AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I turn back toward him. “A little tired, I guess.”
I didn’t sleep well, my head too full of what happened. Reliving those moments over and over.
The taste of Arch’s hot, wet mouth. His tongue. His hands. How he touched me, his fingers eliciting fire everywhere they landed…
The bell rings, interrupting my thoughts, and Winston goes to the door, about to pull it closed when Arch slips inside, flashing our teacher a rueful smile before he glances around the room, his blue gaze landing on me.
“Glad to see you’re on time for once,” Mr. Winston greets him with a shake of his head.
“Barely,” Arch tells him with a laugh, making the rest of the class laugh too.
A slow smile spreads across Arch’s face and he heads straight for me, settling into the empty desk directly behind mine. I angle my body toward his, unsure of what to say, taking him in silently.
His hair is damp, as if he barely just got out of the shower, and his tie is looped haphazardly around his neck like usual. He is wearing the navy blue uniform jacket though, which is different. He never wears that thing.
“Morning, Daze,” he says, his deep voice washing over me, landing in a low throb between my thighs.
“Hi,” I squeak, whirling around to face the front when Mr. Winston starts taking roll. I’m the first name he calls and I murmur, “Here.”
I’m achingly aware of Arch’s presence, Winston’s voice fading into nothing but unintelligible noise. I remain still, my head tilted slightly to the right, as if I can see him out of the corner of my eye.
He shifts closer after Winston calls his name, his presence only amping up the wild beating of my heart. “Only one braid today, huh?”
Nodding, I turn a little more, meeting his gaze briefly. “Yeah.”
He smiles, his gaze on my mouth. Like he’s remembering kissing it. “Why don’t you ever wear it down?”
“Mr. Lancaster, are you really going to sit behind my best student and disturb her?” Winston’s voice rings across the classroom and I sort of want to die.
“I thought I was your best student.” Arch shifts away from me, kicking out his legs, his feet touching the front legs of my chair.
Gosh, he’s long.
“You’re one of them.” Winston sounds amused. “Think of what you could be if you actually applied yourself.”
I’m almost offended on Arch’s behalf but he just laughs like it’s no big deal. They’ve had this sort of conversation before and it used to irritate me. How hard I would work to earn my grades while it feels like Arch just strolls in and does well without having to think about it.
I need to talk to him about this. Is he a complete genius or what? I’m smart. I know I am. But I also put a lot of effort into my studies, my papers, my tests. I want to be the best I can be.
It’s like Arch is just…the best with little to no effort. That’s sort of infuriating.
But now I’m intrigued.
Winston starts talking about our reading assignment, analyzing passages and questioning the motives of the author. This is usually my favorite sort of lecture, because I love looking deeper into what an author writes, though I’m guessing a lot of the time, there’s no real meaning behind the words. They’re just telling a story.
Right now, though? I can’t focus on anything else but Arch’s nearness. His scent. His feet touching the legs of my chair. What is he thinking? Is he thinking about me like I am him?
After a few minutes of listening to our teacher, I feel something. The light touch of Arch’s fingers toying with the end of my braid. He tugs on it, gently at first.
Then a little harder.
Only to curl my hair around his finger, his thumb rubbing against it slowly. Back and forth. Tingles spread over me, starting at the top of my head and working their way down until I feel like I’m covered in goosebumps. I hold still, my breaths coming faster, my lips parted.
He’s going to kill me if he keeps this up. His innocent touch that doesn’t feel innocent at all. Like he’s trying to drive me out of my mind with…lust.
It’s working. The emotions rising within me are unfamiliar but welcome. I feel downright giddy, even when he stops touching me. When he lets go of my hair and leans back in his chair, his legs still sprawled. I wish I could look at him. Just blatantly stare at him for the entirety of the class period.
Ducking my head, I blow out a breath, vaguely annoyed with myself. I’ve got it bad for this boy and I…I shouldn’t. He’s dangerous to my wellbeing. He’s careless and thoughtless. A troublemaker. And rich beyond anyone else I’ve ever encountered. Once he graduates, he’ll be gone and I’ll never see him again.
