I take in the tension in his shoulders and the intensity radiating off of him. “Did it not go well?” Worry for him and the others, my dad and brother included, fills me.
“It was fine.”
I study him a moment. “If you just got back a few hours ago, what are you doing here? You should be slee—”
“Why are you here, Ry?” I blink. Whenever he calls me that, it takes me back. He used to call me that all the time. Honestly, he’s the only person who really ever did.
I remember his question, thankfully. “Quint didn’t tell you?”
“Haven’t talked to him. He’s asleep.”
“Oh.” That makes sense. I look up at him. “Coach Parella called and told me that as a freshman I have to live on campus. I know Evie and Tessa both didn’t, but somebody on the team must be making a big deal about it and said something to her about it.”
“That’s ridiculous. Nobody abides by that rule.”
I shrug. “Well, apparently Coach Parella does.” He growls low in his chest, and I reach out and put my hand on his arm. “Hey, it's okay.” His muscle jumps beneath my touch, and I stroke his arm. But he doesn’t relax, and I know what he needs. I step right into him and wrap my arms around him. His arms come around me immediately, and I think we both sigh at the full-body contact.
His arms tighten around me. “I missed you,” he breathes against my temple.
“I missed you too,” I admit.
Chapter 25
Riley
I relax in his arms and feel the pull to him intensify. “Are you really going to have to stay here?” he asks.
“Yes, sorry. She was pretty serious about the whole thing.”
“I finally got you to the house.”
“I know.” I pull back so I can look up at him. “This doesn’t mean that you start staying awake at night again. I can take care of myself. I have new abilities now,” I tell him with a smile. “I can protect myself.”
He growls low in his chest. “It’s my job to protect you.”
I put my hand on his chest, over his heart. “I know, but I’m okay. I’m not like Evie and Tessa. I have a fierce predator inside me,” I tell him softly, even though there’s nobody around to overhear us. He takes a deep breath. “You’ve got your last season upon you, and you’ll start traveling soon. I will too. You have to get sleep at night and not worry about me.”
He runs a hand up and down my spine, a familiar move now. “I will always worry about you.”
I smile at that and don’t argue because I can’t say I wasn’t worried about him while he was gone. “So, are you going to go back and get a few hours of sleep?”
“And miss this little bit of time I have with you? No. How long are we running?”
Part of me wants to fight against it; I know he needs sleep. But he makes his own decisions. “Just a few miles because I don’t know what to expect of practice tonight.”
He starts moving backwards. “Let’s go, Slowpoke.”
“Slowpoke? Seriously?” I race past him, and his chuckle follows me, warming my insides. He easily catches up to me, and I slow down so I can put my earbuds in. Then we run again. We keep it easy and only run two miles. I take my earbuds out and catch my breath. “Thanks. Will I see you after practice?”
He scowls. “We have a meeting after practice tonight. It could go a little while, but I’ll come see you when I’m free.”
“Okay. Have a good day, Reid.”
“You too.” Right before I walk away, he stops me. “Oh, the banquet is this weekend. Will you be my date?”
“What banquet?”
“The college always hosts a banquet right at the beginning of the season for the men’s and women’s basketball teams.”
