The Nerd Who Stole The Quarterback (Astra and Zayne) novel Chapter 23

Chapter 23

ASTRA

56 vouchers

All night, while I smiled at customers, took orders, and balanced trays, Zane’s words kept echoing in my head like a broken record.

“You don’t get to let other men touch you. Not while you’re sleeping under my roof.”

What did that even mean?

I didn’t understand. I wasn’t “letting” anyone touch me. I was just doing my job. Yet the way he said t, low, dark, possessive made my stomach twist in ways I hated.

Why would Zane freaking Ashton care who touches me?

He hated me. He’d made that painfully clear for years. He wasn’t protecting me like some weird big brother. That thought made me almost laugh out loud while I was refilling drinks. Zane Ashton did not look at me like a sister. The way his eyes burned into me earlier… that was anything but brotherly.

So why say that?

Why look at me like that during the entire game yesterday?

It was messing with my head. Giving me mixed signals I didn’t want or need.

I spent the rest of my shift actively avoiding Table 12. I even begged Jade halfway through the night.

‘Please, Jade, can you take over that booth? I… I’m not feeling well.”

Jade took one look at my flushed face and the way my hands were shaking and nodded. “I got you, babe. Go handle your other tables.”

I was grateful because every time I caught a glimpse of Zane across the room, my heart would race and my cheeks would heat up again..

By the time my shift finally ended, I was exhausted, physically and emotionally. I changed quickly in the staff room, said my goodbyes to Jade and Philemon, and stepped out into the cool night air.

I kicked my scooter to life, ready to go home and collapse.

But before I could pull out of the parking spot, a familiar black car glided up beside me and stopped.

Zane,

He was alone.

1/6

112

Chapter 23

Polled down the window, eyes dark under the parking lot lights,

“Get in.”

I stared at him, shocked. “What?”

040

#55 vouchers

“I will not repeat myself,” he said, voice low and almost threatening like. “And you don’t want me

to.”

My heart hammered and I gripped the handlebars tighter.

“I can’t leave my scooter here.”

Zane’s gaze flicked to my old, beat–up scooter with pure disgust curling his lip.

“That piece of junk?” he scoffed. “It’s a death trap.”

The casual insult stung and I felt my temper flare.

“Don’t call it that,” I snapped, cheeks burning. “It gets me where I need to go.”

He didn’t even blink.

Instead, he killed the engine, got out of the car, and walked straight toward me. Before I could protest, he grabbed the scooter by the handlebars.

“Nooo…!”

I cried out, but he was already wheeling it toward the back of his car like it weighed nothing. He popped the trunk and easily lifted it inside, slamming it shut with a loud thud.

“Get in the car, Astra,”

7

I stood there, fuming, arms crossed tightly over my chest

He stared at me, jaw tight, eyes burning with that terrifying mix of anger and something darker.

“Now,”

I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to tell him to go to hell. But the look on his face, cold, and strangely intense made my stomach flip.

“Fine,” I muttered through gritted teeth.

I climbed into the passenger seat, slamming the door harder than necessary. Zane slid in beside me, the car suddenly feeling way too small. The scent of his cologne mixed with the faint smell of

sports bar filled the space. My heart was pounding so hard I was sure he could hear it.

the

He started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot without another word.

2/6

Chapter 23

55 voucherà

The silence was suffocating.

I stared out the window, arms still crossed, trying to ignore how aware I was of him, the way his hand gripped the steering wheel, the tension in his shoulders, the way his jaw kept flexing like he was holding back a thousand things he wanted to say.

After a few minutes, I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked, voice quieter than I wanted. “I had my scooter. I was fine.”

Zane let out a low, humorless laugh.

“You think I’m going to let you ride that death trap home at night after working in that fucking uniform?” His voice was rough. “Half the guys in there were staring at your ass like they wanted to bend you over the nearest table.”

My face burned. “That’s not your problem.”

He glanced at me sharply, green eyes flashing in the dark.

1

“Everything about you is my problem now,” he said coldly. “You live in my house. You take care of my brothers. And now you’re out here serving drunk assholes in a skirt that barely covers anything. You really think I’m just going to let that slide?”

I turned to glare at him, heart racing.

“I’m trying to make money, Zane. I’m not doing it to…. to tempt anyone. I’m just trying to survive.”

He didn’t answer right away. His grip on the wheel tightened until his knuckles turned white.

The silence stretched again, heavier this time.

Finally, he spoke, voice low and dangerous.

“You don’t get it, do you?”

I frowned. “Get what?”

He looked at me then, really looked, eyes dark and intense in the passing streetlights.

“You’re under my roof, Astra. That means you’re mine to protect. Mine to watch. Whether you like it or not.”

My breath caught.

The way he said *mine* sent a shiver down my spine that I hated.

I looked away quickly, pressing my thighs together and staring out the window again.

3/6

Chapter 23

Ttu net yours,” I whispered.

Zane didn’t reply.

55 Vouchero

But the smirk I caught in the reflection of the glass told me he didn’t believe me for a second.

The rest of the drive was silent, thick with tension. Every time he shifted gears, his hand brushed close to my leg. Every time I moved, I felt his eyes on me. The air in the car felt too warm, too small, too charged.

When we finally pulled up to the mansion, I reached for the door handle before he even turned the engine off.

“Thank you for the ride,” I muttered, already pushing the door open.

Zane’s hand shot out and caught my wrist, stopping me.

“Not so fast.”

[ froze, heart hammering. His grip wasn’t painful, but it was firm…Possessive.

He leaned over the center console, close enough that I could smell his cologne and the faint trace of beer from the bar. His green eyes burned into mine.

‘Lock your door tonight,” he said, voice rough.

[ blinked, confused. “What?”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify