The Nerd Who Stole The Quarterback (Astra and Zayne) novel Chapter 116

Chapter 116

Chapter 116

ASTRA

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He put the car into park and I sat up, unbuckling my seat belt, ready to leave this suffocating space as fast as possible.

My fingers fumbled for the door handle. I just wanted to get inside, crawl into bed, and forget this entire night.

But the door didn’t open.

It was locked.

“Please open the door,” I said quietly, still refusing to look at him. My voice was rough from everything that had happened.

Zane didn’t move.

Then he leaned across the console.

His warm, masculine scent filled the small space between us until it was all I could breathe.

Before I could react, he reached down and pressed the recline button.

The seat dropped back with a smooth mechanical whir.

I gasped, my back hitting the leather.

In the next second, Zane was over me.

One hand braced beside my head. The other planted against the seat.

There was nowhere to go.

His green eyes searched mine like he was trying to solve a puzzle he’d never been able to understand.

“Why do you keep falling apart over that pathetic excuse for a boyfriend?” he growled. “Jason? Really? You’re wrecking yourself over a guy who couldn’t even fight for you?”

Something inside me snapped.

“Get off me, Zane.”

I shoved at his chest with both hands but it was like trying to move a brick wall.

“You don’t get to talk about Jason like that.” My voice shook despite my best efforts. “You don’t get to judge him after everything you’ve done to me.”

A muscle jumped in his jaw.

“I don’t give a damn about Jason.”

Every word came slow and measured.

“I care that you’re hurting because of him.”

His gaze never left mine.

“I’ve watched this happen twice now.”

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Chapter 116

A bitter laugh escaped him.

“And I fucking hate it.”

Silence settled between us.

Then, quieter…

“I hate that every part of you still reaches for him… and none of it reaches for me.”

My heart lurched.

I turned my face away.

“Please…” I whispered. “Just open the door.”

His fingers closed gently around my chin, turning me back toward him.

“Look at me.”

I did.

Even though it hurt.

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His thumb swept lightly across my cheek, wiping away the dampness there with a tenderness that didn’t belong to someone who looked like he was holding himself together by sheer force of will.

His green eyes were dark, stormy, and locked on mine with an intensity that stole the air from my lungs.

Then he leaned closer.

His lips brushed my cheek, the touch feather-light.

I froze, my body going rigid beneath him. The warmth of his tongue against my skin sent a violent shiver racing through

“Zane…”

My voice barely existed.

He rested his forehead against mine.

“Stop hurting because of him,” he murmured. “He doesn’t deserve that part of you.”

I tried to turn away again.

He followed, close enough that our noses almost brushed.

“You’re killing me like this,” he said, his voice scraping raw. “Every time I watch you cry because of him… I lose my fucking mind. Makes me want to erase every reason you have to say his name. Makes me want to keep you somewhere the rest of the world can’t touch you.”

My fingers tightened in the front of his shirt. Whether I was trying to push him away or steady myself, I couldn’t even tell

anymore.

The heat between us.

The closeness.

Chapter 116

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