Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains novel Chapter 48

The Side of the Bed

Victoria’s POV

I really had no idea why I was still pretending to look at the fluid mechanics textbook in my lap.

Between living out of the back of my Honda for the last forty–eight hours and the pure exhaustion from tonight’s ordeal, my brain was completely fried, and my body was begging for a proper rest.

Yet here I was, sitting upright on the small leather couch tucked against the far wall of Elijah’s bedroom, staring blankly at a page of complex diagrams while he lay perfectly at ease in his bed just a few feet away.

Well, I had my reasons. Elijah had made it exceptionally clear that he wouldn’t be the one taking the floor or the cushions tonight.

“Lowe, look at me,” he’d said earlier, gesturing to his broad, athletic frame with a completely unbothered shrug.

“My shoulders would literally snap this frame in half. I’ve got scouts in the stands on Tuesday, and I’m not wrecking my spine because you want to play a game of pride.”

I rolled my eyes just thinking about it now. He was such a massive, arrogant non- gentleman.

“And besides,” he had added, kicking off his sneakers and making himself entirely too comfortable under the thick duvet.

“We’re adults, right? I see no reason why we can’t share a mattress. We’re both perfectly capable of behaving ourselves.”

I had crossed my arms, glaring at him from across the floorboards.

“So you’re seriously going to just watch me sleep on the couch?”

He had looked over at me, raising an amused brow before offering another lazy shrug.

“That’s your choice, baby girl.”

And that was it. He had rolled over, pulled the covers up, and blissfully gone to sleep, leaving me to retreat to the edge of the room with my giant textbook like a complete coward.

I glared at his sleeping form from my spot on the couch and let out a frustrated, quiet groan. I really couldn’t sleep here.

The cushions were tiny, my neck was already stiff, and the air on this side of the room felt freezing.

Maybe the floor? I looked down at the dark hardwood. The jerk hadn’t even given me a

1/4

The Sase of the Bed

spare blanket or a pillow before he closed his eyes.

Giving up, I shut the textbook. Quietly, I stood up from the cushions and tiptoed across the floor toward the edge of the bed.

The bedside lamp was still switched on, casting a warm, soft illumination over his face

I paused by the edge of the mattress, looking down at him.

Elijah was breathtaking when he wasn’t talking. With his eyes closed and his features completely relaxed, he looked almost like an angel. It was almost unfair how

handsome he was.

Too bad he acted like the devil’s advocate the exact second he woke up.

An intrusive, wicked thought entered my mind. If I could just… I stepped closer,

carefully reaching out to grab the spare pillow resting near his feet, bringing it up over his sleeping face.

I narrowed my eyes, visualizing myself suffocating him for a brief, glorious second. “Do you really think killing me will be a good idea?”

A loud gasp escaped my lips, a tiny yelp tearing from my throat as I jumped backward. I hadn’t expected him to be awake at all.

His dark eyes were open, staring right up at me with a lazy, knowing glint.

“Why the fuck are you awake, you creep?” I hissed, clutching the pillow tightly against my chest. “You were literally snoring two minutes ago!”

“I don’t snore, Lowe,” he murmured, his voice thick and raspy from sleep as he shifted onto his side, propping his head up with one hand.

“And it’s kind of hard to sleep when I can hear your tiny, angry footsteps pacing around my hallway. What are you doing?”

“I came to get a blanket,” I lied, lifting my chin stubbornly. “The couch is freezing. And small. And I hate you.”

“I told you to just get in the bed,” he said, rolling his eyes as he flipped the heavy duvet open, revealing the empty space beside him.

“Stop being ridiculous. Get in.”

“No. I am not sleeping in your bed, Elijah. I’ll take the floor before 1-”

Before I could even finish my sentence, his hand shot out.

His large fingers wrapped securely around my waist, and with an effortless pull, he hauled me straight onto the mattress.

I tumbled forward, landing right against his hard chest.

2/4

The Side of the Bed

The breath knocked out of me as his arms locked around me, trapping me beneath is frame in a completely compromising position.

My heart started beating erratically, a fierce heat rushing to my face as our eyes locked in the dim light.

We were so close our noses were practically touching, his clean, expensive scent entirely crowding my senses.

Neither of us moved. The tension in the air grew so thick I could barely swallow.

Elijah broke the silence, his gaze dropping to my lips before tracking slowly back up to

my eyes.

“Is it a fetish?” he asked, his deep voice carrying a rough, teasing edge.

I blinked, my brain turning to absolute mush.

“Huh?”

He reached out with his free hand, his knuckles gently brushing a stray lock of hair away from my forehead, his fingers lingering near my temple.

“Being this stubborn. Arguing with me at every single turn. Do you get off on it?”

I swallowed hard, trying to find my voice through the sudden tightness in my throat. “Well… maybe if you weren’t so incredibly annoying and didn’t constantly try to get on my nerves, I wouldn’t have to fight you.”

“Oh, really?” A slow, infuriating smirk broke across his lips, but his eyes remained incredibly soft.

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