The Nerd Who Stole The Quarterback (Astra and Zayne) novel Chapter 132

Chapter 132

Chapter 132

ASTRA

Eventually Mom drifted off after eating.

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I stayed in the armchair beside her bed for a long time, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest. The room was quiet except for the soft hum of the medical equipment and the occasional rustle of leaves outside the window.

1 reached out and gently stroked her hair, and her face softened in sleep, the deep lines of worry casing just a little.

“I love you,” I whispered. “We’re going to be okay.”

I sat there until my own eyes grew heavy, then carefully stood up. My legs felt numb from sitting so long. I leaned down and pressed one last kiss to her forehead before slipping out of the room.

The door clicked shut softly behind me.

I turned….

And walked straight into a broad, solid chest.

I gasped, stumbling back a step. Strong hands caught my arms to steady me.

I looked up.

Zane.

He was standing right there in the dimly lit hallway, hair messy like he’d been running his fingers through it repeatedly. His green eyes searched my face with that intense, burning focus that always made my stomach flip.

“How is she?” he asked, to my surprise.

I swallowed hard. “S-she’s fine.”

My heart began racing. He was the last person I wanted to see right now, the reason everything had spiraled so badly today.

But God… he smelled so good. That warm scent wrapped around me, pulling at something deep inside despite everything.

“Excuse me,” I stammered, trying to step around him.

He shifted, blocking my path without touching me.

“Look at me, Trouble.”

His voice was quiet, almost gentle, but it still carried that commanding edge. One hand came up slowly, calloused fingertips brushing my cheek.

I shivered hard at the contact, eyes fluttering closed before I could stop them. The warmth of his touch spread through me like fire, chasing away the numbness for a second.

My breath trembled.

“Zane…” I whispered, voice barely there.

He didn’t move away. His thumb stroked slowly across my cheekbone, wiping away a tear I hadn’t realized was still there.

“I’m sorry,” he said, the words raw. “For all of it.”

15:47 Tue, Jul 14 TM.

Chapter 132

I kept my eyes closed, afraid that if I opened them I’d do something stupid, like lean into him.

The hallway felt too small, even the air between us tense.

And despite everything that had happened today… I foolishly didn’t pull away.

My eyes fluttered open.

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They locked with his, those stormy green eyes filled with something so raw and desperate it stole what little breath I had left

Zane’s thumb kept stroking my cheek, slowly, like he was memorizing every inch of my skin. His touch burned in the best and worst way.

“I know I should stay away from you,” he whispered. “I know I’m poison for you right now.”

He leaned down to my height, his tall frame curling over me, and pressed his face into the curve of my neck. He inhaled deeply, like he was trying to pull every part of me into his lungs.

A deep groan left his throat.

“But I can’t, Trouble.”

His thumb slid down, rubbing slow circles over the side of my neck, right where my pulse was racing. Fresh shivers raced down my spine. My legs trembled beneath me, knees threatening to give out.

He felt it.

His hand moved to the back of my neck, fingers threading into my hair as he tilted my head up, forcing me to meet his gaze again.

“Goddammit, Astra…” He dragged a hand through his hair, sounding completely undone. “What the fuck have you done to

me?”

Then his mouth slammed against mine.

There was nothing gentle about it.

His tongue pushed past my lips like he needed to taste every inch of me. A deep groan rumbled from his chest as he tilted my head further back, deepening the kiss until I was dizzy. One hand tightened in my hair, the other gripping my waist hard enough to leave marks, pulling me flush against his hard body.

He kissed like he was angry.

Like I was the only thing keeping him alive.

I whimpered into his mouth, my hands fisting desperately in his shirt as my body melted against him. Every stroke of his tongue sent liquid heat spiraling through me.

He tasted of mint and warm breath, and every slow brush of his tongue against mine made it harder to remember why I’d been trying to resist him.

He pulled back just enough to bite my bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth before diving back in, slower this time but no less consuming.

When he finally tore his mouth away, we were both breathing hard. His forehead pressed against mine, eyes closed, chest heaving.

“Fuck…” he rasped, voice hoarse. “I can’t stay away from you. I’ve tried. I can’t.”

15:47 Tue, Jul 14 M

Chapter 132

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