The Wrong Play: A Football Romance (The Wrong Player Series Book 2)
The Wrong Play: Chapter 31

Ipractically ran back to Jace’s house after the game, every step fueled by the suffocating weight of Callum’s threats. My hands shook as I burst through the door, my breath coming in shallow gasps. I didn’t have much time. If I could get out before Jace got back from the game, I could disappear before he even realized what was happening.

I grabbed my bag and started shoving clothes inside, not bothering to fold them. My toiletries, my books—anything that I could fit—I packed in a frenzy, my heart pounding so hard it hurt. Jace had made room for me here, carved out space in his life like I was permanent. But I wasn’t. I never had been.

By the time I zipped my bag shut, my eyes were burning from the urge I had to cry, and it felt like something was wrong with my chest, like something had reached in and grabbed my heart. The ache got stronger with every move I made to leave him.

I ignored the pain and threw my bag over my shoulder before grabbing my car keys and running out the door, my mind screaming at me to go faster.

Sliding into the driver’s seat, I shoved the key into the ignition. My fingers trembled as I turned it.

Click.

Nothing.

“No,” I whispered, trying again. Click. Click. Nothing.

I slammed my palm against the steering wheel, panic clawing up my throat as I stared out the windshield, and the rain that had just started to fall. My car had never had issues before. This wasn’t happening.

I tried again. And again. Each failed attempt sent me spiraling further into despair.

I couldn’t stay here. I had to go.

Abandoning the car, I grabbed my bag and ran through the rain. The bus stop wasn’t far—just a few blocks away. My only chance. My legs burned as I sprinted down the sidewalk, dodging pedestrians, my breath ragged. Every time I slowed, Callum’s voice echoed in my head. “But if you really love him, you’ll leave him before he gets caught in the crossfire.”

Tears blurred my vision, mixing with the rain pelting my face as I reached the bus stop. I fumbled to check the schedule, my fingers shaking so badly I could barely read it.

I had to get out. Before it was too late. Before Jace found me. Before Callum destroyed everything.

Clutching my bag tighter, I swallowed back the sob threatening to break free.

I didn’t have a damn clue where I was headed—just away. The bus stop squatted under a flickering streetlight, a rusted bench and a graffiti-smeared pole marking the edge of nowhere. My sneakers scraped the cracked pavement as I dropped onto the seat, the cold seeping through my jeans like a punishment.

The wind sliced through my jacket, whipping my wet hair into my face, but I didn’t bother fixing it. I just needed to go—somewhere, anywhere, away from the shitstorm I couldn’t seem to escape no matter how hard I tried.

Callum’s voice clawed at my skull, digging in deep, ripping at every weak spot he’d ever found. I’d shut my phone off, killing the lifeline to Jace, because one buzz from him and I’d break. I’d run right back, and he’d be screwed. Callum would see to that.

The street was a ghost town, just the low growl of traffic in the distance and the occasional skitter of trash across the asphalt. I pulled my knees up, hugging them tight, my breath hitching as a sob finally escaped my chest.

I’d left him. Jace. The only person who’d ever seen me—really seen me—and I’d had to leave him. My chest burned, the ache spreading, so violent, I wasn’t sure I could survive it.

But I had to do it. He deserved more than my chaos, more than Callum’s venom poisoning his life.

Headlights slashed through the dark, and I stiffened, squinting as a Jeep screeched to a halt across the street. My heart slammed into my ribs. No. Fuck, no. The driver’s door banged open, and Jace stepped out, his frame taut with rage. Even from here, I could feel the anger rolling off him, those brown eyes gone black with something feral. He slammed the door, the crack cutting through the sound of the rain hitting the pavement, and stormed toward me, every step the stalk of a predator.

“Riley,” he snarled, voice rough and low, slicing through the wind. “What the hell are you doing?”

I scrambled up, my bag tipping over, pulse pounding in my throat. “Jace, go back home. Please.”

He didn’t slow, closing the gap until he loomed over me, a wall of fury and muscle blocking out the light. Up close, he was all heat. His jaw locked tight, a muscle ticking under the strain. “Where do you think you’re going?” he demanded, his eyes drilling into mine, sharp and unyielding.

I stumbled back, my sneakers catching in a crack as I sat back on the bench. “Away. I—I can’t stay.”

“Why would you run? Why would you leave me?” His voice was agonized, disbelieving that I could hurt him like this.

I stared at him through my tears, my throat burning, my chest caving in. He stood there, soaking wet. His hands were clenched at his sides like he was trying to hold himself back from shaking me, from gripping my face and making me look at him the way he always did—like I was something he refused to let slip through his fingers.

But he didn’t know.

He didn’t know what I’d done.

And once he did, once I said the words out loud, I knew he’d look at me differently. He’d see what Callum saw—what Callum made me believe.

I sucked in a breath, forcing the words through my tight throat. “Jace…I—” My voice cracked, and I shook my head, squeezing my eyes shut for a moment before forcing myself to look at him. “I didn’t leave because I wanted to. I’m leaving because I have to.”

His brows furrowed, frustration flickering across his face. “The hell you do! Why would you have to leave?”

I let out a shaky breath, tears spilling faster. “You don’t understand. I’m trying to protect you.”

“From what?” His voice softened just slightly, but the intensity in his eyes didn’t waver. He dropped to his knees in front of me, gripping the bench on either side of my legs, locking me in place. “Riley, what the hell is going on?”

I choked out a broken laugh, tilting my face to the sky, my vision blurring with rain and tears and exhaustion.

Sucking in a deep breath, I forced myself to look at him, to let myself feel the weight of what I was about to say. I wiped at my face with trembling fingers, my voice barely above a whisper. “Before I came here…before I met you…there was someone else.”

His head tilted just slightly, his brows pulling together.

I swallowed hard, my fingers twisting into the fabric of my soaking wet sweatshirt. “It started right after I graduated high school,” I continued, my voice cracking on the words. “He’s my dad’s best friend. He…he was married.”

Jace went utterly still.

“The first time he looked at me, really looked at me, I felt…wanted. Like I wasn’t just another girl. Like I was special.” I let out a broken laugh, shaking my head. “I was so stupid.”

Jace’s jaw ticked, but he still didn’t say anything.

I exhaled shakily, wringing my hands together as I talked. “He made me believe that what we had was something real—something I needed.” I shuddered. “And I fell for it. I fell for him. I let him pull me into his world, let him mold me into what he wanted. And by the time I realized what he really was, what he was doing to me, it was too late.”

Jace’s fingers twitched. “Did he hurt you?” His voice was quiet, but there was something lethal beneath it. It hit me then, how ironic it was that Callum had once asked me that same thing…yet ended up hurting me far worse than anyone else ever did.

I hesitated. Not because I didn’t know the answer, but because I didn’t know how to say it.

Then, finally, I whispered, “Yes.”

His entire body tensed, his breath coming slower, heavier. “Riley…”

I swallowed, forcing the words up like poison in my throat. “He destroyed me.”

Silence. Thick, weighted, suffocating silence.

Jace’s hands clenched at the bench, his knuckles stark white, but I couldn’t look at him. I couldn’t bear to see the rage, the fury, the devastation.

So I kept talking.

“He never asked. He would just…take,” I murmured, my voice hollow. “Whenever he wanted. No matter how I felt. No matter if I was sick, if I was exhausted, if I said I wasn’t up for it. It didn’t matter. Because he owned me. That’s what he always said.”

Jace sucked in a breath, sharp and lethal, but I kept going, because I had to. Because this was my truth, and I was done keeping it locked inside.

“He had a way of making me feel like I was the problem,” I whispered. “Like I was ungrateful. Like I was lucky to have him. He’d tell me how much he risked for me, how much he sacrificed. That I owed him.”

I shuddered, rubbing at my arms, trying to erase the ghost of his touch. “He’d say things—cutting, cruel things that made me feel like I was nothing. That I was a burden. That I was lucky anyone even wanted me.”

Jace’s chest rose and fell in ragged, uneven bursts. His jaw was clenched so tightly I thought he might break his teeth. A noise erupted out of him—low, guttural, dangerous. “That fucking piece of—” He cut himself off, his entire body vibrating with emotion.

“I shut down,” I admitted. “I stopped saying no. I stopped fighting. It was easier that way. And I—I wanted to be easy. I wanted to be good. I wanted…to be enough. I wanted to be more than the dirty secret he told me I was.” I sucked in a breath, my chest tightening at the memories. “And then there was my condition.”

Jace’s head snapped up, his gaze burning into mine. “What about it?”

I let out a trembling breath. “He hated it. Hated when I was too tired to go to him. Hated when I had to cancel plans because I was in too much pain. He’d sigh, like I was some inconvenience. And then he’d tell me I was weak. That I was lazy. That if I just tried harder, I wouldn’t be such a burden.” My throat thickened. “And the worst part? I believed him.”

I shook my head, trying to steady myself, because I’d just admitted so much…and there was still so much more to go.

“When I was finally done, when I knew I had to get away…he told me I’d never escape him,” I continued. “So, I cut ties completely. Changed my number. Changed everything. I took off without even telling my parents where I was going because they refused to help me. I thought—I thought I got away from him.” My throat burned. “And then…he found me.”

Jace’s frown deepened. “What do you mean, he found you?”

I wiped at my face, sucking in a shaky breath, hating myself for the way my voice shook when I spoke. “He’s here. He’s been here for weeks, watching me. He—he’s a visiting professor, Jace.” I laughed bitterly, my hands curling into fists. “I was waiting for class to start one day, and then I heard his voice, and there he was…standing at the podium. Just standing there, like he owned me. Like he always has.”

“Riley…”

“He’s been threatening me,” I whispered as I wiped at my cheeks. “Watching me, waiting, enjoying the fact that I know I can’t do anything about it. When I met you, I thought maybe—maybe—I could have something real. Something different than what I had with him. But now…” My breath shuddered. “Now, he’s making sure I know he still owns me. That I can’t have a life without him in it.”

Jace’s fingers flexed against the metal, and it made a cracking sound this time. “What has he been saying to you?” His voice was lethal. Low and dark and steady.

I let out a humorless laugh. “It’s not just me anymore. It’s you.” I met his gaze, my stomach twisting at the rage burning there. “He told me that if I didn’t walk away from you, he’d ruin your life.” My voice dropped to a whisper. “And I couldn’t let that happen.”

Jace’s breath came hard and fast, his entire body coiled tight, like a storm seconds away from unleashing its fury.

I pressed my hands to my face, my voice barely above a whisper. “I thought if I left, if I walked away, you’d be safe. I thought—” My voice cracked, and I dropped my hands, looking into his eyes. “I thought if you knew the truth, if you knew what I‘d done, you wouldn’t want me anymore.”

That did it.

Jace moved.

One second he was gripping the bench, and the next, his hands were on my face, tilting my chin up, his fingers sliding into my hair, his forehead pressing against mine as he exhaled hard. “Say it again,” he whispered.

I blinked, my breath stuttering. “Jace⁠—”

“Say it again,” he growled in a raw, shaking voice. “Tell me you really believe I’d walk away from you because of him.”

I swallowed, tears slipping down my cheeks. “I⁠—”

“Riley.” His grip tightened, his thumb stroking my cheek with devastating tenderness. “You never belonged to him. You hear me?” His voice was rough, desperate. “Never.”

I let out a shaky breath, holding my palms to his chest. His heart was slamming against my hands, just as wild as my own.

His forehead pressed harder against mine. “You belong with me.”

A sob clawed its way up my throat. “I was scared,” I whispered. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

Jace let out a shuddering breath. “You don’t run from me, Riley. Ever.” His hands slid down, gripping my shoulders, his voice shaking with restraint. “If you think for one second that I’d ever let you go because of what he did to you, then you don’t know me at all. I’m not worried about that sick bastard.”

Tears spilled faster as I clutched at his hoodie.

“I would burn the world down before I let him take you from me,” he whispered, his eyes burning as he stared at me. “Burn it all down.”

My breath hitched. “I can’t—I can’t let him touch you. I love you too much.”

He swore and pulled me into his chest, and I sobbed against him, a strange relief flooding my veins because he knew. He knew…and he was still here.

The second my breath steadied, the second my sobs had quieted, he pulled back just enough to look me in the eyes. His grip was firm, his touch warm, grounding. His brown eyes gleamed with something fierce, something unshakable.

“We’re going home,” he said, in a voice so resolute, there was no chance of me arguing.

I barely had a second to process before his arms were under my legs, lifting me effortlessly off the cold metal bench. I let out a startled breath, my arms instinctively looping around his neck as he cradled me against his chest.

“Jace,” I mumbled, feeling my face heat.

“Don’t even start, Riley-girl.” His voice was firm but gentle, the sound of it smoothing over the raw edges inside me. “You’re done running.”

The world blurred as he carried me toward the Jeep, my head tucked against his shoulder. The smell of rain lingered on his hoodie, mixing with the warmth of his skin, and for the first time in hours—maybe days—I let myself relax.

He pulled open the door and set me down on the passenger seat like I weighed nothing, his hands lingering on my waist for a second before he pulled the seatbelt over me. His fingers brushed my collarbone as he clicked it into place.

“Stay put.”

Like I was going to try and escape again.

Jace shut the door and jogged around the front of the Jeep. As he slid behind the wheel, the bus pulled up in the distance, headlights flashing against the dark, tires hissing against wet pavement. I swallowed hard, watching as the doors opened, waiting for a passenger that now wouldn’t be me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, inhaling deeply. I hope I made the right decision.

Jace’s hand slid over mine, threading our fingers together. He didn’t say anything—he didn’t have to. He just held on, his thumb brushing against my knuckles, a silent promise in the way he refused to let go.

The Jeep rumbled to life, and he pulled away from the curb, driving us back toward campus. The streetlights flickered by in golden streaks, the hum of the engine a steady pulse in the silence.

It was only a few minutes before I turned to him, my voice quieter than usual. “How did you replace me?”

Jace didn’t even blink. “I was tracking you.”

I scoffed, half-expecting a smirk, some cocky little grin to tell me he was joking. But he didn’t look at me. His eyes stayed on the road, his thumb still moving in slow, absentminded circles over my skin.

I blinked. “Wait…what?”

Now he smirked, just a little. “Relax, babycakes. I’m not crazy.”

I narrowed my eyes. “That’s exactly what someone who was crazy would say.”

He shrugged. “It’s just a precaution.” His tone was casual, like we were talking about checking the weather. “You disappear a lot, Riley. I figured I should make sure I could replace you when you get it in your head to run.”

A strange tension coiled in my stomach, but not in the way it should have. I should have been freaked out. I should have pulled my hand away.

But instead, warmth spread through my chest.

Because even if he wasn’t joking—even if he’d really found a way to keep tabs on me—I didn’t mind.

Because it was Jace.

Because he had always found me, even when I was breaking, even when I was slipping through the cracks.

And I’d been an idiot for ever thinking I could leave him.

Callum’s control had been about power—about diminishing me, keeping me small and hidden—while Jace’s possessiveness was about protection, about pulling me into his world and making sure I never had to face anything alone again.

I squeezed his hand back, staring at him in the dim glow of the dashboard. At his sharp jawline, the focused set of his mouth…the warmth in his brown eyes, even when he was looking at the road instead of me.

This is home.

I exhaled softly, turning back to the window, watching the world blur by as he drove me back to where I belonged.

Jace didn’t let go of my hand, not for a second. His grip was firm but careful, his touch steady against my skin as he pulled me inside the house. The door clicked shut behind us, the quiet hum of the house wrapping around us like a cocoon. My pulse hammered, not from fear—but from the weight of everything pressing down on us, on me.

He guided me through the living room, past the soft glow of the lamp by the couch, past the framed photos and the jacket he’d left draped over a chair. The warmth of the house, of him, settled into my skin, loosening something tight in my chest.

And then, we were in his room.

Our room.

The one he’d made mine without ever asking, the one I’d never once resisted making ours. My things were woven into his space like I had always belonged there—clothes tossed across his desk chair, a book left open on the nightstand, hair ties scattered around the room. A quiet invasion I hadn’t realized was happening until it was already done.

Jace let the door swing shut behind us, but it wasn’t violent. It didn’t slam. It just settled, like the shift in the air. Thick with something unspoken, something heavy.

I turned to face him, my breath catching at the storm in his eyes.

Dark. Feral.

Like holding back was costing him.

“You don’t leave me.” His voice was rough, low, and filled with something dangerous…something desperate. He stepped closer, slow but deliberate, each movement pressing into my space until I had nowhere to go. “Ever.”

The word crackled between us, raw and possessive, burning through my skin. My heart slammed against my ribs, my hands curling into fists at my sides as I fought the urge to reach for him.

Jace’s jaw clenched as his fingers flexed. “Do you have any idea what it did to me?” His voice was quieter now, but no less intense. “First, watching you run away terrified at the game? Then, replaceing out afterwards that you’d left me?”

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “Jace⁠—”

His hands found my hips, dragging me the rest of the way into him, his body a furnace against mine. His grip was firm but careful, like he was fighting himself, like the line between anger and something deeper was thinning with every second.

“You don’t get to do that to me, Riley,” he murmured, his forehead dropping to mine. His breath fanned across my lips, hot and uneven. “I’m always going to come after you.”

That was another difference. Callum had chased control, keeping me caged in shadows, but Jace—Jace chased me, refusing to let me disappear, refusing to let me believe I was anything less than his entire world.

I trembled in his hold, every part of me caught between wanting to fight and wanting to fall.

“Tell me you get it,” he breathed thickly. His fingers curled tighter at my waist, his body practically vibrating against mine. “Tell me you understand.”

I met his eyes, searching the fire in them, the wreckage, the need. My heart pounded, my skin burned, but I nodded.

“I understand,” I whispered.

His lips parted, a shaky breath slipping free.

And then, he kissed me.

Hard.

Jace didn’t give me space to hesitate, he didn’t give me time to second-guess. His mouth captured mine with fierce possession, hot and consuming, his teeth grazing my bottom lip before he soothed the sting with a slow, deliberate stroke of his tongue. His body pressed into mine, solid and unyielding, pinning me back against the wall with a heat that sent shivers cascading down my spine.

“You’re mine,” he rasped, his voice thick with something dark, something desperate, vibrating against my lips. His hands gripped my hips, pulling me flush against him, and I felt him—all of him—hard, insistent, undeniable. A fire ignited low in my belly, a need so sharp it left me breathless.

“Jace,” I gasped, but he didn’t let me speak. Didn’t let me run.

“Say it,” he demanded, his fingers slipping beneath my shirt, the rough calluses on his palms dragging over my bare skin, setting me ablaze. “Say you’re mine.”

I sucked in a ragged breath, my head tilting back as his mouth trailed down my jaw, his teeth scraping the sensitive spot beneath my ear. He didn’t need me to say it—he already knew—but still, he wanted to hear it.

I didn’t answer. Not yet. Maybe because some small, reckless part of me wanted to make him prove it.

His grip tightened, his hands firm but not rough, not cruel—just claiming. “You don’t run from me,” he murmured, his voice softer now, but no less resolute. He traced patterns against my stomach, dipping lower, teasing, testing my resolve. “You don’t leave. You don’t ever leave.”

I shuddered as his hands moved lower, skimming the waistband of my jeans. A warning. A promise.

And then, just as I opened my mouth to reply, Jace lifted me, carried me away from the wall, and tossed me onto the bed. My breath hitched, my body sinking into the mattress as he loomed over me, eyes dark and unreadable, his chest rising and falling with deep, controlled breaths.

My heart pounded as he dragged his soaking wet hoodie and shirt over his head, the muscles in his arms flexing, his tattoos shifting with every movement. “You think I’d ever let you go?” he murmured, shaking his head like the thought itself was absurd. “You think I could?”

I didn’t answer because we both knew the truth.

I whimpered, heat pooling low as his tongue traced my throat, his grip tight and alive. He released my wrists and then tore at my jeans, yanking them down with a roughness that stole my breath. I kicked them off, exposed under his stare, and he groaned, low…primal, his eyes raking over me like I was his to devour.

His body was a wall of muscle and intent as he climbed over me, and his mouth crashed into mine again, fierce and unrelenting, while his hands roamed—gripping my thighs, spreading me wide. “You don’t get to leave,” he snarled again as his fingers slid between my legs, and he found me wet and aching. I arched, a cry ripping out as he teased me, brushing softly against my clit as I gasped for more. “This is mine. You’re mine.”

“Jace—” I cried, but he didn’t ease up as he plunged two fingers inside me, curling them hard. My hips bucked, pleasure spiking fast and brutal, and he smirked victoriously.

“That’s it,” he muttered, pumping deeper, his thumb circling my clit with merciless precision. “Feel me.”

I broke, my orgasm crashing through me in a flood of heat and light, my body clenching around him. He didn’t stop, he kept going, dragging it out until I was shaking, raw, clawing at his shoulders. “Jace, please…”

“Please, what?” he soothed, pulling his hand free only to drop his mouth there, his tongue diving into my core, licking me open. I screamed and fisted the sheets while he consumed me relentlessly, pushing me toward another edge.

“I, I can’t…” My voice splintered, but he didn’t care. He sucked on my clit harder, sending me spiraling again. The second orgasm hit like a storm, leaving me trembling, breathless, tears leaking from my eyes.

Jace climbed up my body until his face was only inches from mine, his cock pressing against me, thick and demanding. “You don’t decide,” he said in a low, lethal voice as he pushed in—slow at first, then deep, filling me until I couldn’t breathe. “I decide. And I’m keeping you.”

That was another difference between Jace and Callum. Unlike with Callum, with Jace…I wanted to be kept.

I moaned as my legs wrapped around him, and he thrust harder, each stroke a claim, a punishment, a vow. “Fuck, you feel so good,” he growled as he gripped my hips, tilting me to take him deeper.

The pace built, savage and perfect. His mouth was on my neck, my chest, leaving biting marks all over my skin like he was carving his name. I came again, a shuddering wreck, my nails raking his back as he fucked me through it unyieldingly, chasing his own end. “Say it,” he demanded hoarsely as his hips slammed into mine. “Say you won’t leave.”

“Jace…” I whimpered. I was lost in him. Another orgasm was building too fast, it was too much.

But he didn’t stop, he drove me higher, his grip bruising as his eyes locked on mine.

“Say it, Riley,” he snarled, his thrusts erratic as I teetered on the edge. “You’re mine. Fucking say it.”

“Yes,” I finally sobbed as I shattered again, pleasure tearing me apart as he groaned and spilled his hot cum inside me. It filled me up until it was leaking down my thighs, soaking the bed underneath us. “I’m yours…I won’t leave.”

Jace collapsed over me, breathing hard, his weight pinning me as aftershocks rippled through us. But he wasn’t done. He pulled out, flipped me onto my stomach, and slid in again, slower now, deliberate…drawing it out. “Good girl,” he murmured in a dark, thick voice as his hands roamed my back, my ass. “But we’re going to keep going to make sure you truly understand. You. Are. Mine!”

I lost track of the orgasms, each one stripping me bare, leaving me raw and limp. He fucked me until I couldn’t speak, couldn’t think…until I was just a quivering mess, his name a broken plea on my lips. “Never,” he whispered, final and fierce, as I came one last time, the world fading to black as I passed out, spent and his.

One more thing hit me, though, as I drifted into unconsciousness. There was another difference between Jace and Callum.

I’d never loved Callum.

The only man I’d ever truly loved was…Jace.

JACE

The first rays of morning light crept through the blinds, casting soft, golden streaks over Riley’s sleeping form. She was sprawled out on our bed, her cheek pressed into the pillow, her long, blonde lashes fanning against her skin. The sheets were tangled around her legs, one arm stretched above her head, the other…well. The other was cuffed to the headboard.

With a furry pink handcuff.

I crossed my arms, leaning against the dresser, watching her chest rise and fall in a slow, steady rhythm. Even in sleep, she looked smug, like she already knew she had me wrapped around her little finger. Which, yeah. She did.

But that didn’t mean she could just leave me.

My jaw ticked, the memory of yesterday slamming into me like a full-body hit. That sinking feeling in my gut when I checked her location. That cold, sharp panic when I saw the blinking dot on my phone screen—far away from here, seemingly waiting at a bus stop on the edge of town.

She’d been running.

And if I hadn’t gotten there in time, she would have left me.

Imagine if I hadn’t disabled her car before I’d left for the team hotel the night before. Who knows how far she would have gotten.

The thought still made my ribs ache.

I’d done what any reasonable man would do. Hauled her ass back here, made sure she knew she wasn’t going anywhere, and then spent the entire night proving it. Again. And again. And again.

I knew she was exhausted, fucked into oblivion, mind too hazy to even think about leaving now. But just in case…I’d taken precautions.

The pink handcuff was a nice touch. Her favorite color. It seemed only fair.

Riley stirred, murmuring something unintelligible as she shifted beneath the sheets. My lips curled as her wrist gave a little tug, the chain rattling against the headboard. Her brows furrowed, her nose scrunching up like something wasn’t quite right. And then, slowly, her eyes blinked open.

It took a second. A long, slow second where I could practically see her sleepy brain processing why one of her arms wasn’t moving freely. And then her gaze snapped to her wrist, her entire body going rigid.

“What the hell?” she croaked, her voice rough with sleep. She yanked at the cuff once. Then again. The pink fur made a delightful little contrast against her skin. “Jace?”

“Morning, Riley-girl.” I smirked, pushing off the dresser.

She lifted her head, looking at me, then back at her hand, and then back at me. “Jace,” she repeated slowly, like she was trying to determine whether I’d actually lost my mind. “Are you serious?”

I nodded. “Deadly.”

Her mouth parted, her breathing still thick with sleep. “You…handcuffed me to the bed?”

“Sure did.”

“With furry pink handcuffs?”

“Best I could replace on short notice.”

She closed her eyes for a moment, inhaling through her nose, exhaling through her mouth. “Jace.”

“Yes, baby?”

“I swear to God, if you don’t uncuff me⁠—”

I raised a brow. “You swear to God? Really? That’s a strong accusation coming from someone who was at a fucking bus stop yesterday.”

She flinched, guilt flashing across her face. She opened her mouth, then closed it, her lips pressing into a tight line.

I crossed my arms again, staring down at her. “You did leave, Riley.” My voice wasn’t teasing anymore. “You ran.”

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed.

I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. “Do you have any idea what that did to me?” I murmured, my voice lower now, rougher.

Her expression softened.

“I love you,” I said fiercely. “I don’t know how else to say it. I don’t know how to make you believe it enough to stay.”

Her eyes welled up, but she blinked fast, like she was trying to hold it together. “Jace…”

I climbed onto the bed, bracing myself over her, one arm on either side of her head. “No more running,” I murmured, pressing my forehead to hers. “No more leaving.”

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, her free hand came up, sliding into my hair, gripping the back of my neck as she pulled me down, her lips brushing against mine. “I won’t leave you,” she whispered.

I sighed, the knot in my chest loosening slightly.

She pulled back, a small, amused smile tugging at the corner of her mouth as she lifted her cuffed wrist. “But this is a little excessive.”

“Disagree.”

Riley rolled her eyes, but there was no real heat behind it. “Jace.”

She was giving me the look. That half-glare, half-exasperated, are you actually serious right now, expression that I’d come to know intimately since she’d entered my life.

I, however, was unbothered. Entirely unbothered.

She stretched her fingers, testing the chain again, as if in the last thirty seconds some magical shift had occurred and she’d suddenly be free. When, in reality, all she was doing was proving that I’d done a damn good job making sure she stayed right where I left her.

I smirked. “You’re gonna make yourself sore if you keep yanking on that.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Take this off.”

I clicked my tongue. “Mm. No can do, babycakes.”

She sucked in a breath, clearly wrestling with every ounce of patience in her soul. “Jace.”

“Riley.” I grinned, settling onto the bed beside her.

She flopped back against the pillow, exhaling through her nose in a loud burst. “You cannot actually be serious.”

I propped myself up on my elbow, trailing a finger down her bare arm, ignoring the way her skin shivered at my touch. She definitely needed some rest after our…activities last night. “Deadly serious.”

“Jace.” Her voice dipped into that dangerously sweet tone. “I swear, if you don’t⁠—”

“It’s just until I get back from my meeting with Coach,” I cut in smoothly, pressing a quick kiss to her jaw. I’d explained what had happened after the game in between one of our fucking sessions last night.

She stilled. “Wait. What?”

I leaned over her, my lips brushing against her ear. “Just a little insurance, babycakes,” I murmured. “To make sure you don’t get any ideas while I’m gone.”

Riley made a sound of pure disbelief. “I already said I wasn’t leaving!”

I pulled back, looking down at her, gaze lazy and amused. “Yeah. And you also said you weren’t gonna run in the first place.”

Her mouth opened—then snapped shut.

Checkmate.

She groaned, flopping back against the pillows again, and I bit back a chuckle.

“You cannot keep me like this,” she muttered.

I shrugged. “Sure, I can.”

“This is kidnapping.”

I pressed a finger to her lips. “It’s temporary containment.”

She licked my finger.

I jerked my hand back, scowling as she grinned, smug and unrepentant.

Little menace.

I sat up, shaking my head. “You’re impossible.”

“And you’re insane.”

I smirked. “Welcome to the No Drama Llamas, Riley-girl.”

Her glare could’ve melted steel.

Still, I didn’t miss the way her lips twitched.

“Now,” I said, standing up and grabbing the remote from the nightstand. “Since you’re gonna be here a while, I took the liberty of setting up your favorite show.” I turned on the TV mounted to the wall, the theme music filling the room. “And—” I grabbed the bag I’d set on the dresser, tossing it beside her. “Snacks.”

Her eyes darted from me to the TV to the bag of food. “You’re bribing me?”

“Sure am.” I winked. “You like peanut M&Ms and bbq chips more than you like being mad at me. I give it twenty minutes before you forget you’re even cuffed.”

She clenched her jaw, stubborn as hell, but she didn’t not glance at the bag like it wasn’t calling her name.

Yeah. That’s what I thought.

“Be good while I’m gone,” I murmured, leaning down to brush a kiss against her forehead.

She huffed.

I grinned.

And then I walked out, leaving my girl cuffed to our bed with her favorite snacks and show, knowing that five minutes from now, she’d be fully immersed, only remembering she was technically being held captive when I came back to let her go.

Or not.

That part was still to be determined.