The Jeep rumbled back onto the road, tires humming against wet asphalt.
Neither of us said anything for a solid minute. My brain was still catching up to the fact that we hadn’t been arrested—or exorcised.
Jace broke the silence first. “So, if you ever decide to die again, could you at least keep your pants on? I’m running out of excuses for naked men in my passenger seat.”
“Noted,” I muttered.
He glanced over, a smirk tugging at his mouth. “Also, I think after tonight I’m going to be Parker’s number one bestilicious, too.”
I laughed, half-delirious from exhaustion. “And why’s that?”
“Because I got a photo of your face when the flashlight hit your dick. You looked like a deer that’d just realized it was being photographed forNational Geographic.”
I jerked upright so fast I nearly hit my head on the roof. “Youtook a picture?”
Jace waggled his eyebrows at me. “Of course; it’s going to be my new screen saver.”
“Delete it.”
“Can’t. It’s my friendship tax for tonight.”
“Jace.”
He grinned wider, eyes still on the road. “Relax, I cropped it. Mostly.”
I groaned and then flopped back into the seat. I’d have to get it off his phone when I had more energy.
The rest of the drive passed in the hum of the engine and the steady roar of the heater. The world outside was still soaked in darkness, the streetlights bleeding into the wet grass.
“Hey,” I said finally in a rough voice. “Thanks. For coming.”
Jace glanced over, his grin softening. “Yeah, well. Somebody had to make sure your obituary didn’t start with ‘Local athlete found pantsless in river.’”
I huffed a weak laugh. “Still—thanks.”
He shrugged, like it wasn’t a big deal. “What are best friends for if not for ride-or-die extractions?”
When we finally pulled up to the house, Jace idled in the driveway for a second. “I’ve got one for you.”
“Really?” I said dramatically. “I’m literally sitting here naked.”
He snorted. “I know, that’s why your new nickname’s Juggler.”
“What?”
“Because somehow there are always balls involved when it comes to you.”
I stared at him for a second in disgust, then shook my head as I opened the door, the cold hitting me like a slap all over again. I was halfway up the porch steps when I froze.
My stuff—hoodie, sweatpants, shoes—was sitting in a neat little folded pile on the welcome mat.
My jaw tightened, a low sound escaping before I could stop it. “Unbelievable,” I snarled as I gathered them up and went inside, Jace following behind me.
The house was quiet, dimly lit from the kitchen nightlight. Ophelia was still asleep in my bed, tangled in the sheets, her face soft and peaceful in the half-light.
Something in me eased.
I quietly headed to the bathroom. The second the hot water hit, I groaned, the heat biting at my frozen skin until it burned.
