My Fake Boyfriend Is the School Bad Boy novel Chapter 144

Chapter 144 No One Else Is Watching

The white mist of our breath twisted together in the narrow space between our faces. The cold wind pushed against my back, biting through the thin midnight silk of my gown. The heavy wool of his tuxedo jacket draped over my shoulders offered a vital shield. The fabric smelled of cedar, worn leather, and the faint, sharp scent of his expensive cologne.

Ryder stared down at me. The golden shards in his hazel eyes held a raw, starving fire.

We spent the past month performing. We touched in the crowded B-wing to sell a lie to the student body. We sat close in the cafeteria to silence the rumors and protect his academic record. We drafted a contract on college-ruled paper to dictate our boundaries. Every gesture carried a calculated purpose. Every look served an audience. We built a massive, complex fortress of excuses to justify our proximity.

The balcony sat empty.

The heavy glass doors behind us remained locked. The affluent elite of Crestview Prep danced inside the warm, bright gymnasium, oblivious to our escape. No society photographers waited in the shadows. Harper Vance and her cruel whispers existed in a different universe. Trent Lawson could not see us.

The performance ended. The audience vanished. We possessed zero excuses.

“You are shivering, Ryder stated. His rough voice broke the quiet night.

“The wind is cold,” I replied. I pulled the wide lapels of his tailored jacket closer to my chest.

“We should go back inside. You will catch a chill out here.”

“I do not want to go back inside, I told him. I maintained steady eye contact. “I want to stay right here.”

Ryder locked his jaw. The muscle ticked beneath his pale skin. “You are a terrible liar, Petrova. Your teeth are chattering.”

“You are the one wearing a thin cotton shirt in the middle of a spring crosswind, I countered. “You must be freezing.

“My blood runs hot. I am fine.” He took a half-step forward. The toes of his polished dress shoes brushed against my velvet heels. “But you

look terrified.”

“I am not terrified of the cold,” I admitted. I kept my gaze fixed on the open collar of his white shirt.

“Then what terrifies you?”

“The fact that the contract is gone.”

Ryder let out a heavy, ragged breath. The white mist plumed in the freezing air. “I burned the contract in the cafeteria. I told the entire school you are the center of my universe.”

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Chapter 144 No One Else Is Watching

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“Words in a cafeteria are different than standing alone on a dark balcony,” I argued. The truth hung between us, exposed and dangerous.

“Do you understand what standing out here means?” he asked. His tone carried a dark, desperate warning. “It means I lack boundaries. It

means I possess zero rules to keep my hands to myself. If we stay out here, the act ends.”

“The act ended the second you dropped those VIP tickets on my biology textbook.”

Ryder reached up. He brought his hands toward my face. He did not grab my waist. He did not pull me into a practiced, dramatic embrace for the cameras. His large, calloused hands trembled. He framed my jaw. His long fingers slid into the dark hair at the base of my neck. The rough texture of his skin scraped against my cold cheeks.

“If I cross this line, Ryder whispered, the sound raw and thick, “I will not step back. I will not let you walk away from me tomorrow. I will

tear down every wall you try to build.”

He offered an escape route. He gave me a chance to retreat. He provided the space for me to pull the heavy wool jacket tighter, turn around, and return to the safety of the bright lights. He believed his storm brought destruction. He waited for me to choose the safe

harbor.

I did not move.

I leaned my weight forward. I pressed my cold cheek into the warm center of his palm.

“Stop thinking,” I demanded. My voice shook, a fragile sound swallowed by the freezing wind. “Stop trying to protect me. Stop talking.”

Ryder let out a fractured sigh. The final thread of his formidable restraint snapped.

He lowered his head. His mouth crashed into mine.

The impact knocked the remaining breath straight from my lungs. The kiss lacked the polished hesitation of a first date. It lacked the calculated precision of a public relations stunt. It was a collision. It was an unfiltered claiming.

Four years of watching from the dark shadows of the library. Four years of carving stars into wooden bookshelves. Four years of believing he was a monster unworthy of a quiet girl with a medical scholarship. He poured every ounce of his hidden longing and his terrified devotion into the physical connection.

I opened my mouth. I welcomed the storm.

The heat of his tongue traced my lower lip. He tasted like mint and the sweet, artificial fruit punch from the gymnasium. A massive surge of electricity shot down my spine, burning through the freezing chill of the spring night. The cold air ceased to exist. The concrete terrace

melted away.

I let go of the heavy wool lapels. I reached up. I buried my freezing fingers in his dark hair. The strands felt thick and soft against my skin I gripped the hair at the nape of his neck, anchoring his face to mine. I pulled him closer. I needed to erase the remaining millimeters of empty space separating our bodies.

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Chapter 144 No One Else Is Watching

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