Page 64 of Claiming Pretty

Ciaran didn’t even look at him.

“You’re excused,” he shot back, his tone dismissive, making the professor’s face flush with indignation. Ciaran’s gaze locked on mine, piercing through the distance between us. “I’m here forher.”

The entire class collectively sucked in a breath, and I froze, mortified.

Crap.

“So sorry, Professor,” I called as I grabbed my bag and stood. “I’ll just…”

I muttered hasty apologies as I squeezed past whispering classmates. The soft hum of gossip followed me, buzzing in my ears. My face burned hotter with every step, their stares practically boring holes into me.

As I reached Ciaran at the doorway, half angry, half embarrassed, I hissed, “You have a set of stones on you, I’ll give you that.”

I pushed past him, determined to get outside before he said or did anything else that would make me want to curl up and die.

Ciaran stopped abruptly, holding out an arm like a barrier.

“Not you,” he said coldly.

I turned, confused, and found Ty right behind me, his expression calm but his eyes dark and unyielding.

“Where she goes, I go,” Ty said smoothly, shoving off Ciaran’s hand as if it were nothing.

His voice carried across the room, and the students collectively gasped.

Ciaran’s fists clenched at his sides, his face hardening. “You forget your place, brother.”

Now Ciaran and Ty were locked in a silent standoff, their glares sharp enough to cut through steel. Their postures mirrored each other—broad shoulders squared, jaws clenched tight, fists curling and uncurling at their sides as if testing their restraint.

The air between them crackled with tension, and I swore they were one breath away from tearing into each other.

“Stop it, both of you,” I hissed, stepping between them.

I turned to Ty, my voice sharp and commanding. “You. Stay.”

His eyes flickered with something unreadable, but he took a step back, his hands raised in mock surrender.

Then I turned to Ciaran. My tone softened slightly, yet giving no room to argue. “You. Come.”

Ciaran’s fists relaxed at his sides, and with a curt nod, he stepped aside to hold the door open for me.

Before we could make it out, a guy sitting near the front broke the tension with a joking comment, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Are they like your dogs or something?”

Ty and Ciaran both whipped their heads toward him in unison, their teeth bared andbarked.

Twin fucking growly woofs.

The room burst into laughter, but I groaned inwardly, pressing a hand to my forehead.

Lord help me.

“Come on.” I grabbed Ciaran’s arm and tugged him away. “We need to talk.”

I stormed into our dorm apartment, the door slamming hard against the wall as my frustration boiled over. “Two days, Ciaran. Two days of silence!”

My voice cracked as I marched toward my bedroom, my chest tight with anger and hurt. “I didn’t know where you were or if you were okay. You just fucked off and didn’t even give me a chance to explain.”

The door behind me slammed shut behind Ciaran, the force of it making me flinch.

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