just hand the cups out.
    “I thought maybe I could give you some pointers on how to control your kids.”
    My kids? Doubtful. This was just a torturous job for Fire. If he had his way, he’d be sitting on a beach somewhere, soaking up some sun with a fruity drink in hand. He sure as shit wouldn’t be in classroom full of kids, losing his mind. “Fine, whatever.”
    If it wasn’t for Maverick’s threat, Fire would tell the teacher to go fuck himself.
    “My name’s Rio.”
    “I thought you wanted to keep this on a professional level?” Fire wanted to beat himself over the head for the happy little feeling he got in the pit of his stomach from knowing his mate’s first name. Rio didn’t want him. It would do him good to remember that tidbit of information.
    “I did, before I found out you are my mate.”
    “And that matters how?” Fire asked as he dropped three blue beads into each cup. With Rio’s intent glare, Fire forgot what he had just added. Picking the cup up, he looked to see there were only two beads. He added another. “You’re breaking my concentration.”
    “Good,” Rio replied. “For a moment there I thought you were made of ice.”
    Fire dropped the cup in his hand at Rio’s statement, the beads rolling off his desk and dropping to the floor. “Me?” he asked incredulously. “You were the