Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains novel Chapter 74

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Damsel in Distress

Victoria’s POV

“Do I really have to go? I am not used to those kinds of parties,” I groaned, throwing my head back against the plush cushions of the armchair.

Elijah didn’t even look back at me. He was standing in front of the vanity mirror, adjusting the collar of a casual, dark button–down shirt that made his shoulders look twice as broad as they already were.

He ran a hand through his dark hair, checking his reflection from a few angles before turning his head slightly to look at me through the mirror.

“You’ll survive, Zhen,” he said, a familiar, lazy smirk pulling at the corner of his lips. ” Besides, if I remember correctly, the very first time we actually interacted was at one of those parties. You were sulking over Ashfield by the pool, looking like the world was coming to an absolute end.”

My jaw dropped. I sat up straight, glaring at the back of his head.

“You did not just bring that up.”

“Oh, I sure did,” he challenged, turning around completely to face me.

He leaned his lower back against the vanity, crossing his arms over his chest with an incredibly smug expression.

“You were sitting on the edge of the concrete, practically staring a hole through the water because Caleb was across the living room with Lexi. It was pathetic, really.”

“Elijah!”

Before I could even think about it, my hand shot out and grabbed a heavy crystal perfume bottle from the vanity counter.

I scrambled out of the chair, lifting the bottle menacingly.

“Take it back right now, or I’m spraying this directly into your eyes.”

Elijah’s eyes widened slightly, though his smirk didn’t vanish. He didn’t even hesitate- he backed up quickly, ducking around the edge of the bed as I lunged forward.

“I’m just stating historical facts!” he shouted, laughing as he literally climbed onto the mattress, his socks sliding against the sheets as he moved to the opposite side of the bed to keep the distance between us.

“It is not a fact! I was not sulking, I was contemplating my life choices!” I yelled, climbing onto the mattress after him

I swung my arm, trying to get clo. edge of the heavy duvet.

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him, but my foot caught on the

Dantel in Distress

i lost my balance, my hands flying out to catch myself. I tumbled forward, landing with a heavy thud directly on top of his chest.

The perfume bottle rolled out of my grip, clattering harmlessly onto the carpet below. For a long, completely still moment, neither of us moved.

The quiet of the bedroom rushed back in, entirely replacing the sound of our shouting.

We were lying in the center of the mattress, my hands resting flat against his shoulders, our chests rising and falling in deep, synchronized breaths from the sudden

exertion.

I could feel the steady, rapid beat of his heart right beneath my palms.

Slowly, Elijah lifted his hand. His long fingers reached forward, his touch incredibly gentle as he brushed a few stray strands of hair away from my forehead, tucking them behind my ear.

“I’ll never stop saying how beautiful you are, Zhen,” he whispered.

His voice had dropped into a quiet, completely sincere cadence that sent a sudden spike of heat straight to my face.

My cheeks burned. Unable to maintain the intense eye contact, I looked down, focusing entirely on the top button of his shirt.

“Th… thank you,” I stuttered, a small, involuntary smile tugging at my lips.

Elijah let out a soft chuckle, the sound vibrating directly through his chest beneath me.

“You know, I think that night at the pool was just your twisted way of getting my attention. What exactly propelled you to jump into the water anyway? Acting like a total damsel in distress. If you wanted my attention so badly, you could have just been bold enough like those other girls that had come up that night.”

I rolled my eyes dramatically, pushing against his shoulders to sit up.

“I am not doing this shit with you, Carter.”

I tried to scramble off him, but before I could even clear his lap, his large hands clamped down securely around my waist.

He held me back against him, his grip firm but entirely careful, preventing me from moving an inch.

“Let me go,” I complained, though I didn’t exactly want that.

He just chuckled again, his chest rumbling. For some completely inexplicable reason,

a strange, tight sensation bloomed right in the center of my chest.

It felt oddly like a flash of jealousy over his comment about ‘those other girls, but I instantly forced the thought down.

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Wamsel in Distress

Jealousy? Definitely not. We were friends. This was an arrangement. I didn’t have the right to feel jealous, and I certainly didn’t want to.

“So…” Elijah murmured, his hands still resting on my waist. “Are you going to the party with me?”

I let out a long, defeated groan, completely giving up the fight as I let my strength sap out, resting my forehead directly against the center of his chest.

“Why do I have to be there?” I mumbled into his shirt.

“Uhm, because you are my girlfriend, and we have an image to maintain. We have to show up together.”

I snapped my head up, narrowing my eyes as I raised an eyebrow at him.

“Really, Elijah? I thought that whole fake relationship deal ended already. We haven’t exactly been parading around campus lately.”

Elijah stared up at me, his expression unreadable for a second before he let out a quiet breath.

“It ends when the contract runs out, Zhen. Until then, you’re stuck with me.”

Ultimately, I lost the argument. Ten minutes later, I found myself standing in front of the full–length mirror, completely at a loss as I tried to zip up the back of the dark emerald dress Allison had picked out for me during our shopping trip.

The fabric was beautiful, hugging my curves perfectly, but the zipper was completely stuck at the small of my back.

“Need help?”

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