Page 31 of Under Pressure

“Here.” He comes in behind me, settling his hands on my arms. I instinctively want to back up and rub myself on him like some kind of cat in heat.

No, bad Mia. He’s trying to be professional, already helping me out when he’s made it clear I shouldn’t expect anything from him. But I can’t help my body’s reaction to him, especially not after the other night.

I do my best to keep my hands and thoughts to myself as he guides me through hooks and uppercuts.

But it doesn’t change what’s simmering below the surface.

Chapter Nine

Tyler

“I saw you last week.”

I glance over at Oscar, the guy I’m paired up with during my shifts at the school’s computer lab. My official title isLab Assistant, which sounds much better thanGuy who shows people how to sign in to the computer and print. Literally, those two tasks take up ninety percent of my job.

“What?” I ask, looking up from the textbook I’m studying from. One good thing about this place is the exorbitant amount of free time to study in between helping students.

“Leaving the psych building. With a girl.” He lowers his voice for the last part, as if it’s scandalous.

I look at him wryly, his thin mustache he’s struggled to grow and thick-lensed glasses doing no favors for him. Is the thought of a woman really that exciting?

“She have big, curly hair?”

“Yeah, it was kind of—” He makes an extravagant gesture around his head. “Poofy.”

I don’t know why, but I’m mildly offended at his word choice. Mia’s hair isn’t poofy. It’s just sort of… wild. “That’s my partner.” I settle back into my textbook, but he interrupts me again.

“Oh, is that the politically correct term for it now? Even if you’re heterosexual?” He pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose like the biggest dork in the world and I resist the urge to roll my eyes at him. We’ve worked together for nearly two semesters, and he still doesn’t realize I just want to be left alone.

“She’s my lab partner, for a psychology study we’re working on. We’re co-contributors.”

“Oh.” He ponders that for a bit, and just when I think he’ll stay quiet, he continues, “Yeah, I thought it was weird you’d be out with a girl.”

I sigh, shutting my textbook, and fully turn to him. “And why would it be weird? Am I that undesirable?” I motion to my whole body, which I’ve been told by many girls isfucking hot, not to be conceited or anything. But I’m a realist if nothing else.

His eyes widen. “No, you look good. Real manly.” Now I do roll my eyes at him, not that he notices. He can be exceptionally unaware when he chooses to be. “It’s just, you’re more of a lone-wolf type.”

“Lone wolf?”

“Yeah, like you don’t care about anyone else. You do your own thing.I don’t have time for a woman. I need to kick ass and take names.”

I stare at him, unsure if his impression of me is because I box or just a stereotypical macho dude. “Is that how you see me?”

Now he seems to pick up on my mood, shrinking in on himself. Yeah, Oscar, not a good idea to piss off the guy who could easily crush you like a bug. “Um, maybe?”

“Whatever,” I mutter, opening up my textbook again. This Geology won’t learn itself.

So what if I’m being compared to a wolf? They’re badass. I should take the compliment.

But for some reason, his interpretation hadn’t seemed favorable. More… sad. Like I don’t have anyone in my life. That the thought of him seeing me out with someone is incomprehensible.

I’ve been out with Mia plenty of times now. At the library, in the psych building, at Element where we shared that hot—

No, forget about that. That was an anomaly. A strange impulse. It won’t happen again.

Probably.

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