INICIAR SESIÓN“I couldn’t sleep,” I said defensively. “Also, why are you interrogating me? You don’t get to…”“Don’t I?” His voice was barely above a whisper now, but it carried an edge that made my breath catch. “You’re in my house, sleeping in the same bed as my cousin, whom I can’t fucking stand, and you expect me to just…”“We weren’t in the same bed,” I lied, hoping maybe that would persuade him to drop this. “There were separate sleeping arrangements, and everything was completely appropriate. Besides, this is my place of work, it would be incredibly unprofessional of me to do anything like that here, so you have no right to…”“Stop.” One of his hands came up to cup my face, his thumb brushing across my cheekbone. “Just… stop. I don’t want to argue with you.”The gentleness of the gesture was such a contrast, so different from the burning fury in his eyes that I didn’t know what to do or how exactly to react. This wasn’t platonic. Nothing about the way he was holding me, kissing me, looking
Lena’s POVI woke up warm.Too warm.My eyes fluttered open slowly, adjusting to the pale pre-dawn light filtering through the curtains. For a moment, I couldn’t figure out why I felt so… secure. So wrapped up and comfortable.Then I realised.Noah’s arm was around my waist, holding me tight against his chest. His breath was soft and steady against my hair, warm puffs that made the fine hairs on the back of my neck stand up.Somehow during the night, we must’ve found each other, or maybe I’d found him, and now we were tangled together like we’d done this a thousand times before.My heart slammed against my ribs.This was…this was so inappropriate. We’d just met. He was Jace’s cousin. We were supposed to be on opposite sides of the bed, respecting boundaries and keeping things professional.Instead, I was curled into him like he was my personal heater, his legs tangled up with my own, his hand splayed across my stomach, fingers just barely brushing the sliver of skin where my t-shirt
He had a point. A logical, reasonable point that made my panic feel silly and overdramatic and also a little childish."Okay," I heard myself say. "Okay, fine."Which is how I ended up lying in bed, stiff as a board, hyperaware of every inch of space between us.Noah had kept his promise, staying on his side, but the mattress dipped slightly under his weight, creating a subtle gravity that made me feel like I might roll toward him if I relaxed even a fraction."You're not going to sleep like that," Noah said quietly, glancing at me with an amused look on his face."Like what?""Like you're afraid the bed might explode or something." There was laughter in his voice. "You can relax. I don't bite."Easy for him to say. He looked completely comfortable, propped up against the headboard with one arm behind his head, scrolling through his phone with the other.I forced myself to breathe, to let my shoulders drop from where I’d squeezed them up to my ears."That’s better," he said.Abd that'
What was I thinking?The question looped through my mind as Noah's hand closed around mine, warm and confident, leading me toward the stairs.I'd just invited a complete stranger, a stranger Jace clearly despised, to share my room for the night.A stranger who'd been in this house for all of twenty minutes and had already managed to charm everyone from Mrs. Dawson to shy, particular Martin.It made me remember something my dad said, that a person who had no enemies couldn’t be trusted.Behind us, I could practically feel Jace's glare burning holes in the back of my head."You’re not going anywhere with her," Jace's voice cut through the air, sharp and hostile. "Cut that shit out."Noah didn't even turn around. He just called back over his shoulder, his voice smooth as silk, "Funny how your guest has better manners than you do, cousin. Maybe you should take notes."My eyes widened. Nobody talked to Jace like that. Absolutely nobody.But Noah just kept walking, his thumb brushing casual
Jace stepped forward right then, his eyes looking appreciatively at Lena. He winced when he noticed the bruise on her cheek from where Allison had backhanded her. Clearly, she was not okay.He'd been looking forward to an opportunity to talk to Lena after what happened in the media room, to smooththings over after the kiss amd to apologize.But how was he supposed to explain that he'd hidden himself away in the shelving unit like a coward, refusing to come out and help even while she was getting hit and insulted by Alison over him?He sighed softly, asking her gently "Hey, Lena, can I talk to you about—"But Noah was faster.He stepped forward, took Lena's hand in his, and kissed the back of it like some kind of fucking prince from a fairy tale."It's an absolute pleasure to meet you," Noah said in his warm honey voice.Lena's face blushed bright pink."I—um—hi—I mean—" She stammered, her eyes going wide, clearly not expecting all that.A shy grin spread across her face, completely ou
Jace sat in the back seat of his mother's BMW like an angry Uber passenger, arms crossed, glaring at the back of Noah's head.Noah had claimed shotgun, naturally sitting next to his mother in front.And now he was chatting away like they were old friends catching up over brunch."...and the hospital coordinator said I had the most volunteer hours of any student in the program,""That's wonderful, Noah." Jace's mom's voice was full of real softness and affection. "Your mother would be so proud of you."There was a brief pause as Noah's voice softened. "Yeah. I think she would be.""How long has it been now? Five years?""Six in February." Noah looked out the window. "Cancer's a bitch. Sorry... I mean, cancer's terrible.""No, you're right. It is a bitch." His mom reached over and squeezed his shoulder briefly before returning her hand to the wheel."Your father told me how hard you worked to keep your grades up even while she was sick. That takes real strength of character.""I had to.






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