Chapter 14

Riley’s POV

My fingers were still tangled in Noah’s collar when I trapped him in mid-breath and body-slammed him onto the asphalt. Concrete cracks kissed my elbows and shoulder blades as we tumbled like rogue tumbleweeds in a very violent, very unnecessary rodeo. The moment our rolling finally stopped—me splayed across Noah’s furry chest, him looking like a much angrier, much redder raccoon—I realized two things: one, my limbs were now decorated with fresh road rash, and two, holy hell, those crimson eyes were practically blazing with revenge.

I groaned, shifting to sit upright; pain shot through my ribs like fireworks on steroids. Above me, Oliver—aka “Hot Nerd”—crouched, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose with faint concern. “Uh… you okay?”

I blinked, peeling tiny shards of gravel from my skin. “Peachy,” I managed, though the word sounded more like “blechy.” I clambered off Noah’s furry bulk, wincing as I tried not to pop a rib out of place