Page 90 of The Wrong Play

But I didn’t care.

Because I was going to be close to her.

I listened as the door finally creaked open, as her soft footsteps padded across the room. The rustling of her bagdropping to the floor. The sigh she let out—deep, tired. The sound of her kicking off her shoes, one hitting the wall near the desk, the other landing suspiciously close to my head.

I smirked.

Fucking perfect.

The bed dipped slightly as she sat on the edge, and I had to close my eyes, forcing myself to stay still. My entire body went tense at the realization that all I had to do was roll out from under this bed, and I could be touching her. My fingers curled into a fist against my chest.

You can do this,Jace. You’re a legend.Absolute iron discipline inside you.

Her soft hum filled the room as she moved around, getting ready for bed. The sound of a drawer opening. The rustling of clothes. A pause. A tiny sniffle.

My smirk dropped. What the fuck? I turned my head slightly, trying to gauge her movements.

She sniffled again, and the sound hit me straight in the fucking ribs. Was she…crying?

I clenched my jaw. I’d burn the world down before I let anything make her cry.

Then, the sound of a yawn.

I exhaled slowly, relaxing against the cold floor. Not crying. Just exhausted.

That, at least, I could fix.

She’d been putting on a brave face, but I needed to pay more attention to how much sleep she was getting. Everything I read had said she needed a lot of rest with her condition, and I’d been messing it all up.

Riley shuffled again, and I listened intently as she climbed onto the bed, the mattress shifting above me. I could picture it so fucking clearly—the way she’d be curled up, her dark blonde hairspilling over the pillow, the soft rise and fall of her breath as she started to drift off.

So close.

If I lifted my hand, I could press my palm to the underside of the mattress, directly beneath where she was laying.

I wanted to.

To touch her, even if she wouldn’t know.

Instead, I just listened. Memorized every tiny sound.

There was a long beat of silence, and then her breathing slowed…deepened. She let out a cute little sigh as she got comfortable.

She was asleep.

My chest fucking ached at how much I loved it, at how much I wanted this every single night.

At how much I’d do to make sure I got it.

I smirked to myself, adjusting slightly so I wasn’t crushing my arm under my body. Tomorrow.

And then?—

A barely-there moan, softer this time.

Okay…so she wasn’t actually asleep. I’d read that wrong.

I swallowed hard, my fingers curling against the floor beneath me. The sound was small, almost nothing. But I knew better. Iknewher.

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