Page 11 of Obsession

“The rest of your body,” I said, making a great effort not to even glance at hers. “The way you walk can be a powerful tool of seduction."

"Show me," she said, then quickly added, "If you don’t mind.”

I shouldn't have. Every instinct screamed that this was a terrible idea, but I was already committed. Drawing on memories of the most graceful females I'd encountered, I stood and crossed the space between two bookshelves with deliberate, fluid movements, letting my hips sway slightly.

A strangled sound made me turn. Britta had both hands pressed to her mouth, her shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.

"I didn't know you could move your ass like that.”

I tried to scowl at her, but I couldn’t help grinning. “I am showing you how females can walk to attract male attention. That is not how I walk.”

“Oh, I know. I double dare you to walk like that through Battle.”

Now I was chuckling too, the sound echoing softly in the quiet library.

She straightened, still grinning. “Should I try?”

"Unless you'd prefer to keep critiquing my technique."

She stood, took a deep breath, and began walking.Grekme. I might not have nailed it, but she did. The sway of her hips and twitch of her ass made my mouth go dry. I found myself trackingthe movement of her body with an intensity that had nothing to do with instruction.

I had to clear my throat twice before I could speak. "You got it.”

"Really?" She turned back to face me with such a bright smile that I had a hard time remembering to breathe.

“Moving on,” I said, racking my brain to come up with anything else to teach the woman. “Eye contact!”

My exuberance made her jump, but I kept going. "When you talk to him, make eye contact. Run your fingers through your hair, smile, lick your lips.”

She thrust one hand into her hair, but her fingers caught in a tangle. "Ow!"

Without thinking, I closed the distance between us and tried to help her untangle her hand from her hair.

“I think it’s caught on my ring,” she said, averting her gaze.

When I pulled the last strand from her ring, she looked up. “Thanks.”

Her eyes met mine, wide and dark in the faint light. Something electric crackled in the air between us.

I jerked back, my hands tingling where they'd touched her. "That's good. The eye contact just now?" My voice was husky. “That was perfect. That would work on anyone.”

The words tasted like ashes in my mouth. The thought of her looking at Zav that way made me want to burn something.

Britta blinked at me, her lips parting slightly in surprise. “I wasn’t trying…”

“That’s a good start,” I interrupted. “It's getting late."

She backed away from me. “You’re right. I should go.”

Before I could say another word, she was gone.

I forced myself to wait until my breathing steadied, bracing my palms on a table as I shook off the feelings I could not allow myself to feel. When I started to make my way throughthe library, I was so distracted I nearly walked straight into Commander Vyk.

I took a step back. “I didn’t see you there, Commander. I didn’t know you frequented the Stacks.”

The security chief's face was unreadable in the shadows, but his voice carried a warning. "I saw an Iron cadet leaving in quite a hurry."

I straightened to my full height, calling on years of military discipline to keep my expression blank. “I was helping her with a problem, Commander."

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