We fall back into the rhythm. Problem after problem. Reaction after reaction. He misses some, gets others right.
I try not to notice the way he watches me when he thinks I’m not looking. Not in that gross, assessing way some guys do, but like he’s studying me the same way I’m trying to decode these molecules.
We’ve almost made it through the entire problem set when he nails a substitution mechanism all on his own and drops his pen in triumph, flashing me a wide, crooked smile, like a kid who just beat the final level of a game.
“Nice!”
He practically beams.“I never thought I’d feel this smug about organic chemistry,”he signs, leaning back in his chair like he just conquered the world.
I smirk. “Don’t let it go to your head. We still haven’t touched aromaticity.”
His grin falters.“Cruel.”
I give him a shrug.
I’m halfway through writing out the next formula when I notice Jasper’s gaze flick over my shoulder. His posture stiffens almost imperceptibly, alerting me that something—or someone—is behind me. Before I can turn around, a booming, grating voice speaks above me. “This your tutor, Jass?”
I practically jump out of my seat, my pen dragging a jagged line across the page as I twist toward the voice. And, of course, there he is.
Talon Reed.
Red hair tousled like he just rolled out of someone’s bed, wearing that smug, shit-eating grin. He leans against the bookshelf like he owns the place, which, knowing his frat-boy god complex, he probably believes he does.
I catch the faint scent of cigarettes beneath a lazy layer of mint gum. He tried to cover it up at least.
“Jasper and I are classmates,” I snap before he can say whatever stupid thing is already on the tip of his tongue. “Doing homework. Fuck off.”
Talon doesn’t even blink. He cocks his head like I just complimented him. “Y’all fucking?”
My jaw drops. “You’re the most disgusting person I’ve ever met.”
“More disgusting than Dredyn?” Talon tosses back, eyes twinkling with mischief.
It’s a toss-up. “Close second.”
“Aw, Princess,” he coos, pushing off the shelf. “You always this desperate for attention?”
I arch a brow. “That’s rich coming from someone who can’t walk into a room without announcing himself like a human foghorn.”
Talon just grins wider, like I fed him cake. “Oh, I get plenty of attention. Usually from people who aren’t this uptight.”
“Then maybe go get some of that attention somewhere else,” I mutter, flicking my hand toward the mess of flashcards and diagrams between Jasper and me. “We’re a little busy here.”
He ignores that. Of course.
Instead, he drags out the empty chair beside me and plops down like he belongs. Like I didn’t just tell him to fuck off two seconds ago.
His knee knocks against mine under the table—hard enough to feel, soft enough to question. I go still. My brain screams at me to scoot away, to shove him, to say something, but my legs betray me. So I sit there, heart ticking a little too fast, suddenly hyperaware of the heat bleeding off him.
Jasper says nothing beside me, but I catch the smallest flicker in his expression—a barely-there crease of his brows. He’s just as annoyed at our interruption.
Talon, oblivious or pretending to be, snatches one of my flashcards from the stack and holds it up like it’s a menu at a stripclub. “Cyclohexanol… oxidation… fun times,” he drawls, pretending to yawn.
“Give it back,” I grit out.
He twirls it between his fingers. “You’re so serious. Is this what you do for fun? Tutor guys with nice hands and pretty bone structure?”
I snatch the card back, giving him a flat look. “Delusion really is your kink, isn’t it?”
