Page 107 of Quarterback Sneak
His eyes run over my face, but I force a smile to my face. He reaches out and takes my hand in his before turning to his family. “Thanks for coming.”
“Oh, Zane, we love coming to your games,” his mom says as she hugs him. He never lets go of my hand, even as his family hugs him. They talk a minute or two, and then we all say our goodbyes. Zane leads us through the stadium and out to the parking lot where his truck is parked. As soon as we’re in, he starts the truck and turns on soft music. He starts making his way through the crowded parking lot.
“Good game tonight,” I tell him, squeezing the hand I’m still holding. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you that in all the commotion.”
“Thanks. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t as bad as my last game.”
“Hey, you won,” I point out. “At the end of the day, that’s what counts.”
He nods. “That’s what counts.”
He asks me questions about my day, and I ask about his. The conversation is easy and comfortable. When we get to the house he shares with the guys, he parks and pulls the keys out of the ignition before turning to face me. “So, what’sreallybothering you?”
“I’m good.”
“No, you’re not. Did something happen tonight?”
I take a moment to choose my words. “I thought I saw Jace tonight.”
“Where?” His voice is sharp.
“Outside the women’s bathroom.” He mutters a curse word. “It’s okay; it might not have even been him. Maybe it was just someone that looked like him.” But just saying the words doesn’t convince me he wasn’t real.
“You think it was really him, though. Don't you?”
My stomach tightens painfully. “Yes.” My words are barely a whisper because it’s the truth. I keep trying to convince myself it wasn’t really him. But then I see the side of his lip twist up into that smirk he always had, and I know it was him.
Chapter 45
Evie
Zane doesn’t leave my side all night. Not while we’re eating, not while we’re watching sports’ highlights with his roommates, and not while we pick up. “Stay here tonight,” Zane says when it gets really late. I consider it. I’m tired, and I don’t feel like making the trip back to campus. More than that, I don’t know if I want to stay in my dorm room by myself. Not tonight, anyway.
“Okay,” I agree.
Zane nods. “I’ll take you over early.” He takes my hand. “Come on. Let’s get you set for bed.”
I tug my hand from his. “If I stay, I’m taking the couch.”
He turns around. I can tell he wants to argue, but he nods. “Okay.” He claims my hand again, and he leads me to his room where he digs out a pair of sweatpants. “Those tie around the waist.” Next he hands me a soft FMU t-shirt, but I hand it back to him.
“Can I have the one you’re wearing?” I surprise even myself. He pauses and eyes me a moment before he reaches back with one hand and pulls on the back of his shirt and pulls it over his head before handing it to me.
“Thanks.”
He grabs the shirt he originally offered me and pulls it over his head. “I’ll go out, so you can change.”
Once he leaves, I slip into his sweats, rolling them up at the waist because they’re so long. I hold his shirt up to my nose and take a deep breath. It smells like him, and the scent wraps around me. I pull it on and relish the feel of it. Not only is itsoft, but it’s still warm from his body heat. There’s something so comforting about wearing his shirt and smelling his scent that helps center me tonight after feeling so off after seeing Jace. I open his bedroom door and walk out to the living room. He’s already got a sheet on the couch. “Say the word, and you can have my—” his words trail off when he turns to look at me. He takes a deep breath. “You can have my bed if you want it.”
“This is fine.” I help him finish setting up the couch. “Thanks, Zane. For everything.”
He turns to me and wraps me in his arms. “You don’t need to thank me for anything.”
I find myself clinging a little tighter to him than I usually do. I just really feel off tonight. Seeing Jace really bothered me more than I thought it would. Knowing Zane has to be exhausted from his game, I force myself to pull away. “Sleep well.”
He leans forward and cups my jaw with his large hands. “You too.” And then his lips touch mine. It’s gentle and soft and over almost before it’s begun. My eyes are still closed when he pulls away. “I better leave while I still can.” He runs a hand over my hair and then leaves the room without another word.
I settle on the couch. I hear the guys for a little bit, but eventually, it quiets down. I know Quint and Zane are exhausted from their game, and Slate crashed on the couch when he got home fromhisgame. I only know he had a game because he told Zane how many goals he scored.One.I’m not sure how long I lie awake, staring at the ceiling. I try not to think about Jace, but my mind keeps going to him. I’ve moved on, and I don’t want to live in that fear again. But as hard as I try not to think about him, my mind keeps going there.Why was he at the game? He purposefully let me see him, but he didn’t talk to me or approach me. Why? What’s he trying to accomplish?And then I think about how they turned into those black awful creatures, like a wolf but also not. My breathing speeds up. Jace’s smirkflashes before my eyes, and my stomach turns. I hear something hit the outside door, and I freeze. My panic threatens to take over me. There’s another sound at the door. Before I even realize what I’m doing, I throw the covers back and rush to Zane’s room. “Zane.” My voice is a panicked whisper. “There’s something out there.”
