Perfekt Order (The Ære Saga Book 1) by S.T. Bende

Henrik! You
know it’s got the breakdown for—eh, you know you shouldn’t leave it
lying around.” Brynn sounded upset. It was sweet of her to worry
about Henrik’s research project, or whatever other school materials
he kept on his laptop, but I couldn’t echo her sentiment. My eyes
were lost in a deep blue vortex.
    Tyr stared me down with an intensity that
tripled my heart rate. He stood with his shoulders back and his jaw
set, and although his lips turned up, the expression looked forced.
Tiny tremors of an emotion I couldn’t identify rippled just beneath
his perfect exterior. The effect was barely noticeable, but I was
so glued to each little nuance that I couldn’t help noticing he
seemed… off. Not that he was ever Mr. Warm And Fuzzy, but just
below the usual air of arrogance rested a vulnerability I wasn’t
used to. His eyes looked at me with almost softness, at the same
time as his hands were balled into fists.
    Tyr Fredriksen was a study in contrasts.
Absolutely striking, impossibly irresistible, infuriatingly
frustrating contrasts.
    “Mia. Breathe.” I didn’t realize I was
holding my breath until Brynn elbowed me in the side.
    “Huh?” I blurted, to Tyr’s amusement. The
softness disappeared as I toppled over, and in a lightning quick
movement, he threw an arm out to catch me. As always, the touch
sent a burst of heat radiating through my body, and I pulled my
elbow out of Tyr’s grasp as soon as I was steady. When I met his
gaze, he stared back at me with wide eyes for just a moment before
wiping his face clear of any expression.
    He was so stinkin’ irritating.
    “Ouch, Brynn. That was hard!” I
complained.
    “Sorry.” She shrugged, totally
unapologetic.
    “Kickboxing class ended twenty minutes ago,”
I muttered.
    “You two took kickboxing? Feel like punching
someone today?” Tyr raised an eyebrow, once again the picture of
calm and collected.
    I crossed my arms. “Maybe.”
    “Anyone in particular?” The amusement on his
face was beyond annoying, but I wouldn’t bite.
    “So Henrik forgot his laptop, but what are
you doing here? You’re not a student.”
    “Haven’t you figured it out by now?” Brynn
gestured to her friends. “They’re joined at the hip.”
    “Twinsies.” Henrik held up a fist and Tyr
pounded it with his own, the universal sign of male friendship.
    “I see.” An involuntary chuckle escaped as I
watched the bromance play out, but my amusement stopped short when
a shiver laced my spine. Despite the warm breeze rustling through
the old oak trees that peppered campus, goosebumps danced across my
skin. I uncrossed my arms and glanced down to zip up my hoodie, but
a low voice stopped me cold.
    “Don’t,” Tyr ordered.
    “Excuse me?”
    “Don’t zip it up.” He ran a hand through his
tousled hair as he stared at my stomach. “You’ll ruin the
view.”
    Next to me, Brynn snickered.
    My jaw fell open. On the one hand, it was
incredibly forward of him. Who said that kind of thing out loud, in
front of other people? On the other hand, it was hard to maintain
the appropriate amount of indignation when the cutest boy I’d ever
seen had told me he liked my abs.
    Bet his abs are to die for…
    Sparks popped along my cheeks as I hurried to
zip up my sweatshirt.
    “Sorry about him,” Henrik apologized. “We
don’t let him out much. He likes to get a rise out of people.”
    “Obviously,” I muttered.
    “You guys get your rat situation under
control?” Henrik asked.
    Brynn sighed. “I called the guy you
recommended this morning. He can’t fit us in until next week.”
    “You ladies could always come stay at our
place. We’ve got plenty of space,” Henrik offered.
    Brynn’s eyes lit up at the same time as Tyr’s
smirk disappeared.
    “Oh, that’s not necessary,” I blurted, just
as Tyr muttered, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
    Our eyes met in a mutual understanding. Tyr
didn’t want to go out with me, and I didn’t want to feel