When Raven agrees to help sheltered Cassian complete his list of firsts in exchange for cash, it's strictly business-until their deal ignites an undeniable chemistry neither of them saw coming.
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After making a deal to finish her last year at Bria...
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Cassian's POV
I watched Sophie awkwardly adjust her glasses as she fiddled with her pen.
She barely said a thing since she arrived, and I was starting to wonder if this whole study session was necessary.
She's extremely smart—even smarter than me in my opinion.
She kept avoiding eye contact with me and I didn't know what to do with that.
I wasn't used to people acting like I was some kind of intimidating figure.
It was usually the other way around.
"Okay," I finally said, trying to ease some tension. "Are you finished pinpointing the material you're struggling with?"
She nodded as she showed me her textbook.
I flipped through the pages before nodding. "Which one feels the hardest?"
"Mostly the last one that we got tested on," she quickly said. "I thought I understood, but I guess I didn't."
"You still did well," I told her. "You got an 80."
She frowned. "I got bumped down to fourth."
"That's still good," I assured her.
"Cassian, I don't want to disappoint my parents," she said. "You know how they can get."
I nodded. "Let's focus on the part of the chapter that's tripping you up the most."
She flipped back to the section on neurotransmitters. "This. I don't know why it won't stick."
I glanced at the page.
Neurotransmitters.
Dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin.
My stomach twisted slightly, thinking back to the earlier conversation I had with Raven about dopamine.
"Alright," I said, clearing my throat. "Let's start with dopamine. What do you know about it?"
"It's, uh..." she paused. "It...makes you feel good?"
"Close enough," I answered. "But Ms. Lee likes specifics."
"It's a chemical messenger tied to rewards and motivation. When you accomplish something, or even when you anticipate something good, your brain releases dopamine. Hence, you feel good."
She slowly nodded, but her gaze lingered on me, not the book. "You're good at explaining this."
I shrugged. "I did a lot of research trying to impress someone, but I don't think they cared."
She smiled. "Well, you impressed me."
Her phone buzzed before she looked at it and sighed. "My driver's outside."
