Page 38 of The Obvious Check

Something tightens in my chest, something I can’t quite name. The only thing I can manage after that is a quiet, “Thank you.”

“Now, if you need anything else, like I said, I’m just across the hall. I’m going to hit the sack because I have some early training I need to get to. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, I’m good.”

He beckons Stanley off the bed, directing him out of the room. “Good night, Savannah.”

“Cade,” I say just as he stands on the threshold. He stops and glances at me over his shoulder. “Thank you.” I say it louder this time, making sure he hears it.

“No problem,” he whispers back.

When the door shuts and I’m alone, I take a minute to center myself and play back the night. Is this even real? How the hell did I get here? I’m about to sleep in a bed for the first time in months. One with fluffy pillows and soft bedding.

I fall back onto the bed, my tense muscles relaxing, and let out a sigh of relief. My eyelids are heavy, and I feel myself drifting to sleep. As much as I want that, I want a shower in a bathroom that isn’t at the school gym more.

I pull myself out of bed, my body still sluggish with sleep, but the second I step into the pristine bathroom, a rush of excitement washes over me.

Clean, white marble tiles stretch across the space, untouched and gleaming, like something out of a hotel. I grab two white towels from the rack and place them within reach before I strip off my clothes, letting them fall into a careless pile on the floor.

The moment I step under the steaming water, a deep groan escapes me. The heat seeps into my skin, melting the ache from my muscles, loosening the knots in my shoulders.

For the first time in what seems like forever, I feel safe.Relaxed.

Why does every day have to feel like a battle?

Why can’t life bethiseasy?

Coming home to somewhere warm at night. Knowing there’s food in the fridge. A safe place to sleep. A bed waiting for my sister.

Cade mentioning Madison cracked something inside me. The thought of my own sister makes my heart clench. I wish she felt comfortable enough to confide in me. I wish our relationship were more than just strained phone calls and distant check-ins.I wish the only family member I had left in this world could be with me.

I let the water scald my skin a little longer before I finally turn it off, then step out and wrap myself in the thick, fluffy towel.

The warmth lingers as I pad back into the bedroom, but the ache of inadequacy in my chest stays.

My clothes lie in a pathetic heap on the floor, rumpled and uninviting. A reminder of the day I’ve had. A reminder that, despite everything, I still ended up here, inCade’sapartment.

My gaze flicks to the neatly folded pile on the bed. Cade's clothes. I hesitate for all of two seconds before giving in to the inevitable. The moment I tug his shirt over my head and thefabric brushes against my skin, I know I've made a catastrophic mistake.Him.That warm, woodsy scent that's everywhere in this apartment now seeps directly into my skin, settling into my chest like it belongs there. Likehebelongs there. Like I've just willingly wrapped myself in a drug I'll never be able to quit.

I let out a shaky breath, my fingers tightening around the hem of his shirt that practically swallows me whole. This is ridiculous. This whole night feels like a fever dream that I'll wake up from any second, only to find myself back in my freezing car with nothing but memories to keep me warm. Cade Bright, the guy I've secretly fantasized about for over a year, is playing my knight in shining armor. He's saving me and I didn't even have to ask. It's something I've dreamed about for so long, scripted in my head during countless lonely nights, and now it's actually happening. Either I've died and this is heaven, or I'm about to wake up to the cruelest disappointment of my life.

I pull on his shorts and roll the waistband three times until they're somewhat snug around my hips instead of falling straight to the floor. Then I take all the clothes I have with me and head to the laundry room since I need to focus on anything other than how good it feels to be wrapped up in him.

The apartment is dark. The only light spilling into the room is from under Cade’s bedroom door. My pulse betrays me at the thought of what’s behind it. Black bedding, maybe? No. Sacramento green. The color of his eyes when he’s deep in thought. Those eyes. Those stupidly pretty eyes that make me feel seen even when I don’t want to be.

I force myself down the hall, push open the laundry room door, and shove the clothes into the washer with more force than necessary. I find a detergent pod and toss it in, my mind already wandering to dangerous places.

Will my sweatshirt smell like him when it's done?

Pathetic.I'm standing in a hockey player's luxury apartment, using his personal washing machine, and all I can think about is how to make my ratty clothes smell like him long after I'm gone. I've officially hit rock bottom and started digging.

I shut the machine and head back to the bedroom, stopping short when I see Stanley sprawled across my bed, his tail thumping lazily against the comforter.

“Well, aren’t you making yourself comfortable?” I murmur, scratching behind his ear. He shifts just enough to let me crawl under the sheet beside him.

The second my body sinks into the mattress, a sound escapes my lips that would make a porn star blush. It's a breathy, embarrassing groan of relief that's loud enough to wake the dead. I slap a hand over my mouth, my heart skidding to a stop, waiting. Listening out for Cade because I'm certain half the building heard that obscene noise.

Nothing.

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