Page 116 of The Wrong Play

I swallowed, my throat thick because he’d said it.

He’d said theloveword.

But he didn’t stop.

“You think taking care of you is some kind of sacrifice, but it’s a privilege, Riley. You hear me?A privilege. Every time you’re struggling, every time you think you have to fight alone, I want you to remember that. I want you to remember that there’s nothing in this world I’d rather do than stand beside you, carry you when you need it, and hold you up when you feel like you’re falling.”

His jaw clenched like he was trying to keep himself in check, but there was something raw in his expression, something that made my chest ache. “I love you, Riley. I love you when you’re strong…I love you when you’re barely holding on. I love you when you push me away, when you fight me, when you try to tell yourself you don’t need me. And I will love you through every single bad day you have…through every single moment where you think you’re too much.”

He lifted my hand, pressing a kiss against my palm. “You’re never going to be too much for me, sweetheart. Youaremy fucking world. And I’ll spend every single day proving that to you if I have to.”

I sucked in a shaky breath, terror gripping me in a way I didn’t understand.

Because he said it like it was fact.

Like he had already decided.

Like I had no say in the matter.

Like I wasn’t something thatburdened—but instead, I was something that should beprotected.

Jace leaned closer, so close our noses brushed. “Let me make something clear, Riley-girl.”

My breath caught.

His fingers curled against my jaw. “You are mine. And I always take care of what’s mine.”

I exhaled sharply, my body too weak to do anything butlethim hold me.

Jace pulled me against him, pressing my head to his chest, his heartbeat steady beneath my ear. “So stop fighting me on this, yeah?”

I wanted to.

God, I wanted to.

But I had spent my whole life fighting for myself. How was I supposed to just…stop?

Jace pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Close your eyes, Riley. Just this once, let someone else fight for you.”

I squeezed my eyes shut.

And for the first time in forever?—

I let myself believe that maybe, just maybe?—

I wasn’t alone anymore.

Maybe I should have fought harder when Jace picked me up.

I should have insisted that I could take care of myself, that I didn’t need him to play hero, that I wasn’t some fragile thing he needed to rescue.

But the second he lifted me into his arms, I was done for.

Because for the first time in my life, being taken care of didn’t feel like weakness.

It felt likesafety.

After driving us to his place, Jace carried me effortlessly through the front door, his arms wrapped securely around me, as if letting me go wasn’t even an option he’d considered. His grip was firm but careful, his body warm and solid against mine, like he could steady me even as I drifted further into exhaustion. His familiar scent, pine and masculine…it was everywhere, pulling me deeper into the haze pressing down on me.

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