Screw My Childhood Sweetheart His Alpha Brother Marked Me First novel Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The voice sounded far away but hands caught me under my arms, settling me on a hard plastic chair.

“Just breathe.”

The voice seemed a little closer now. I blinked a few times, my eyes adjusting to the low light of the classroom. The guy in front of me came into focus. He had sandy brown hair that was shaved on the sides and longer on top. His hazel eyes seemed to swirl with concern.

My cheeks heated. “S–sorry.”

“It’s all right. Nice and easy now. Follow me.” The guy lifted his hand as he inhaled and lowered it as he exhaled

I focused on the guy’s hand. He had a broad, callused palm. Instead of thinking about the burn in my chest, I wondered what put those calluses there.

A warmth spread through me, relaxing my muscles as I pictured him building a house with his bare hands. I blinked a few more times and realized I was breathing normally.

“Thank you. I’m so sorry. I don’t normally…” I wasn’t even sure how to finish that sentence.

He waved me off. “Don’t worry about it. First days are rough.”

I bit–my lip and nodded. Let him think I was a delicate flower rocked by first–day jitters, not a basket case haunted by the feel of her sister’s hand as she slipped from this earth.

He held out a hand. “I’m River.”

My hand trembled slightly as I reached out to shake his. “Senna.”

My lips parted as our skin touched. Warmth bloomed in my palm as that now, somewhat familiar spark skated along my skin.

River jerked back his hand. “Shit. Sorry, I–static electricity.”

“Seems to be a continual problem around here.”

His gaze snapped to mine. “What?”

“Nothing,” I muttered. “I should probably find my first class,”

“Sure…what do you have?”

“Astronomy,”

River grinned and it was devastating. It made the gold in his eyes dance. “Me too. I can show you the way.”

“Thanks.”

I pushed to my feet, but River still towered over me, broad shoulders cutting into a lean waist. His muscular form was that of a swimmer’s, and I had the sudden urge to ask, to know more about him. I kept any mouth firmly closed.

“So, you moved from Baltimore?”

I glanced up at River as we walked into the hall, joining the slightly less crowded swarm of students. “Information really travels fast around here, doesn’t it?”

11:45

Screw My Childhood Sweetheart–His Alpha Brother Marked Me First!

16.1%

Chapter 19

He shrugged, but sympathy filled his expression. I knew without him saying a word that he too knew about the accident and Lacey. “Small towns usually have a pretty strong gossip system, and since not a lot happens here, people are pretty desperate for anything to talk about.”

I twirled my bracelet tie around my finger. “How long till they stop talking?”

“It depends on how long it takes for someone to do something scandalous.”

“Would it be wrong of me to pray for a teenage pregnancy or maybe an affair?”

River barked out a laugh. “It would only make you a little evil.”

The corners of my mouth curved up. “Evil’s my middle name.”

“I doubt that.”

I looked up, meeting his hazel stare. “How do you know?”

His steps slowed. “Just a feeling, I guess.”

He opened the door to the classroom for me, and I stepped through. I hovered just inside, unsure where exactly to go. The teacher was focused on a stack of paperwork on her desk and didn’t even look up.

I jumped as a hand touched my elbow. River inclined his head towards a row of desks. “You can sit next to me if you want.”

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