Alistair's voice came from right behind her. Due to her hood, she had to strain her ears to catch his words. "I thought you were supposed to observe and not interfere?"
She stopped, and Alistair gently bumped against her back and arse. For a second, she sucked in a breath at his hard, warm body against hers. However, as he stood there, not moving, her skin grew too tight and her heart raced.
She was no longer cold from the wind and rain.
But nearly as soon as the heat burned, it vanished. Alistair suddenly stood two feet in front of her. Their eyes locked, and she couldn't pull her gaze away. Maybe she imagined the heat and desire in his eyes, but she didn't think so.
And maybe if they'd met under different circumstances, she would've closed the distance between them, placed a hand on his bare chest, and tilted her lips upward.
Too bad that could never happen. Kiyana had worked too bloody hard to climb back up the DDA's ladder. No matter how sexy Alistair Boyd was, or how one molten look could make her insides flip, she couldn't act on it.
Ever.
Clearing her throat, she shrugged. "The DDA didn't think it through when they made me their liaison in addition to the observer-slash-documentarian. So I'll have to do the best I can, and once the other women all decide to stay or go home, I can finally get to work."
Alistair searched her gaze, his pupils flashing, and she willed her heart to slow the hell down. His dragon most definitely didn't think about her in that way.
He couldn't.
With a grunt, Alistair turned and walked toward the group of women. As he went about helping with introductions, Kiyana tried to look away. But even when she could force her gaze to one of the adorable schoolchildren, they almost instantly darted back to Alistair's broad shoulders and square jaw.
And his chest. Damn, the warm, solid chest she'd felt against her back for the briefest of moments.
Someone said her name, loudly, and she blinked before finding Julie. The other woman shot her a puzzled look then asked, "Aren't you coming, Kiki?"
"Kiyana," Alistair stated.
All eyes turned toward the towering dragonman. Julie managed to say, "Pardon?"
"She prefers Kiyana. The children should learn her real name and not the ridiculous nickname."
The human women all exchanged glances before zeroing in on Kiyana.
Thank goodness for the distance and the hood pulled close around her face. They probably couldn't see how uncomfortable she was. No shuffling of feet or biting of lips for Kiyana. No, she started tugging strands of her hair straight, releasing them, and doing it again.
Wanting the focus off her, Kiyana clapped her hands. "Enough about me. We're here to talk with the children. Now, shall we finish the introductions? I'm Kiyana."
As the kids each jumped in to share their names, she did her best to focus on the little balls of energy. Throughout the entire exchange, she felt Alistair's gaze on her back, but she refused to turn around. She most definitely wouldn't turn around.
And if she kept running into him or being near him, she might slip in her resolve and do something stupid. So, the first chance she had, she would encourage Julie to be the leader of the group of women. If Julie was up for the task, then she only had to report back to Kiyana, meaning less time Kiyana had to interact with the clan members.
Yes, that would be the best option. And with Kiyana out of the way, maybe Alistair would go after one of the other women.
Although why that thought left a sour taste in her mouth, she refused to acknowledge. Her work was too important to her. And as she'd learned the last time she'd dallied with a dragonman, a heated look didn't mean forever. She needed to remember that.
Chapter Three
After the outdoor session with the children, Alistair had thankfully been able to teach his other lessons to the humans in a classroom. The women were mostly eager to learn, and the familiarity of teaching, quizzing, and fostering discussion made time pass easily.
Well, for the most part. He had a hard time not looking at the door to see if Kiyana would show up or not.
Even now, when he was sitting inside the clan's archive building, he was tempted to look at the door despite the fact she probably didn't even know about the place's existence.
His dragon spoke up. Go find her. I know I saw heat in her gaze the other day.
You keep saying that, but it still doesn't matter to me. Besides, this afternoon is the first time we've been able to work on our secret project for weeks.
His beast grunted. The information you're searching for may not even exist.