My Fake Boyfriend Is the School Bad Boy novel Chapter 39

Chapter 39 A Jacket That Smelled Like Safety

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Ryder stopped at the edge of the concrete step, his combat boots inches from the downpour.

He stared out at the flooded driveway, his jaw locked tight. The rain was coming down so hard it created a thick, gray mist in the air, completely obscuring the wrought-iron gates at the end of the property.

“The bike, I breathed, my teeth starting to chatter.

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“We can’t take it in this,” he muttered, running a rough hand through his dark hair. “The tires won’t grip the asphalt. It’s a death trap.”

“I can walk to the main road,” I offered, taking a hesitant step forward. “The city bus stops on the corner of Elm and 5th. It’s only about

four blocks from the gates.”

Ryder turned his head slowly. He looked at my thin, starched blouse, the ridiculous pleated skirt, and the completely impractical loafers on my feet. The shards of gold in his eyes sharpened, cutting right through the misty air.

“You’re not walking four blocks in a flash flood, Petrova,” he stated flatly.

“I can’t just stay here,” I argued, a sudden spike of nervous energy tightening my chest. “My mother expects me home. If I’m late, she’ll start asking questions. She already saw the motorcycle. If she thinks I’m stranded somewhere with you…”

“I’ll call a cab,” he interrupted, reaching into the front pocket of his jeans for his phone.

He pulled it out, tapping the screen. His thumb hovered over the glass, a deep crease forming between his dark eyebrows. He tapped it

again.

“No signal,” he said, his voice completely devoid of emotion. He held the screen up so I could see the empty bars in the top corner. “The storm knocked out the cell towers in the hills. The house relies on an internet-based line, and the router reset when the power flickered

ten minutes ago.”

My stomach dropped.

I looked out at the relentless, driving rain. The wind whipped a fine spray of freezing water onto the porch, catching the edge of my cheek. I gasped quietly, taking a step backward until my spine hit the heavy steel of the front door.

We were trapped.

We were completely stranded on his massive, empty porch, surrounded by the deafening roar of the storm. The careful distance he had tried to establish in the dining room was entirely ruined. There was nowhere to go. There were no distractions, no textbooks, no

audiences.

I pressed my lips together, trying to suppress the violent shivers wracking my body. The damp air was seeping straight into my bones. My blazer offered absolutely zero protection against the sudden drop in temperature.

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Chapter 39 A Jacket That Smelled Like Safety

Ryder put his phone back in his pocket. He turned his body fully toward me.

He didn’t say a word. He just stood there, his broad shoulders blocking the wind, and watched me shake. The dark, defensive anger from the living room was gone. The indifferent mask he wore for the school was gone He was just looking at me, his hazel eyes tracking the

involuntary tremors in my hands and the way my teeth clicked together.

Slowly, he reached up and gripped the collar of his heavy leather jacket.

“Ryder, no, I protested, my voice weak and raspy over the sound of the rain. You only have a t-shirt on. It’s freezing.”

He completely ignored me.

He pulled his arms out of the sleeves in one fluid, graceful motion. The worn leather rustled loudly. He stepped completely into my personal space, completely erasing the three feet of concrete separating us

The heat radiating off his body hit me instantly, a solid, overwhelming wave that completely contradicted the freezing air.

He raised the heavy jacket. He didn’t just hand it to me. He stepped closer, raising his arms, and carefully draped the thick leather

directly over my shoulders.

The sheer physical weight of it grounded me instantly

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