Page 16 of Blood Sport

And also… I can see your bedroom light is on.

My eyes widen as my head snaps to look at the window beside my bed with the curtains drawn back. What the actual fuck?

With my heart in my throat, I quietly slip out of bed, so as not to disturb Rylee, and peek out the window. To my surprise, Jaylen is leaning against the large tree just outside of our window dressed in black sweatpants and a tight black shirt, his eyes peering up at me. A grin splits across his face as he shakes his phone, the screen lighting up.

The cheeky motherfu—

Huffing, I lift my phone from my side and type my response.

Evie: What the hell are you doing here?

Jaylen: I was out on a little… adventure and

thought I would stop by since I was in the area.

Evie: You stopped by to see me?

Jaylen: Is it such a crime to want to see you?

I don’t know how to respond to that because I can’t figure out his motives. Out of all the things he could be doing with his time, and it being this late at night, why would he choose to come and see me? I’m just his best friend’s little sister. Surely, I don’t mean that much to him to warrant a drop-in like this.

Unless he’s only doing it to keep an eye on me, making sure I haven’t told anyone about his little secret.

Evie: If you’re worried that I’ve told someone what you are,

you don’t need to be.

Jaylen: That’s not why I’m here.

I look out the window, my heart thrumming in my throat. When I catch Jaylen’s eye, he waves for me to come downstairs. Feeling like I don’t have much of a choice, I place my phone on the bedside table, switch off my lamp, and make my way out of the room.

Thankfully, all the girls in the house are asleep, so I can slip out the back door undetected. The humid air instantly makes my skin feel sticky as I walk across the damp grass to the tree Jaylen is still leaning against. When he sees me approaching, he pushes the curls away from his face and smiles.

“Well, don’t you look cute, little angel?”

I look down at the tiny black pajama shorts and cream camisole I decided to put on after my shower earlier. Hearing Jaylen’s compliment, I suddenly feel self-conscious under his intense gaze.

Instead of commenting that he called me cute again, I say, “What brings you here this lovely evening, Jaylen?”

He pulls his lip ring between his teeth, a habit I’m slowly starting to pick up on the more we interact. Of course, we would speak every so often since he is my brother’s best friend, but ever since that night at the Black Rose, something has shifted between us, bringing us closer than we once were.

“I just wanted to say thank you,” he finally says.

I fold my arms over my chest and quirk a brow. “And this isn’t something you could say over text?”

He shrugs, a cheeky grin pulling at the corner of his mouth. “I could have, but I prefer doing it the old-fashioned way. Besides, talking through text doesn’t allow me to see the way your cheeks flush when I’m around.”

My eyes widen. “What! They don’t…”

“Save it,” Jaylen interjects, tilting his head to the side. “You can’t hide it from me.”

I huff, hating that he knows just how much he affects me. Maybe he’s always known, but now he can use it to his advantage. Damn him.

“Anyway,” he continues, “I just wanted to thank you for keeping my secret, especially from Miles. I know how close you two are, so I know it must’ve been hard.”

Not really, I want to tell him, because I know the consequences if I do, but instead, I say, “You two are just as close. Why haven’t you told him what you are?”

He sighs, shaking his head. “It’s a little more complicated than that.”

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