Page 10 of Swipe My Alpha
And underneath the clean soap and the classroom and the thirty other bodies in this room, underneath all of it, I can smell him. My alpha. My mate. The scent that ruined me in a hotel room.
My TA.
My anonymous hookup is my TA.
His eyes find me. I watch it land. His grip on the marker tightens. His nostrils flare. His jaw goes tight and his shoulders lock and for one second, one single second, his composure cracks and I see what's underneath. Raw, desperate, searching. He's been looking for me. Since the hotel, since I walked out, he's been looking for me and I just walked into his classroom with his bite on my neck.
I can't breathe. I can't move. My omega is losing its mind, purring so loud I'm genuinely worried the girl sitting in front of me can hear it. The bond in my chest is pulling toward him so hard it hurts, and I'm gripping the edge of my desk so hard my knuckles are white.
Next to me, Benji goes very still. I can feel him looking at me. Then looking at Rhys. Then looking at me again. Then looking at the bite mark peeking out above my scarf.
"Oh my god," he whispers.
I can't respond.
"Oh my GOD," he whispers louder.
"Shut up," I manage through my teeth.
"Your hand guy is the TA? Your anonymous hookup alpha is the HOT TA?"
"Benji, I swear to god, shut UP."
Rhys clears his throat at the front of the room. His voice comes out steady, which is impressive, because I can see his hand shaking slightly where it's holding his notes. "Let's, uh. Let's get started. We're picking up from last week's reading on carbon offset policy."
Carbon offset policy. My fated mate is going to teach me about carbon offset policy. While I sit here with his teeth marks on my neck and his scent making me wet in a classroom full of people.
This is hell. This is my personal, custom-designed, biology-fueled hell.
He starts talking. I don't hear a single word. I'm watching his mouth move and remembering what that mouth felt like on my skin, between my legs, pressed against my pulse point while his knot locked inside me. I'm watching his hands gesture and remembering those fingers curling inside me while I begged for more. I'm watching him pace behind the podium with that controlled, measured stride and remembering the way his control shattered when my scent hit him.
His sleeves are rolled up. I can see the edge of ink peeking out from under the cuff on his right arm. Nobody else in this room knows what's under that shirt. The black geometric lines, the full sleeve, the ink across his collarbones. I know. I traced those tattoos with my tongue.
He glances at me. Just for a second. Our eyes lock and the bond yanks tight in my chest like a fishhook and my thighs press together involuntarily and I have to look away before I do something insane like climb over three rows of desks and put my mouth on him.
Benji kicks my ankle. "Breathe," he whispers. "You look like you're having a stroke."
"I might be having a stroke."
"Is his scent really that strong? I can kind of smell something but—"
"Benji. Please stop talking to me."
He raises both hands in surrender but he's already pulling out his phone. Under his desk, his thumbs start flying.
I glance at my phone. The group chat has already lost its mind.
Benji:CODE RED CODE RED JUDE'S HAND GUY IS THE HOT TA
Benji:I AM SITTING IN THE CLASSROOM RIGHT NOW WATCHING THIS HAPPEN IN REAL TIME
Benji:JUDE LOOKS LIKE HE'S GOING TO PASS OUT OR COME OR BOTH
Milo:WHAT
Shay:I'm sorry what
Soren:wait the anonymous hookup guy?? the one who claimed him???
