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"Anytime." Cam would have made another smartass remark, but the door opened. He dropped
Tristan's hand and moved his own to his side as casually as possible. Claudia entered, followed by
Dixon, Spoons, Hacker, Telly, and several of the other field team members.
Claudia took her place at the front of the room. The others filed into their customary chairs.
Dixon sat next to Cam. Telly took the seat next to Tristan.
After a moment, Claudia tapped a pencil on the table. Everyone quieted. She gazed at them. "I
called you in today because Dr. Tristan Matheson is starting field team training. It's been a long
time since we had a healer on the team, but it's my hope that we'll soon have one again. I will be
calling on all of you to help Dr. Matheson whenever possible, and to help me determine if he is
ready to be on the team when he completes the training."
Telly grinned. "That's great, Doc. Glad you're going to be joining us."
Spoons muttered some sort of acknowledgement, his tough face wreathed by a shy grin.
Dixon smiled smugly and leaned across Cam to face Tristan. "I knew you'd be joining us."
"Yes, yes, you know everything. The all-seeing Dixon." Cam nudged her out of the way with a
playful elbow.
Several others shook Tristan's hand or offered well-wishes. Cam had to restrain a scowl at the
way several people offered to help Tristan with his training. A couple of them seemed a bit too
interested.
Uri, one of the telekinetics, sat behind them. He leaned forward and spoke right next to Tristan's
ear, his lips almost brushing Tristan's skin. "I'd be happy to help you with anything you need,
Doctor."
Cam couldn't help himself. He speared Uri with a glare that would have killed if he'd had the
power. "I don't think he needs your kind of help, Uri."
Uri narrowed his eyes. "I'd say that's for him to decide." He sat back in his chair and crossed his
arms, his gaze never leaving Cam's.
What the hell am I doing? Annoyed with himself, Cam turned to face the front of the room. He
wasn't about to get into some kind of contest with Uri over Tristan. If he gave Uri any indication
he liked Tristan, the other man would only try harder to lure Tristan away. They'd had a rivalry
ever since Cam had turned Uri down when the man first arrived at the Institute. Cam hadn't slept
with anyone at the Institute, until Tristan, and he hadn't wanted to start with Uri. Sticking with
men he wouldn't have to work with kept things less messy.
Now he was doubly glad he had turned Uri down. Uri's long, lean body and sexy mouth had
attracted Cam, but his personality didn't match the pretty exterior. Although he wasn't as strong a
telekinetic as Spoons, no one could deny Uri's abilities. Too bad his petulance and vanity ensured
nobody wanted to work with him.
Watching Tristan blush at the attention from the team, Cam realized he couldn't have found
someone farther from Uri if he tried. Tristan's talent was stronger than that of any healer he'd
seen, yet the doctor didn't seem to have a vain bone in his body. Instead, he focused all his energy
on helping others. Cam couldn't help the little thrill of pride he felt at the way Tristan dealt with
his abilities.
Claudia cleared her throat, and everyone quieted. "Thank you, everyone. Dr. Matheson needs to
begin preliminary testing now. The rest of you, go back to what you were doing."
Several people groaned, but they all stood and made their way out of the room. In moments,
everyone had gone except for Cam, Tristan, Dixon, and Claudia. Claudia motioned to Tristan.
"Come with me, and we'll get you started."
Tristan darted a glance at Cam. He looked nervous.
Reaching out to give Tristan's hand a surreptitious squeeze, Cam grinned. "Good luck."
Tristan smiled and squeezed back. "Thanks." He seemed less anxious as he stood and followed
Claudia out of the room, the unsteady hitch in his walk looking a little better to Cam's untrained
eye.
Cam sat there for a few seconds before he noticed Dixon staring daggers at him. "What?"
She frowned at him. "What was that all about?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." It wasn't a lie. Cam had no clue what she was getting
at.
"With Tristan. Are you seeing him, or aren't you?"
Cam returned her glare. "I fail to see how it's anybody's business."
"Are you going to play that card?" Dixon snorted, the sound conveying her obvious displeasure.
"You're either seeing him, or you aren't. If you are, great for you both. If not, why the hell were
you getting into a pissing contest with Uri?"
"Uri's an asshole!" he burst out. His cheeks warmed, but he focused on maintaining his
appearance. Nothing would show unless he allowed it to.
She shrugged. "So? What do you care? If you and Tristan are just fucking, maybe he would like
Uri's help with his training."
The thought of Tristan with Uri made Cam see red. Some primitive, possessive part of his brain
screamed mine, mine, mine. "He doesn't need Uri's help, or anyone else's!"
One corner of Dixon's mouth turned up in a tiny smirk. "That's what I thought you'd say." She
poked him in the chest. "So why are you hiding? You've never been secretive about your
sexuality before. Is it Tristan you're ashamed of?"
Somehow, Cam had lost control of the conversation, and his own responses. He stared at her,
confused now that the possessive haze had faded. He felt like he was about to step into a trap, but
had no idea how to avoid it. "No. Of course I'm not ashamed of him."
She leaned closer, and he could almost hear the snap of the trap closing. "Then why didn't you
want anyone to see you touch his hand? Why didn't you tell Uri the real reason you wanted him to
back off?"
Of course Dixon would notice those things. Cam raked a hand through his hair. He couldn't tell
her he had no idea what he was doing with Tristan, or that he'd been plagued by doubts since they
got together. He wasn't about to admit that when he wasn't second-guessing himself, he was
happier than he'd ever been. "Why do I have to announce my business to everyone? It's not like
we're ready to pick out rings or anything." That sounded weak. He added, "And I don't know if
Claudia would be too keen on two field team members dating."
"Is that what you're telling yourself? Give me a break." Dixon shook her head. Her voice
softened. "Tristan's a great guy, and for some reason he seems to like you. Don't fuck this up."
Cam gaped at her for a long moment before he could reply. "Wow, Dix. That was beautiful. You
missed your calling as a motivational speaker."
She punched him in the arm. "Shut up. Let's get back to work."
"Yes, Mistress." Dodging another punch, Cam jumped up and hurried out of the room. Dixon was
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