Chapter 47
Gage
I stared at the closed door in front of me, not actually comprehending what the f**k just happened. One second Bree was in my arms–soft, pliant, her body melting against mine like it had been made for me–and the next she was shoving me away, her voice breaking into a scream as she told me to let her go, told me we’d never work.
It didn’t compute. None of it did.
Well, f**k that.
My jaw flexed hard, fists clenching at my sides as my eyes dropped down the hallway. That’s when I caught sight of Jenna. She froze the instant I looked at her, wide–eyed like a damn deer caught in headlights, and then bolted into her own room, slamming the door so hard it rattled the frame. Great. Another layer of confusion thrown onto this already f****d–up mess. I turned back to Bree’s door, my pulse pounding like a war drum in my ears. I wanted to pound on it, wanted to demand answers, wanted to shove it open and shake the truth out of her. But I knew if I did, she’d only shut down harder. She was stubborn like that–strong on the outside even when she was breaking on the inside.
So instead I closed my eyes, sucked in a deep breath, and whispered, “Don’t worry, gorgeous. I’ll win you over.”
I meant it. She could scream, she could run, she could slam every door in my face, and I’d still find my way back into her arms. Because she was mine.
I forced myself to turn, stalking down the corridor and then down the staircase two steps at a time. Heads turned when I passed. People shifted out of my way automatically, like the Red Sea parting around me. Normally, I hated that s**t. Hated being treated like I was some kind of campus royalty just because I could throw a ball better than most. But right now? I welcomed it. Let them fear me. Let them see that I was on edge. It meant no one would be dumb enough to get in my way.
All the way back to McAllister Court, my thoughts circled like vultures. What the hell had gone wrong? Bree wasn’t the kind of girl to cause a scene for attention. She wasn’t dramatic, wasn’t fake. She had too much integrity for that. If she was upset, there was a reason. I just didn’t know what the f**k it was yet.
< Chapter 47
And that burned me alive.
More Parmaris 3
By the time I reached the turn toward my dorm, I veered off, my body moving on autopilot toward the field. The team always met up there on day one–catching up, bullshitting, stretching our legs before practice started in earnest. I needed to be there, needed the
distraction. But more than that, I needed to stake my claim.
She might not have accepted me yet. She might not even believe we were possible. But that didn’t change a damn thing. Bree Morgan was mine, and every single guy on this campus
was about to learn it.
When I got there, the field was already scattered with players. Some were sprawled in the grass, laughing and tossing a football back and forth, others were standing in small groups talking about their summers. I spotted Kenneth and Caleb lounging under the shade of a tree, and Miguel striding up from the far end.
“Hey, Cap!” Simon called out, waving at me from where he sat. “I’m telling you, I’ve been running laps all goddamn summer. I’m so f*****g ready to-”
“Listen up,” I cut him off, my voice sharp, carrying over the field like a command.
Everything stilled. The casual chatter dropped into silence, every head turning toward me. They knew the tone. They knew I wasn’t in the mood to play around. The energy shifted instantly, the easy vibe snapping taut like a stretched wire.
“This right here,” I said, jabbing a finger down at the grass beneath my feet, “is me claiming Bree Morgan as mine. She’s a freshman, living in Walton Tower, floor four, suite five. If I ever catch any of you even thinking about smiling at her wrong, I’ll make your lives a living hell. Do you understand me?”
Murmurs broke out, sharp laughter from the dumb ones, shocked silence from the smarter ones. Kenneth, of course, couldn’t help himself.
“She’s a cutie, Cap,” he drawled with a grin wide enough to split his face. “Blonde hair, blue eyes, glasses, and a body that just won’t quit!”
Red. That’s all I saw.
I lunged for him, rage roaring up hot and uncontrollable, but Miguel and Caleb were already moving, catching me before I could tear Kenneth’s head clean off. Caleb braced against my chest, Miguel locking my arms behind me in a hold strong enough to stop a bull.
“And this,” Miguel barked, looking around the circle, “is exactly why we’re going to honor Cap’s
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words. Bree Morgan is taken, and we’re gonna f*****g respect that. If you see someone sniffing around her, you shut it down. Got it? She’s off–limits.”
The message landed. Hard. Heads bobbed in agreement, muttered “yeahs” rippling through the group. Miguel gave me a rough shake, forcing me to unclench my fists, forcing me to breathe through the fury vibrating in my veins.
Kenneth just kept grinning like a cocky bastard, but even he knew better than to push me any
further.
“Congratulations, Cap,” Lionel called out with a sly wink. “Finally settling down, huh?”
I shot him a look that probably should’ve melted him on the spot, but underneath the sarcasm I could hear the truth. This was different. I’d never claimed a girl like this before. Not in front of the team. Not in front of anyone. The only time I’d ever come close was back in sophomore year when I let a girlfriend wear my jersey during a game, and even then it hadn’t meant anything real.
But this? This was real.
Bree might think we’d never work. She might try to run from me, might try to push me away until her voice cracked. But I didn’t give a f**k. I’d show her. I’d prove to her that being mine was the best decision she’d ever make.
Because I wouldn’t just be her boyfriend. I’d be her shield. Her safe place. Her number one
think fan. I’d adore her. I’d worship her. I’d make her so goddamn happy she’d never even
about leaving again.
The first step? Get as close to her as humanly possible. No, I couldn’t move into Walton Tower, and I had no business hanging around freshman dorms. But Bree couldn’t stay locked away forever. She’d have to go to classes, eat in the dining hall, hit the library.
And when she did?
I’d be there.
Every corner she turned, she’d find me waiting. Every time her arms got tired carrying books, I’d be there to take the load. Every time she needed a drink, I’d have one ready. Every time some asshole so much as looked at her, I’d shut him down before he finished blinking.
That was the plan.
And to make it work, I needed to know her schedule. What classes she was taking, when, and
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where.
Lucky for me, I already knew exactly whose ass I needed to kiss to get that information.
**
Jenna
This wasn’t good. This was so not good.
I couldn’t stop pacing, couldn’t stop biting at the edge of my thumb nail until it stung. My body was buzzing with nervous energy, and no matter how many deep breaths I tried to pull in, they wouldn’t calm me. Where the hell was he? He was supposed to be here by now. He was supposed to come striding in like he always promised he would–confident, cocky, untouchable and save the day.
But doubts kept crawling under my skin. Doubts that maybe this time he couldn’t claw his way out. And if he went down, I’d go with him. That was the part that made bile rise in my throat. He wasn’t supposed to take me down with him. I had been careful, so damn careful, making sure my hands never touched the dirtiest parts of our schemes. But now? Everything felt like it was teetering on the edge of exposure, ready to shatter.
I stopped and looked around the edge of the trees, scanning for any sign of him, but there was nothing. It was getting later, the air cooling, the shadows lengthening across the ground. He should’ve been here twenty minutes ago. Typical. He was always late, always on his own time, like the world revolved around him. Like my anxiety didn’t matter, like my skin wasn’t crawling while I waited.
A small, desperate part of me wished I could just cut ties, walk away, leave him in the mess he’d created. Wished I wasn’t so goddamn tethered to him, chained by loyalty, fear, and this twisted kind of need I couldn’t explain. But I was. I was too deep. And now that my brother- my golden, untouchable, infuriating brother–was circling Bree Morgan like a hawk, it was only a matter of time before she stabbed me in the back. Because that’s what Bree did. She ruined things. She ruined me. And once she opened her big mouth, once she whispered into Gage’s ear, I’d lose him too.
So, no, I couldn’t walk away from Oliver. Not now. Not ever.
Finally. Finally, I saw him. Casual as ever, strolling through the trees with his hands shoved into his pockets, his crooked grin already sliding into place. He nodded at people he passed like he was the goddamn mayor of Sierra Ridge, like his reputation hadn’t been built on lies
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and manipulation.
More H
That was Oliver. Handsome. Charismatic. Always able to charm his way into–or out of- anything. I hated that it worked. Hated that it had worked on me. I understood why Bree had fallen for it too, but that didn’t make me less furious. She should’ve known better. She should’ve stayed away. Instead, she’d gotten close enough to hurt me again. And I couldn’t
let her win.
“What took you so long?” I snapped the moment he got close enough. My voice was sharp, cutting, meant to mask the fact that my insides were twisting in on themselves.
“Sorry, babe,” he said smoothly, pulling me into his arms like we hadn’t just been on the verge of disaster. His grin was easy, practiced, but his kiss was rough, harsh. I let him take it, but it didn’t land the way it used to. Ever since Bree, his lips had felt wrong. Cold. They didn’t make me feel powerful anymore–they just made me feel hollow.
“I texted you to come. Said it was urgent. And you still took your sweet time?” I shoved against his chest, glaring up at him. “You can’t keep doing this.”
“Relax, Jenna.” His jaw tightened, irritation flashing in his eyes as his grin slipped. “I’m here, aren’t I? What’s the damn emergency?”
I crossed my arms tightly over my chest, keeping a barrier between us. “I saw Bree today.”
He huffed a laugh at first, rolling his eyes like I’d just told him the weather forecast. “So? We knew she was coming here. Who cares?”
“My brother cares.”
That landed. His entire demeanor shifted in an instant. For the first time in a long time, I saw real fear flicker across his face. His posture stiffened, and he looked less like a cocky king and more like a kid caught stealing cookies from the jar.
“Apparently something has been going on between them,” I pressed, my stomach knotting tighter with every word. “He must have been the guy Gabriella photographed. And I should’ve seen it. Should’ve recognized him in those pictures, but I didn’t think-” I swallowed hard, bitterness burning my throat. “I didn’t think my brother would ever be interested in her. And now? We’re f****d. Because of your actions.”
His head snapped toward me, anger flashing now that the fear had passed. “My actions?!” He could be scary when he was pissed, sharp and unpredictable, but I knew his limits. He’d never touch me. He couldn’t. Because if he did, Gage would kill him. Even if my brother never
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found out what we’d done, he’d never let Oliver put his hands on me.
“This is all your fault,” I hissed, stepping closer so he could feel the venom in every word, “If you hadn’t gone to prom with her–if you hadn’t made me walk in with Brandon f*****g Chen- I never would’ve wanted revenge. And it was your idea to leak those photos. All I wanted was to release her messages to you. That was it.”
My throat tightened, rage mixing with the old sting of betrayal. I remembered the night! found their texts. His words to her. Soft. Sweet. Tender. Words he had never, ever said to me. Reading them had been like being gutted from the inside out.
“I didn’t hear you complaining then,” he shot back, his own eyes narrowing, cutting right into me. “I recall you laughing when I posted those photos. Telling me she had it coming.”
And he wasn’t wrong. That was the part that made me sick. I had laughed. I had thought it was funny. I had wanted Bree to hurt, wanted her humiliated. I had wanted her to crumble the way I had crumbled every time she managed to steal something from me without even
trying.
But this? This was different. If Gage wanted her, she was untouchable.
My lip trembled, and I bit it hard enough to taste blood. “If I go down,” I whispered, then lifted my chin higher, my voice sharpening like a blade. “If this blows up in our faces–then you’re going down with me.”
Emilia M
A lot to unpack in this chapter
Because I sure as hell am
Who’s ready for Gage to go full stalker mode on our girl’s ass? And what did you think of Jenna’s POV? Seems like a lot more has happened than what we first thought, huh? Btw, this double update takes us to 100k words! Wuhuuu
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